“Be silly. Be grateful. Say no. Journal. Exercise. Be confident. Tell your story.”

These tips were some of the tools that motivational speaker Lamarr Womble shared with Western Nevada College students and staff on Tuesday, Aug. 5, during his presentation.

Womble brought his whole heart and shared some of his deepest fears to WNC’s Carson City campus, advising students to take ownership in their lives with strength, strategies for fear and failure, and the importance of setting personal boundaries.

The nationally recognized CoolSpeak representative was the featured speaker for the College Readiness Education for Students in Transition (CREST) program’s annual high-energy motivational speaking event. It was presented by WNC, specifically Disability and Support Services, and DETR-VR.

Womble embraced the opportunity to help attendees strengthen their minds and belief in themselves. He told them that statistics were stacked again them, though. He said that 3 out of 4 students deal with overwhelming anxiety and 79 percent of Gen Zers feel lonely.

He shared some of his regrets and, more importantly, provided some suggestions and ideas to build character and become legendary leaders.

“The mind is so powerful; it can hold you back if you don’t have the tools to move past things,” he said.

Some of the tools that he advised them to add to their tool chest were setting boundaries by saying no, balancing out their negative thoughts, silliness to calm yourself in anxious moments, loving yourself and telling your own story.

In case the attendees thought they’d spend the two-hour event attached to their chairs, they were sadly mistaken. For an icebreaker, Womble literally put them in touch with everyone present. He made it a contest, seeing how many high-fives they could deliver while moving throughout the room in a brief but spirited period of time.

Some students and staff shared their biggest fears and failures in front of the group. But Womble let them know they weren’t alone. He divulged what he fears most of all: If his daughter stopped talking to him when she became older.

He revealed that one of the best boundaries that he has set in his professional life was blocking and deleting social media. During that stage in his life, he became argumentative. Afterward, he listened more and became empathetic.

“I was letting what others were saying live rent free in my head. Don’t be afraid to put up a boundary,” Womble said.

To assist students in taking ownership in their lives, Womble had them start a manifesto.

“I’m forcing you to become accountable who you say you are and live the life you want to live,” he said. “Tell your story to believe in yourself. No one else is going to tell your story.”

To conclude, Womble challenged students to determine what they want their legacy on this campus to be from August to May. “What difference do you want to make with others?” he said.