Humorous talks on the process of achievement, overcoming challenges and mindset
UK
Former Army Officer, an impressive runner and one of the few surviving being taken prisoner by Khmer Rouge guerrillas
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"The teams were both impressed and inspired by your story. Some key words that came out in our reflection sessions were: Perspective, courage, kindness, gratitude, belief, humour, make connections, stay positive and….. breathe! We won’t hesitate to recommend you to others, and I hope we get the chance to meet again in the future."
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About Chris
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Chris Moon is a passionate speaker who delivers humorous talks on the process of achievement, overcoming challenges, mindset, motivation and leadership. He draws on his unique experiences to help people and organisations do what they do, better. For more than a decade he’s been helping businesses go the extra mile.
With an incredible past, our keynote speaker Chris Moon is one of the very few westerners who survived being taken prisoner by Khmer Rouge guerrillas (one of the most ruthless terror groups in history). During an ordeal that nearly resulted in execution, he negotiated not only his own release but also that of his two Khmer staff and he never assumed the role of a victim.
Chris is a former Army officer who worked for a charity specializing in clearing landmines and the debris of war in Asia and Africa. In 1995, while clearing an area in Mozambique, he was blown up which resulted in the loss of his lower right arm and leg. He survived against all odds. The incident did not stop him or slow him down. Within a year of leaving hospital the outstanding speaker Chris Moon ran the London Marathon, worked to ban landmines, raised significant sums to help disabled people in the developing world and passed a Masters Degree in Security Management (covering criminology, human behaviour, risk and management theory).
Chris is always challenging himself and now runs faster than at any time since he was injured. He is the first amputee to run the world’s toughest ultra marathons, such as the Great Sahara Run. His favourite is the Badwater Death Valley Ultra 135 mile fun run, which he recently completed taking almost 12 hours off his previous time.
In September 2010 the sought-after speaker Chris Moon became one of the few people in the world to run more than a marathon day for 30 days continuously, covering over 1000 miles. Two days before he started this thousand-miler he returned from leading a group to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Chris has featured in many newspaper and magazine articles and on radio and television (including the drama documentary I shouldn’t be Alive by Discovery). His autobiography ‘One Step Beyond’ is published by Macmillan.
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Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties, toughness and change. It’s about bouncing back and getting up as many times as we fall over. A material like nylon’s a good example, as it’s not easily crushed or creased and stuff washes off it, it doesn’t stain.
Life can be tough and unfair. I’m a realist, so the starting point is acceptance.
It is what it is. Let’s understand the objective truth and work out how we’re going to get through it.
In times of crisis one human reaction is denial, there’s a temptation to put our head in the sand and pretend it’s not happening. Helpful questions to ask at this point might be: What is it I don’t want to hear about this situation? What’s the worst-case scenario? My experience is that ninety-nine times out of a hundred it’s not as bad as it could be, so count your blessings.
Psychological research shows we can choose the way we think. A key part of resilience is avoiding unhelpful thinking. No blame, keep the thoughts constructive and positive. Our thinking should be helpful and generous to ourselves and others. In short, look beyond the pain and reach for realistic optimism.
Examples of what I’d call stinking thinking are thoughts that are down on self, others, our future and the world in general. They’re rigid ‘it must be ‘my way’; thoughts, full of assumption; not reality tested and goal blocking – all the reasons not to.
Healthy mental habits as I’d call them or helpful thinking are accepting of ourselves, others, the world and our future. A generosity of spirit if you like. Flexible or agile thinking which is reality tested and not assumptive. Thinking which is ‘can do’ and ‘let’s find a way to make it work’
Never underestimate the power of belief. To be resilient we must choose to believe in ourselves. Sometimes people need help to grow self-belief. Kind words of encouragement are perhaps more important than we know.
Asking for help is a sign of strength not weakness; we should be prepared to ask for other views and then be prepared to be helped and help others. When I was working in a remote part of Mozambique I met a missionary from the US in the North. The rains fell and the water rose. We talked about the floods. He smiled and told me the story of a righteous and Godly man who saw the water rise around his home. He prayed to God for help and as the floods rose higher and higher he climbed onto the roof of his house where he saw trees and cars float by. He prayed to God to send angels to save him because he was a righteous believer.
The rain fell and the waters continued to rise when a boy paddled past him in a canoe. He stopped and said ‘Can I offer you a ride in my boat Sir?
The righteous man replied ‘No thank you! I’ve prayed to God to save me and I believe he’ll send angels down shortly’
The boy nods and paddles away.
The Righteous man continues to pray in the rain and soon a fire service boat with flashing blue lights slows its engine and they urge him to jump aboard. ‘No thank you! I’ve prayed to God to save me and I believe he’ll send angels down shortly’
They know him to be righteous and trust him so reluctantly sail on.
The wind and rain rise. His prayers and pleas grow more intense. Finally, through the driving rain a coastguard helicopter hovers lower. The winchman descends clutching a sling and tries to save him. Pushing it away he says ‘No thank you! I’ve prayed to God to save me and I believe he’ll send angels shortly’
The winchman’s ear peace crackles ‘We have to respect his views and there’s another twenty waiting. Leave him. Let’s go.’
Swirling flood waters rise, the torrential rain continues, the house creaks and groans and finally collapses sinking into the black swirling void. The man quickly drowns.
He dies, goes to heaven, meets his creator and says ‘God I prayed to you to send angels. Why didn’t you answer me I am a righteous man’
God smiles, puts his hand gently on his arm and says ‘What do you mean? I sent a canoe, a rescue boat and helicopter! There are angels among us and we should all strive to be someone’s angel.’
It is a great privilege for me to share my experiences and practical principles for resilience at events. Be nylon! I wish you all a crush and wrinkle proof future.
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