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Events Resources
Art of Success 2009 Session Highlights
Keynote Speaker: Dennis Deaton
Dennis Deaton is co-founder and CEO of Quma Learning Systems, Inc. and chief designer of Quma’s business.
Tuesday October 6, 2009
Dennis Deaton delivered the Art of Success 2009 keynote speech "The Ownership Spirit: The One Grand Key that Changes Everything Else," titled after his most recent book. Deaton, an internationally-known business psychology writer and author of four books, is a motivational speaker who has addressed conferences held by a wide array of organizations such as Boeing, Dupont, and Charles Schwab.
Deaton advised conference attendees to change their lives and unlock the door to success by taking control and understanding fundamental thought processes. As he demonstrated in "The Ownership Spirit", Deaton told the Art of Success conference attendees to face life's challenges by taking ownership of challenges and their response, rather than giving in to a mindset of victimhood.
Deaton shared inspirational stories about people—including members of his own family—who faced life-altering challenges by taking ownership of their thought processes. He described life-and-death medical challenges where most of us would respond as victims, saying "why me?" One young woman, an athlete and aspiring teacher, told Deaton how she faced the consequences of an auto accident that left her a paraplegic. Describing how she came to terms with and overcame her physical challenges, she said: "I finally realized that my life didn't change with the accident; it was just my body that changed." The woman, who subsequently finished her college education, and went on to fulfill her career goals of teaching deaf children, marrying, and have her own child, told Deaton she realized that it was up to her to decide how to live after the accident. She realized that she was the "thinker of her own thoughts."
All of us will face life-changing challenges, according to Deaton. He advises that we take the time now to better understand our thought and decision making processes. We have the power to choose our thoughts and whether we wish to respond as an owner or as a victim, Deaton explained. Learning to respond to challenges as an owner rather than as a victim puts us on a path to success in facing career challenges as well as those bigger life-changing challenges.
