Two Keynote Speakers - One Revolution Inside

Posted by Vince Poscente on Sat, Apr 14, 2012 @ 07:19 PM

As parents performed synchronized-camera-choreography, the irony of the message was not lost. The fifth grade play was about the American Revolution. While pint sized Paul Revere’s, Betsy Ross’ and John Adams’ gave impassioned speeches about freedom, Egyptian revolutionary and now keynote speaker, Waleed Rashed, smiled. The April 6 th Movement that ousted Hosni Mubarak did the same thing a year prior. The interesting thing? Revolutions aren’t what we think they are. As a fellow motivational keynote speaker, I had to learn more.

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Waleed recoils as it’s referred to as his revolution or the Facebook Revolution. Less than 10% of people in Egypt had access to the Internet and even less were on Facebook. According to this 27 year-old activist – it’s the revolution inside that feeds the momentum of change.

He refers to people like:

  • Rosa Parks as she refused the bus driver’s order to give her seat to a white passenger.
  • Ghandi who led a nation to a peaceful transition from British rule.
  • Poland’s solidarity-led coalition government ignited by Lech Walesa.
  • Nelson Mandela’s fortitude to discard the memory of 27 years of imprisonment to lead South Africa out of the brutal grasp of apartheid.

Waleed is quick to point out he was not alone in the path to revolution in Egypt. Like his heroes above, he was a spark for freedom. He explains, “the revolution inside was the fuel for change.”

We love to simplify reality. The easiest conclusion is to give one bit of anecdotal evidence like Facebook or one person like Rosa Parks the credit. We hold people like Ms. Parks up as “the” champion. Parks had similar predecessors. Lizzie Jennings in 1854, Homer Plessy in 1892, Irene Morgan in 1946, Sarah Louise Keys in 1955, and Claudette Colvin on the same bus system nine months before Parks. But Parks' civil disobedience sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the civil liberties movement that followed.

At the very core of the issue of massive change is the “revolution inside.”

Like Waleed, some people will act on it. Others will watch and wait.

According to Waleed Rashed, everyone has the capability to act with courage. He wants you to know, if you think you would have avoided the risks he and his fellow activists faced, you only need to, “Imagine a life without freedom. Then the fire of the revolution inside burns brighter, stronger and with more force.”

What specific change would you hope for in your day, in your family, in your life, in your country? A new look? A new challenge? A new savings plan? A new behavior?

Imagine a life without that change you seek - THEN - the revolution inside ignites.

The revolution inside is waiting for you to act with courage.

You have what it takes!

Tags: Self Development, Motivational, Inspirational