In Wilkes-Barre, Ryan Evans gave another great speech to a group of young professionals at the Greater Wyoming Valley forum at the THINK Center.
It was a perfect place to hear Evans speak, because he really makes you think.
On this day, Evans honestly talked about his struggles, and the crowd sat in awe as they heard each detail.
Evans, 31, of Kingston, gave very thought-provoking insights into the real world of 2024.
Evans told the group that life can be very tough and take away many things, but even in the ugly moments, the experience remains beautiful.
Do you understand what I mean?
Evans spoke for about 20 minutes, and the audience was captivated by every word, giving him a strong applause at the end.
He said, “I am defined by how I choose to keep going, not by what happened to me.”
With a self-deprecating approach, Evans mentioned his unconventional appearance and behavior, and how it might raise questions about why he was chosen as the keynote speaker.
He said, “So, with all that said, you might be asking yourself, ‘why is this doofus this year’s keynote speaker?’”
The simple answer is, Evans has a voice that should be heard.
“Take it from a guy who has failed more than he’s succeeded — failure is where the greatest lessons are,” Evans said. “And the larger a stage you can fail upon, the better. Failure is nothing more than a catalyst for improvement.”
And he was just getting started.
“I believe I am here today to motivate all of you,” Evans said. “I’ve simply had my experiences and learned a thing or two along the way. A lot of it was bad and required me to either stagnate and accept my circumstances, or change them.”
That said, Evans shared his story of pain and suffering, of hitting rock bottom, and of redemption and using all the negativity in life for something better.
Evans also expressed his desire to redefine what it means to be a ‘Young Professional’.
“To me, it’s not about wearing a suit and tie anymore and sitting in a boardroom,” he said.
Evans explained that his life has been full of heartache, hard work, and repeatedly getting back up after being knocked down.
“I just wanted to stop feeling pain,” he said. “For a long time, I was a sad, addicted, emotional young person just trying to accept his past and find his place in this life without having to go through more heartache.”
A couple of years ago, Evans, then a student who was also a veteran at Wilkes University and a staff writer at the Times Leader, gave a moving speech about his time in the U.S. Navy and the connection all veterans have.
Evans was talking to a group of Korea War veterans who were being recognized by then-U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey.
“We all have that one thing in common — no matter how many decades may exist between our service — we served,” Evans said. “And it is very humbling to me to be able to share that with all of you, across generations. Thank you for your service.”
Evans said he never planned to serve — he said his decision to join the military happened out of necessity.
“About 10 years ago, when I graduated from Coughlin High School, I was closer to rehab or prison than I was to boot camp,” Evans said. “My father had passed away the year before and I was heading down a dark road of depression and drug use. In a last-ditch effort to make something out of the mess I created for myself, I went to see a recruiter.”
Evans went on to say that enlisting not only saved his life, it gave him the tools to build a life worth living.
“I found my confidence and self-respect in the military,” Evans said. “I found my motivation in the military. I found my self-control. And most importantly, I found the best friends I’ll ever have.”
See what I mean about Evans? He just expresses everything openly and he makes point after point.
He makes you think.
Last week, Evans told those young professionals, “It’s simply a matter of doing the harsh, yet necessary work of self-love. And yeah, that requires honesty, and sometimes we don’t want to be honest with ourselves, but once you are, you’ll learn just how much of any outcome is up to your own control.
“We are not the products of our environments — we are the architects of them.”
I can’t wait to hear Ryan Evans speak again and again.
WILKES-BARRE — Ryan Evans again gave an outstanding speech — this time to a group of “young professionals” at the Greater Wyoming Valley-sponsored forum at the THINK Center.
