Posts tagged inspirational speaker
Faith, Your Message, “The Day After”, and President Ronald Reagan
July 13, 2014,9:34 pm
Some things can take the wind out of your sails – like having your passionate message met by a deadpan response, or ridicule. That has happened to me on occasion, as I strut about in my superhero costume!
What keeps me going? Well, did you ever have a negative initial reaction to a new idea, and then later (hours, months, years) come to the realization that you actually embrace that idea yourself? That may be what is going on with the person you are trying to inspire, or impact in some positive way. Just because on the surface it seems that you did not get the desired outcome, doesn’t mean that you did not make the impact you had intended.
Let’s take, for example, the 1983 Film “The Day After” which was a wake-up call as to the potential outcomes of nuclear war. Producer Nicholas Meyer was even ridiculed as a traitor by the New York Post, and labeled “unpatriotic” by the National Review… Yet years later it was revealed in President Ronald Reagan’s diary that it was upon watching a prescreening of the film, that Reagan resolved “to see there is never a nuclear war.”
Where would our world be today, if Nicholas Meyer had collapsed under the judgments made against them, and given up on the project?
Faith is sometimes compared to the mustard seed, which is very tiny, and yet grows into a tremendous plant. The response to your message may at times seem tiny to you – but oh, the difference you can make! You might never find out the impact of the seeds you plant. Keep faith in your dreams. Live by your passion. And love.
by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
Excellence, Marva Collins, and Defying “Disability”
July 7, 2014,12:27 pm
This is the quote that first got my attention: “Excellence is not an act but a habit. The things you do the most are the things you will do the best.” This resonated me, because it reminded me of my outlook that you get what you focus on. It also reinforced the concept of forming habits, which for me has been an absolute necessity in thriving with a traumatic brain injury. That just scratches the surface, when it comes to Marva Collins. She started her own school in 1975 for kids who were spit out by the Chicago inner city public school system, and labeled as being “learning disabled” or “problem children.” Which brings me to another one of her quotes: “I have discovered few learning disabled students in my three decades of teaching. I have, however, discovered many, many victims of teaching inabilities.” The most inspiring example to me, of her efforts, was about a little girl that the public schools labeled “borderline retarded,” which was the terminology used in 1975. She was taken in by Marva the first year she opened Westside Preparatory School. That little girl grew up to graduate college as Suma Kum Laude. Have you ever been labeled as “disabled,” or something else? Don’t buy into it. Years ago I started using the term “differently-abled” as my own way of reprograming the damage a label can do. Stand Up. Be Proud. And Shine. by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
Fantastic Frank in the Rochester Business Journal
June 24, 2014,2:43 pm
The “Fantastic Frank” story written by copywriter Michele Camacho, and published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries, spurred on this story in the Rochester Business Journal.
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Are You Ready to Be a ‘Silent Angel’ ?
,2:35 pm
 Fantastic Frank with Angela Leigh Tucker A friend of mine, Angela Leigh Tucker, was recently awarded the “Silent Angel Award” by the Brain Injury Association of NY State (BIANYS). You can find her story, along with mine, in The Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injury. The Silent Angel award “Recognizes those who make it possible for others to be in the forefront of the association’s activities.” I just love this concept of a “silent angel” and came to find, from searching the internet, that there are many, many “silent angels” out there. I found groups related to animal rescue, real estate, Rett syndrom, etc… the point is that, there is help. A great quote from one of them is: “So why are we silent? Because doing the right thing is all that really matters.” This got me thinking of all the ways that each and every person can be a silent angel to someone else. Don’t be daunted – it doesn’t have to involve raising millions of dollars to charities….. How about a smile? What is it that you can do to uplift another person? No matter what your own circumstance, there is something you can do/share/be. Take my friend Angela Leigh Tucker – she incurred a traumatic brain injury in a car accident that killed her husband. And she found a way to make a difference. Sometimes when we lift others up, it uplifts our own spirits as well. Give it a try. |
Researching The Proper Knowledge Can Save Your Life
June 15, 2014,5:03 pm
This really shouldn’t surprise me, because I encounter it all the time, perhaps even more outside the “differently-abled” community. When someone is “differently-abled” they know on some level, to varying degrees of acceptance, that they need help. How about you? What keeps you up at night? Is there something you need help with, and are afraid to admit it? My life-saving advice to you, is to take the first step, by researching help on the internet. You will be amazed at the wealth of resources available for every kind of challenge. Once you see there are others that share your pain, it will become easier to make the next step, which is to reach out to someone and share your story. Depending on your needs, many organizations and professionals provide confidential services in which you may remain anonymous. The key is to PRESUME THERE IS HELP, and look for it with the EXPECTATION that you WILL FIND IT.
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“Fantastic Frank” Story by Michele Camacho in Chicken Soup for the Soul – Rochester In Focus Interview
May 13, 2014,5:42 pm
WHEC, Rochester In Focus, interview with myself and Michele Camacho. Hear the endearing backstory of why “Marvelous” Michele wrote the story “Fantastic Frank”, which is published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries. by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
Arsenio Hall Meets Fantastic Frank Johnson
May 4, 2014,6:32 pm
Arsenio Hall and Fantastic Frank Johnson shake hands in the studio of the Arsenio Hall Show in Los Angeles.
by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
Want to Get the Most Out of Your Mentors?
April 27, 2014,2:25 pm
To get the most out of your mentors, don’t take their advice 100% of the time! Listen to them carefully, and then use discretion when deciding what to do, because YOU are the only one that has the full perspective of YOUR life. Having and using mentors is crucial to success – I even dedicated an entire chapter to mentors in my book “From Flawed to Fantastic.” The thing is, blindly doing whatever a mentor tells you to do is recipe for disaster. You choose mentors because they have had phenomenal success in a particular area of expertise. You may have one mentor for marketing your business, another for financial investing, and another for exercise. One theory I want to dispel is that concept that if you do exactly what someone else has done, that you will get Why? Because you are unique. Your talents and your life circumstances are different than your mentor’s. Let’s say for example that the famed opera singer, Pavarotti, mentored me to sing opera, when he himself was at the height of his career. And let’s say that he allowed me to live with him and shadow him 24/7, so that I could do the same vocal exercises, rehearsals, etc. The result would have been an utter failure! You see, my vocal chords were damaged by an emergency tracheotomy that saved my life. It is a medical condition, and I will never be able to sing because of it. The reason following some one else’s advice “exactly” doesn’t yield the exact same result, is because you are unique! You can never walk in another’s foot path the same way that they are teaching you! Even if you had the determination to do it, you cannot do it “exactly” the way they have done it – the parameters have changed! So what do you need to do to grow and become successful ? First, you must be aware of this fact that it’s highly unlikely that you will get the same results as the person whose previous feats got you enthusiastic. Next, you must be guided by your own sense of what will work for you! It may be that you tweak their instruction, by adding or subtracting various other components of the plan that they are asking you to perform! Now I am not saying that this will guarantee you will have the level of success that you may have hoped for…. It may just become a bigger “problem” than before – that’s when the tough get going! Take responsibility for your choices, consult with your mentors on your new status, and boldly move forward! by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
Fantastic Frank Johnson on WXXI Need to Know Rochester
April 26, 2014,11:01 pm
Sharing Triumph over Tradgedy! This interview on WXXI, Need to Know Rochester, starts off with a story of me being published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries, and then goes in depth about my journey and my mission to inspire millions. by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
Going Beyond Challenges for New Year’s
January 1, 2014,12:10 am
It’s New Year’s Eve and excitement is in the air! Why not start “ringing in the new” with new ways of going beyond challenges that sneak up at this time of year? Here are some ideas: Do you fit any of these descriptions? 1) No idea whose New Year’s Eve offer to accept 2) No offers to accept!!! 3) No incentive or the drive to call up and ask someone what to do. 4) No way to be creative in getting yourself invited somewhere 5) No plans, as you may have let things go to the last minute (like I have done!!) and finally 6) No desire to participate in celebration madness.
My suggestion for anyone who feels this way is to think out side the box like I have, 1) Listen to a Blog Talk Radio Show tonight and tomorrow, 2) Take care of yourself, mentally, spiritually and physically. 3) Make a list of your accomplishments or activities that I had fun doing through out the year. 5) Set your goals (which I call outcomes) for the next year. 6) Start your budgeting process for the upcoming year, with money allocated to your personal growth. Don’t let your circumstances or your disability control your life!! by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
