later gentlemen when you travel back in
memory lane what’s the first thing that
now for some of you you might remember
some
when you were three or four five years
old my first memory I was eight years
old second grade was at the front of the
class and the teacher walks in and he
puts a book in front of me and he asked
me to read and I started reading and he
slapped me across the face
weird you stupid child right stop stop
you’re hopeless it is no use out of you
he took the book he gave it to someone
else and they started reading and at
that moment I realized I have a problem
and the journey to any success starts
with a desire and my desire at the time
was not to be famous not to have money
not to be influential my desire was just
to be normal and I decided to take the
easy road that’s the biggest mistake of
my life
I took my stuff and moved to the back of
the class and I hid there behind this
giant guy and for ten years and then
speak to anybody not even my mom and dad
not even my brothers and sisters because
in my mind if I opened my mouth I’m
gonna be beaten or worse I’m gonna be
laughed at so why the hassle let’s just
stay quiet and because I used to spend
most of my time alone I used to read a
lot and I was the top of the class in
high school the student walks up to me
he said hey Muhammad you’re a very smart
student you always the top of the class
or I cannot talk he said look if you’re
a mute you will be in a very special
school but you’re not so you can’t talk
your problem is you’re afraid of people
and the only way to bait you to beat
your fear is to face the extreme version
of that fear he said you go tomorrow and
you read the morning announcements in
front of the entire school said oh my
god you’re crazy he said if you do that
I promise you that is your cure so the
next morning I stood up in front of the
entire school 400 student and in my mind
because he said it as soon as I speak
everything will be okay I started
speaking and I started and 400 students
started laughing at me hysterically till
this day they still call me the broken
radio and you’re in recess I went to the
same student and I said your advice
sucks you liked me you told me master
Robin spoke it’s gonna go right now I
just made a fool of myself and he said
nobody succeeds from the first time
never gentlemen we always watch results
we try something it doesn’t work and we
think what and maybe it doesn’t happen
to me he said go back and try it again
and just like a crazy person I did it so
in the next morning I spoke I stuttered
and they left and when the next morning
I spoke I started and they still laughed
but I noticed some of the words that I
used to start yesterday I don’t start it
anymore oh my god this is working and
from that day I love the stage and I
taught myself how to be funny I talked
myself comedy because in my mind I
thought well if they’re gonna laugh
anyways
you might have me left with me and I
laugh at me and that’s the second step
here and gentlemen find out what is your
Talent
it could be speaking could be
photography it could be riding on a
motorcycle
find out what you are good at and if you
don’t know what you are good at ask
those around you and once you find that
talent you move to the next stage which
is you turn it into a hobby a hobby
means you do it when you have time that
is not a priority you love doing comedy
but my job is more important so if I’m
free I’ll do it if not it’s just in the
sidelines and a lot of people learn the
gentleman stick to z/2 these three steps
they know they’re really good at
and all of you took it to the next step
making it a habit I went to college to
the United States and every single night
or every single week I used to go from a
comedy club to a comedy club I got bored
so many times but I succeeded so many
times to turn your talents and turn your
passion into a hobby one day if you
don’t do that hobby something is wrong
with you
you feel you’re missing something four
years of college goes on I graduated I
came back I worked for an oil company
and I loved my job and and I thought to
myself this is the time to prove myself
so for five years I stayed away from
performing and I stayed away from the
stage and I noticed that I’m stuttering
now even more it came back to me I need
to fix it my fix is to speak in front of
people we didn’t have comedy clubs in
Saudi Arabia at the time so I looked
around and I found something called the
Toastmasters club now a thirst method is
an organization where you get a chance
to speak in front of people every single
week this is exactly what I need this is
the drug that I need some of that so I
joined the club I know where and I only
joined the club just so I can cure
myself from stuttering but I found out
that there is something called the
speech competition it goes in a sixth
level you start on a club level you when
it goes bigger and bigger and bigger
until maybe you reach to the world
championship of public speaking I
thought let me give that a try
2010 I entered the competition I won the
first level I won the second level third
level I got second place and ladies and
gentlemen I’m a bit of a sore loser and
I didn’t take a well so I was at the
back of the hall with my second-place
[Laughter]
and my clippers at the time came up to
me and he said Muhammad a determined a
fantastic job is da I go to hell he said
what’s wrong said I got second place
said so I can’t put this on my desk and
he said something that I would never
forget he said Muhammad if a piece of
glass it’s what you’re looking for I’ll
take you now and I’ll buy you one
I’ll buy you the biggest trophy in the
market is it a piece of glass that
you’re looking for because you should
always aim for higher than a piece of
glass the gentleman we might aim for a
title we might aim for fame I aim for
money but it shouldn’t be the only thing
that you aim for it should be away yes
it’s a tool that you use it that so
later on it can do something bigger he
told me Muhammad why are you doing this
why stand in front of people and
speaking why are you going through this
all the time I said I don’t know I said
no you should have a target because if
you don’t have a target you will quit
halfway through once you have a target
you will not stop until you get there he
said what is your target I said I don’t
know I said what is your target I said I
want to get the chance to speak to 1,000
people said that is your talking and
then he handed me a piece of paper and
he said Muhammad if that’s your target
one day you will be in the World
Championship stage and he handed me a
piece of paper and he said write your
acceptance speech I said to what except
for when you win the title I said oh my
god he’s so crazy he said write it
because once you believe in it it
becomes a reality 2010 there’s a
gentleman I took that piece of paper and
I scribbled some words in there and I
kept it in my pocket and year after year
I kept competing and I kept losing until
2015
I still lost in 2015 – but the first
place winner called me and he said
Muhammad my dad is sick I cannot make it
to the competition
I’m the second-place winner you want to
take my place two weeks before the
competition I’m not even ready and I
thought to myself oh I’m not gonna go
there and make a fool of myself but then
the same person gave me the same advice
they said Muhammad some chances come
only once in your life if you let that
chance – / way from
fingers it might not come back again
once you get a general once you get such
a chance in your life say yes figure out
a way to do it later but first say yes
it’s a take it we will help you and we
will be with you and I trained so hard
for two weeks I wrote two speeches I’m
ready
I go to Las Vegas they do the draw they
break us into ten groups I compete in my
group and I win and now I’m in the
finals now and gentlemen my aim is just
to inspire people but now when I made it
to the final it started to creep in the
fact that wait maybe I can win this
maybe I can get it and I started to see
the trophy again and I started to think
about the title and the fame again I was
the last speaker the first speaker comes
in and he was phenomenal I looked at and
I drawed my jaws ago
okay maybe second place the second
speaker comes in and he is even better
okay maybe first place and everybody
comes in and everybody is better so I
thought to myself you know what you have
no chance in this just go then have fun
you have a message give it to the people
and leaf that’s what you here for my
turn comes I’m standing at the end of
the stage there’s a lady at the end of
the stage has opened the curtain and I
asked the lady I said how many people in
the audience today and she said three
the minute I stepped on the stage and
the light hit me and I saw everybody at
that moment I realized that my dream is
not true
if I win fine if I don’t I don’t care I
gave it all I got and still think that I
have no shot I go and I have a seat
they start announcing the winners at the
end third place second place the world
champion of public speaking 2015
Muhammad Catania I was playing on my
phone at the time I didn’t even hear him
until the guy behind me punch me in my
back and said dude it’s you and I
learned that stage and I still can’t
believe that this is happening and they
handed me this big trophy and then the
guy tells me would you like to say a few
and I remember the acceptance speech
that I wrote five years ago and I got up
on that podium when I said that same
exact acceptance speech I said there’s a
gentleman for a child who started
throughout its entire childhood and
still started to the state for me to get
this trophy for me to win the best
speaker in the world I’m not saying this
as brag but this is the definition of
impossible this teaches you that
impossible simply does not exist so the
back into your own life and find that
the hope or dream that you had and you
gave up on because somebody told you you
cannot do it somebody told you it’s
impossible and remind yourself if
Mohammad katana can do this then you can
do anything that you put your mind into
the trophy and I walked at the back of
the stage as soon as I walked out CNN
Washington Post’s the New York Times
everybody’s writing there just to have
an interview with me
and later gentlemen Fame hits me too
hard I’m not used to this I’m just a
regular person but now everybody you
want to ask me a question and they kept
asking me the same question mr. Cattani
was next I don’t know
seriously I didn’t know I had no idea
what’s next then they dragged him into
this hole I walked in there’s a table
with my trophy and a stack of papers and
in front of me the three thousand people
that were on the stage each one of them
wants to take a picture with me or have
me sign an autograph and my head blow up
this big and I started to think about
the pain the money the ladies all the
stuff that comes with it and I forgot
the real reason why I’m here
and I forgot that question is what is
and throughout this commotion this lady
comes up to me she’s in her 40s or 50s
with tears in her eyes and she said son
I don’t want a picture I don’t want her
autograph I just want to tell you
something what you said up there will
make me a better person
I will be a better person just because
of something that you said I just wanted
to come here and say thank you and at
that moment the trophy meant nothing and
the title meant nothing and now I know
what’s next learn and gentlemen my hope
and dream in life is maybe in 5 10 or 20
years from now I’ll be home watching TV
and flipping through the channels and
all of a sudden there’s an interview
with a successful person an influential
person someone who is making a
difference in their society hopefully
that person is one of you and then it
asks that person how did you become the
person that you are
what was the starts what was the spark
that made you the person that you are
today and I want to hear that person say
years and years ago I listen to this guy
his name is Mohammed something and he
changed my life ladies and gentlemen all
of us will die one day each one of you
will leave this planet ask yourself this
question did I leave this planet a
better place just because I was in it
because if he didn’t I’m sorry you lived
the worthless life ask yourself this
question when that day comes and the
news comes out that you passed away how
would people respond now they might say
oh thank god or they might say yeah or
they might say oh no
are you gonna get an oh no I hope you do thank you so much
memory lane what’s the first thing that
now for some of you you might remember
some
when you were three or four five years
old my first memory I was eight years
old second grade was at the front of the
class and the teacher walks in and he
puts a book in front of me and he asked
me to read and I started reading and he
slapped me across the face
weird you stupid child right stop stop
you’re hopeless it is no use out of you
he took the book he gave it to someone
else and they started reading and at
that moment I realized I have a problem
and the journey to any success starts
with a desire and my desire at the time
was not to be famous not to have money
not to be influential my desire was just
to be normal and I decided to take the
easy road that’s the biggest mistake of
my life
I took my stuff and moved to the back of
the class and I hid there behind this
giant guy and for ten years and then
speak to anybody not even my mom and dad
not even my brothers and sisters because
in my mind if I opened my mouth I’m
gonna be beaten or worse I’m gonna be
laughed at so why the hassle let’s just
stay quiet and because I used to spend
most of my time alone I used to read a
lot and I was the top of the class in
high school the student walks up to me
he said hey Muhammad you’re a very smart
student you always the top of the class
or I cannot talk he said look if you’re
a mute you will be in a very special
school but you’re not so you can’t talk
your problem is you’re afraid of people
and the only way to bait you to beat
your fear is to face the extreme version
of that fear he said you go tomorrow and
you read the morning announcements in
front of the entire school said oh my
god you’re crazy he said if you do that
I promise you that is your cure so the
next morning I stood up in front of the
entire school 400 student and in my mind
because he said it as soon as I speak
everything will be okay I started
speaking and I started and 400 students
started laughing at me hysterically till
this day they still call me the broken
radio and you’re in recess I went to the
same student and I said your advice
sucks you liked me you told me master
Robin spoke it’s gonna go right now I
just made a fool of myself and he said
nobody succeeds from the first time
never gentlemen we always watch results
we try something it doesn’t work and we
think what and maybe it doesn’t happen
to me he said go back and try it again
and just like a crazy person I did it so
in the next morning I spoke I stuttered
and they left and when the next morning
I spoke I started and they still laughed
but I noticed some of the words that I
used to start yesterday I don’t start it
anymore oh my god this is working and
from that day I love the stage and I
taught myself how to be funny I talked
myself comedy because in my mind I
thought well if they’re gonna laugh
anyways
you might have me left with me and I
laugh at me and that’s the second step
here and gentlemen find out what is your
Talent
it could be speaking could be
photography it could be riding on a
motorcycle
find out what you are good at and if you
don’t know what you are good at ask
those around you and once you find that
talent you move to the next stage which
is you turn it into a hobby a hobby
means you do it when you have time that
is not a priority you love doing comedy
but my job is more important so if I’m
free I’ll do it if not it’s just in the
sidelines and a lot of people learn the
gentleman stick to z/2 these three steps
they know they’re really good at
and all of you took it to the next step
making it a habit I went to college to
the United States and every single night
or every single week I used to go from a
comedy club to a comedy club I got bored
so many times but I succeeded so many
times to turn your talents and turn your
passion into a hobby one day if you
don’t do that hobby something is wrong
with you
you feel you’re missing something four
years of college goes on I graduated I
came back I worked for an oil company
and I loved my job and and I thought to
myself this is the time to prove myself
so for five years I stayed away from
performing and I stayed away from the
stage and I noticed that I’m stuttering
now even more it came back to me I need
to fix it my fix is to speak in front of
people we didn’t have comedy clubs in
Saudi Arabia at the time so I looked
around and I found something called the
Toastmasters club now a thirst method is
an organization where you get a chance
to speak in front of people every single
week this is exactly what I need this is
the drug that I need some of that so I
joined the club I know where and I only
joined the club just so I can cure
myself from stuttering but I found out
that there is something called the
speech competition it goes in a sixth
level you start on a club level you when
it goes bigger and bigger and bigger
until maybe you reach to the world
championship of public speaking I
thought let me give that a try
2010 I entered the competition I won the
first level I won the second level third
level I got second place and ladies and
gentlemen I’m a bit of a sore loser and
I didn’t take a well so I was at the
back of the hall with my second-place
[Laughter]
and my clippers at the time came up to
me and he said Muhammad a determined a
fantastic job is da I go to hell he said
what’s wrong said I got second place
said so I can’t put this on my desk and
he said something that I would never
forget he said Muhammad if a piece of
glass it’s what you’re looking for I’ll
take you now and I’ll buy you one
I’ll buy you the biggest trophy in the
market is it a piece of glass that
you’re looking for because you should
always aim for higher than a piece of
glass the gentleman we might aim for a
title we might aim for fame I aim for
money but it shouldn’t be the only thing
that you aim for it should be away yes
it’s a tool that you use it that so
later on it can do something bigger he
told me Muhammad why are you doing this
why stand in front of people and
speaking why are you going through this
all the time I said I don’t know I said
no you should have a target because if
you don’t have a target you will quit
halfway through once you have a target
you will not stop until you get there he
said what is your target I said I don’t
know I said what is your target I said I
want to get the chance to speak to 1,000
people said that is your talking and
then he handed me a piece of paper and
he said Muhammad if that’s your target
one day you will be in the World
Championship stage and he handed me a
piece of paper and he said write your
acceptance speech I said to what except
for when you win the title I said oh my
god he’s so crazy he said write it
because once you believe in it it
becomes a reality 2010 there’s a
gentleman I took that piece of paper and
I scribbled some words in there and I
kept it in my pocket and year after year
I kept competing and I kept losing until
2015
I still lost in 2015 – but the first
place winner called me and he said
Muhammad my dad is sick I cannot make it
to the competition
I’m the second-place winner you want to
take my place two weeks before the
competition I’m not even ready and I
thought to myself oh I’m not gonna go
there and make a fool of myself but then
the same person gave me the same advice
they said Muhammad some chances come
only once in your life if you let that
chance – / way from
fingers it might not come back again
once you get a general once you get such
a chance in your life say yes figure out
a way to do it later but first say yes
it’s a take it we will help you and we
will be with you and I trained so hard
for two weeks I wrote two speeches I’m
ready
I go to Las Vegas they do the draw they
break us into ten groups I compete in my
group and I win and now I’m in the
finals now and gentlemen my aim is just
to inspire people but now when I made it
to the final it started to creep in the
fact that wait maybe I can win this
maybe I can get it and I started to see
the trophy again and I started to think
about the title and the fame again I was
the last speaker the first speaker comes
in and he was phenomenal I looked at and
I drawed my jaws ago
okay maybe second place the second
speaker comes in and he is even better
okay maybe first place and everybody
comes in and everybody is better so I
thought to myself you know what you have
no chance in this just go then have fun
you have a message give it to the people
and leaf that’s what you here for my
turn comes I’m standing at the end of
the stage there’s a lady at the end of
the stage has opened the curtain and I
asked the lady I said how many people in
the audience today and she said three
the minute I stepped on the stage and
the light hit me and I saw everybody at
that moment I realized that my dream is
not true
if I win fine if I don’t I don’t care I
gave it all I got and still think that I
have no shot I go and I have a seat
they start announcing the winners at the
end third place second place the world
champion of public speaking 2015
Muhammad Catania I was playing on my
phone at the time I didn’t even hear him
until the guy behind me punch me in my
back and said dude it’s you and I
learned that stage and I still can’t
believe that this is happening and they
handed me this big trophy and then the
guy tells me would you like to say a few
and I remember the acceptance speech
that I wrote five years ago and I got up
on that podium when I said that same
exact acceptance speech I said there’s a
gentleman for a child who started
throughout its entire childhood and
still started to the state for me to get
this trophy for me to win the best
speaker in the world I’m not saying this
as brag but this is the definition of
impossible this teaches you that
impossible simply does not exist so the
back into your own life and find that
the hope or dream that you had and you
gave up on because somebody told you you
cannot do it somebody told you it’s
impossible and remind yourself if
Mohammad katana can do this then you can
do anything that you put your mind into
the trophy and I walked at the back of
the stage as soon as I walked out CNN
Washington Post’s the New York Times
everybody’s writing there just to have
an interview with me
and later gentlemen Fame hits me too
hard I’m not used to this I’m just a
regular person but now everybody you
want to ask me a question and they kept
asking me the same question mr. Cattani
was next I don’t know
seriously I didn’t know I had no idea
what’s next then they dragged him into
this hole I walked in there’s a table
with my trophy and a stack of papers and
in front of me the three thousand people
that were on the stage each one of them
wants to take a picture with me or have
me sign an autograph and my head blow up
this big and I started to think about
the pain the money the ladies all the
stuff that comes with it and I forgot
the real reason why I’m here
and I forgot that question is what is
and throughout this commotion this lady
comes up to me she’s in her 40s or 50s
with tears in her eyes and she said son
I don’t want a picture I don’t want her
autograph I just want to tell you
something what you said up there will
make me a better person
I will be a better person just because
of something that you said I just wanted
to come here and say thank you and at
that moment the trophy meant nothing and
the title meant nothing and now I know
what’s next learn and gentlemen my hope
and dream in life is maybe in 5 10 or 20
years from now I’ll be home watching TV
and flipping through the channels and
all of a sudden there’s an interview
with a successful person an influential
person someone who is making a
difference in their society hopefully
that person is one of you and then it
asks that person how did you become the
person that you are
what was the starts what was the spark
that made you the person that you are
today and I want to hear that person say
years and years ago I listen to this guy
his name is Mohammed something and he
changed my life ladies and gentlemen all
of us will die one day each one of you
will leave this planet ask yourself this
question did I leave this planet a
better place just because I was in it
because if he didn’t I’m sorry you lived
the worthless life ask yourself this
question when that day comes and the
news comes out that you passed away how
would people respond now they might say
oh thank god or they might say yeah or
they might say oh no
are you gonna get an oh no I hope you do thank you so much
Please follow and like us: