Have a passion for your purpose, speaker tells Elon School students

Have a passion for your purpose in life, realize the worth of others and remember that practice plus preparations equals power.

That was part of the message Ty Boyd, a noted Tar Heel broadcaster and speaker, gave to the students, faculty and friends of The Elon School Tuesday.

Boyd, a longtime supporter of the Elon Home for Children and its various endeavors, is a nationally known speaker and communications coach. He has delivered keynotes and conducted seminars on five continents to more than a million people. He is one of the few speakers worldwide to receive the speaking industry's three highest honors, including the Oscar of the National Speakers Association - The Cavett Award.

Boyd has been inducted into both the Broadcast Hall of Fame and Speakers Hall of Fame. A member of the Speakers Roundtable, he is considered among the top 20 speakers in the country.

Boyd told the audience he was raised in a mill town, moved to Statesville and realized early on that he could "make luck" by following a few simple precepts.

"Have passion for your purpose" in life, whether it's to excel at algebra or deal with customers as a business owner.

He described theologian John Wesley as a firebrand street preacher who drew congregants to his preaching "because he said when he arose each morning ‘I set John Wesley on fire and people come to watch John Wesley burn.'"

He urged the young people to learn to listen to others, hone their listening skills and keep the emphasis on "the other person" in whatever pursuit they chase.

"I will walk a mile to get away from a big talker," he said, "but I will walk a mile to get to a good listener."

In the pecking order of importance, he said, "It's not about the doctor, it's about the patient. It's not about the teacher, it's about the student."

As a devotee of Dale Carnegie ("How To Win Friends and Influence People"), he reminded the audience "you can make more friends in two hours being interested in someone than in two days trying to make yourself interesting to someone."

Boyd said luck was usually regarded as a random occurrence, but, "I have found that luck is what happens when opportunity meets preparation. I have worked with many successful people and have found they are learning all the time."

Finding friends is finding more support, a key strategy in success, he said.

"Striving for perfection can paralyze you," he opined, saying that Olympians "practice and prepare" for their events and that resulting "power" is obvious.

Boyd is also known as a former emcee for the Miss North Carolina pageant and an icon in Charlotte area television and radio. He heads the Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems (www.tyboyd.com).