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Example
of Burn Speech (motivational focus)
Who I am and What I Have to Say
Introduction by James January
“This
is a speech, as defined in written form, that I have given
on many occasions. It lasts 5-10 minutes as is. It can be
shortened or lengthened (viewed as an outline) depending
on the audience and time. It defines me and let’s audiences
know what I am all about. This ‘animal’ looses
some of its muscle in written form because non-verbal language
(body movement, hand gestures, pause and rhythm) is missing.
But you get the general idea. Judging by audience response,
I would say that this is an effective speech.”
Who
I am and What I Have to Say
James January
Let
me introduce myself...I am the burnt guy...That pretty much
sums me up. When having a business lunch with a client I
have not met, I'll tell her to "look for the burnt
guy". Most of my friends call me that. My Harley buddies
call me "toast". In a plane it’s “firegod”,
and sometimes “firefly” when I skydive. Before
being burned everyone called me January (last name).
My name
is James January and I will accept and even encourage being
called any of the above by my friends and sometimes my enemies.
(To those wondering...I was born in August, burned in September...but
I did leave the hospital in January.)
Why
would I allow anyone to refer to me as such? Because it
sums me up. While being burned is not all there is to a
burn survivor’s life, it is a major part. And I am
an in your face kind of guy. All of us are unique and handle
things differently. Not everyone is an in your face kind
of person. I am.
I really
don't care whether people around me are comfortable or not
(sometimes I purposely try to make others uncomfortable,
just to see what works and what doesn't). This approach
suits my psyche; but I know it might not work for another.
That is why you must be vigilant and learn from others who
have been down a similar road. To find out what works best
for you and what does not.
I have
a philosophy: There is never only one way to handle a situation...in
this case, being burned. I also believe that in order to
best deal with burns you must observe what works and what
does not. And what works for one person may not work for
another.
So what’s
my story? Here’s part of the ongoing saga…
I was
burned September '91. I was Branched but not Commissioned,
Regular Army, Military Intelligence…a fancy way of
saying “I got burned my senior year of college”.
At age 21, everything I worked for went up in smoke. I was
driving a University owned vehicle from Campbell University
to Ft. Bragg, NC. To make a long story short: vehicle turned
over and caught fire. I remember reaching through flames
to undo my seatbelt while the truck was skidding on its
side. I did not get out as fast as I would have liked. I
ended up with @85% burns to my body, most of it full thickness.
I refer to my recovery as 4 months physical (got out of
the hospital in four months, but still had those daily clinics
and day ops) and about a year and a half mental (my friends
say I was never fully there, but at least I got back to
base-line). After a period of struggle, due to both my injuries
and a search for something that would challenge me, I became
involved with the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center. Since
'93, I have immersed myself in anything that deals with
burn survivors, family and friends, and anyone who works
with burn survivors, and the prevention of burn injury.
And
now?
I make
and lose money through business investments (sink or swim
on the backs of talented and hardworking people: That more
or less makes me a silent partner or a venture capitalist)…But
I spend most of my time working with burns. I especially
love working with young survivors. Started The January Foundation/burnsurvivor.org:
a burn foundation that does everything from lecturing to
school re-entries. Most of our work is in or around North
Carolina, but we have been as far as Australia. And we are
growing. You can check us out on our website or email me
at january@burnsurvivor.org
I also
ride a Harley, scuba and skydive, and will be a pilot soon.
(All of these activities are necessary stress relievers
that keep me going and keep me from punching stupid people.)
And
when you tell a 1st grader that you jump out of planes and
swim with sharks, their attention span goes from 5 seconds
to 15 minutes so you can tell them not to play with matches
and not to pick on "Joey"
You
must gain from the experience of others to form you own
arsenal as to how you approach and deal with being a burn
survivor. I think that the quickest way to motivate an individual
facing life as a burn survivor is to tell them about someone
else who has been down a similar road. Had similar experiences.
And how they dealt with it or are dealing with it. As a
burn survivor, take what works for you and get rid of what
does not. Bits and pieces from the experiences of others
who have been there and those who are currently there can
be what works for you.
I still
have those days when I look in the mirror and think s#*t
or f$&k, but my friend, everyone has those days. The
trick is moving on. There are those times when I would like
to blame everything on being burned, but can’t.
You
have to play in a game where our society puts forth certain
thoughts, good or bad, on what is normal and what isn't,
what looks good and what doesn't. But that doesn't mean
you can't bend the rules, or break them when necessary,
to play that game.
Do not
set yourself up for failure by expecting too much out of
others; at the same time, however, do not tolerate disrespect.
If you walk into a room you might get those double takes,
it's natural for people to be curious, but if it goes beyond
that deal with it. If you walk from place to place with
your head up, chest out, looking people in the eye, and
saying hello...you will get a much more positive reaction
than walking with your head down and shoulders slouched
forward. If people ask you questions and you don't feel
like talking about it, tell them you don't feel like talking
about it. But remember that education is a great tool for
those who don't know.
And
if someone tells you that you are ugly, tell them "Some
of us were born that way...some of us had to get burned."
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