Service to Others
Humanitarian and boxing legend Muhammad Ali once said to me, “Service to others is the rent we pay for our space here on Earth.” Ever since that day back in the 90’s, I remind myself of that purpose, each and every day. Just a few short years after that, I combined that purpose with my passion—motivational and inspirational speaking—and my career took off.
I spoke for a non-profit organization, for which I shared my personal experiences of living life with paralysis and medical advances in spinal cord injury research. But then, a calling came to travel the world, make peace with the past, and deepen my purpose to help others. Shortly after my first journey, which took me to 26 countries in one year, I felt an urge to begin speaking to all types of audiences and not only share my story, but more importantly, share with my audiences what I had learned throughout my travels.
With my wife, Pratiksha, we launched my second, and her first worldwide journey, to help other people, mainly those with disabilities. Whether presenting to hotels about making their accommodations accessible, or speaking to people with disabilities about my experiences with living life with paralysis and undergoing over 70 types of complementary/alternative treatments, I developed a deeper sense of purpose and passion—two vital ingredients to a happy and successful personal and professional life. The seeds had been planted for launching my career upon my return to the U.S.
In 2000, I launched my own business, Scott Chesney LLC, which provides motivational and inspirational services, through speaking and life coaching, to those in need. My audiences have included the United Nations, the Pentagon, the FBI, Fortune 500 corporations, associations, colleges and universities, and K-12 schools. While I pride myself on the motivation and inspiration that I deliver in my presentations, I am more driven by creating tangible action steps for my audiences. We all love to be motivated and inspired, that is like the gasoline in an automobile, and so needed to get us going. However, without action steps to create and execute a plan, even a highly motivated and inspired individual will simply stall.
My entrepreneurial spirit, combined with a thirst to help others, led me to become co-founder of the Raise Hope Foundation, Inc. (RHF) in 2011. This non-profit organization trains, mentors, and helps place people with disabilities, including veterans, in rewarding careers. Knowing that unemployment is still very high among this segment of our population, Raise Hope seeks to be one of those grassroots’ efforts to bridge the gap between people with disabilities and employment opportunities. Part of that bridge is the work that I have been creating and delivering to people with and without disabilities for over 15 years…Work/Life Balance Skills Training.
Managing a disability and having a full-time, or even a part-time, job or career is quite a challenge. But with the proper training, you can not only survive in your personal and professional lives, but you have the absolute ABILITY to thrive.
One of the basic, yet profound, elements to my training message is the reminder of what we, as people with disabilities, have already endured, and continue to endure, living daily with a disability. We have countless reminders in our lives that can serve as motivation and inspiration. Combine that with a well-executed plan, and we can create a life beyond our wildest dreams!
Enjoy your journey!
Scott Chesney is a motivation speaker, life coach, and two-time world traveler who has spoken to over 1.5 million people in 38 countries. Paralyzed since the age of 15, the result of a rare congenital arteriovenous malformation, Scott continues to thrive both personally and professionally. In addition to serving as the Presidents of both Scott Chesney LLC and Raise Hope Foundation, Inc., he cherishes the time spent with his wife and two children in New Jersey.
