It’s Not What Happens to You, It’s What You Do About It
With warmth and wisdom, W Mitchell recaps the precise moments that instantly erased and rewrote the course of his life. From a fiery motorcycle accident that left him burned over 65% of his body, to the airplane crash that took away his ability to walk, Mitchell steadily rebuilt his life.
He learned to work through the painful challenges and the devastating losses. He found new ways of facing everyday challenges with courage, determination, and good humor. This seemingly hopeless story evolved into an amazing life of achievement that has inspired audiences throughout the world.
Mitchell reveals the core beliefs and proven strategies that lead to his personal and professional successes. He proves to audiences that setbacks can be transformed into new starting points and that we all must take responsibility for the changes in our life. Not only will he demonstrate what it takes, but he will provide the necessary tools that can be used to improve the quality of your unique situation.
The willingness to take responsibility is the mark of a leader. The person who recognizes that how we respond and how we choose to respond to a situation, serves as a powerful example for the organization. Showing courage is what W Mitchell's life is all about.
By being someone who has not let life's detours determine his course, Mitchell is highly regarded as a leader in business, government and in non-profits. He demonstrates by his life and through his conversations with audiences, the power of choosing your responses. People come away with new insights and tools to help lead others.
"W Mitchell has refused to be overcome by two life-threatening and life-changing accidents–disastrous events, which, if given the power, could have ruled his life to its end. Instead, he decided to make the tragedies that befell him a starting point." When he says, "It's not what happens to you in life, it's what you do about it, "you can be sure that he is a living, breathing example of that message to us."
Anthony Robbins
"Mitchell is the soul of inspiration."
Og Mandino
"Mitchell is one of the most inspirational speakers we have ever met."
Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, authors of Chicken Soup For The Soul
"You kept our audience spellbound throughout your story and I know it touched each of us in different ways…I want to express our profound appreciation…for getting us to focus on what we can do."
IBM
"Mitchell shows you how to turn your defeats into challenges and your challenges into victories."
Patricia S. Schroeder, Former Congressman from Colorado
"Mitchell's story is a moving tribute to the power of the human spirit."
Jack Kemp, Former Secretary of HUD
"Words seem inadequate when it comes to expressing the profound impact your remarks had on the attendees of our meeting. Motivating a sales force is hard work. We give them compensation, incentives, tools and programs, but sales people need so much more. You reminded us clearly that we can make choices even under tough circumstances, that we can overcome adversity by celebrating what we learn from diversity."
David Murray and Joanne Bauer, Kimberly Clark
"Your ability to connect with an audience, who quickly become your friends, is remarkable. Your presentation skills, timing and style are superb. NASA sees a lot of briefings, and yours ranks in the 'best of the best'."
Kenneth J. Szalai, Director, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
"AWESOME! Mitchell wasn’t great…he was AWESOME!"
Matt Freese, President of Envision International
"On a pragmatic note, I appreciate the fact that you make it so easy to work with you. Frankly, I just don’t do business with speakers who expect to be treated like rock stars. You not only have a lot to say, your personal character and conduct underscores your message. It was a pleasure working with you."
Jane S. Baker, LMSW Director of Education, Texas Health Care Association
"You had their attention all through the hour…right to the standing ovation at the end of your talk. Your presentation was the glue that held together all the other parts of the meeting. You received rave reviews from the management team and the pharmaceutical company guests invited to the meeting."
Robert McHugh, President, Rx Distributions Solutions, Inc.
"The audience was deeply impressed by your story of triumph over tragedy. Although they don’t know it, they were also impressed by the skill of a master speaker who knows an audience before he even meets them, then reads them perfectly so that even the silences have meaning."
Dana Saal, CMP, Director of Education, Illinois Health Care Association
"Two Thumbs Up." "A Five-Star Presentation." "Heartwarming, compassionate, enlightening." "The wake up call we all needed." These are among the comments received following your presentation in San Francisco this past Friday. From each and all of us at TV Fanfare, thank you for sharing your life with us. You have saved us years of self-education in the school of hard knocks."
Keith Sonne, Sr. Vice President, TV Fanfare
"Mitchell's impact has been extraordinary. The following day we were all talking about his message and more importantly, NOW…over three months since his presentation, we are still responding. He helped remind us that attitude and great performance have a direct correlation, and his ability to relate is among the best of any I’ve ever seen."
Randy Lunch, Vice President Marketing, US West
"Thank you for the OUTSTANDING presentation to our group. As you know, PCMA can be a pretty tough crowd to impress. In my opinion, and in the opinion of many others, your presentation was the highlight of our conference."
Smith, Bucklin & Associates
"In the 'seminar business' we have to work with a lot of 'egos' and difficult people. Despite his considerable physical handicaps, Mitchell was one of the nicest people we've ever worked with."
William Oakes, DDS, CEO, Excellence in Dentistry, Inc.
"The response to your message was extremely positive! To this day, advisors who heard you speak still thank me for inviting you here."
David S. Kreager, CFP, Group Vice President, American Express Financial Advisors, Inc.
"I've been having these meetings three times a year for the last few years, and none of our previous meetings have received the kind of positive reaction this one did."
W. Donald Sullivan, State Farm Insurance
"I deeply appreciate your in-depth preparation and your ability to use information gathered to make a more effective, personalized presentation."
Ray W. Owen, State Farm Insurance
"It has been just over a month that you spoke to our Success Conference and our folks are still talking about the positive effects of the day. I've had numerous people tell me that the October 1 conference was one of the best we've ever had in the 12 years we've been sponsoring the conference. This is largely due to your warm, inspiring, challenging and authentic message."
Michael (Mike) Rooney, Ph.D., District Director of Student Development Services, Maricopa Community Colleges