WEYBURN – Students can make a positive difference to the people and communities they live in with small consistent actions, a motivational speaker, Sam Demma, said on Friday, as he urged them to “empty your backpack”.
Using an oversized red backpack as a visual symbol, he began his talk by saying every single person has a backpack, filled with the thoughts, opinions and challenges of their lives.
Demma is in the midst of a nation-wide tour, speaking to students across Canada and urging them to make a positive difference to those around them, even with a small action like picking up litter every day.
“Every single one of us have a giant backpack just like this. The only difference is my backpack is visible to you,” said Demma. “As you and I go through life and have unique experiences, we start filling up our backpacks.”
He noted some of the comments and opinions are positive and uplifting, and others are negative, but everyone has a backpack filled with thoughts and beliefs that are put on us by other people.
He wanted each student to realize they have all of these thoughts and expectations on them that nobody else knows anything about, because they’re invisible.
Demma pointed out he was carrying his huge backpack upside down, and urged everyone to do the same with theirs.
“After the presentation, I want you to live your life in such a way that if someone puts a negative thought or opinion on your shoulders, they’ll slip off your back,” he said.
He talked about goals for one’s life and what they want to do when they grow up, as one of those weighty matters that can fill up the backpack.
For himself, his lifelong dream through school was to become a professional soccer player. He spent six months in Italy training and playing games, and as he approached graduation, he had an opportunity to possibly land a full four-year scholarship to play soccer at a university in Memphis, Tenn.
The coaches there liked his playing abilities, and invited him to come down and see the campus, and to play in a big tournament, the Disney Cup.
He played and trained in the days and weeks leading up to the big tournament, but just before the big final game which would have all kinds of scouts present, he tore the cartilage in his left knee. A doctor who looked at it said he would need surgery before he played another game, and this took him out of the tournament.
After he had the surgery, some time later he tore the cartilage again, and then tore the cartilage in his right knee, effectively ending his dreams to play soccer professionally.
In his Grade 12 year, Demma told of words from his teacher that changed his life. His teacher looked at him and came to the middle of the room and said three words: small consistent actions.
These are what would make a positive difference to the people around them, and to their communities, he said.
What Demma did was to begin picking up pieces of litter to and from school, as a small consistent action.
This would be different for every person, depending on who they know, or meet, and do in their everyday lives.
“If you see somebody who doesn’t look like they’re doing so well, don’t just walk by. Stop and ask, ‘how are you really doing?’ Is there someone in your community you could really support?” Demma asked.
For himself, his small consistent action of picking up litter became a movement that other students started doing, and it’s made a positive difference in his community, and the communities of other students.
