The Mountain in Me, The Mountain in You- Setting and Achieving Goals
Melissa Hedges
On March 4, students at Dubai Women’s College had the privilege of listening to Jules Lewis, a sought after, inspirational and motivational speaker to women. From the start, she engaged the students through her personal stories, dynamic personality and audience interaction. She challenged the students to be inspired, to do something, “stand strong like a mountain and go and climb one, go to a country you’ve never been to, open your arms to new possibilities and take one step toward your goals.”
The moment Lewis stepped up on the stage, full of energy and exuding positivity, the students were enthralled. She started with a story about how she dreamt of traveling the world from a very young age, ever since her father gave her a small globe. However, it wasn’t until Lewis turned 40 that her dream of traveling became a reality. On her birthday, she reached the summit of a mountain, and from that moment, she realized that it was her calling to push herself to reach new heights, all the while inspiring, coaching and challenging people to join her expeditions.
She described her latest journey to Antarctica, where she took twelve amazing breast cancer survivors, who were all from the United Arab Emirates. These women challenged themselves, stepped out of their comfort zones and faithfully trained together for their adventure to the freezing, snow covered, land of Antarctica. After telling the story of trekking through the ice-capped land of the South Pole, Lewis asked the students if they wanted to go on her next expedition, and from the audience you could hear the majority of students shout, “ME”. You could also sense that the students were feeling more and more inspired.
She challenged the students to push themselves, to set goals and to take one step at a time toward achieving them. “Stand up and close your eyes. Visualize your goals.” Holding up a stuffed penguin named Perky, Lewis described the day when she was in Antarctica, and a baby penguin came running toward her with arms wide open. She thought to herself, what a brave little guy and how we too as humans should not be scared of challenges, but rather just put one foot in front of the other and move forward. With Perky still in her hand, she asked the audience, “Who wants this penguin?” The students all yelled, “I do, I do.” She continued holding the penguin, until one brave Foundations student stood up, walked to her and took the stuffed animal. In that moment, her point was made. The message is that if you want something, you need to do something, stand up and get it.
Overall, the session, “The Mountain in Me, The Mountain in You- Setting and Achieving Goals” with Jules Lewis was a success. The students left feeling empowered and ready to hike a mountain!
