Home Health & Safety Live life with no barriers, encourage Opening Session keynote speaker

Live life with no barriers, encourage Opening Session keynote speaker

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Live life with no barriers, encourage Opening Session keynote speaker

Orlando, FL — At age 40, Erik Weihenmayer determined to begin kayaking.

But as an adventurer who misplaced his eyesight at 14 and later grew to become the primary blind particular person to summit Mt. Everest, in addition to the tallest peak on all seven continents, Weihenmayer aimed excessive.

He wished to kayak all 277 miles of the Colorado River by means of the Grand Canyon, together with the vaunted Lava Falls – rated a ten out of 10 on the issue scale.

His first a number of experiences left Weihenmayer battered and bloodied – and with a tough lesson. “A lot of days, I learned why there weren’t that many blind kayakers,” he quipped.

Weihenmayer shared the story – and the dear classes he’s discovered about triumph by means of adversity – because the keynote speaker on the Opening Session of the 2024 NSC Safety Congress & Expo. An creator and speaker, Weihenmayer co-founded a corporation known as No Barriers to assist individuals with challenges reside a extra purposeful life. 

“What doesn’t get talked about enough is the struggle,” he stated. “I wish growth was this nice arc upward. Growth is tumultuous. What if adversity was a pathway to the summit?”

Growth for Weihenmayer was trying to traverse the falls – full with large rocks, viciously swirling swimming pools and highly effective waves – so his challenges wouldn’t go away him on the sidelines of life.

A prognosis of a uncommon eye illness in center faculty was “like winning the lottery, but the exact opposite,” he stated. “I thought I’d be crushed by it. Going blind was scary, but not living was terrifying.”

Weihenmayer defined how every day challenges for security professionals present quite a few adversities but additionally may be seen as alternatives for progress.

“I can’t imagine the challenges you face every day,” he stated. “I imagine it’s easy to feel like a lone wolf, just pushing a weight up a hill, trying to help people prioritize safety in the workplace, trying to rebuild an entire culture and mindset.”

He defined how teamwork can assist security professionals by means of difficult conditions, identical to a workforce traverses up a mountain by tying every member to a different and transferring collectively like a snake.

“If there’s a secret weapon, it’s not technology, which is important,” he stated. “It’s not a big pile of money, although that’s nice. The secret weapon was the people I surrounded myself with.

“Linking ourselves with great people is the best chance we have. Look around this room. Different ethnicities and backgrounds and talents and genders and insights, all moving together, growing day by day,” he stated. “In some ways, you’re one team on one mountain, heading toward one summit. That becomes the glue that binds you. It’s unstoppable.”

City of Orlando Poet Laureate Shawn Welcome kicked off the occasion with a energetic, artistic poetry presentation.

“Making people safer starts with you,” Welcome stated. “How noble of a goal, I know. Reflective vests ain’t made of velvet. And there’s no such thing as a sexy helmet. But I tell you this: There are few things more beautiful than coming home. Home. Your role in those moments is a reflection of the profession you chose.”

NSC President and CEO Lorraine M. Martin inspired the security professionals in attendance to make security private by telling their tales and utilizing their voices to maintain everybody secure.

“You are a force of saving lives. So, let’s not keep this force of good quiet. Let’s get loud about safety,” Martin stated. “Let’s get loud about telling stories, and let’s get loud about saving lives.”

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