How Glitter Will Revolutionize The Way We Work
At the 2022 Speaker Slam® Grand Slam, the Inspirational Speaking Finals held at CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Jen Liss took the stage with a five minute story.
Transcript
foreign when I was a little girl I wanted to be a Tinkerbell heck I thought I was Tinkerbell feisty fashionable and fun check stubborn and a little hot tempered check I just adored Tink and her little green dress her blonde hair pulled up in a bun and her thick luscious bangs but the most recognizable thing about Tinkerbell is of course her Sparkle that endless glittery Sparkle it follows her everywhere she goes one year for Christmas I remember my three sisters and I each got a pair of roller skates and a matching leotard mine had a little frilly skirt on it and stars all over it
that to me looked like Tink Sparkle I remember skating all over the basement shooting glitter from my fingertips I was magical of course as I got older that leotard I grew outgrew it and the Peter Pan VHS tape got fewer and fewer plays Neverland faded away and I got steeped in reality adults taught me that magic is not real glitter is a real nuisance and sparkling mm-hmm that hurts people's feelings don't shine too bright they said you might outshine your sisters I believed them little by little I dimmed my light I snuffed out my Sparkle eventually I put away that glittery goodness for good and
I evolved into a respectable adult I got straight A's in school I earned a degree and I held some really cool job titles I was shining the approved way and I was miserable I remember the day I realized it it was the middle of winter I was thick and about a seasonal depression and I was trying to figure out why when I'd gotten the big adult job with the equally big paycheck I felt so freaking bleh I had no idea what to do next or what I was even wanted to do I'd been playing by all the adult roles and they sucked a few days
later I'm hanging out with my niece Evelyn and she's wearing this little glittery tutu and she's waving around a magic wand and as I watched her twirl around like a little Tinkerbell I started to see me and it was in that moment that I realized I can no longer allow myself to live in a world that tells that beautiful little girl that she cannot shine her Sparkle and she's going to be miserable because of it it was time for me to put down these adult rules and come home to my inner Tinker Bell so what did I do I took her to work with me
and together we started to have a lot of fun other people took notice and they wanted to work with me too and together we started to take risks embrace our creativity and contribute in really new and interesting ways we all started to Sparkle you are full of glittery magic and it was meant to serve the world but it can't when you're living up to these adult rules that are stifling and chasing things like achievement validation and praise companies are always looking for ideas that stick well you don't get any stickier than glitter my friends and I'm standing on this stage today to say that shining
your unique sparkly light is the key not only to your personal Evolution but to the next work Revolution stop telling people to dim their lights start showing them how to light up from the inside believe in their gifts and unleash their inner Tinker Bells now if you're a serious adult who doubts the power of your inner glittery Sparkle believe me I get it I have been through this Evolution myself and as a coach I see people going through it every day but your inner Tinkerbell has the power to change the world and she is in there just waiting for you to look inside notice her
sparkly Magic and believe
Transcript generated from the recording and lightly cleaned. Some names and wording may differ from the spoken speech.