“Be The Best That You Can Be” was the key message promoted at a seminar in Ennis today, held to commemorate the Clare County Capital’s links with former World Heavyweight Boxing champion Muhammad Ali.
More than 500 secondary school students attended the second annual event at Glór, which featured motivational talks by Clinical Psychologist David Coleman and Ian Taylor, who in 2008 became the youngest Irishman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. His record was beaten by 27-year-old Mark Quinn from Limerick in 2011. The event was hosted by Ennis Town Council and Clare Youth Service.
Muhammad Ali, the three-time World Heavyweight Champion was named the first Honorary Freeman of Ennis in September 2009 in recognition of his career achievements and his ancestral links with the Clare County Capital. Over 15,000 people watched ‘The Greatest’ receive a Civic Reception before embarking on a drive through the streets of Ennis and a personal visit to the ancestral home of his great grandfather Abe Grady.
Addressing students today, David Coleman spoke about the skills and attributes that are required for anyone wishing to fulfill lifetime goals and ambitions.
“I spend much of my time providing advice to and speaking with the parents of teenagers and therefore, I relished today’s opportunity to speak directly with teenagers about the issues affecting them,” he said.
Mr. Coleman continued: “Among the skills required for young people to be the best that they can be is the ability to challenge negative thinking, accepting who you are and not to imitate others, the ability to do things you believe are right, and allowing yourself to make and learn from mistakes. I was delighted at the level of positive feedback I received from the students.”
The subject of “identifying and realizing personal goals in life” was also discussed in detail by Ian Taylor, who spoke of his experiences as a mountaineer.
Taylor, at the age of 29, became the youngest ever Irish person to climb Mount Everest in 2008. The Kildare native, who now lives in Lahinch with his wife, scaled the world’s highest mountain despite having been advised by professional mountaineers with experiences of Everest that he would be unable to complete the feat.
He explained: “I faced numerous challenges before and during my time on Everest, but a massive amount of physical training, plenty of climbing experience and an overwhelming desire to succeed helped me to brave the extreme conditions and achieve my goal. In today’s talk, I challenged children to explore the issues they are passionate about as well as their own personal life ambitions. I urged them to start writing down their goals and teasing out how they can achieve them. I spoke about how the will to succeed is central to successfully fulfilling one’s ambitions or life’s goal.”
Today’s seminar was attended by students of Scoil Mhuire, Rice College, St. Flannan’s College, Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, and Ennis Community College.
More than 500 secondary school students attended the second annual event at Glór, which featured motivational talks by Clinical Psychologist David Coleman and Ian Taylor, who in 2008 became the youngest Irishman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. His record was beaten by 27-year-old Mark Quinn from Limerick in 2011. The event was hosted by Ennis Town Council and Clare Youth Service.
Muhammad Ali, the three-time World Heavyweight Champion was named the first Honorary Freeman of Ennis in September 2009 in recognition of his career achievements and his ancestral links with the Clare County Capital. Over 15,000 people watched ‘The Greatest’ receive a Civic Reception before embarking on a drive through the streets of Ennis and a personal visit to the ancestral home of his great grandfather Abe Grady.
Addressing students today, David Coleman spoke about the skills and attributes that are required for anyone wishing to fulfill lifetime goals and ambitions.
“I spend much of my time providing advice to and speaking with the parents of teenagers and therefore, I relished today’s opportunity to speak directly with teenagers about the issues affecting them,” he said.
Mr. Coleman continued: “Among the skills required for young people to be the best that they can be is the ability to challenge negative thinking, accepting who you are and not to imitate others, the ability to do things you believe are right, and allowing yourself to make and learn from mistakes. I was delighted at the level of positive feedback I received from the students.”
The subject of “identifying and realizing personal goals in life” was also discussed in detail by Ian Taylor, who spoke of his experiences as a mountaineer.
Taylor, at the age of 29, became the youngest ever Irish person to climb Mount Everest in 2008. The Kildare native, who now lives in Lahinch with his wife, scaled the world’s highest mountain despite having been advised by professional mountaineers with experiences of Everest that he would be unable to complete the feat.
He explained: “I faced numerous challenges before and during my time on Everest, but a massive amount of physical training, plenty of climbing experience and an overwhelming desire to succeed helped me to brave the extreme conditions and achieve my goal. In today’s talk, I challenged children to explore the issues they are passionate about as well as their own personal life ambitions. I urged them to start writing down their goals and teasing out how they can achieve them. I spoke about how the will to succeed is central to successfully fulfilling one’s ambitions or life’s goal.”
Today’s seminar was attended by students of Scoil Mhuire, Rice College, St. Flannan’s College, Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, and Ennis Community College.
