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Rick Saldan is an excellent
inspirational speaker who tailored the seminar to the needs of the
individual students being instructed. This office thanks the Mayors Office
of Information Services for having such a vendor.
Timothy K. Lynch
Office of Fleet Management
City of Philadelphia
Rick has a magical approach that provides a clear and
concise message specifically designed to the needs of his
audience. Rick will provide all the motivational magic you
will ever need, propelling your organization to the next
level of greater success.
Thomas Mulhern
Frontier Communications
Rick Saldan is a compelling and absorbing motivational speaker and
magician.I have been to five of his
Motivational Magic presentations and it is amazing how he keeps our
college audiences on the edge of their seats.
A highly entertaining performer with great comedy flair. Rich content to
increase students' productivity, peak performance and motivation. If you
need an outstanding motivational speaker for colleges, Rick is definitely
one of the world's greatest speakers and magicians!
Dr. Rob Gilbert, Sport Psychologist,
Montclair State University
Rick Saldan has the wit, wisdom and sorcery of a wizard. He
has a dynamic personality, and all will enjoy his
captivating stories, comedy and magic!
Dennis Slaughter
Credit Suisse First Boston
Rick Saldan delivers a first-class show! A pro in every
sense of the word. Funny, unique, entertaining and polished.
Brian Letscher, Actor
Hawaii Five-O, NCIS, Cold Case, Law & Order and The Mentalist.
Rick Saldan is a wonderful combination of master magician, comic
improviser and first class speaker. The audience loved his program, which
was music to our ears. If you love celebrity motivational speakers such as
Tom Hopkins, Dale Carnegie and Zig Ziglar, then you'll love Rick!
Dottie Burman, President
Burtley Productions, Inc.
Rick Saldan
is an incredibly talented performer and motivational speaker with great insight. He shares many powerful
motivational messages that will enhance your life for the better!
Jack Murray, President
Dream Illusions
Rick is one of the best inspirational speakers on
the scene today. Funny, fun loving and highly energetic. If you want to
make your next event into an extraordinary one, then invite professional
speaker Rick Saldan and his amazing Motivational Magic.
Andres Lara, President
Inspiration Times Magazine
The Power of Anticipation Author: John Lewis Jenkins
Permission to use this article for publication is granted provided the bio/contact information at the end of the article is included and no editing of the original is done.
“When traveling at the speed of sound things happen so fast we'd be in a ball of fire on the desert floor before we knew what happened if we tried to respond to problems!?
-- Yeager-era test pilot
A friend of mine used the following story to convey the importance of advanced preparation in a very powerful way.
"My father worked on the technical crew where the first exercises to break the sound barrier were being carried out. The pilots in this program were the best that could be found - anywhere. It was the Chuck Yeager era. My father's discussions of his job thrilled me and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven the day he invited me to visit his place of work.
From dad's stories I had a mental picture of the pilots as young, virile, athletic types. Instead, I was introduced to "old men." Nothing like the images I had conjured up in my pre-teen mind. (They were actually in their thirties or early forties - but I expected men at what I felt was their peak age: early twenties!) How could these "grandfatherly?types stand the physical rigor that was demanded by their grueling employment?
Being young and lacking in social graces, I found myself sharing these feelings with one of the pilots. My words came out something like, 'How come they have old guys like you flying these planes?' The power of this "old man's" answer changed my perspective on life.
An aircraft, he concurred, traveling at or beyond the speed of sound requires swift and nimble control for extremely complex maneuvering - especially to avoid contact with other objects, like the ground! That very fact, he explained, eliminated the possibility of successfully reacting to an adverse situation. Reaction, by definition, is an action that comes as a result of another action. These pilots, as ancient as they seemed to a 10 year old boy, were armed with something much more powerful than the ability to react. Their primary strength was the knowledge and wisdom that comes from experience (which translated to years of practice and explained their age!)
Then, in an effort to burn an indelible image of his explanation on my young mind, he said, 'When traveling at the speed of sound things happen so fast we'd be in a ball of fire on the desert floor before we knew what happened if we tried to respond to problems! We spend hundreds of hours learning, listening, watching, feeling and then practicing, practicing, practicing. Our goal is to know EVERYTHING that could possibly happen and what we should do - before problems occur.'"
The lesson my friend learned early in his youth from those long-ago airmen is an illustration for us to use in our daily lives. If we prepare ourselves to anticipate what to do in a given situation, we'll not only be prepared to deal with it appropriately but in all likelihood we'll handle it faster and better than if we waited to respond until after the event occurs.
Each of us has the inherent capacity to learn from our own experiences as well as from the experiences of others. Furthermore, we are capable of translating those experiences into lessons that pertain to our own lives. The best way to improve our anticipation is by regularly asking the following questions:
"How does that experience translate to what I do?"
"What will I do if that situation happens to me?"
"How can I apply the lesson(s) learned to my life or my job?"
The wisdom that comes from the answers to these questions will enable us to maximize our success in whatever we undertake.
John L. Jenkins is a husband, father of five children, and a manager research and development facility in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He has over 15 years experience in developing and implementing various types of training programs. He has over 14 years of volunteer experience teaching and counseling youth and adults through religious and community affiliations. He is a member and club officer in Toastmasters International.
John’s greatest passion is public speaking and freelance writing on personal development and performance improvement topics. Speaking and writing topics include: Self Worth, The Power of Language, Goal Setting, Managing Change, Using Imagination, Gaining Vision, Finding Your Passion, Continuous Learning, Strengthening Desire, The Need for Hope, and Integrity.
