102 Exceptional Drive & Ambition with David Thomas | Becoming a better version of yourself

In this conversation, David Thomas shares his inspirational story of overcoming a difficult upbringing and finding success in memory competitions and personal growth. He discusses the drive and ambition that has propelled him to achieve exceptional feats, and the importance of surrounding oneself with ambitious people.

David Thomas emphasizes the need for self-validation and the understanding that external validation is often fleeting. He also explores the competitive nature of life and the satisfaction of achieving the impossible. Overall, the conversation highlights the importance of personal growth and striving to be the best version of oneself.

In this conversation, David shares his insights on various topics, including being a people pleaser, embracing change, respecting others' choices, legacy and impact, teaching and sharing knowledge, the pursuit of comfort, presentation skills for CEOs, advice to his 16-year-old self, and relationship advice. He emphasizes the importance of being there for others and having a wide perspective on life. David also discusses the impact of his work in helping individuals improve their presentation skills and make a greater impact in their professional lives. He concludes by sharing his thoughts on the significance of relationships and personal growth.

Takeaways

• Ambition and drive are innate qualities that cannot be taught or instilled in someone.
• Surrounding oneself with ambitious people can be motivating and inspiring.
• External validation is often fleeting and should not be relied upon for personal fulfilment.
• Personal growth and striving to be the best version of oneself can lead to a high quality of life. Being a people pleaser can be seen as a superhero skill, as it allows you to connect with and help others.
• Embrace change and take advantage of the opportunities that the world has to offer.
• Respect others' choices and be open to understanding different perspectives.
• Focus on the impact you have on others rather than material possessions.
• Teaching and sharing knowledge can have a profound impact on others' lives.
• Seek comfort and quality of life, but remember to share and give back.
• Presentation skills are crucial for leaders and entrepreneurs to make a lasting impact.
• If given the chance, reassure your younger self of your potential and drive.
• Take a breath before jumping into relationships and be mindful of personal growth.
• To learn more about David and his work, visit creatingpresentationrockstars.com.

Chapters

00:00 Teaser and why you should listen

02:27 Introduction and David Thomas' Achievements

03:55 The Perception of Achievements

04:52 David Thomas' Difficult Upbringing

05:50 Becoming a Firefighter

06:50 Discovering Memory Techniques

07:24 Competing in Memory Championships

10:32 The Drive for Personal Growth

11:32 The Rapid Improvement of Memory Skills

12:57 The Best Version of Yourself

13:57 Accepting Responsibility

15:54 The Drive and Ambition

16:52 The Competitive Nature of Life

18:43 The Challenges of the 40s

19:41The Impact of Hormones on Ambition

21:38 The Importance of Stress and Jeopardy

23:02 The Drive to Be Exceptional

24:36 The Best Version of Yourself

26:42 The Satisfaction of Achieving the Impossible

28:49 The Competitive Nature of Life

31:08 The Drive for Personal Growth

32:47 The Importance of Surrounding Yourself with Ambitious People

36:01 The Importance of Self-Care and Self-Validation

38:54 The Lack of External Validation

41:27 The Three Types of People

47:10 Adapting to Different Types of People

47:37 Being a People Pleaser

48:34 Embracing Change

49:17 Respecting Others' Choices

51:54 Legacy and Impact

49:16 Teaching and Sharing Knowledge

51:14 The Pursuit of Comfort

53:39 Presentation Skills for CEOs

55:43 Message to 16-Year-Old Self

01:00:03 Relationship Advice

01:01:09 Where to Find More Information

Find out more about David's work at https://www.creatingpresentationrockstars.com/about

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Transcript

Ricky (00:03.13)

Welcome to the show, David Thomas. How are you? I'm alright mate. Everything's cooking on gas, as we say up north. That's what we like. That's what we like. Now, David, I know we've had like a pre chat just before we press record it, but I'm going to read this out. I've got some amazing achievements. I've done my research on and this is incredible before we get into the actual talk. But if I've got this correct, David, world memory championship medalist, international grandmaster of memory.

Guinness memory record breaker for reciting pie to 22 and a half thousand digits. I think I was back in 1998. World memory holder for memorizing reciting 100 packs of individually shuffled packs of playing cards. US memory record breaker for memorizing 160 digits in five minutes. And US memory champion in 2007. And obviously, quite recently as well, you've also become a competitive bodybuilder as well. That is an incredible.

set of achievements there, David. I'm absolutely amazed into that. That's incredible. Well, now you mentioned it. Yeah, I am. I can't deny. Love it. Well, I'm quite interested, yeah. But it is quite interesting because I think when you do things, when you experience things, or when you have these amazing achievements, I mean, and everybody does, right? Everybody has some amazing achievements. When you do them, you don't always see them as amazing

We always look at other people who do things like, you're a professional magician, you could do magic. And I'd be like, that's bloody brilliant. And you'd be like, no, dude, it's not that difficult. And then I go, all right, okay, maybe it isn't hard. But at the same time, we tend to have that mysticism that goes around things that we don't know or understand. And yet in reality, when we do it, we always pass it off a bit quick as...

is not being great. And yet, you know, I have done some good stuff, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. You've got an inspiring story I'd love to hear. So obviously in the intro that's been a part of the top list about what you actually do, I'd love to dive into your inspirational story because obviously we have a mutual friend in Steve McDonough and as I said to you on the pre-chat, I feel like I know you because obviously Steve shares your story. It's a wonderful story. So would you mind sharing, David, a little bit about obviously what it is you do,

Ricky (02:25.862)

your inspirational story? Well, my background was a bit difficult growing up. I had a very tricky upbringing at the hands of an alcoholic mother and a physically abusive stepfather. My stepfather was 65 when I was six and my mother used to do crazy stuff in the house and things that I wouldn't, you know, it's all out there, but it was, kind of think the worst of the worst and that's what my mother used to do to me when she was drunk. And that just led to a very difficult

kind of 10 year period, 12 year period between the age of four and 16. By which time I went off the rails and I started committing petty crime. I've got police caution, attempted suicide twice. I nearly killed a police officer one night coming out of a shop at three o'clock in the morning in Leeds. I got expelled from school and I got a criminal conviction. So at 16, my life was kind of down the toilet and the only job I could get was working in a factory, pound an hour, packing Christmas gifts into boxes.

but I wasn't gonna go on the rock and roll on the dole as they said it back in the day. And I got myself a job and I did that, then became a firefighter. And really becoming a firefighter was probably the most significant thing that happened because at the age of 20, I was in a mess. I was drinking very heavily. I wasn't alcoholic, but I was spending more on alcohol than I was on food, living on my own in a tiny bed set. And then all of a sudden I applied to become a firefighter. And...

only one in 40 got in back in the day and straight away I'm in the top two and a half percent and all my mates were brickers, sparkers, plasterers, working class manual guys and I'm a firefighter and it's like Dave's a fireman this is great and I got I had respect from other people but I also got a certain level of self-respect and that was utterly transformational and that

that made me get my act together.

Ricky (04:25.59)

Brilliant. Yeah. And then from that, obviously point, you met you saw something on TV that changed your life. I did. I was watching TV and there was a terrible show on with Philip Schofield talking telephone numbers. And the bottom line is, if they could register, sorry, if they would, they would, they would.

You see a memory guy, I can't remember the word. Generate, generates the word, right? So they would generate digits. And if they appear, if live TV shows, they could, and if those numbers appeared in your telephone number, then you could phone up and win 20 grand. And I'm like, well, fine, I need the money, right? So I'm sat there and a guy came on and one of the things he did was memorize a pack of playing cards and then got tested. And this was live. And so he got three minutes to memorize the cards and then they placed them up on the board.

And then he got tested 10 times. And so they say, what's card number three? And he goes, Jack of clubs. And he goes, where's the four of hearts? And he goes, card number 42. And you've done magic. And to me, this was magical. I'm like, how is he doing that? Because that's 104 pieces of information, right? And you know, with a card and a suit, and also the order, and also, you know, both the, you know, where they are and so on. And it all just was too much. But then-

I was in Waterstones in Leeds a few months later, walked in and I said to the guy behind the counter, I said, have you got any books on memory? And they went, yeah, because I thought it might be good for exams because I was failing my exams in the fire service. I went to bought his book and found out I could do it. Is this Dominic O'Brien's book? Yes. Yeah. Great. Yeah. So what's really weird is Dominic was the guy I saw on TV. It was his book that I bought.

And then eight months later, I went to the World Memory Championships and competed against him. And that was a real, you know, just where the hairs come up on the back of your neck moment. Because I'd be, I was, it's very difficult. It sounds all really kind of Hollywood cliche, but trust me, I was sat in a bed set in Halifax, mold on the walls. I couldn't get anywhere else. You know, I was a firefighter. I loved my job. And, but I didn't, I didn't even have a car. I had no money. I was...

Ricky (06:42.73)

And then I'm just watching TV. And then all of a sudden, you know, eight months later, I turn up to Simpson's in the strand, one of the greatest tea rooms in London. I go to this room where they used to hold world chess championship matches a hundred years before. And I go, and I go the day before the competition, just to check it out. I go to the, you know, to the glass door, look through the window and there's, and there's Dominic, the guy I'd seen on the TV.

and he's kind of got his head in his hands and he sat there concentrating, there's nobody else in the whole room. And I walked through the door and I'm like stuttering, you know, and I'm like, oh, you don't know me, my name's David, I saw you on TV. And he was just the most amazing guy and we became great friends and even went in 2014 to Iran to spend two days speaking at a conference together.

Ricky (07:37.599)

How life goes. How life changes. Yeah. Yeah, because obviously big fans of the Tony Buzan and the mind mapping and Dominic O'Brien is the, I think he gives the forward in the mind mapping book. But yeah, so obviously you, eight months later, you've gone from that position. What led you to even to get into this? I know a lot of people ask you why, especially within your pie, the 22 and a half thousand digits thing. But why did you decide to just go into that from obviously where you were?

I bought the book because I wanted to learn how to pass my exams. And then once I realized how easy it was to do the memory stuff, once you had a great process and technique and that really it had nothing to do with intellect, intelligence, education, background, socioeconomic factors, none of that, it literally was just a process. And I was like, I could do it. And then it was like, well, maybe I could do it a bit better. What else is in this book?

And then he said, you can memorize a pack of playing cards. And I'm like, okay, I saw him do that on TV, but that's probably gonna be a bit beyond him. But let me have a go and see if he can do it. And then once I did it with a bit of practice, I could. And of course, I mean, I go to the gym, I am a competitive bodybuilder now. I can only lift what I can lift. And I can't go again in two hours and lift it all again, two hours and lift it all again, lift two, and then lift, I can't keep doing that. You know, there's a limit. And so we are preconditioned to incremental progress. You know, you go and start a job and you know, you get.

5% pay rise or a 10% pay rise or no pay rise. But basically you move forward a step at a time. But when it comes to improving the brain and improving the, doing memory techniques, you can have exponential improvement. So, you know, I can go from being able to remember a list of 10 objects to like 50 to 100 in a matter of a few days. I could go from getting a pack of cars and being able to remember one suit, which is what I did. I thought I'd take out one suit.

just clubs and memorize those 13, see if I can do it, to be able to do two, three, and then a full pack in days. And then you go from one pack. So I went from being able to not memorize anything to eight months later going to the world member championships and being able to memorize 14 packs of cards in an hour. And you just go, it's incredible. And so what, so the question is why? And...

Ricky (10:02.338)

I suppose what I understand now looking back, and this isn't just hindsight, I've always wanted to be the best version of myself, 100%, and I enjoy personal growth. So whilst it was fun being able to tell other people I could do this stuff, it's how I felt about myself that was key. So a mate of mine pointed out the difference. Some people are internally referenced and some people are externally referenced. Most speakers are externally referenced. What they do is they stand up on stage,

because they want people to laugh at their jokes and clap them off and then come up and say they were amazing. And I'm not interested in any of that. I'm just interested in how I grow personally. I wanna be able to do things today that I couldn't do yesterday. I want to learn something new every single day that makes me a better version of myself. And that doesn't make me better than anybody else. It just makes me wired for growth. And every time I've had some success, the day after it's like it never happened. So that's a downside of ambition.

Ambition is a double-edged sword. It drives you on and you achieve great things. And for a guy with my background who had no money, no investors, no shareholders, no family help, no team to work with, no peer group, no mastermind group, no networking, before the internet, no Facebook group, to go out there and then start speaking on major stages, competing in memory competitions, doing all the other stuff I've done, is genuinely extraordinary, but it was driven by

the fact that I just like to do things that are hard and with a bit of jeopardy, I like it where something might fail because that's what makes my bits tingle. And then, you know, be able to come out at the end of it, a better version of myself and go, I could do that. And so the downside is, is that I'm always looking to the next goal. I don't have much of a rear view mirror, which is good because of my childhood. People say you've done well considering your childhood. And...