David Meltzer Interview:
Jennie Reid’s Skype Interview with David Meltzer by Lastwordonsports on Mixcloud
What made you decide to become a motivational speaker?
While David worked at Samsung USA as CEO, he spoke around the world about technology, with a business message to give. He “lost a lot of his gratitude, became empty, and self-sabotaged himself.” Through that process of losing everything he owned, e.g. golf course, houses, and Ferraris, he learned what was important and then, most importantly, he realised how to revive it. David said he knew at that point that “I had a greater good calling” and “could confidently manifest anything I desired.” He also created a “simple, pragmatic formula,” which he not only wanted to “teach others to do it for themselves, but create a bigger change to teach others to teach others.” The world would certainly be an amazing place to live if everyone was happy. Rugby absolutely has the power and energy to inspire change in others and people are willing to teach others, and motivate each other to learn how to realise their greatness within.
Do your nationwide motivational speeches include rugby?
Travelling around the USA, David speaks at colleges, schools, and corporations on motivation, and part of his speeches utilise examples from rugby. He talks about the beginning, middle, and end of what he considers to be the greatest sport. As a result of that, he considers, “how can we detach ourselves from the outcome that it is a game.” Before the game, he feels like “his family is getting ready to play, then separates into their respective teams, and when the whistle blows at the end, you’re having fun. No matter what happens during the game, they are all grateful that everyone came out at the end and can socialize.”
This example of rugby respect carries over into any other relationship, whether it be family, corporations, or friendships. There is an obvious level of respect and honour in the sport of rugby that the athletes cherish and is necessary for success on and off the field.
How did you get involved in rugby?
The first time David got involved in rugby was when he and Dave Hodges played college football at Occidental College, and later Hodges went on to become the best American rugby player of the time. As a result of David’s relationship with Hodges and Dan Lyle, while he was running SSE, and their involvement with Sevens Rugby, he started to “assist and facilitate them to motivate and inspire people to understand what rugby is.”
In David’s opinion, as well as a global understanding of rugby, “no other sport has the ability to compete so fiercely during the game, but the camaraderie that exists is unseen and it shows that (the players) can be hypercompetitive, yet keep their humanity and friendship in one of the most violent sports ever created.”
It is essentially this phenomenon of goodness, well-known to those involved in rugby, spreading awareness to the greater audience about what rugby means to enhance the greater good of the community.
Has your mood been positively affected by rugby?
Overall, David is a very positive, inspiring person, with a clear mission to empower others to be happy and successful. The positive impact that rugby has had on David’s mood is the excitement he has for rugby players and professionals, such as Dave Hodges, Craig Hartley, and Dan Lyle, and the success that they have earned from rugby. David’s “mission in life is to empower others to empower others, so to see them fulfill, achieve, and manifest what they desire is really exciting.”
The first Rugby Sevens tournament David attended was at Petco Park in his home town of San Diego. This was a bait and hook rugby expereince for him, where he said he “was heavily involved, and sitting in the suites with all the different people involved, watching an idea manifest itself in a positive way.”
From there we all see where rugby has grown, which has really affected David’s ability, as he puts it, “to believe that when you get inspired and take action, it becomes a whole explanation and implementation of what I believe in, that gives me confidence that I can achieve whatever I want to do.”
Do Empathy and Empowerment Form the Foundations of a Great Leader?
Empathy and empowerment are charismatic of a great leader. Coaches can submit to athletes’ empowerment on their team, so they can feel confident in themselves and their abilities, and be able to make decisions on the field. “You may not even know what you have and you must appreciate everything,” said David.
Just the mere value of the word ‘Empathy’ is something more and he says it “is a very disguised word, where most people think of empathy as sympathy. I can’t feel bad enough, or sick enough, or sad enough and the person we have to forgive is in ourselves.” If we have empathy, it is only then that we are able to empower others and be empowered. A great leader, such as the captain or coach of a team, has empathy and gratitude, and is therefore able to not only empower, but also to give others the virtue of empowerment to be “connected to goodness.”
…Click here to continue to Part III.
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