About a week ago, I had the fortune of meeting Rudy Ruettiger. You know, of "Rudy, Rudy, Rudy..." fame. Though given his small stature, he was still able to do what everyone said he could not do on the Notre Dame football field; COMPETE. I remember watching this inspirational movie with a room full of my Fraternity Brothers back in the mid 90's. His life, and the movie are truly motivational. Sean Astin's portrayal of a doggedly determined young man reminded all of us to simply never give up on our dreams. Though none of my Brother's would ever admit to it, I knew for certain several were almost in tears. I however, maintained my composure... well, at least in the A-frame where we were all assembled.
When I heard Rudy was coming to town, I knew I needed to see the man and hear him speak live. For years, I had heard he was a powerful keynote speaker, who was very motivational. Not only did I want to pick up some pointers on public speaking, but I confess I also wanted to feel "inspired". Inspired to do what, you ask? Well, I wasn't exactly sure, but if I did a back flip, or just ran around the gym floor like a chicken with my head cut off, THEN I would know I got my 20 bucks worth! So many times, people find themselves waiting for someone to give them a reaction. ANY reaction. All too often, these people go down a negative path thinking this other person will eventually bring them happiness. Okay, fine, we all need those little jolts to our system every now and then, but why wait on someone else to do that for us?
A "moment of Zen", is when a Taoist does something to preoccupy their mind, while waiting for truth to reveal itself. Stuff like contemplating one's naval. All I ever found was lint. Or perhaps to ponder the paradoxical question "what is the sound of one hand clapping?" Here's the answer; it's exactly half as loud as two hands clapping. But do we really need an outside influence, or to put our brains on hold to have an epiphany? Wait, let me think on that for a while.... NO! The answer is "no", we do not need to put our brains on hold!
During Mr. Ruettiger's speech, the one thing he said that really stuck out in my mind the most was; "Dreams come to you when you're inspired". I had to ponder that for awhile. What did he MEAN by that? Was he speaking a higher wisdom, than my little mind could not translate? Was this a carefully crafted syntax that only a few people in the room, who attended a secret meeting before, would be able to understand? Was this a "code" of some sort? No, I believe what he meant was if your life is mundane, or you do not feel inspired to do something great... seek out your inspiration. In the immortal words of another equally motivational movie (City Slickers), "Go find your smile".
You don't need a "guru" to tell you how to be your best. Just LOOK at all the people around you who have already overcome great adversities... or in your own life. Then ask "how can I bottle that"? How can I keep my goal ever present and in the forefront of my mind? For some, those questions may be more basic; "what makes me happy", or "what makes me feel good about myself"? These are really good questions with which many so-called successful people still struggle.
So, would I ever pay to go hear Rudy speak again? Well, yeah, probably. But not because I need some new pearl of wisdom that would unlock the secret of life-long bliss, I just need a gentle reminder from time to time to make sure I am on the right track. Also, it was nice to know that Rudy himself was so... nice. After the event, he took time to shake hands with everyone who wanted to see him. As a long line of people told him one after another what his story meant to them, I would occasionally see him come almost to tears. To which neither I nor my Fraternity Brothers would ever allow. But maybe Rudy really is the bigger man after all. "Thank you", Rudy! NOT for inspiring me, as much as reminding me I can motivate myself.
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