That’s what Maynard had two gymnasiums full of local high school students doing on Monday — listening. Maynard spoke at an assembly at Northeastern High School in the morning and Kenton Ridge High School in the afternoon.
His message of determination, accepting no limits and questioning stereotypes commanded the fleeting attention of his teen-aged audiences.
“I had to decide whether to believe in myself or believe in the lies people are going to tell you,” Maynard told the students at Northeastern. “The only thing that matters is your attitude, your perspective; of whether or not you believe you deserve something.”
Maynard, whose book “No Excuses” became a New York Times Best Seller, believed he deserved to be an athlete. He played football from sixth to eighth grade and wrestled from his youth throughout high school, winning 36 matches as a senior. He also wrestled on the club team at the University of Georgia.
His latest dream, to become an MMA fighter, was realized in 2009 and is the subject of an ESPN motivational film called “A Fighting Chance.”
“When we fail at something the first time, we think, ‘This is so hard, I’m never going to be able to do it.’ Then we make an excuse,” said Maynard, 24. “There’s a certain price you pay when you accept excuses. You don’t have to buy into that doubt.
“Everything changed when I decided to believe in myself,” he continued. “The hardest part is accepting the challenge.
“We learn more from our defeats and challenges. It’s all about what we do with what we’ve been given.”
Northeastern English teacher Sally Haemmerle has been assigning her students to read “No Excuses” for four years and originally came up with the idea of bringing Maynard to Springfield.
“I thought, ‘There’s no reason our kids couldn’t hear Kyle speak,’ ” she said. “We had a white-out of t-shirts we sold, did fund-raisers and got donations from the community, the staff and the students. Everyone just came together to make this happen.
“He has a message of hope. His attitude is so contagious. I wanted our students to experience that. Now his book is alive for them.”
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