The greatest motivational speaker I know ...

One of the questions that I get asked fairly often is: "Who's the best motivational speaker you have ever heard?"

There are a lot of close second-place answers to that one, but the person that in my mind is the best I have heard, is a professional motivational speaker named W Mitchell. You can check out his web site yourself, and do your own background research, but, put simply, if you ever have a chance to hear Mitchell ... jump at it. I'd also highly recommend reading his book, "It's Not What Happens to You, It's What You Do About It",


In a nutshell, he has overcome two life-threatening and life-changing accidents-the first a fiery motorcycle accident and the second an airplane crash. In one of the greatest motivational quotes ever Mitchell says: "Before I was paralyzed there were 10,000 things I could do. Now there are 9,000. I can either dwell on the 1,000 I've lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left." His remarkable message inspires audiences to shed self-imposed baggage and obstacles that prevent them from achieving their goals.

Motivational Phrase: "Before I was paralyzed there were 10,000 things I could do. Now there are 9,000. I can either dwell on the 1,000 I've lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left."
W Mitchell

One of the coolest things about being a motivational speaker is the opportunity to get to hear great speakers present their "stuff" a lot. Even better we get to interact with, and count as friends some of the greatest motivational speakers in the business. W Mitchell certainly is that. I first met Mitchell in 1994 when I got to speak at an event that he was the headliner for. I'll never forget how gracious he was, how accepting and complimentary, and how talented from the platform he is. But when it is all said and done, the thing that I really value about Mitchell is what a fine human being he is. He is the same person on the platform as he is off of the platform, and that to me is as fine a compliment to a professional speaker as there is.


Have a great day,
Vilis Ozols

This is the inaugural posting for my new motivational speaker blog. I'm planning on posting an eclectic mix of contributions including recommended reading resources, favorite motivational quotations, insights and reflections from the world of professional speaking and probably more than my share of ramblings.

My web site is located at http://www.ozols.com and while I may repeat some of what is there over the course of my blogging, if you have any interest in seeing a little more background about me and my speaking, that would be the place to start.