Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to On Purpose with Paul Peters. Today we're uncovering the passions, principles, and divine guidance that leads to a meaningful life. You're watching now Media Television Peters.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: Welcome back to another episode of On Purpose with Paul. I have the amazing honor of interviewing somebody I have known for 45 years.
This. This man I've known. We went to high school together. We were in gymnastics, and I think I know him pretty well.
But we're going to discover how Well I know Mr. Patrick O'. Meara. Patrick, welcome to the show.
[00:00:32] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:00:33] Speaker B: So I want to talk a little bit, and, you know, the show is about finding your purpose. And I have discovered that often people in the search of their purpose often have to reflect back on things that happen in their life. And so I want you to kind of talk to us and tell us some things about you or maybe as early as you can remember, childhood of certain things that stood out in your life that really kind of helped pinpoint what you felt was your purpose in life.
[00:00:59] Speaker C: Sure.
I remember probably the most vivid memory of me even connecting with a theme like a purpose was I had signed up for the debate team or the drama team back in junior high, and we had some kind of a drama event. It was like a contest, a drama contest.
And I had selected a passage that I would perform.
And embarrassingly enough, the passage, if you ever remember that, who's on first with Evan Costello? You know, one asked, and the other guy responds, you kind of get this whole thing going. Yes. I had decided it would be even better if I played both parts.
So the thing is confusing enough as it is, let alone having one person try and play both parts and stand here, ask the question, and stand there and then respond to the question going back and forth.
For whatever reason. I thought that was going to be a great idea.
[00:01:51] Speaker B: Ambitious.
[00:01:53] Speaker C: Yeah. I was wrong.
So I went through the contest and, you know, recognizing the audience feedback is like, this isn't playing out the way I had envisioned.
So ultimately, thankfully, mercifully, I finished and that was it. Well, as part of the process, you know, you get ranked and rated and some feedback. I knew I wasn't winning any awards, but I did receive some feedback from a judge. And the feedback was really, I think, for me, the establishment of some kind of a purpose. And the judge said very simply, I wish I saved the paper, but the response simply said, good voice. Try radio. So he was trying to sway me outside of doing that ever again. But I think somehow he recognized I had some talent with my voice. And for whatever reason, that Prompted me to think about public speaking as a possible career path, as something that I need to do. Because, hey, this guy said I got a good voice. So that, for me was the starting point of finding a purpose.
[00:02:53] Speaker B: Gotcha. So what was the reason and interest of even getting into a drama contest or a speech contest?
[00:02:59] Speaker C: Good question. I don't know.
I think it was just my assumption that somehow I assumed that I had some ability or talent in this area, which I confirm I did not, but that I think it was just trying to experiment with different things. This just came up as an option. I went for it.
[00:03:16] Speaker B: Interesting. And I've shared before that sometimes when we are looking and we're not even looking, we're just trying to figure things out. You know, in some respects, God directs us in some of the decisions we make. And when you're telling that story and that that person, that judge, basically planted a seed in you and probably had no clue. It wasn't like, I'm going to meet this guy, I'm going to plant a seed, and that's going to be his future career, and he's going to do all these great, wonderful things. But that's how life works sometimes in the search for our purpose. Even though at that age, if I had asked you, we went back to when you were seventh grade, it's like.
[00:03:50] Speaker C: Oh, Pat, what's your purpose?
[00:03:52] Speaker B: I eat, I get in trouble. And so it's very interesting that that seed was planted because I've known you for 45 years and I know what you're currently doing, and it's pretty exciting. And I can't wait for everyone to hear how that one seed planted, grew into where you're at today.
So what else occurred in your. In your youth or young adult that really had an impact on you?
[00:04:14] Speaker C: Well, I think the biggest thing that stands out. So first of all, you know, going to high school, I did with, you know, the knowledge that apparently somebody thought I had a good voice.
I did go into, you know, pursue some stuff in speech, you know, delivering. And I did, you know, join the drama team, you know, very superficially participated in some events, but just got a chance to kind of work on my trade or my craft a little bit. But what really stood out was I remember going to college and trying to figure out what do I want to major in? And for me, just the natural next step was speech communication.
And so I found a university that offered a good speech communication program, and I signed up for it. And my first year, nothing really exciting happened. But what was I Think pivotal in my life, and still is, was the summary between my freshman year and my sophomore year. I was a camp counselor.
And you know, my dad, you know, I was not what you'd consider, you know, be labeled very ambitious at that stage of my life. So, you know, he needed to get involved to help me find a summer job because, you know, he didn't really have a lot of faith that I would be. I'd find one on my own. So my dad got me this job as a camp counselor. And this was not your typical camp.
These were kids, literally juvenile delinquents. They were placed in the, in a boarding school essentially throughout the year. And when the school closed for the summer, they had nowhere to go. They were sent to this camp. So essentially I'd be working with these hard, these difficult kids, these, these street wise, you know, street smart, seasoned, you know, kids who have experienced a lot of trouble, you know, with crime and, you know, dysfunctional families and so on and so forth. So anyway, this is back in the 80s. I show up and. Which was the perfect contrast. I show up, you know, I've got my polo shirt with the collar flipped up, you know, I got my, my sunglasses and my, you know, my, my top centers with no socks, and I'm ready to have a good time at camp. And I think these kids looked at me just with the first glance. They had to start laughing because they're, I know they had to be thinking, man, the fun we're gonna have with this guy. And that's exactly what happened. So essentially, for the first month, I'm with this first group and they abused me every way you could be abused. And one of the things that stands out for me was, you know, as we're getting prepped for this week or, you know, for this experience before the kids got there, I remember the camp director saying, okay, look, you know, the kids are going to challenge you. And these are, these are kids that are, you know, beyond just the typical, you know, kids you're going to come across. They're going to challenge you in pretty hard ways.
[00:06:51] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:06:52] Speaker C: And, you know, you kind of want to ease into it, you know, trying to establish some kind of a foundation for authority and so on, you know. And ultimately, when it comes to, you know, yelling, you want to try and hold off on that as like the last ditch effort, you know, for something, the last resort in a situation, you know, hold off if you can, for the first week, you know, if possible. And I remember, you know, getting the kit, I'm with these kids in the, in our camp, our house or a hut, anyway, cabin. And I'm with these kids, these 10 kids. And probably within the first two hours I'm yelling at the top of my lungs. So I had already lost control within two hours. And pretty much from then, you know, that experience, and I'll kind of sum it up this way, they did pretty much everything you could do to another human being to abuse them, you know, for that first four weeks. And I had no control. You know, every other camp cabin on site would be, you know, they would have the lights off at 9pm for our. It was, you know, hen house is still, it's 11 o'. Clock, hen house is still going. You know, then we couldn't get up in the morning. So we'd always be the last ones down to the circle. And example after example after example, you know, no control whatsoever. And they had a blast with me.
So it got to a point where I'm thinking, this is, this is hell. This is. No human should go through this. I mean, the abuse that I took.
And I'm, you know, I'd been there maybe three weeks and I'm thinking, I got to get out of here now. I'm thinking, number one, I gotta call my dad to tell him I'm coming home. And number two, I gotta convince him to let me come home.
And I'm thinking, he's not gonna, he's not going to let me, you know, he's not. He's going to say tops, you know, stick it out there. So kind of recognizing, I felt like I had no choice, you know, I somehow survived the next week. And the camp director, they recognized this was not a good plan. So they said, we're going to take you out of this group. We got a new group of kids coming in for the second half. We're going to place you with them.
And ultimately, and this was again, the foundation for my life ultimately, when I got that new group, I got a second chance.
Then I. Something inside me snapped. And that's probably the best way I can describe it because I turned into a counselor with a survive mentality. And it kind of came down to where, look, I've already been through everything you could put me through. I can tell you this, it's not going to happen again. And I will do anything I have to to make sure that it's my way every time.
And that's exactly what happened. They challenged me and it was like they would challenge me here or there and I would come down on them so hard and they recognized, look, he is way more committed to his way than I am to mine. And just recognize that the deep commitment I had for survival, they just kind of backed off. I don't even want to challenge him anymore. So ultimately, that created a foundation for my life that I have found when I come across challenges, you know, I have capacity to go a lot deeper than I ever thought.
And that ultimately allowed me to have a purpose to where I wasn't as afraid of challenges as much as I had prior to that experience. And again, that process still impacts my life today.
[00:09:52] Speaker B: Yeah, it's very interesting if you could tell the viewers, what did your dad do?
[00:09:58] Speaker C: What's that?
[00:09:59] Speaker B: What was his profession?
[00:10:00] Speaker C: He was a police captain.
[00:10:02] Speaker B: And like I said, I've known pat for about 45 years, and I vaguely remember that time period. And so you're growing up. What would you classify in regards to your family economically? What would you.
[00:10:17] Speaker C: I would. I would pretty much say, you know, just a suburban, upper middle class, you know, family, you know, from the outside looking in, everything look peachy keen.
[00:10:28] Speaker B: Gotcha. So no real big challenges like homelessness or drug addiction or some of the things that maybe these kids grew up in, Correct?
[00:10:36] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:10:37] Speaker B: So you were put in an environment that was one nothing you've ever, ever experienced?
Correct.
[00:10:42] Speaker C: And I would say that the term there would be shelter, so. Yes, correct.
[00:10:46] Speaker B: So imagine Pat in a very safe shelter environment, walks into that environment, and they probably said, ooh, I know what.
[00:10:53] Speaker C: We'Re having for dinner.
[00:10:54] Speaker B: It's Mr. Patrick O'. Meara. And I just. I love how as challenging as it was for you, you know, you had that one opportunity. It's like, oh, my gosh, this, this is not good. And you ready to give it up.
[00:11:07] Speaker A: Right back with more stories and insights to help you discover your calling and live with purpose. This is On Purpose with Paul Peters on NOW Media Television.
I'm Paul Peters, and you're watching On Purpose with Paul Peters on NOW Media Television. Let's continue the journey towards your best life.
[00:11:24] Speaker B: Back to On Purpose with Paul. Here we are with Patrick o' Meara telling his story on how he discovered his purpose. So, Patrick, I want to talk a little bit because you left off when you were talking about camp experience.
[00:11:34] Speaker C: Yeah, it was a meat grinder. I mean, it was unbelievable. And I found depths within myself I had no idea existed because of the challenges. And here's a quick picture of the camp. And what I think is funny about this picture, and this is 40 plus years old. Is this a group shot? And I'M the one looking the opposite direction of everybody else, which was definitely the way I was living that experience. I think it's kind of symbolic.
[00:11:59] Speaker B: So before we go to break, I want you to share, because when you. That first session, you guys were late, probably didn't meet any of the goals, standards. And then what happened the second time.
[00:12:09] Speaker C: That was shocking, because, again, this was nothing I planned. It just happened, you know, And I just realized, again, just the only way I can describe it is survival mode. I was so intent on never going through that experience again. I was committed for anything. We could have gone to war if we had to.
And what I started finding was that the kids were starting to listen. And I'll sum it up this way.
The thing that was so rewarding about this experience, keep in mind, these are kids who have been crapped on all their life, and they've had people saying, I want to be your friend. I want to help. I want this. And then they wouldn't follow through. And that's what I was doing now. They could recognize I was for real. I wasn't playing anymore. And ultimately, we were able to really enjoy the summer after we kind of got beyond the discipline. I was reading them stories every night before bed, and. And I'd have the lights off, and they'd be quiet no matter what time. I chose.
[00:12:59] Speaker B: Awesome.
[00:13:00] Speaker C: So it was a huge success.
[00:13:01] Speaker B: And did you guys win awards?
[00:13:02] Speaker C: We did. We won.
We won the award for the best cabin on the east side that we had.
[00:13:11] Speaker B: And it's interesting because I look for people in our lives that played a part in directing us. And first it was the drama coach, and in a weird sort of way, your dad, because he got you that job, not knowing exactly, other than I need this kid to do something because he's all home all summer, so. And then did you tell me after that first year, what happened?
[00:13:33] Speaker C: Well, in this. This really shocked me. So I go through that first experience, and it carried over. I mean, I was. And I'm kind of hitting some highlights here, but I'm really not doing it justice in terms of the. The intensity of this experience. I mean, I. It was. I was ruined the first four weeks, and I was like a man on a mission the second four weeks. So what surprised me was that feeling actually carried over where I went back to college, and I'd gone from my first semester going with a 2.8 to my second semester in Cal first year to a 2.2, and I came back to a 3.6 my first semester after this camp Experience, and I was dialed in. I was focused on starting getting up early and making my bed, doing all the right things.
So. And then that. That started to fade after a while, but that carried me through the next two, three, four months.
Ultimately, I decided to go back to camp because. Which I thought, this will never happen now again. I. I would rather, you know, cut my head off to go back to camp. Yeah. And I really found myself missing this thing. And what I found to kind of sum up the whole camp experience for these kids was, again, keeping in mind the kids themselves. You know, they had been promised this, and they had been, you know, left out, and nobody's been really been honored their word with them all their lives.
And when I found. When I went back a second time, they really saw me. Oh, my gosh, this guy really does care.
This we do make a difference to him. Yeah. And automatically, rather than starting, you know, the first experience with a zero in the bank, I started this experience with a lot more because they kind of recognized, know what it brought to the table. So ultimately, the, you know, I'll tie this in later. But ultimately, the big picture thing for me was, okay, one of the things I've recognized in life, if I want to be successful, I'm going through some struggles. And now I actually have experienced what it's like to persevere well beyond whatever challenges I thought I'd ever face. And that's been a template for me that has again carried on to this day.
[00:15:38] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, it's interesting because, like I said, I've known you for 45 years, and this. This event or events that happened. You were 19, 20, and you keep coming back to the. To this because, you know, the seed was planted originally by that drama teacher. Then you had this experience with this kid, with these kids. And, you know, you and I have talked about it. Something happened that awakened something within you that you did not even know you had, and it was out of survival.
And not only did it carry over into your school, and then you went back and you recognized that these kids were missing something. They were missing commitment. They were missing someone who cared about them, that believed in them, and you were able to impact them. And, you know, you probably grew from that experience.
So then what happened after that?
[00:16:27] Speaker C: Well, ultimately, not that everything was gravy after that, but ultimately graduated college. And, you know, I kind of joke. I was on the going nowhere fast program, and, you know, for the next year and a half. Ish. I had five different jobs, and he.
[00:16:43] Speaker B: Lived with me, by the way, and that was fun. Yeah.
[00:16:46] Speaker C: Yeah. So. And what was funny about that whole experience was, you know, as you may remember, you know, living with you, I want. At that point I decided I wanted to try and go into the military as an officer.
[00:16:56] Speaker B: And I was not a mentor, by the way. I was taking him further down.
[00:17:00] Speaker C: Yeah. The only words I thought of you, three words that came to mind whenever I think of you at that stage. F U N that's all it all was about.
And ultimately, you know, I had struggled and. But ultimate the thing too, that really has given me a sense of confidence in whatever I've chosen to do. You know, kind of going from, you know, kind of pulling out of that whole camp experience, you know, traffic accident was.
I could do more than I. Than I expected. And I will say though, you know, over the next decade of my life or two, I just kind of just, you know, tough it out. And I have come to realize that life is challenging and if you want to be successful, you can get your nose bloody. You make a thousand mistakes, and if you're willing to go and endure those mistakes, there's going to be something better for you on the other end. And you know, and I'm not saying at that point I was trusting in God, but I did recognize that the mistakes that I was making, you know, I managed to make the same mistake 500 times until I got it. But I was willing to continue because just all going back to the camp experience, I noticed there's a rainbow. And you know, after this storm. Yeah. And you know, so that all the mistakes I've made over my life, which is a lot, I had to have had that trust that persevere through those things. There'll be something, there'll be the rainbow on the other end. And that's quite frankly what I found.
[00:18:19] Speaker B: Yeah. What's interesting, you know, your experience in speaking in regards to that contest, the words that were shared with you, the camp experience. And you know, it's like, okay, how can I make a profession as a professional counselor? It's like. And then you, you've got the, you know, struggle with the. Trying to find your job. So you landed somewhere. And tell us about where you landed because you have a long history with this company.
[00:18:43] Speaker C: Yeah. Probably very similar to, very analogous, I think, to the camp experience. The way I would describe it is I had been with a large insurance company 36 plus years and I had been with the company. Maybe, you know, I was kind of on a fast track, so to speak. And you know, I had been a Claim representative for three years. And then I got a job as a.
In hr. Did that for three, four years, enjoyed that and started to acquire some experience and I got a chance to be in front of, you know, in front of an audience, in a classroom. Yeah, which I really liked. And then to me, my nirvana of jobs was I was a corporate trainer. I mean, to me that was like, you know, going to Disneyland every day. It was fantastic. So I'm thinking, you know, this is going great. And the next logical step for me was leadership. So I pursued a leadership job from Illinois and that brought me down to Birmingham, Alabama and I struggled, I struggled mightily for five plus years. I mean, I did find, you know, at least in terms of production, my ratings and so on and so forth, but I, it was not a fit. I hated the job. I didn't really connect with my group.
You know, I was the outsider, so to speak. And it was like camp all over again. So I did that for, for five and a half years and I don't know that I really found that silver lining. I was, it was almost like analysis, that first half of the camp where I was, you know, kind of going through the beat down and ultimately maybe mercifully, we went through like a transition where we had three leadership openings and. Or we had four leadership openings. Sorry, three leadership openings. We had four people.
And one of those people was not. Was the HR manager who had been displaced because we're going through these reorganizations. So, you know, I'm now competing with some of my peers as well as the, you know, my boss and, or my, the peer of my boss. And when all was said and done, you know, the one person left out of this leadership job was me.
So now I go through a situation where I'm now in a cube outside my old office, you know, just going through the embarrassment and you know, that whole experience and ultimately that became another crossroads for me and it kind of got back to my purpose where, you know, I had, in my opinion, I thought, okay, from a career standpoint, either a, I'm going to follow the leadership track as, you know, as far as I can. Director, department head, executive, whatever the case is, or baby me, you know, my, that's where my heart is. The public speaking, development, the training, the keynote speaking and when, so to speak, now that I think about it, a way to phrase this would be, God closed that door, said, no, we don't, we don't have you pegged for leadership, you know, within the company that you're at.
So having that Door closed. Just like that camp experience where the director said, we're going to take you out of this group and put you over here. And that's where I thrived.
Then I decided, okay, I'm going to put all my eggs in one basket, which is going to be public speaking. And that's what I pursued since then.
[00:21:33] Speaker B: Gotcha. It's very interesting because like I said, I've known pat for about 45 years and it's almost like reliving those memories. And I remember talking to him because he had this desire of what he wanted his life to be like. And in some respects the seed that was planted by that coach, that speaking coach, was really going to evolve into something even greater. I can't wait for him to tell you the story where that led him to. And he got into a company that provided the income. And I've shared before, is your passion, your purpose can be monetized. And as he was going through some of the decision making, he was able to, in some respects, even though he didn't completely know his purpose, was able to make a profession out of that. And you've been with this company for how long?
[00:22:16] Speaker C: So, yeah, I've had my, my primary job in insurance industry for 36 years and I have a side hustle for the last 15.
And that has been a wonderful experience. You know, I got a chance to kind of do my own thing based upon what I think is right.
[00:22:28] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:29] Speaker C: Wrote a book, you know, within that experience, you know, public speaking development. And ultimately for the first year or two, you know, it went good and then somehow or another just things fit and everything quadrupled.
[00:22:40] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:41] Speaker C: And I've kind of been at, you know, at that level since then.
[00:22:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:44] Speaker C: And I've grown tremendously. And right now I feel like I'm on the rung for the next step up, you know, which is going to be going from most of my stuff are workshops, two day public speaking development workshops. For me, the next rung up will be keynote speaker and that's ultimately what prompted the whole Guinness experience. Gotcha.
[00:23:02] Speaker B: We're going to talk about this. We will be right back after this break.
[00:23:05] Speaker A: Right back. With more stories and insights to help you discover your calling and live with purpose. This is On Purpose with Paul Peters on NOW Media Television.
I'm Paul Peters and you're watching On Purpose with Paul Peters on NOW Media Television. Let's continue the journey towards your best life.
[00:23:22] Speaker B: This is Paul Peters with On Purpose with Paul. We are here talking with Mr. Patrick O'. Meara, Pat we were talking about your distinguished career with the insurance company that you're currently working with. And you said that you worked for 38 years, you've been with them 36. 36 years. And so through that, knowing the seed that was planted by that coach, that still sticks with me and you kind of started pursuing different things within that company to really feed and nourish that seed that was planted when you were in junior high. So talk about what you did within that company that you're working for to really grow that dream, that vision which ultimately became your purpose.
[00:24:04] Speaker C: Yeah. So again, just to clarify, so I've got what I call my career within the insurance industry. 36 years, then I have a side hustle. So that being my company, pro presenting and that's where I've had a chance to experiment. You know, I've had a chance to try stuff. And ultimately, you know, I did a two day workshop based on what I thought was right, the right concepts. And this again goes back to just other people. You know, we talked before, you know, the segment about just the value of finding your purpose. And really for me, I'm not even sure if I can think of an exception. Most of my stuff has been through other people.
[00:24:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:24:42] Speaker C: And you know, thinking about, I, when I first started the side hustle, I remember telling a friend of mine that, you know, so his daughter plays with our daughter Morgan and he's over to the house to pick, you know, my daughter's friend up who he's, you know, she's playing with and we're just chit chatting. So they're still hanging out, we just, you know, turn on the game, we're just chit chatting and I just tell, his name is George. I say, you know, yeah, I'm starting a new side hustle and I plan to do public speaking development. He's, he said, well, I work for company ABC and my cousin is in learning and development. If you want I can walk a resume in for you. And he did. And just so happened the luck of the timing. They were interested in trying to find somebody to do the public speaking development. So they gave me a shot and it worked out well. So that's kind of what started me going down that path. And I did that for a couple years and I was using one of the Dummies books, it was called Presentation Skills for Dummies, as you know, my course text.
And then after a while I acquired more experience not only with my insurance career as a corporate trainer, but also outside externally. I'm like, I Feel pretty comfortable in terms of what works and what doesn't. So that's what prompted me to write that book, and that got me deeper into the world of public speaking development and my passion.
[00:25:54] Speaker B: Gotcha. So you didn't venture into this new career, this side hustle, to be an author. So what prompted you to write the book?
[00:26:02] Speaker C: Glad you asked me that. And that was very similar to that experience, like with the, you know, back in the junior high speech team. I'm having lunch with somebody, and I recognize, I mean, as a small business owner and the nature of what I did with, you know, professional speaking, a book is, you know, nice feather in your cap. It's kind of a pretty impressive business card, so to speak. So. And people had suggested, you know, you should write a book. You write a book. I'm aware of the fact that that'd be something that'd be good. You know, I've already got this thing through the dummies. I've actually, I touched base with the author, Malcolm Kushner. He's like, sure, you know, you have permission to sell as many of my books as, you know, as you. As you want. And I did. And ultimately, I'm having lunch with this lady named Mitty, and Mitty said, you know what? You should write a book. And I don't know what it was, but I had heard that a thousand times before lunch that day. And for some reason, when Mitty said, write the book, it connected with me. So I guess I was ready to hear it. So that's what prompted me to spend the next year writing the book based upon my real world experiences. And the book is something I still use today.
[00:27:02] Speaker B: Yeah, it's interesting because Patrick has actually done some coaching with my company, and that's one of the things I admire about him, is he's used his passion, his talent. And I remember you were telling me that you've actually coached some people who were running for election.
And so talk about some of the people and some of the opportunities you've had following your side hustle and where that's kind of led you today, and some of the things you're doing well.
[00:27:28] Speaker C: From a coaching standpoint, you know, like, for example, one of the people. And this. This does tie into the Guinness World Record, I know. Which we'll talk about. And, you know, I met some great people through that, one of which was the team that I was working on to bring this about. Her husband was an executive with the company. And so ultimately, we have connected. I provided one to one coaching with him and he's really benefited from that, you know. So now I'm looking at potential opportunities to come back in a training environment. And on top of that, we're becoming friends. So that's just one example of some of the connections I made because of that.
[00:28:03] Speaker B: Gotcha. So to help people understand, because one of the things that I've discovered is if you're living in your purpose and doing what you love, you, you are just in your own element, some people would call it, you're in your flow. And I have seen you when you've trained my staff and how you just raise the energy level. So talk about what it feels like to be up there in front of people and some of the things that you've done because I know you spent a lot of time preparing so that your speech, your coaching is extremely successful. So kind of tell people how you and how you feel one and how you prepare to make sure that experience is going to be exciting for them.
[00:28:41] Speaker C: Sure. Thank you so much. So, first of all, you may remember this in the experience we've had, but my goal every time I do a class is to be. Is to offer the people the best class they've ever had in their life. I mean, I send out a pre class survey and that's one of the questions I ask them. What would I have to do for you to think it's been the best class you've ever had in your life? And I get all sorts of crazy responses and I'm gonna do whatever they say. I get responses about I want a free run to golf, bring in ice cream, you know, I want you to do the Macarena. Whatever. I will do all, whatever is shared, you know, is shared with me to do. I'm going to do that to make. And I know they're kidding around, but I'm going to do it anyway to make sure that's the best possible experience. So the two things that come to mind for me, Paul, is number one in terms of what it feels like. And I think probably the best indicator of that is training's challenging. You know, I start the day with, I start the day with the, you know, I'm fully invested, 100% emotionally, physically and mentally.
[00:29:46] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:47] Speaker C: So by the end of the day, having given everything I've got in those three areas, I'm spent.
But it's ironic, you know, so for me, reinforcement in terms of, you know, did I have. I found my special purpose or my purpose is I'm actually more energized at the end of the day than I am at the beginning. Even though I'm exhausted, I'm drained in every capacity, but I'm more energized, you know, at the end of the day, having gone through that. The other side of the coin, and this is my last comment on this, is I think about, again, proof about am I living my. In my purpose? And whenever I attend a keynote or, you know, a program with a keynote speaker, and that's actually hard for me. And the reason it's hard because, number one, I'm going to compare myself to the keynote speaker, and anytime that they're doing something I think I can be better at, it's going to unnerve me a little bit. And then the other side of the coin there is.
I'm going to feel like, oh, I wish so much that I could do that. You know, I want to be there. I want to be that person in front of the stage, in front of a thousand people, you know, changing lives and impacting them and reaching them sincerely and authentically.
And that's hard to feel when you're not that person.
So that, to me also is reinforcement, the fact. Because I almost can't look at it when I see it, because it's so hard. I'm so emotionally connected with it.
[00:31:07] Speaker B: Yeah, I have the wonderful opportunity because I've watched him speak. He's done a class. She did an online class, which was amazing to be able to watch. And I see how my staff have performed after the fact. Basically, you train them, and I see the. The byproduct of that. And so it's very interesting because I remember you, and I've had discussions, you would have opportunities to speak. It's like, how much should I ask for? I don't, you know. You know, is that too much? And so it, you know, for me, as I'm listening to you, it's almost. You go back to that camp experience and so kind of relate because you're like, I'm doing something I want to do. And much like the camp experience, you'd never experience anything like that before, and you got the speed out of you. And so you're in a situation where you're doing what you love and you're having to raise your prices per se, because you're offering a quality service that's going to help people. So I want you to talk about that, and then I want you to talk about and help people understand, because some people may not know this. The number one fear that people have and what you are providing to help Them overcome that.
[00:32:14] Speaker C: Sure. Well, two reactions to that. Number one is, and to kind of, to your point, I don't even know if I even shared this with you, but you're, you're right on target.
I had a client with, you know, I've got, I've got a couple long term clients, 15 plus years clients. You know, one's a Fortune 500 company. And this Fortune 500 company client, I had billed her and literally she sent me, you know, after a two day workout, she actually sent me back note. She said, I'm sorry, I can't accept this. This proposal was quote or invoice.
And I'm like, what's going on here? And she said, and she kind of said, and we talked afterwards. I followed up with her and I said, what's going. Everything okay? What's going on? She said, look, this is what you're asking for. This is what you need to be asking for. So she said, I'm not accepting this invoice. I want you to redo it and do it not at this number, but at that number.
[00:33:07] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:33:08] Speaker C: So I'm like, oh my gosh, are you actually telling me that I charged you too low? And she was saying, yeah. So, you know, I give so much credit to this individual for, you know, her being, you know, so open, honest and forthright. You know, just with, you know, she could have gone the easy way out and I've been happy with whatever I was getting. But you know, just to kind of reinforce that in her opinion, she thought I was worth more, you know, from a marketing standpoint. And then she was willing to pay for that even though, you know, she could have saved a couple dollars, you know, through the company.
[00:33:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:33:43] Speaker C: So that, you know, that to me really, really stood out. And then just to your question, quite honestly, I think everybody is aware of the fact that public speaking is terrible and horrible and makes you feel uncomfortable. And I can say that because I live that every day. And whatever I do a lot of speeches, I love it.
I always get nervous before presentation. So I can certainly relate to people too. And I have, you know, real world suggestions that help me get through that, that ultimately can help them get through that.
[00:34:09] Speaker B: Why do you think that's the number one fear?
[00:34:11] Speaker C: Couple reasons. One is you're probably doing something you don't do very often.
[00:34:15] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:34:16] Speaker C: And you're doing it in front of other people. I mean, so it's almost like if you want me to change out a carburetor, I'm going to be a little anxious about that, and if you put an audience behind me while I'm trying to do that, I'll probably feel even more uncomfortable. So that's, in my opinion, probably one of the reasons for that.
[00:34:32] Speaker B: Yeah. It's almost like they're going through a camp experience.
[00:34:37] Speaker C: That's right.
That's. That makes sense. I agree.
[00:34:40] Speaker B: Yeah. Because when people are, you know, I can relate because I love to speak, I love to be able to talk because one, I'm very comfortable. But yeah, I get nervous sometimes because for me it's like I get in my head and I think, are they going to like me? Is, am I going to. It sounds stupid. And I think sometimes our fears will create that more fear. And, and you're providing a great quality service that helps people overcome that.
But we will be right back. We're going to finish up the last part of the interview with Patrick. So very excited to hear what you have to tell us about something you recently did that I was involved in. So we will be right back after the.
[00:35:14] Speaker A: Right back with more stories and insights to help you discover your calling and live with purpose. This is On Purpose with Paul Peters on NOW Media Television.
I'm Paul Peters and you're watching On Purpose with Paul Peters on NOW Media Television. Let's continue the journey towards your best.
[00:35:29] Speaker B: Life back to On Purpose with Paul. We are here with Mr. Patrick O' Meara and we are sharing the story of his life and how a seed was planted when he was in junior high school and he had experiences in his life that bring him back to that moment that would ultimately lead to finding his purpose and doing something that very few people do.
Become a world record holder. Pat, I want you to talk about what led up to this event.
[00:35:58] Speaker C: Yeah. As a small business owner, you know, trying to grow my business and you know, trying to figure out how to differentiate my services from everyone else. I'm in Birmingham. I came across an article on LinkedIn and it was referencing the Birmingham Hoover Chamber of Commerce, which I'm a member of. So the article caught my attention and it talked about how a guy used a Guinness World Record to go ahead and promote his business. So I read the article and he was actually talked to him a couple times. He ran a food truck business, Gourmet Corn. Popping corn or like corn on the cob. Yeah. And he found a record, a Guinness World Record for the most number of corn. Warren hus shucked in 60 seconds by a four person team. He broke that record and that got him in the Guinness World Record Book. And it Was a great job, did a great job promoting his business. I'm thinking that's an awesome idea.
So I wonder if there's something in Guinness about public speaking. So, and that's again, I, you know, eat and drink and live and breathe public speaking.
And so I thought that would be kind of cool. And I found something in there for the most speeches in 24 hours. And it was no, you know, it was a tall order, but I thought, I gotta do it. You know, that, that is to me is, you know, the epitome of public speaking manifestation.
So I, you know, I pursued it and I applied for Guinness. And you know, five months later, I get the confirmation back. I totally thought I lost. Either I didn't do something right or they just deleted it or whatever. But five months later I hear back from saying, okay, you now are approved to pursue this record. And ultimately, that's what kind of got me going with, you know, beginning the process. And it was like, I kind of equate it to like, if you remember, you remember when I was growing up, it was called the original drinking bird, where you had this bird. It was like you had this bird and you put him in a cup and the bird has that top hat on and then it kind of goes forward and it drinks the water and then it kind of starts to sway back and forth. You know what I'm talking about? That's what it's called, Original drinking bird.
And I share that. To say that to me was the exact experience that I had throughout the one year Guinness planning and execution process. Because I was up sometimes and then I'd be down and then I'd be bobbing around and I, you know, and I go all the way down again, but then I come back up.
It was almost, you know, almost daily. Some days it was almost hourly where I'd be up and I'd be down.
So thinking back now to the. And this is what I still can't believe. Thinking back to the camp. Experience taught me it's okay to be up, it's okay to be down. You're going to. You just, you know, stick to your goal, stay focused, and you will succeed. And that's the only thing, because I've been down that road before. I knew it worked.
So I didn't get too rattled by the downs, and I didn't get too excited either by the ups because I knew downs were coming as well. But that allowed me just to take it one step at a time. And next thing I knew, I had a group of people you know, I won't go into all the details, but I had a group of people that I was now partnering with, you know, students at University of Alabama at Birmingham. I had another group that was, you know, performing the audio visual services, you know, for me. And, you know, we all kind of came together and rallied around this thing, and, you know, we had the ups and the downs, and one day after, you know, one thing after another, we got to the day of the event.
[00:39:17] Speaker B: Yeah, it's interesting. I was there.
So, first of all, I want you to tell everybody who was one of the previous record holders that people may know.
[00:39:26] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. That what I thought was even cooler, too. And again, I'm just thinking, man, it'd be great if this thing worked out from a marketing standpoint. But as I found out with a lot of the research I did. Yeah, there's a guy now. Okay. So he's a advocate. So he was thinking about it. Remember his name?
[00:39:48] Speaker B: Yeah. It's Ralph Nader.
[00:39:49] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:39:50] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:39:50] Speaker C: Yes, Ralph Nader. That's right. So I.
[00:39:52] Speaker B: He was a presidential candidate, 2008.
[00:39:55] Speaker C: Ralph Nader was running for president 2008, and he actually broke this, the Guinness World record back in 2008 for 21 speeches.
[00:40:03] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:40:04] Speaker C: But that I thought was so cool. It's like, oh, my gosh, I could actually break a record that Ralph Nader once held.
[00:40:09] Speaker B: Yeah. It's interesting, and I want you to give some detail because it is pretty powerful. People think, oh, and what was the.
[00:40:16] Speaker C: Previous record, the current record? The record was 30. And that had held for five years previous to my attempt.
[00:40:25] Speaker B: Okay. And one of the parameters is how long did the speech have to be?
[00:40:29] Speaker C: Speech had to be minimum of 10 minutes long.
[00:40:31] Speaker B: Okay. So if you're thinking 30. 30 speeches, 10 minutes long, you have 24 hours to do it. I can do that, but that's not the case. It's not that easy, is it?
[00:40:41] Speaker C: No. Yeah, there was some. There was some parameters. You know, like, every speech had to be minimum of 10 minutes long.
On top of that, I couldn't do the same message over and over again. So I had to come up with a new message. It had to be that the vernacular was. Had to be spontaneous, unscripted, and original.
So I couldn't even. I couldn't even use notes. So essentially, I had to do.
My target was 33 speeches. I had to do 33 impromptu speeches. And that's what kind of got me the idea. I thought it'd be kind of cool, just kind of going back to the speech Time where I did impromptu speaking was one of my events when I was in college. And I thought, why don't I use fortune cookies?
So you take the fortune cookie and then open up the fortune cookie. Whatever it says, I'll create a 10 minute speech from that fortune cookie. So I had big bag of fortune cookies I carry around with me that day. And every time I got to a venue, as you know, before the speech would start, I'd go ahead and crack open the fortune cookie and then I would read the fortune and then I would create a 10 minute speech from that.
[00:41:42] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:41:42] Speaker A: And how many people had to be at that speech?
[00:41:45] Speaker C: That's the other thing too. And that's really again where you were one of the MVPs for that day. Because I had to have, I had to have minimum of 10 people in every audience. Again, 10 different people couldn't be the same 10 people.
So as you well know, we started the day I had to have a minimum of 330 people lined up because I had a minimum of 10 people for every presentation.
The start of the day, we had 160 pre registered. So I'm thinking this isn't going to work. I mean, we don't even have half of what we need. But every time we got to a venue, people like you and the team would rally around and pull people in off the street.
So we, we got our numbers every single time.
[00:42:24] Speaker B: Yeah. It was interesting because my role was to make sure the 10 people were there. He was like a presidential candidate. He'd show up, open his fortune cookie, he'd read it, and then he'd do an impromptu speech. I had to make sure that we had the 10 people there had to be signed up, everything had to be and they were, had to be recorded. I would then go to the next location, pull people off the street, go into homeless shelters, get them in there and get people to sit at a speech to listen to somebody they don't even know about, whatever. They don't, whatever he's going to talk about and not be able to feed them. It was hilarious.
[00:42:55] Speaker C: Yes. You were awesome at it. And here's something too. I did want to, I want to be aware of the time. So I did want to work this in.
[00:43:00] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:43:01] Speaker C: Because it does, it does connect to purpose for me. I, I found out almost a year after. I mean, you have a year to. It took me three months to submit my evidence. This was 465 documents, video clips, pictures, forms, you name it. So I had three months to get all that together and Then Guinness took, I think, three or four months to validate it. So I found out this year I got it. They gave me credit for 32 speeches. And one of the things that happened during the day that really stands out to me in terms of purpose is accomplishing your purpose and not just yourself, you know, going your own path. And there was five individuals throughout that day that stood out for me.
And what I would like to show at this point is I'd like to show you some pictures of each and just give you just a snippet of a backstory.
So this was, you may remember, this was a critical moment to where we got to one of the venues. We didn't have enough people. And we had one guy there, Dr. Tyree. And Dr. Tyree was there.
We actually went into the lobby to try and solicit people that eat their breakfast in there while they weren't interested in that. So at some point, I had to make the decision, we gotta let this one go. And we went to the next venue. Well, we're doing the same thing that we did because we didn't have the numbers there either. And then we got a call from the previous venue and we actually talked Dr. Tyree into driving with us to the new Next venue and found out that we now had people back at the other one.
So I couldn't. I couldn't in good conscience ask Dr. Tyree to say, okay, wait for me here another 10 minutes for me to go do back to the other one. Would you come back to me? Come back with us. He said, sure. And he did. So it's like, wow, I don't even know this guy. And he's running back and forth with this group. So he was number one, made an impression on me. Number two was a guy named Antoine. We go to a hotel, or I say, actually, number two was this family. The reason we got the numbers for that venue, which we had only Dr. Tyree in the room, was there were some Girl Scouts. There was three Girl Scouts and two Girl Scout mobs.
[00:45:01] Speaker B: Yeah, I remember.
[00:45:03] Speaker C: And the Girl Scouts, their purpose is to serve others.
So when they heard that we needed some help, it was, you know, five of them. So when they heard they needed some help, they're like, hey, what do we need? What do you need us to do? So that's. That's why we got the record there. And my point with thinking, with sharing that is these are Girl Scouts. They understood their purpose was to serve others, and they were working their purpose while I'm working, mind the third Person that stood out, his name was Antoine. I get to a venue, it's a hotel venue. Antoine is.
I think he was the guy. He was like the. The guy in charge of the valets. And within five seconds of me meeting Antoine, he's like.
He's like, yeah. I had actually died, you know.
You know, I shared with people, you know, about 10 years ago, actually died. I was clinically dead for like 30 minutes.
And, you know, I've come back and ultimately that my perspective on life has changed and now all about serving others. That's why I'm here, and that's why I brought a couple of other people. So again, this wouldn't have happened without Antoine. And the other picture that I think is kind of cool, I'll share is that Antoine has like a cross on his head. He said, since that experience, he said, I now have this spot of white on my head. And I got a picture. I got to take a picture of that.
It's a cross. And he said, and now it all. I can't get rid of it. I had this cross on my head forever. The last two pictures.
One guy is this guy named Trey at Vulcan. And Trey had been. He had gone through a transplant. Trey had had his transplant, and he hadn't been out of the house other than a doctor until. For eight months prior to the speech. I was the first. First outing he made in eight months. And then last guy, his name is Mario.
Mario. I had a class with. With one of my clients in four hours away. Mario tells me, hey, I will. I will come to your. Your session. I'm thinking, well, that's really nice. He's not going to do it. Yeah, he did.
[00:46:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:46:58] Speaker C: He drove four hours one way just to attend my session. Those are the people that made it. Those are the stories that made a difference for me.
[00:47:04] Speaker B: Yeah. In closing, how do people get in touch with you if they want to bring you on as a consultant or coaching? Because you're amazing. You. I mean, you've done marvelous things with my company. So how would people get in touch with you?
[00:47:14] Speaker C: Yeah. Thank you. Well, simply, there's a business card on the screen. It just has my name, my website, as well as my phone number. That'd be the best way. Either way, whatever makes you come.
[00:47:23] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:47:23] Speaker A: Fantastic.
[00:47:24] Speaker B: Truly an honor. Love that you're living your purpose and you're helping people overcome the greatest fear.
