This is a short YouTube motivational speech by Andy Neary. He opens with an account of an "average" childhood marked by being overweight and low self-confidence, then describes baseball—specifically pitching—as the one context where he felt invincible. He asks listeners to recall or find their own invincible moment and use that confidence to take action amid loss or uncertainty.
Chapters
So if I were to sum up my childhood in one word, I would say average. Let me explain. I had a good childhood. I had an easy childhood. But my family wasn't rich, we weren't poor, we were comfortable. And I have no rags to riches story to tell you about. My parents busted their butt. We were the average American family. And as a kid though, one thing that was not average about me was my weight.
I was overweight, I was chubby, I was husky as we called it back then.
And that's hard as a kid, right? I mean, your peers don't know any better than to make fun of you about you and your weight.
And that led to a lot of.
Self confidence issues, a lot of self worth issues. I mean, I fear the judgment of other people.
And in sports, I would also say I was average.
I mean, I wasn't born with unbelievable.
Speed, height or size. I had an average arm.
But there was one place I felt invincible, untouchable. And that was on the pitcher's mound when I had this baseball in my hand. When I took that mound and I lasered in on that catcher's mitt and lasered in on that batter, it was game over. I remember games in high school where I knew going into the game I was going to throw a shut up. That team had no chance. And I couldn't wait for spring to come around every single year. Because to me it meant another chance to grab the baseball, it meant a chance to take the mound, and it was another chance to feel invincible.
Guess what?
Spring is here again. But instead of having that feeling of.
Invincibility, you're dealing with loss right now, right?
It could be the loss of your.
Job, the loss of your self worth.
The loss of your self confidence. And instead of feeling invincible, you're feeling average right now. And that average feeling has you paralyzed. You're sitting in anxiety, stress and fear when you should be taking action. This is the chance to build your future. So here's my ask of you.
Hell, here's my bag of you figure out where you feel invincible. Grab that baseball, take that pitcher's mouth. And if you can't find that space where you feel unhittable right now, think about a moment in the past when you felt invincible.
And I want you to go there.
Put your mind there, and I want you to sit in that space because.
Because if you can put yourself in.
That space right now, that's where creativity comes from. That's where the confidence comes from. And when confidence and creativity collide, you create action. So no matter what the news says.
No matter what the loss of your.
Job says, no matter what any of your friends and family say, you are not average. So I want you to get up, I want you to put a smile on your face, grab the baseball, take the mound, and know that you are better than average. You are invincible.
And I want you to use that.
Invincibility to get creative, to build that confidence, so you take action.
