0:00:01.144,0:00:03.184
Often when I'm out in public,

0:00:03.208,0:00:04.557
a child will stare at me.

0:00:06.264,0:00:10.807
And if the child is particularly brave,[br]they'll approach me and ask:

0:00:11.784,0:00:12.935
"Are you a pirate?"

0:00:12.959,0:00:16.003
(Laughter)

0:00:16.355,0:00:18.117
To which I then need to respond,

0:00:18.141,0:00:19.618
once again,

0:00:19.642,0:00:20.793
"Yes."

0:00:20.817,0:00:22.991
(Laughter)

0:00:23.499,0:00:24.689
I mean, let's be honest:

0:00:24.713,0:00:28.182
I've got two hooks, prosthetic legs[br]and a penchant for hard liquor.

0:00:28.206,0:00:29.658
(Laughter)

0:00:29.682,0:00:32.746
All I need is an eye-patch and a parrot,[br]and I'm basically there.

0:00:32.770,0:00:33.785
(Laughter)

0:00:35.339,0:00:36.912
But I like being a pirate.

0:00:37.869,0:00:40.797
I find many advantages[br]to having a disability,

0:00:40.821,0:00:44.178
and I'm not just talking about[br]the money I save on gloves ...

0:00:44.538,0:00:47.353
(Laughter)

0:00:47.377,0:00:51.290
or the fantastically legitimate excuse[br]for never having to master chopsticks.

0:00:51.314,0:00:52.942
(Laughter)

0:00:52.966,0:00:55.484
I'm talking about real advantages[br]I feel I've gained,

0:00:55.508,0:00:57.527
having gone through physical adversity.

0:00:58.489,0:01:00.728
When I was 19, I contracted a disease

0:01:00.752,0:01:04.672
that resulted in the loss[br]of both my arms at the elbows,

0:01:04.696,0:01:06.601
both my legs below the knee,

0:01:06.625,0:01:09.950
and left enough scars on my face[br]to elicit jealousy in Freddy Krueger.

0:01:09.974,0:01:11.370
(Laughter)

0:01:11.394,0:01:14.520
Now, I may never be able[br]to communicate in sign language,

0:01:14.544,0:01:17.999
but my increased resilience[br]and general ability to problem-solve

0:01:18.023,0:01:20.548
has been heightened[br]by being forced to think laterally

0:01:20.572,0:01:23.245
to overcome problems[br]that most people aren't faced with.

0:01:27.065,0:01:29.200
One of the first lessons that I learned

0:01:30.248,0:01:32.981
immediately followed[br]the painful and arduous task

0:01:33.005,0:01:34.792
of learning how to walk again,

0:01:34.816,0:01:37.782
but it went on to pay dividends[br]for the rest of my life.

0:01:39.703,0:01:43.038
It happened when I attempted[br]to step up a curb.

0:01:43.062,0:01:45.819
Now as rudimentary as this action[br]sounds to most of you,

0:01:45.843,0:01:47.949
stepping up a curb[br]is somewhat of a challenge

0:01:47.973,0:01:50.207
for those of us without ankle movement.

0:01:50.231,0:01:52.383
So I tried stepping up the curb

0:01:52.407,0:01:55.046
the way I'd always known how, front on,

0:01:55.070,0:01:56.783
for days on end,

0:01:56.807,0:01:58.524
with no success,

0:01:58.548,0:02:00.788
until it became obvious[br]that the time and effort

0:02:00.812,0:02:03.766
I was investing into this endeavor[br]was clearly disproportionate

0:02:03.790,0:02:05.280
to the benefit of its outcome.

0:02:05.304,0:02:09.968
(Laughter)

0:02:10.517,0:02:13.670
So, I decided to inspect the problem[br]from a different angle.

0:02:14.586,0:02:16.594
If I couldn't use an ankle joint

0:02:16.618,0:02:19.873
to achieve the range of motion[br]that I required to mount the curb,

0:02:19.897,0:02:21.708
I would have to use a different joint,

0:02:21.732,0:02:22.882
like my hip.

0:02:23.253,0:02:25.993
So I turned my body[br]perpendicular to the curb

0:02:26.017,0:02:28.132
and placed my foot up sideways,

0:02:28.156,0:02:30.333
and I was able to step up immediately.

0:02:31.439,0:02:32.823
Within five minutes,

0:02:32.847,0:02:35.004
no staircase was safe from my advances.

0:02:35.028,0:02:36.615
(Laughter)

0:02:36.639,0:02:40.203
That very day, I climbed[br]a staircase of three flights,

0:02:40.227,0:02:42.236
which I was quite impressed with as well,

0:02:42.260,0:02:45.379
except I realized that I didn't know[br]how to get back down again.

0:02:45.403,0:02:47.345
(Laughter)

0:02:47.702,0:02:48.889
That was a long weekend.

0:02:48.913,0:02:53.567
(Laughter)

0:02:53.591,0:02:56.530
Now, in my past life[br]as an able-bodied person,

0:02:56.554,0:02:58.082
I'd been a guitarist.

0:02:59.285,0:03:00.595
I was alright as a player,

0:03:00.619,0:03:02.430
but I'd never really taken it further.

0:03:02.454,0:03:05.475
I'd never really started a band[br]or played live all that much.

0:03:06.048,0:03:09.016
Nonetheless, music[br]was a great passion of mine,

0:03:09.040,0:03:10.311
and when I lost my arms,

0:03:10.335,0:03:13.329
the idea that it may no longer[br]be a part of my life

0:03:13.353,0:03:15.555
critically challenged[br]my will to keep living.

0:03:17.462,0:03:19.370
However, the thought that emerged

0:03:19.394,0:03:22.633
immediately after being[br]discharged from hospital was:

0:03:22.673,0:03:26.589
"If Ray Charles can play the piano[br]while blind as a bat,

0:03:26.613,0:03:29.351
let's get to work on a solution[br]for this guitar problem."

0:03:29.964,0:03:32.340
So, consulting with an engineer,

0:03:32.364,0:03:36.026
I designed a slide system[br]that would hook into my left hook,

0:03:36.050,0:03:40.248
and I devised another pick-holder system[br]that would clip into my right hook.

0:03:40.272,0:03:42.070
Now, if this worked,

0:03:42.094,0:03:46.169
I would be able to play the guitar[br]open tuned on my lap, like a slide.

0:03:47.226,0:03:49.901
So after weeks of testing and alterations,

0:03:49.925,0:03:53.422
I finally had the accessories back[br]to play the guitar again,

0:03:53.446,0:03:56.266
and I was right back where I was[br]before losing my hands --

0:03:56.290,0:03:59.394
being issued with noise complaints[br]from my neighbors, obviously.

0:03:59.418,0:04:00.418
(Laughter)

0:04:01.246,0:04:03.305
But this time, I took it further.

0:04:04.150,0:04:05.864
I started a band with my friends.

0:04:06.594,0:04:08.714
We wrote songs and recorded them.

0:04:08.738,0:04:12.014
We even played gigs to real people.

0:04:13.184,0:04:14.350
Not as many as this.

0:04:14.374,0:04:17.128
(Laughter)

0:04:17.152,0:04:19.201
But even though it was a just a tiny step,

0:04:19.225,0:04:23.312
it was a giant leap from what I'd achieved[br]when I was all in one piece.

0:04:26.362,0:04:29.996
Now while relearning every action[br]that one has ever cultivated

0:04:30.020,0:04:32.616
might seem like[br]a significant undertaking --

0:04:33.770,0:04:36.436
and believe me, it very much was,[br]in the short term --

0:04:36.854,0:04:38.966
it was nonetheless[br]having a positive effect

0:04:38.990,0:04:41.846
on the way that I approached[br]everything else in my life.

0:04:42.711,0:04:45.315
Not only did it transform[br]my ability to problem-solve,

0:04:45.339,0:04:47.758
but I also felt I became more pragmatic,

0:04:48.912,0:04:51.222
less sensitive to hindrances,

0:04:51.246,0:04:52.869
in some cases, more patient,

0:04:53.943,0:04:56.720
and magically transformed[br]people's abilities

0:04:56.744,0:04:58.879
to offer me their seats[br]on public transport.

0:04:58.903,0:05:00.798
(Laughter)

0:05:02.192,0:05:04.431
Trivial setbacks began[br]to pale in comparison

0:05:04.455,0:05:06.287
to challenges I'd previously overcome,

0:05:07.492,0:05:11.113
and this allowed me to take a calm[br]and measured approach to these challenges,

0:05:11.137,0:05:12.751
keeping them in perspective

0:05:12.775,0:05:16.187
and often even finding new[br]and improved ways to overcome them.

0:05:17.840,0:05:20.585
The benefit of not dwelling[br]on the negative

0:05:21.503,0:05:23.499
and just getting on with the task at hand

0:05:24.179,0:05:25.618
became self-evident.

0:05:27.819,0:05:30.995
It even encouraged me to pursue[br]some more fulfilling career paths

0:05:31.019,0:05:33.319
that may otherwise have been inadvisable.

0:05:34.632,0:05:37.363
And who would have thought[br]that an appropriate job for me

0:05:37.387,0:05:40.665
might involve the meticulous operation[br]of electronic equipment

0:05:40.689,0:05:43.514
to curate dance music to people[br]in inaccessible places

0:05:43.538,0:05:45.031
under the influence of alcohol.

0:05:45.055,0:05:47.323
(Laughter)

0:05:47.822,0:05:48.972
Not I.

0:05:50.192,0:05:54.026
So in a competitive industry where DJs[br]have been relentlessly honing their craft,

0:05:54.050,0:05:57.064
desperate to attain gigs,[br]sending demos to clubs,

0:05:57.088,0:05:59.850
my best friend and I[br]took a different approach,

0:05:59.874,0:06:02.096
and we started our own club night,

0:06:02.120,0:06:04.105
and we employed ourselves as the DJs.

0:06:04.129,0:06:06.506
(Laughter)

0:06:06.530,0:06:08.247
Suddenly, we had a headline slot.

0:06:08.271,0:06:11.500
(Laughter)

0:06:11.946,0:06:15.271
Now, when we started[br]that club night, I could not DJ.

0:06:16.487,0:06:19.765
The first time I ever got behind the decks[br]was on our opening night,

0:06:19.789,0:06:21.305
in front of hundreds of people.

0:06:21.329,0:06:23.677
I'd only just learned[br]where the play button was.

0:06:23.701,0:06:25.080
(Laughter)

0:06:25.104,0:06:27.652
But, being previously faced[br]with so many ultimatums,

0:06:27.676,0:06:30.682
one's forced to be astute[br]in adapting to new situations.

0:06:32.234,0:06:33.807
That club night went on to become

0:06:33.831,0:06:36.071
the longest-running[br]weekly club night in Sydney,

0:06:36.095,0:06:39.305
and we as DJs went on to play[br]Australia's biggest music festivals.

0:06:40.312,0:06:43.158
So eventually, I either learned quickly,

0:06:43.182,0:06:46.297
or the standards of clubs[br]have gone really downhill.

0:06:46.321,0:06:48.065
(Laughter)

0:06:51.287,0:06:55.414
Coming close to death[br]can be an educational experience.

0:06:56.846,0:07:01.180
It's certainly true that one's priorities[br]receive somewhat of a realignment

0:07:01.204,0:07:03.527
immediately afterwards.

0:07:03.551,0:07:05.885
And it's also true[br]that some of those priorities

0:07:05.909,0:07:07.948
are met with an increased[br]sense of urgency.

0:07:09.000,0:07:12.576
But another, more salient realization[br]that comes to light

0:07:12.600,0:07:16.116
is the triviality of our own[br]self-importance and self-consciousness.

0:07:17.719,0:07:21.005
To truly understand the extent[br]to which your self-consciousness

0:07:22.092,0:07:24.958
prohibits you from engaging[br]in opportunities

0:07:24.982,0:07:27.972
should lead everyone to take risks[br]they otherwise wouldn't.

0:07:29.203,0:07:32.147
We're merely a blip on the time line[br]of the universe, right?

0:07:33.226,0:07:34.425
Act accordingly.

0:07:36.460,0:07:39.309
Now the ideas that I'm presenting today[br]were imbued upon me

0:07:39.333,0:07:42.738
through some otherwise[br]unfortunate circumstances, granted,

0:07:42.762,0:07:46.554
but they're lying dormant in the lives[br]of anyone who's willing to exploit them.

0:07:48.138,0:07:51.526
If we all understand[br]that we all have unique weaknesses,

0:07:52.796,0:07:54.923
and if we're honest about what they are,

0:07:55.753,0:07:58.177
we can learn how to best[br]take advantage of them,

0:07:59.220,0:08:05.672
whether they be mounting a curb[br]or fear of presenting sales reports

0:08:05.696,0:08:09.227
or the inability to sufficiently[br]manage one's finances --

0:08:10.211,0:08:11.394
looking at that guy --

0:08:11.418,0:08:14.220
(Laughter)

0:08:14.244,0:08:17.481
there lies the ability to learn, to adapt,

0:08:17.505,0:08:23.101
and even the ability to rewire[br]one's instinctual response to challenges.

0:08:25.439,0:08:26.766
Adversity is good,

0:08:26.790,0:08:28.971
and it has the potential[br]to make you stronger.

0:08:30.447,0:08:31.915
And, at the very least,

0:08:32.794,0:08:36.151
you can scare the hell out of kids[br]if you look like a pirate.

0:08:36.175,0:08:37.326
Thanks.

0:08:37.350,0:08:41.992
(Applause and cheers)