How doing dumb stuff can actually be useful | Alex Wadelton | TEDxMornington
Summary
TLDRIn this inspiring talk, Alex Won shares the transformative power of embracing 'dumb' ideas for good causes. He recounts his journey from a stressed advertising executive to a philanthropist, raising millions through quirky fundraisers like plucking hair for donations and attempting a Guinness World Record. His most impactful project, turning a moment of racial abuse into a bronze statue, teaches that listening to the heart, believing in possibilities, and never giving up can lead to profound social change. Won's story is a testament to the power of creativity and resilience in making a difference.
Takeaways
- 😀 The power of doing something seemingly 'dumb' can lead to positive change and personal growth.
- 🏥 A personal encounter with a young girl with brain cancer inspired the speaker to shift his perspective on life and start a charity fundraiser.
- 💡 The charity fundraiser, where the speaker plucked one hair for every dollar donated, raised thousands of dollars and changed his life's direction.
- 🤔 The speaker believes that laughter and helping others can be a form of self-help and a powerful medicine.
- 🎯 The concept of 'dumb' ideas is redefined as calculated intentions that lead to more laughter, learning, and loving life.
- 🌐 The speaker shares three of his 'dumbest' ideas that had a significant positive impact, emphasizing the power of such ideas.
- 🏆 Attempting to break a Guinness World Record for the longest duration touching tongue to nose raised funds and brought laughter to a friend battling cancer.
- 🕺 The Melbourne Shuffle Marathon, a 'dumb' idea during a lockdown, raised over $50,000 for Melbourne's homeless community.
- 🗽 The idea of turning a powerful photo into a bronze statue, despite numerous challenges, resulted in a monument promoting respect and equality.
- ⛈ The unveiling of the Nikki statue was a moment of unity and celebration, even amidst unfavorable weather conditions.
- 💪 The power of 'dumb' is about listening to your heart, believing in possibilities, and never giving up, accessible to anyone with a determined spirit.
Q & A
What was the initial motivation behind Alex Won's charity fundraiser idea involving plucking hair for donations?
-Alex Won's motivation was inspired by a late-night encounter at the hospital where he saw a young girl with brain cancer. This encounter made him realize his own self-pity was trivial, and he decided to do something to help others by combining a 'dumb' idea with charity.
How much money did Alex Won raise with his 'One Buck, One Pluck' campaign?
-Alex Won raised thousands of dollars through his 'One Buck, One Pluck' campaign.
What was the significance of breaking the world record for the longest duration touching tongue to nose in Alex's life?
-Breaking the world record for the longest duration touching tongue to nose was significant for Alex because it was a way to raise money for Marcel's cancer treatment and to bring laughter and a sense of community during a difficult time.
How long did it take Alex to break the world record for the longest duration touching tongue to nose?
-It took Alex 50 minutes and 52 seconds to break the world record for the longest duration touching tongue to nose.
What was the outcome of the Melbourne Shuffle Marathon that Alex initiated to help the homeless during the lockdown?
-The Melbourne Shuffle Marathon was successful in raising over $50,000 in one day for Melbourne's homeless community.
How long did it take Alex to complete the Melbourne Shuffle Marathon?
-It took Alex over 9 hours and 55,000 steps to complete the Melbourne Shuffle Marathon.
What was the third 'dumb' idea that Alex Won pursued, and what was its purpose?
-The third 'dumb' idea Alex Won pursued was to create a 10-foot tall bronze statue of indigenous footballer Nikki Winmar, turning an iconic photo into a sculpture to commemorate his stand against racial abuse and promote respect and equality.
What was the weather like on the day of the unveiling of the Nikki Winmar statue?
-The weather was initially rainy, with heavy downpours throughout the day, but it stopped raining and the sun came out when Nikki Winmar gave his speech during the unveiling ceremony.
What is the core message Alex Won wants to convey about the 'Power of Dumb'?
-The core message Alex Won wants to convey is that the 'Power of Dumb' is not about being unintelligent; it's about being smart enough to listen to your heart, naive enough to believe anything is possible, and brave enough to never give up.
How did Alex Won's ideas benefit the community and individuals involved?
-Alex Won's ideas benefited the community and individuals by raising significant funds for various causes, such as cancer treatment and homelessness, and by creating a sense of unity and positivity through shared laughter and support.
What is the connection between the 'dumb' ideas and the concept of laughter being the best medicine?
-The connection is that by doing seemingly 'dumb' things with calculated intentions, Alex Won was able to bring laughter and joy to people's lives, which in turn provided emotional support and healing, embodying the idea that laughter is the best medicine.
Outlines
😄 Embracing the Power of Dumb for Good
Alex Won shares his journey of transforming a self-centered perspective into a mission of charity and laughter. After witnessing a young girl's struggle with cancer, he was inspired to start a fundraising campaign where he plucked a hair for every dollar donated, raising thousands of dollars. This 'dumb' idea led him to leave his stressful job and embrace a life of doing 'dumb' things for a good cause. Alex highlights the importance of laughter as medicine and encourages others to step out of their comfort zones to help others, ultimately helping themselves.
🏆 The World Record Attempt for Charity
Alex recounts his attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest duration touching tongue to nose, inspired by a friend diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. His 'dumb' idea was to raise money for her treatment and to make her laugh, showing that even in the face of adversity, humor can be a powerful tool. After 50 minutes and 52 seconds, he succeeded in breaking the record, raising almost $10,000 and bringing smiles to many faces, including that of his friend Marcel, who passed away 18 months later.
💃 Dancing for Homelessness During Lockdown
During the COVID-19 lockdown in Melbourne, Alex had a 'dumb' idea to dance a marathon in his living room to raise funds for the homeless. Despite the initial skepticism from friends, he turned the idea into the 'Melbourne Shuffle Marathon' with the help of volunteers. The event lasted over 9 hours, involved 55,000 steps, and raised over $50,000 in one day. It not only provided financial support but also brought joy and a sense of community to those watching the live stream during a challenging time.
🗿 The Statue of Unity and Pride
Alex's final story revolves around his 'dumb' idea to create a 10-foot-tall bronze statue of indigenous footballer Nikki Winmar, who famously stood against racial abuse. Despite having no experience in sculpture, Alex and his friend Aaron Tyler embarked on a crowdfunding campaign that took years of work. The statue, a symbol of strength and pride, was unveiled on a rainy day that miraculously cleared up for the event, bringing together a crowd of thousands in celebration. The statue stands as a testament to the power of unity, respect, and equality.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Self-pity
💡Charity Fundraiser
💡Laughter
💡World Record
💡Homelessness
💡Australian Rules Football
💡Racial Abuse
💡Statue
💡Crowdfunding
💡Respect
💡Equality
Highlights
Alex won shares his journey from a stressed advertising executive to embracing 'dumb' ideas for charity.
A late-night encounter at the hospital inspired Alex to start a charity fundraiser by plucking hairs for donations.
The 'one buck, one pluck' idea raised thousands of dollars and changed Alex's life perspective.
Alex discovered that helping others through laughter is a powerful form of self-help.
He shares three of his 'dumbest' ideas that led to significant charitable outcomes.
Attempting to break the world record for the longest duration touching tongue to nose to support a friend with cancer.
The world record attempt brought laughter and support to Marcel, a friend battling cancer.
Raising almost $10,000 for Marcel's treatment and creating lasting memories through a 'dumb' act.
The Melbourne Shuffle Marathon was created to raise funds for the homeless during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Dancing for over 9 hours, Alex raised over $50,000 for Melbourne's homeless community.
The power of 'dumb' ideas can bring people together and create positive change during challenging times.
Alex's third idea involved turning a powerful image of racial pride into a bronze statue.
The statue of indigenous footballer Nikki Winmar stands as a symbol of respect and equality.
Despite the challenges, the statue's unveiling brought people together in laughter and unity.
The power of 'dumb' is about listening to your heart, believing in possibilities, and never giving up.
Alex encourages everyone to embrace their 'dumb' ideas as they may lead to the smartest decisions.
The speech concludes with a call to action for embracing the power of 'dumb' to create positive impact.
Transcripts
[Music]
[Applause]
good day I'm Alex won and I'm going to
prove to you why doing dumb stuff could
be the smartest thing you ever
do 10 years ago my son sever an a was a
constant medical ordeal me and Ro were
in and out of hospital all the time and
I felt life was so unfair until a late
night encounter at the hospital changed
my perspective I saw a young girl in a
wheelchair with no hair and a 30 30 cm
scar down the side of her head clearly
she had brain cancer and my self-pity
well it felt trivial and in that moment
I had a thought I had a dumb thought
what if I did a kids cancer charity
fundraiser where for every dollar people
donated I plucked one hair out of my
head I told you it was dumb with this
idea one buck one pluck I raised over
thousands and thousands of
dollars looked like a pretty scary
horror movie character and changed the
course of my life
forever because I
realized that by helping others I help
myself I understood that laughter is the
best medicine and I knew that it was
time to step away from my serious day
job as a stressed out advertising
executive and step into the power of
dumb since then I've done lots and lots
of dumb things dumb things that raised
millions of dollars helped hundreds of
thousands of people and uncovered a way
of life I never thought
possible and to prove to you why doing
dumb stuff is so awesome and how anyone
can do it I'm going to tell you about
three of my dumbest ideas cuz when you
do dumb stuff with calculated intentions
you laugh more you learn more and you
love life more all right first dumb
idea a few years ago I was flicking
through my kids Guinness Book of World
Records and I saw some idiot doing
this it's pretty good right this guy
held the world record for longest
duration touching tongue to nose no
kidding his record was 14
minutes my first thought was 14 minutes
I can smash that and my second thought
was what sort of an idiot would break a
world record like that so I forgot about
it until a few months later when my wife
Sheridan's best friend Marcel was
diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in that
moment I had a thought I had had a dumb
thought what if I became the sort of
idiot that would break the Guinness
world record for longest duration
touching tongue to nose raise some money
for Marcel and her treatment but more
importantly make Marcel feel loved by
making her laugh so I decided to lick
cancer for
Marcel and I started training like a lot
probably too much I was training as I
worked I was training as I played and I
was probably even training in my sleep
my iies to my wife
Sheridan and then it came time for the
big day itself the world record attempt
there were cameras rolling there were
witnesses there were timekeepers it was
all happening but most importantly I saw
Marcilla sitting down shaking her head
and laughing at the sheer idiocy I was
about to undertake on her behalf a few
minutes in though and I was struggling
what they call in the game tongue cramp
and so I did what anyone who was trying
to break a very prestigious and storied
world record like longest duration
touching tongue to nose should do I went
Zen to the power of
dumb soon 10 minutes passed then 20 30
40 and finally after 50 minutes and 52
seconds the world record was
mine thank you
it was great we raised almost $10,000 to
Marcel but that wasn't really the point
cuz I saw Marcel sitting there exhausted
but smiling a smile I've never seen so
wide and then she walked toward towards
me and we hugged and she smiled some
more we laughed and I smiled too and I
looked around the room at all the people
who had come along to witness a very
important world record and they were all
smiling too hopefully you're smiling I
keep smiling about it as well who
doesn't want to smile more right and
when she passed away sadly um 18 months
later I went to the funeral and I saw
her family and we hugged and we smiled
together cuz we knew we've done
something very stupid but we'd also done
something very special that we remember
for the rest of our lives That's The
Power of dumb rest in peace
Marcel now on to my second dumb idea
I was a big rer back in the day I used
to go out and dance this move called the
Melbourne Shuffle named after the place
where I grew up called Melbourne does
anyone know the Melbourne Shuffle here
there you go good on you I'll give you a
Cher chup later on so if you don't know
what the Melbourne Shuffle is it might
be easier if I demonstrate it all right
so imagine there's a techno beit going
and there strobe lights area all
right but when Co hit the music stopped
and so the danc
6 million of us in Melbourne were thrown
into the world's longest Co lockdown and
for a lot of people this was a really
really tough
time we couldn't go out couldn't see our
friends we definitely could not dance
and then I started thinking what about
all those people who don't even have a
home to be locked down in what about all
of the homeless people living in
Melbourne in that moment I had a
thought I had a dumb
thought what if I danced a marathon in
my living room and tried to raise some
money for the people experiencing
homelessness in the middle of Co I told
a bunch of friends my idea and they all
thought it was really really really dumb
so I knew I was on to
something and that's how the Melbourne
Shuffle Marathon was born a whole bunch
of Legends volunteered to help me to DJ
for it set up a live stream a dance
floor and bring it to life it's fair to
say that on the day itself it went off
like a frog in a
sock what started is the Melbourne
Shuffle turned into the Melbourne
struggle then into the Melbourne stumble
and finally into the Melbourne collapse
on the floor from absolute exhaustion so
there I am absolutely exhausted it took
me over 9 hours and 55,000 steps
hundreds of people watch watch the live
stream thousands of people donated and
we were able to raise over
$50,000 in one day for Melbourne's
homeless
Community thank
[Applause]
you but more important than raising the
money was seeing all the smiling faces
throughout the day I saw person after
person smiling on the live stream having
the best time some people watched me for
the entire 9 and A4 hours just sitting
there having a drink looking at me which
was quite disturbing but it was also
beautiful cuz they were having a great
time and they had forgotten about the
lockdown for a few hours now on a side
note if you ever want to lose 7 and2
kilos in one night dance a marathon in
your living room that is not medical
advice say you're doctor for advice
anyway now on to my third final and I
think most powerful example of the
awesome power of Dum I'm a massive
Australian Rules football fan where I'm
from in Melbourne it's like a religion a
religion in 1993 though that was sadly
desecrated when indigenous footballer
Nikki gimar was racially abused in a
match by the
crowd he turned on a best on ground
performance and as he walked off though
he was still being racially
abused so he turned to the crowd pulled
up his jumper pointed at the color of
his skin and yelled out I'm Black and
I'm Proud to be
black this image by Melbourne
photographer Wayne lby is an iconic
image in
Australia and in 2018 I knew the 25th
anniversary was coming up in that moment
I had a thought I had a dumb thought
what if I try to turn that photo into a
10 foot tall bronze
statue why was that a dumb idea three
reasons
I knew no sculptors I had no experience
in getting a sculpture made and I had no
idea what to do so I did what anyone
with a dumb idea with grand ambition
should do I asked a mate to help this
mate Aaron Tyler also had no idea what
to do but we had the shear conviction
that it was the right thing to do so we
started a crowdfunding campaign and we
worked on it for free for weeks and then
for months and then for years
and after years of hard work with the
help of Nikki sculpter Louis lman Tanya
hos at the Australian football league
and a whole range of other people we
were able to turn that dumb idea into
this magnificent
reality it's very beautiful now it looks
like it was a beautiful sunny day that
day but I'm here to tell you it was
anything but it was absolutely raining
cats and dogs all day
it rained on the welcome to Country
ceremony it poured on the people giving
speeches and it absolutely bucketed down
on the thousands of people in attendance
for the unveiling but then it came time
for Nikki to give his speech and as he
stood up it stopped raining for the
first time for the day and as he walked
to the Leon the clouds parted and as he
opened his mouth the sun came down for
the first time for the entire day
it was an amazing scene everywhere I
looked people were clapping cheering and
smiling and there was Nikki himself
literally 10t tall and bulletproof
absolutely
beaming what had been a dark day decades
earlier filled with anger and hatred was
now a beautiful sunny day full of
laughter and love the statue of Nikki
will stand for a thousand years or more
and still Nikki will be standing strong
and proud
teaching a country about the need for
respect and equality and now I stand
before you having learned a lot over the
years from the power of Dumb and it can
be boiled down to this the power of dumb
is not actually about being dumb at all
it's about you being smart enough to
listen to your heart it's about you
being naive enough to believe that
anything is possible and it's about
being brave enough to never ever ever
give up up and the great thing is
absolutely any idiot can do it I am
living proof imagine what you someone a
thousand times smarter than me could
achieve if you lent into the power of
dumb so if you have an idea just tapping
you on the back of the head maybe now
it's time to turn to the power of dumb
it just may be the smartest thing you
ever do thank you
[Applause]
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