#tedxbuffalo

Today I was fortunate enough to be able to attend TEDxBuffalo with a group of about 300-400 other people live at Canisius College.  This was my first time at the event, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I know what TED talks are and watch them from time to time, but was interested to see what a Buffalo one would be like.  It was...

Awesome.  Can't even think of a better word to describe it.  That's how I personally felt after leaving the event.  I just felt better about life, Buffalo and myself.  I'm "transitioning" between jobs at the moment and it was exactly the type of positive environment I was looking to surround myself in.  Such positive energy.  Such hope.  And so many doers.  

I had so many feelings I had to get them down on "paper".  The event really ran flawless.  I'm not just saying that either, I only really even know two of the organizers anyways.  I just sat there and truly appreciated how well run the event was, the fact that it was free, and that people busted their asses for ZERO dollars to entertain me (and others).  For that, I truly thank and respect all who made that event happen.  Not an easy task, and not unnoticed. Cheers.

How about the speakers? Kudos to all of them, who have done and are still doing incredible things for the city of Buffalo.  I am not going to go on about all of them, but there were some that really connected with me.

Stuart Fuchs told an incredible story about the power of sound.  He had us in the audience close our eyes at one point, and he literally put me to sleep (in a positive way) for a brief moment.  He also got the whole crowd to interact and make music after.  It was fun to take part in it.  Then he told a brief story on how music and sound helped a cancer patient of 9 years forget that they even had cancer! 9 years of hell, and the first time they forgot they had cancer was with Stuart.  So yeah, you might want to go check him out on the link I provided.  If you asked me if he would be one of my favorite talks prior to the day, I wouldn't have believed it.  The passion he has moves through other people, and I think he showed that during his talk.  

Another talk that really got my blood flowing was from Matt Petroski called Mental Toughness, Compared to What? The title speaks for itself. My favorite quote from his talk was "I'm not going to let life, stop me from living".  Simple yes, but hard to do sometimes.  So many highs and lows come at us everyday. We often get caught up in them.  Other people won't remember the lows of our own lives, but they will remember how we bounce back from them.  Buffalo is bouncing back.  We are all a part of that (or can be if we want).  

I feel bad that I'm not going to write a little blurb on each talk, as they were all inspiring and remarkable in their own way.  I left that room smarter, and more inspired than I did before I entered it.  What more can you ask for from an event? Free Lloyds and breakfast? Check.

In a few years I hope to be able to give my own TEDxBuffalo talk.  I think it's a goal that everyone in this city needs to have.  Because if you are speaking at TEDxBuffalo, you are doer and catalyst to Buffalo's renaissance.

Jon