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The American Dream - Best Motivational Speech (Eric Thomas)

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My video clip is from a speech by the motivational speaker Eric Thomas called The American Dream. What resonated most with me was when he said  "just because you didn't start right doesn't mean you can't finish right. This proves that the American Dream is still alive because even though it is hard it is possible to get out of bad circumstances. Throughout the speech he talks about how anything is possible in our country and with enough work you can live the life that you want. He gives the example of his mother who came from poverty and was able to make it in America. This speech shows that dreams are possible and the best place to achieve those dreams is in America.

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My video clip is from a speech by the motivational speaker Eric Thomas called The American Dream. What resonated most with me was when he said  "just because you didn't start right doesn't mean you can't finish right. This proves that the American Dream is still alive because even though it is hard it is possible to get out of bad circumstances. Throughout the speech he talks about how anything is possible in our country and with enough work you can live the life that you want. He gives the example of his mother who came from poverty and was able to make it in America. This speech shows that dreams are possible and the best place to achieve those dreams is in America.

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The song I chose to convey my idea of the American Dream is R.O.C.K. In The USA by John Mellencamp. The lyrics of this song depict people coming from nothing becoming rock stars in the USA. These people gave up everything in order to live the life they wanted and be famous musicians. One lyric, "With the pipe dream in their heads and little money in their hands" shows that people took everything they had to follow their dream. Many people succeeded in their dream due to their talent and ability to work hard which proves my definition of the american dream to be true. Another lyric illustrates how hard of a life these people had, "They come from the smaller towns And beat up cars with guitars and drummers," but they pushed through and found a way to thrive in America with what they had. 

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The song I chose to convey my idea of the American Dream is R.O.C.K. In The USA by John Mellencamp. The lyrics of this song depict people coming from nothing becoming rock stars in the USA. These people gave up everything in order to live the life they wanted and be famous musicians. One lyric, "With the pipe dream in their heads and little money in their hands" shows that people took everything they had to follow their dream. Many people succeeded in their dream due to their talent and ability to work hard which proves my definition of the american dream to be true. Another lyric illustrates how hard of a life these people had, "They come from the smaller towns And beat up cars with guitars and drummers," but they pushed through and found a way to thrive in America with what they had. 

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The definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams, the man who coined the phrase, is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement." His definition is based on the idea that everyone should have equal opportunity to have a better life for themselves. Although I partially agree with this definition, I have one problem with it. His definition gives everyone a better life for themselves ignoring "ability and achievement" which I think is what makes the American Dream. I believe that the American Dream is the dream that everyone should be able to live the life they want if they work hard enough for it. I believe that this definition continues to be true to this day and it will be for generations to come. Taking away the hard work required to live a fulfilling life less sought after if they are easier to obtain.

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The definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams, the man who coined the phrase, is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement." His definition is based on the idea that everyone should have equal opportunity to have a better life for themselves. Although I partially agree with this definition, I have one problem with it. His definition gives everyone a better life for themselves ignoring "ability and achievement" which I think is what makes the American Dream. I believe that the American Dream is the dream that everyone should be able to live the life they want if they work hard enough for it. I believe that this definition continues to be true to this day and it will be for generations to come. Taking away the hard work required to live a fulfilling life less sought after if they are easier to obtain.

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In The Distance Between Us, Reyna Grande lives life as a poor kid who shares a room with her 2 siblings and her Grandpa. She was treated horribly by her grandparents and had a miserable life. She continued to work hard throughout her life and pushing past all of the abuse and struggles she was the first person in her family to make it to college. She even got accepted into UCLA, one of the most prestigious universities in the country, but turned them down to go to UC Santa Cruz. She is now a famous author with many well known books and lives a completely different life than that of which she had as a child.

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In The Distance Between Us, Reyna Grande lives life as a poor kid who shares a room with her 2 siblings and her Grandpa. She was treated horribly by her grandparents and had a miserable life. She continued to work hard throughout her life and pushing past all of the abuse and struggles she was the first person in her family to make it to college. She even got accepted into UCLA, one of the most prestigious universities in the country, but turned them down to go to UC Santa Cruz. She is now a famous author with many well known books and lives a completely different life than that of which she had as a child.

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The First picture shown is a poll where only 7% of people want money and fame for their American Dream. Although that is what some people dream about, most Americans just want to have a better life than they grew up with, and give their kids a better life as well. The second picture shown is a family enjoying dinner together and this picture portrays my American Dream because I want to have a happy family when I grow up. The last picture shown is a house, which resonates with me because I want to have a big house to raise my kids in.

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The First picture shown is a poll where only 7% of people want money and fame for their American Dream. Although that is what some people dream about, most Americans just want to have a better life than they grew up with, and give their kids a better life as well. The second picture shown is a family enjoying dinner together and this picture portrays my American Dream because I want to have a happy family when I grow up. The last picture shown is a house, which resonates with me because I want to have a big house to raise my kids in.

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I chose to interview my mother for this project because she has always supported my dreams so I wanted to hear about hers. She has a similar definition to me, she believes that if you work hard enough nothing can stop you no matter where you come from. She had wanted to be a stay at home mom from when she was young, but her parents taught her to have a backup plan. As a kid, she dreamed of being a veterinarian, but later changed and had a desire to become a physical therapist. She ended up becoming a stay at home mom just like she always wanted. Her American Dream was heavily influenced by her parents, and she says they always taught her to believe she could be whoever she wanted to be. 

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I chose to interview my mother for this project because she has always supported my dreams so I wanted to hear about hers. She has a similar definition to me, she believes that if you work hard enough nothing can stop you no matter where you come from. She had wanted to be a stay at home mom from when she was young, but her parents taught her to have a backup plan. As a kid, she dreamed of being a veterinarian, but later changed and had a desire to become a physical therapist. She ended up becoming a stay at home mom just like she always wanted. Her American Dream was heavily influenced by her parents, and she says they always taught her to believe she could be whoever she wanted to be. 

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Americans are a relentless, maverick, rugged and determined bunch of people. While we like complaining and arguing with each other, Americans have this built-in sense of self-determination and grit. We refuse to give up in the face of disaster. Against all odds, we persevere and bravely forge forward, in pursuit of our dreams and goals.

You'd think that with the pandemic raging on for eight months, we'd throw up our hands in despair. Instead, people who are in between jobs continue to diligently search for a new role-knowing full well that the odds are stacked against them.

Another unique American trait has resurfaced. The U.S. has started new businesses at a record-setting rate, in what is being deemed as a " startup boom." John Haltiwanger, an economist at the University of Maryland, said that within the first two months of the virus outbreak, there was a noticeable rise in new business applications. Working on a project with the government provided him with official data detailing new business formations. He was flabbergasted as he saw the upward trend of new business applications. Haltiwanger pointed out, "The third quarter of 2020 is the highest quarter of applications we've ever seen."

Inc. Magazine, a publisher that covers small emerging businesses, echoed Haltiwanger's findings and wrote, "Over the past three months, more new businesses were launched in the U.S. than in any quarter in history." The report showed, "Between June and September, nearly 1.4 million startups were founded."

When a person loses their job, they have tough choices to make. You can start searching for a new job in your field, try to pivot to a new type of role or reinvent yourself. After a number of months without any luck, you then have to figure out another plan. This could involve becoming an entrepreneur.

The Covid-19 disease has changed many things. Working from home or remotely anywhere has become standard. Shopping online has been the go-to means of purchasing goods, as people are concerned about interacting with others. Brick and mortar stores, shopping malls, movie theater chains, restaurants, airlines, hotels, bars, clubs, gyms and other sectors have been hit hard. Some have been forced into bankruptcy.

There have been big winners. Zoom, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Netflix and other tech-based companies have fared very well, making their already-rich CEOs even more fabulously wealthy.

Change brings chaos and opportunities. As the way we work and live our lives has been altered, maybe even forever, a large number of people decided to take fate into their own hands and create a new business.

In full disclosure, I've started up a business too. I previously launched my executive search firm during a horrific time, in 2001, after Sept.11. Seeing millions of people out of work and having an incredibly hard time finding a new job, it prompted me to start a second business, WeCruitr. The mission is to help equip people with the skills, knowledge and advice to succeed in their job hunt. We also bring people together to be part of an online community, so that they have access to job leads, can learn from others and have people to commiserate with.

We've seen this in many industries. As some companies are severely hampered by the disease, others are springing up to fill the void. Zoom skyrocketed in popularity and became ubiquitous, as it served the need to easily connect workers through its video platform. Telemedicine was literally a life saver for people. As we were afraid, particularly during the first number of months of the outbreak, to visit a doctor, people didn't seek out medical attention. Then, medical professionals, noticing this trend, offered virtual visits, which dramatically changed the way things were done. Peloton, the high-end stationary bicycle maker and subscriptions service, thrived as gyms remained closed and people wanted to exercise and stay healthy.

The feeling among many people is that they realize big corporations don't care that much about their employees. They'll quickly fire them to cut costs. Many workers who hold jobs are deathly afraid of losing them. Taking up a side hustle has become common to have a second stream of income and a way to dip their toes in the entrepreneurial waters. There has also been a rise in people moving into the gig economy, driving Ubers, shopping grocery items for consumers via Instacart, opening up a Shopify store and delivering packages.

Despite all of the doom and gloom, Americans are a hearty group of people who won't stay knocked down for long. We pick ourselves up, brush off the failures and move on. It used to be only searching for a new job. Now, it's become socially acceptable to say, "Life is short. No job is really safe." So, it makes sense to keep all options open and starting up a new business, according to the data, seems like an attractive option to a lot of people.

The chance to call your own shots, take a risk, not being beholden to a mercurial manager and the exhilaration of trying something new is all part of the American Dream. This shows that we still have it and won't succumb to the pandemic and will try our best to overcome it and become successful.

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The American Dream Is Still Alive And Well: U.S. Started Record-Setting Number Of Businesses During The Pandemic

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Americans are a relentless, maverick, rugged and determined bunch of people. While we like complaining and arguing with each other, Americans have this built-in sense of self-determination and grit. We refuse to give up in the face of disaster. Against all odds, we persevere and bravely forge forward, in pursuit of our dreams and goals.

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This article written by Jack Kelly proves that the American Dream is still alive by showing the numbers of new businesses opened during the pandemic. When people were losing jobs and money and had nowhere else to go, they made the decision to open up their own business. In fact, "nearly 1.4 million startups were founded," which shows Americans were willing to take the risk to follow their dreams. During the pandemic, many workers were getting fired because companies didn't have enough money or resources to keep them, so "taking up a side hustle has become common to have a second stream of income." People didn't want to rely on a job that they might lose to be their source of income, so they took a shot at trying something new and following their dreams on the side. People began working for themselves, making companies, and making much more money than they would if they had continued working.

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This article written by Jack Kelly proves that the American Dream is still alive by showing the numbers of new businesses opened during the pandemic. When people were losing jobs and money and had nowhere else to go, they made the decision to open up their own business. In fact, "nearly 1.4 million startups were founded," which shows Americans were willing to take the risk to follow their dreams. During the pandemic, many workers were getting fired because companies didn't have enough money or resources to keep them, so "taking up a side hustle has become common to have a second stream of income." People didn't want to rely on a job that they might lose to be their source of income, so they took a shot at trying something new and following their dreams on the side. People began working for themselves, making companies, and making much more money than they would if they had continued working.