Can YOU be motivated to walk on glass?
Whether convincing young children to walk on glass, eat fire, or dance crazy, this motivational speaker succeeded in inspiring the youth of the power that the mind has in achieving goals. Bert Oliva, a motivational speaker, returned for the fourth time to Belize City to conduct a motivational tour to help young children from standards 5 and 6 reach their full potential and become successful. The first session, lasting over two and a half hours, engaged over three hundred primary students and included topics of cyber bullying, putting in one's best effort, and taking advantage of all opportunities.
After walking on glass, Tashawn Lozano, a young student from St. Ignatius Primary, said that although she was scared of getting cut, she followed what she was told and believed in herself. She stated that she would have never been able to do that before and that the message re
ally made a difference to her. She went on to say, "you can do anything you want. You can achieve any goals in life and anything is possible. And you just have to work hard for what you want."
Motivational speaker, Bert Oliva, stated "it's awesome to be able to share that with the children to open their eyes. Because sometimes we take things for granted not knowing what's out there, because we don't know whatever they're saying. But basically the rest of the world wants to come to Belize. So we are preparing the youth to be the future of Belize, and not only Belize but anywhere in the world. And we do this with all the children because once they believe that they have the potential and they find their super hero power, anything is possible."
Nathida Alvarado, a student from Holy Redeemer Primary School, participated in one of the activities during the session and said, "it was a life changing experience for me because it was something I never did before and it was very exciting." She stated that she walked out of the session with much more confidence than she had walked in with and learned that "anything can happen once you put your mind to it."
Even though the session was about positivity, the reality is that social decay has become synonymous to the city's culture. So, how do we help change that course and nurture a more empowered generation? The lady behind it all, Dionne Chamberlain Miranda, Managing Director of Chamberlain Consulting, says that we must start with the children. "It's about belief in yourself. These kids are amazing. They have it inside of them, the spirit and the energy. But it can only foster if we as a society realize that we are mentors. We have to develop them. We have to grow them. And it's from organizations, businesses and the media. I want to encourage you to spread the good news. Because only when we are insulated can we deal with the bad that is coming at us."
When questioned about the reasoning behind the motivational sessions, Bert Oliva stated, "What it is, is that we've been conditioned by society that you have to have a break down before you can have a break through. If you watch television, even in the United States the documentary you know, they tell you the person lost everything. They ended up doing drugs and then they found themselves and became successful. If you can actually have a breakthrough without a break down, that's even more impactful. So to be able to walk on glass, eat fire, is part of entertainment. Because when we're having fun, it's been proved scientifically that you will learn more and take the information in. so as part of what we do, we do 'edutainment'. Education and entertainment put together and the impact, you know, you saw it for yourself."
