I have years of experience struggling to find my calling – my purpose in the world. Between taking my own happiness plunge, all the crazy and amazing things I have encountered in my travels, and getting my hands dirty in trying to make the world a better place one community at a time, I will never be at a loss of words as your guest speaker.
Universities
I love speaking to students. I was one not too long ago. I can connect with undergraduate and graduate students alike, having pursued an engineering undergraduate degree and an MBA. I understand the thoughts and concerns in bright, young minds. The world is changing faster than ever before, and I can inspire them to think outside the box and find their fit.
- Thinking beyond the fishbowl – Groupthink tends to happen quite a bit with regard to career choice in universities. I can show how my engineering and MBA education positioned me very well to drop the briefcase for the backpack and help impoverished communities. In this talk, I challenge students to identify their passions in life and pursue a career that incorporates those passions.
- Living through experiences, not things – We are constantly distracted by our things and all the technology we surround ourselves with. It is almost like being in jail – a modern-day slavery to our online presence and gadgets. But life is much richer than the things we have and here I explain how a life based on maximizing experiences, not things, will lead to happier, more motivated, and more productive university graduates.
- Life of service – Business, in the end, is all about serving the customer. Why not start your career serving others through volunteering or NGO work? What company wouldn’t want to hire someone who has spent time serving others in any capacity? Starting a post-university career serving others will enrich you and set you up nicely for future employment. Let me explain how.
- My story – I have lived a few different lifetimes already, taking several plunges into the unknown. From engineering student to oil rig engineer in the Middle East to traveling like crazy to MBA student in Spain to businessman in Denmark to nomadic idealist. Talking about how each step brought me closer to what I was looking for and sharing what each life-changing decision entailed can help the students with their looming life-changing decisions – and realize it’s ok to make mistakes. I’ve made many, but each one brought me closer to my ideal life.
Companies and Conferences
For companies, I offer a variety of topics to speak about.
- Bottom of the Pyramid – What does it really look like? Is there really opportunity there, or is it all just fluff? What do the people at the bottom of the pyramid actually need and want? Having lived with people earning less than $2 per day, I can give a first-hand account of what is needed and what needs aren’t being met by business.
- Corporate Social Responsibility – How to leverage a company’s CSR program to actually make an impact in peoples’ lives instead of using it to sponsor events and do marketing. CSR programs are often not value-creating purely because companies do not put in the effort to make them value-creating. I can help change that and demonstrate successes around the world.
- Why You Can’t Employ Me – Ever since my first internship in college, I didn’t feel like I belonged at a company. Something about it just didn’t feel right. Now that I am on my own, I’d like to help companies and HR departments understand people like me so they can avoid hiring them! We are an unmotivated bunch (in the corporate setting, that is) who rarely stay with a company for very long and just end up using resources better spent elsewhere.
Why?
- Passion – I am passionate about what I do and see guest speaking as a way of sharing what I’ve learned. Teaching was one of the six passions I identified prior to taking my happiness plunge, and I am extremely excited to share my knowledge and experiences.
- Engagement – I am happy to take questions and deliver candid responses. I prefer speaking engagements where I can interact with the audience. I want to learn as well, and much can be learned from taking questions from the audience and subsequent interacting.
- Charity – I donate 25% of all proceeds earned from speaking to my Crazy Hair Fundraiser and to the many charities that have enriched my soul during my travels. Giving back is what it’s all about and it’s the absolute least I can do given all the amazing experiences I’ve had.
How?
Please contact me at Speaking [at] HappinessPlunge.com or fill in the form below. [contact-form 4 “Coaching”]