CSB+SJU welcomes motivational speaker Lamarr Womble

On Tuesday, motivational speaker Lamarr Womble gave a seminar in Upper Gorecki regarding the importance of leadership, values and goals.

“Students rave about his message, his approach and the lessons they learn,” said Aaron Voth, assistant dean for Student Leadership and Engagement, in an email interview.

During the hour-long discussion, Lamarr had students create their own ‘Service Manifesto’ of their values and philosophy.

Firstly, Lamarr talked about how many students are taught from a young age to serve others, to be immensely involved in activities and our community and that we are defined by what we do.

He stated this mindset has caused us to not understand who we are when we reach adulthood. He argued we should first be taught as children to comprehend who we are and who we desire to be, before enveloping ourselves in busy schedules that often do not agree with our values.

On the ‘Service Manifesto’ Lamarr had his audience write five values that were crucial to their lives to see if they were in correspondence with their current lives and schedules.

This led to the next topic of discussion, ‘Legacy and Impact,’ where the audience used the values they had written earlier to envision how they wanted to be remembered by the end of their time at CSB+SJU.

He made it apparent that legacy is often thought of as an aspect of the far future but can also be an active part of our present lives. If we are being the person we want to be, and holding out values throughout everything, we are actively living the legacy we want to create.

Lamarr acknowledged that living such a life is not easy and spoke on the importance of boundaries. He stated that it is essential to say ‘No’ when your boundaries are crossed, which can be the bravest act in anyone’s life.

A boundary that was brought up in the discussion was that serving others can only continue if the individual has the time and energy to do so. The moment an individual neglects their own life for the service of others, their service ceases to be sustainable.

Finally, using all the ideas previously asserted throughout the seminar, a ‘transformational goal’ was formed that was each person’s individual mission for life, and how they would want to be remembered once they have passed from this life.

This question, a fundamental question and goal of human existence, received a wide array of answers from the audience that were all united by the zeal for improving the quality of life for as many people as possible.

The students who attended that night left with their life goals, values, impact, and philosophy organized and printed on a large piece of paper, which Lamarr urged everyone to place in a spot where it would be seen frequently, constantly reminding them of the direction they sought to take in their lives.

“One of our institutional learning goals is for students to “Serve Graciously”, and we believe this event will give students a renewed understanding of what it means to serve graciously as a leader in a community,” Voth said