George Jerjian

Interview with George Jerjian

How did you begin your speaking career?

From the age of 10, I use to regale my family with stories, jokes, and mimicking people. I dabbled at debating club at school, did several public speaking courses over the years and did public speaking as an elective in my graduate Journalism degree at New York University. It was in 1999 that I joined London Corinthians Toastmasters Club (public speaking) attending meetings twice a month for 15 years because I loved it. In 2013, I achieved the Distinguished Toastmasters award.

Who or what inspires you most?

Visionaries inspire me because they dream and then create practical solutions to problems facing humanity. People such as: Sir George Williams, founder of the YMCA, whose aim was to support young people to belong, contribute, and thrive in their communities; Henri Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross, who wanted better care for wounded soldiers in wars; and Ralph Smedley, founder of Toastmasters International, who wanted people to practice public speaking and leadership. 

How do you practice gratitude in everyday life?

I practice gratitude first thing in the morning for 20 minutes. Doing this allows me to recognise that each morning is a gift, not an entitlement. I am grateful for: the people I love in my life; my health and well-being; my work; my accommodation, running water, food, clothing, etc. During the day, whenever difficulties arise, I am grateful that I have the right mind set to find solutions. This awareness allows me to notice acts of kindness and beautiful things like flowers and I stop and savor it. At night, before sleeping, I count my blessings. As much as possible, I try to live in the moment, because each moment is a precious and an irreplaceable commodity.

What are 3 habits for success?

In my life experience, desire, faith and persistence are essential ingredients for success, whatever one’s definition of it may be.

• Desire is the most powerful instrument and if we do not use it constructively, it will rebound destructively on us. In the words of Judge Thomas Troward, “The force behind all things, desire is the creative power that must be guarded, trained, and directed.”
• Faith is, in the words of St. Augustine, “to believe what you do not as yet see and the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.” By faith, we give birth on the material plane, what we have conceived in our minds.
• Persistence in order to overcome all obstacles and ensure success. In the words of Napoleon Hill, “Persistence is to character of man what carbon is to steel.”

What would you like to achieve in the next 5 years?

In the next 5 years, I want to achieve three things:

• A thriving speaking business to engage individuals and organisations to recognise that the practice of gratitude enriches everyone on all levels.
• A global reach, with and through A Network for Grateful Living – www.gratefulness.org which is operational on all continents.
• To write and publish one book a year

Why do clients typically hire you to speak?

The value I bring to any organisation that hires me is to inspire their people to become their best selves, by enriching their lives, and the lives of their families and work colleagues. My talks are full of stories, anecdotes, and jokes to make my points, to engage the audience, to uplift their spirits, and to challenge them to take small steps that cost nothing yet enriches their lives beyond measure.