what you need to straighten up and you
need to pull up your socks I’m actually
full of my socks
I just never cease these these metaphors
and somehow this the teachers thought we
understood at the time it was way that
this strange soup for the star would
stop was tossed around so much but no
one ever really took the time out to
explain it to us what it really meant it
was some big fancy phrase and it was
meant for somebody much older somebody
much wiser iOS’s the silicate growing up
in the world I do understand that you
know some people
get this phrase this metaphor sooner
than later I really got it late in life
and I love this team so much because I
think it’s very important to know what
your stars are and you have to know that
my stance would be completely different
than yours
what might interest you might not
interest me what might be my big dream
might not even be a big deal to you at
all so it’s very important to know to
know what your stars are and stars are
all relative you know again what you
think is the big it might not be a big
deal for me at all
and I’ve seen shooting for the stars is
the true meaning of living living a full
life wells in San Francisco State
University I wanted to work on Wall
Street
the famous Wall Street I wanted to have
an office at the 40th floor managing a
hedge hedge fund or something fancy like
that but I didn’t know at the time but
bullied now I realized that it was never
really my dream to work on Wall Street
it was everyone else’s dream around me
at the time I was very confused I didn’t
know what my star was at the time I
didn’t know what my star was for for a
very long time
however I figured out very late in life
that working on Wall Street was never my
dream was never my star it was every
and I’ve seen we get stuck we get stuck
at we get confused in and everyone
else’s stars and everyone else’s dreams
that we forget about our I did have I
did have a crazy passion for motorcycles
growing up I was five six years old when
I had motorcycle posters up in my room
and everything was about motorcycles
went on my little cousins or when all my
cousin’s at the time were playing with
Batman Superman Sergey Simon and used to
have motorcycle figures I used to watch
you know going with pills around the
world anywhere if I heard a big bike
zoom by our you know scream and yell and
ask my father to drive faster gaps that
bikers are I want to shake his hand
motorcycles were always a big part of me
and when I went to San Francisco for
school in 2005 that really changed the
way I thought about life for for many
motorcycles not a big deal but for me
was it was being a game changer a life
changer I started riding motorcycles I
bought a bunch of different motorcycles
for different things for offroad for for
racetracks for asphalt tracks and so I
used to race motorcycles that I started
it motorcycles I would break motorcycles
that I was fix motorcycles and I’ve
built this amazing relationship with two
wheels but still at the time I did know
that my life would revolve around
motorcycles or traveling I still didn’t
know what my star was in in San
Francisco State University in California
I never really faced any survey
everyone I met was amazing however I did
feel when I told people that I was from
Pakistan or I was a Muslim I didn’t seem
that I need people who are comfortable
in the beginning but also after they
spend a little time with me after you
know they got to know me
things got a lot better and it felt like
I was educating one person at a time and
and showing them that media is not
always to be trusted and I don’t know
somehow it felt great the four years I
was in school I made a lot of friends
from all over the world very few
Pakistanis in my school so I’ve had
friends from all over the world and a
lot of them came to Pakistan after that
and you know it felt amazing when I was
in school and I felt like I was on this
mission to tell the world that Pakistan
was we Pakistanis are peace-loving just
like everyone else around the world and
and we’re no different than anyone else
we have problems as well but we’re just
like you just like any other country
that’s where this idea to ride my
motorcycle are not the word came up I
want to do educate the world one person
at a time let them meet the Pakistani
and remove some of the stereotypes that
the media loves to toss around and I
wanted to just go around meet people one
at a time and you know it was like a
mission to me it wasn’t just the
motorcycle ride it was like in this
educational scientist I was on and
meeting people and that was that was the
idea this idea
slowly and with became an obsession I
was constantly thinking about
you know this range from San Francisco
in the wall on the motorcycles solo how
amazing it would be everything changed
slowly everything changed
I would eat sleep eat drink where
everything was about was about this
obsession of riding around the
motorcycle I still didn’t know what my
start was I didn’t know what I would be
doing for the rest of my life and I was
kinda uncomfortable with the feeling
because right after graduation almost
all my friends in the US had nice lord
some of them did Woodward Street learnt
them you know my dual line is in the
Silicon Valley so a lot of that went
with these fancy companies Google and
Apple and I was working 70 hours a week
trying to save up money for this this
trip it seemed quite Sydney at the time
but I was so obsessed about it that I
actually was I went blind
I just wanted to ride my motorcycle
across the world to Pakistan I knew I
would have put the extra mile I will
have to think out of the box because to
do something like this we do need a lot
of money and I was pretty broke when I
was in school then take any money from
my parents since I met Dave since I was
17 and I was paying off my university
and you know my motorcycling crazy
the four years old I was pretty broke so
I beat myself 18 months I told myself
I’m going to save up as much money as I
can in 18 months and then I’m gonna and
then I’m gonna head out and hit my head
I’m gonna change the word I knew it
wasn’t going to be easy at all I think I
will have to work more than I ever
wanted and so I picked up three jobs and
in just in just a month I realized that
this wasn’t enough I will have to save
more because the base I’m saving on is
is dead not enough enough to eat and so
I started to sell everything I own at
the time I was there for six years I
thought I had collected a bunch of cars
bunch of motorcycles and other toys my
plates dish and my TV my furniture I
sold everything I want I even sold my
used clothes and a thrift store for $140
this is how badly I wanted to do this I
had never felt this obsessed about
anything before in my life
I never wanted to be an astronaut and I
never wanted to be a superhero it was
just I never had a favorite subject
growing up in school I never wanted to
be anyone this was the first time I felt
this crazy about something and I and I
really wanted to push myself before
starting it so I don’t fail in the
middle I sought after selling everything
still working 70 hours a week between
three jobs after two months I realize
I’m still not saving enough money so I
have to you know do something else come
up with a plan to to save more money and
so I let go of my apartment and moved in
I bumped it up between different friends
houses and different relatives houses I
slept in a garage a few days at friends
days then I would go to another friend’s
place sleep on his on his couch for a
few days I started saving all that rent
money on the bills of an apartment and
still I felt I was I was not at the
right base where I need to save money
and so eventually I had to give up on
food I eat boiled rice and ketchup for
18 months straight and the cool part was
my ketchup was free as well because I
would just go to McDonald’s and take it
from there and the best thing was I
didn’t even have to steal it from there
whenever somebody in the Dongs would
just give me a big bag or you ha here
you go they all do Gong’s there were my
friends cuz I used to steal so much
ketchup from there they won’t you why I
was getting so much ketchup boiled rice
and ketchup for 18 months straight it
was this is how Oh badly I want you to
what I was gonna do for the rest of my
life all I knew was that I want to ride
my motorcycle from San Francisco to the
pole I still didn’t really know what my
star was and it did a lot of people ask
me you know how do you do this without
the job without you know what what do
your parents think about what is the
society thinking and you know to be
honest at the time I thought many times
then I should not do this and I should
just go get a 95 job but something
within me told me to follow my heart and
it was not a nine-to-five job it was
only that motorcycle ride that I wanted
to do from San Francisco to the world in
2011 18 months later after graduation
Delta July 2011 the ride started the
ride was epic it was unreal there were a
bunch of ups and downs I left San
Francisco without the map without GPS my
I didn’t have a phone at the time that
had the GPS no paper maps nothing at all
I want you to get lost in this in this
amazing were me people that let them be
my guide I would get lost about 50 times
every day and I would ask random
strangers of the road it was really
funny once in Vancouver I asked somebody
I was a spy versus parked on the side of
the road and somebody came and asked me
if I needed some help and I told them I
was lost on looking my
trying to figure out figure out this
address I’m on the Google and they’re
like where do you want to go ahead put
them on I try to go to Pakistan and 50
more people above the Pakistan and let
50 more people have written about
Pakistan it was just my way of educating
the world that I thought was so so
brainwashed by the media and this was
just like my little thing and I at the
time I felt if I could do that so many
more Pakistanis can do that they don’t
have to go around the world riding
motorcycles but they can go around the
world doing whatever they do best and
then the negative narrative about
Pakistan would eventually change across
the u.s. and Canada got to Germany was
riding around Germany when I had my
first crush it was snowing it wasn’t
snowing it was hailstorm crazy hailstorm
I slid on the Autobahn I hit the metal
guardrail I was stuck between the metal
guardrail at my bike I was I was
sandwiched between the metal guardrail
and my heavy bike which was actually
quite heavy with all the luggage and
stuff I was off the bike for five days
finally nothing broke but I was lost by
by it for the next five days and then I
started the journey and we – three
months later I trust in Romania at 200
kilometres an hour I went head-on in the
car the impact was about 200 kilometres
an hour I broke my shoulder broke my
three braids in my back my both my
wrists trapped and I brought the signal
this way
it was another machine it was all fun
and games it was difficult but never
once never once during all the box and
downs I thought that I should quit this
and and I should do something else and a
lot of people think I’m the crazy one
but really my father was sitting here he
is the crazy one because after the crash
I
[Applause]
you know I had trashed and the first
thing he asked he didn’t ask if I was
okay the first thing he asked for this
the bike okay I said the bike is
completely gone
and I will probably need a new
motorcycle and he knew I did have he
knew I didn’t have not enough money for
a new motorcycle and so I told him I
would probably need a new motorcycle and
now I’m thinking he’s gonna probably say
beta you know instance enough just fly
back to the board you’ve you’ve had your
fun now you know it’s over but he didn’t
say that either
and he didn’t even ask me if I was okay
or anything he’s I just stay in Romania
find a job save up some money buy a new
motorcycle you’re gonna finish what you
after Nene I trust to Bulgaria reach 30
run acrost about 22 countries 20 was
special because one of the hardest
Stein’s
through my travels was a turkey I trash
turkey the northern side the Arsenal
side the southern side was was blocked
they wouldn’t let me go through the
southern side with if there is no snow
so the northern side Ursuline side is
the highest part of the API to cross
that 60 is minus 23 for six days the
water in my back that I will carry good
phase I would stick the bottle in the in
the engine of my motorcycle to meant it
and then I would take a sip I was on
almonds and I was basically on a dry
food diet those six days you know
chocolates and dry food and water that
was it it was disinterred but never once
again I thought to abandon this trip end
and you know put it like in a truck it
just cross this little part I want you
to live it every second of that part it
was amazing and and that was the time
when I finally figured out what I truly
that was the time when I finally found
what my star was I pulled through all of
this with a smile and it was only
because I was following my star and not
someone elses and you know all
throughout this journey it wasn’t just
me riding around the world it was me
educating the world in my head it was
something a lot bigger then what
actually was going on I was actually
shooting for the stars looking forward
but you can only connect the dots
looking backwards if I had gotten a job
at Wall Street I have no idea where I
would be I would be problem probably
miserable at a nine-to-five job it was
Street on the 40th floor I would
probably be miserable by now I’m sure
there’s some of you who would like to
fight that I’m really happy that it
works for you that’s your star but it is
not mine so it’s it’s very important to
know what your stars are at the time
when I had to make this decision to work
or for Wall Street or work for a
nine-to-five right after graduation just
like everybody else was doing it around
me at the time I decided to step out of
this rat race and really figure out what
I wanted to do I had no clue where that
would be in ten years or five years or
three years or you know next year I had
no idea I didn’t even know if I would be
able to finish the ride but now standing
here in front of you guys when I look
back all the dogs connect perfectly if I
hadn’t if I hadn’t stepped out of that
rat race
if I hadn’t all that rice
if I hadn’t work for 18 months without a
single father day I was working
Saturdays and Sundays as well if I
hadn’t done all of that I wouldn’t be
where I am right now and I have a very
happy place it was during that decision
period it was a very scary place to be
but now I feel that was one of the best
decisions of my life at the time I
couldn’t predict the future but now
looking back everything connects
perfectly so always remember you can
never connect the dots looking forward
you can only connect the dots looking
backwards also it’s very important to
trust something trust your gut your
karma your destiny trust yourself
because once you press trust yourself
and believing in yourself that will give
you the confidence that the dots will
connect somehow connect in the future
when you trust yourself it gives you the
power to believe that the dots will
connect in the future and that will give
you the confidence to think
out-of-the-box to follow your heart and
I can’t stress enough on this it’s been
important there are lot of students here
you need to understand this you need to
put this in your brain even if your
brain doesn’t want it you have to put
this in your brain
force yourself to understand that it’s
very important to find what your stars
are I see a lot of people in the US and
Pakistan it’s the same everywhere a lot
of people give up on their stars too
easily they start choosing their way the
stars of this start using other cool
stars around them but they never find
the star within them so it’s very
important to find what your star star is
what you are truly passionate about and
you just have to do that and I do
understand that with time as you grew up
as immature of your stars change I
realized after my the long sentences
could a reported that my passion was
motorcycles my star was motorcycles and
I’m super excited that I finally found
what I truly loved however 13 that ride
was 2011
two years later I want you to go explore
another country way I didn’t know anyone
where I didn’t know the language where I
didn’t know anyone who had ever been to
a country to do this one country and I
just want to do it slower a country
where I was completely alone didn’t know
anything and that actually happened to
be made now so I got to Vietnam I was
riding my motorcycle up in the jungles
of Vietnam it was it was amazing the
country’s amazing if you ever get a
chance to go there go to Vietnam their
coffee is amazing I was riding my
motorcycle in Vietnam meeting new people
definitely eating different
scaley foods it was Vietnam especially
however one day I was writing I think it
was my third week in Vietnam when I was
in my head meant riding my motorcycle in
my helmet
I don’t ever listen to music learn about
this listen to music I never listen to
music I there’s some sort of music going
on in my brain is like therapeutic for
me to sit on a motorcycle in my helmet
the known for art than ours an artist so
that day I think it was like my I was 15
or 16 amount of the motorcycle I was
just constantly thinking about life and
you know there’s silly stuff that I
usually think about and I told myself
this voice in my brain said moaning what
the hell are you doing there have to be
more to life than just writing
motorcycles you’re riding motorcycles
from the last few million they have to
be something more to life than just
riding motorcycles you would write in
motorcycles from the last few years like
a madman there has to be something more
at that very moment I didn’t want to be
on a motorcycle I told myself I’m never
gonna be on a motorcycle ever legate
this is it so I packed up and went back
to Pakistan that time was really hard
that that was really hard because I was
like I was devastated I was so upset
that Steve Jobs is going to be so mad at
me when I go meet him up the he would be
he would always say no you gotta follow
your passion you gotta follow what you
truly love to do and I was I don’t know
I think I was like 26 27 years old at
the time and I had absolutely no idea
what I truly loved in life and improved
me if I was devastated
however you know the the travel ban was
still at science
after a couple nights I took a
motorcycle and one of my motorcycles up
in the mountains alone and I was just
riding around and all those amazing
feelings came back and I was happy and I
was confused then why were these
feelings with me in Vietnam but now they
are in Carcassonne again like I was
confused but then I realized that
motorcycle was never my passion it was
always it was always Pakistan and the
second system of the war
[Applause]
the sentence is good enough alright was
all was all about Pakistan
so yeah the weight not chip was missing
the Pakistan bit and but but I was
riding motorcycles in Pakistan in all
the photos amazing ceilings came back
and and finally I found out that
Pakistan was my passion that motorcycle
was never my passion what lasting all
this remember to never settle for less
there’s more to life than money
make sure you find what you’re from star is thank you so much