First lady Michelle Obama has had the pleasure of attending many spectacular events, but I would venture to guess that opening the 14th Special Olympics World Games at the end of July had to rank with the most inspirational.

It wasn't because of the musical performances, fireworks, or even the flaming torch that was carried from Greece. It was all about the athletes.

Almost 50 years after Eunice Kennedy Shriver decided to take her backyard competitions to an international level, the games were the largest gathering of athletes in Los Angeles since the 1984 Summer Olympics.

The first Special Olympics were held in 1968 in Chicago, with about 1,000 athletes and about 100 people in the stands. For the Los Angeles event, nearly 7,000 athletes representing 177 countries participated in tennis, soccer, swimming, equestrian events, weight-lifting and even a triathlon, to name a few. Competition is open to athletes 8 years and older who have intellectual disabilities that result in limitations in cognitive functions or other skills. To qualify for the world games, athletes must compete in sanctioned regional competitions.

Los Angeles World Games president and CEO Pat McClenahan, himself an Emmy-award-winning sports producer, understands how the power of television could bring the group's message and mission to a world audience. He found a willing partner in ESPN. "This was an unprecedented TV deal that was all about finding a broadcast partner who understood the goal -- get the stories of these athletes in front of as many eyeballs as possible," he said at a press event. "And once people see the courage and determination and joy, they're all inspired."

I hope you had the opportunity to watch the nightly highlight reels. They showed sports in their purest form.

Kate Jackson, the head of production for daily shows at ESPN, hired Dustin Plunkett, a four-time Special Olympics World Games athlete, as a reporter for the games. His job description was later upgraded to analyst.

Plunkett is an ambassador for the Games and on the World Games 2015 board of directors. His personal story is an inspiration in itself. Born with an intellectual disability and a cleft palate that affected his speech, he came from an unstable home life. He competed in a number of sports and won awards. And while many athletes will say sports made a big difference their lives, Dustin can say that the Special Olympics literally saved his life.

Ten years ago he was able to take part in the Healthy Athletes program, which offers a seven-point checkup. A volunteer dentist discovered that he had gum cancer and helped treat the disease.

Many of the inspirational stories will not even be related to sports. Kimberly Jasmine Guillen, who goes by "Kimpossible," is a 16-year-old who has won 69 medals competing in bowling and track and field. "I thought I was joining a team, but instead I realized that I joined a family," she said at the same press event. "Every athlete is like a brother or sister to me. Ever since I joined Special Olympics, I never want to give up on anything."

McClenahan hopes this message will resonate: "When people come in contact with our athletes or see our athletes perform, their perceptions change drastically. The greatest thing we can do for those with intellectual disabilities is to change the hearts and minds of people without intellectual disabilities so that kids befriend them in school, employers realize their great value and hire them for jobs -- those real life-changing things."

Local Special Olympics organizations are always looking for help. If you are looking for a volunteer opportunity that is both inspiring and rewarding, I highly recommend it.

Mackay's Moral: I can't improve on the Special Olympics oath, "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

I am, first and foremost, and will always be, an envelope salesman. My business card says so. But more people probably know me as an author and speaker -- which evolved from my sales career. Who would have thought?

Regardless of the title on your business card, everyone is a salesperson whether you want to admit it or not. Why? Because from the time you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night, you are continually communicating, negotiating, persuading, influencing and selling ideas.

When you can get up on your feet and talk extemporaneously on a lot of subjects, it instills confidence, develops poise and breeds conviction. You become more convincing in your meetings and your encounters. And you become a better leader, manager and salesperson.

I never pass up an opportunity to promote Toastmasters International, which started in 1924 and today has more than 300,000 members in 126 countries and nearly 15,000 clubs. Toastmasters changed my life.

Another organization that can dramatically change your life is Dale Carnegie Training.

I am also a proud graduate of Dale Carnegie.

The three most important keys on giving a good speech are: 1) Room size. 2) Room size. 3) Room size. You want the excitement and chemistry of a standing-room-only, bumper-to-bumper crowd. Extra space is a killer. Also try to avoid rooms with high ceilings.

Have the first row set very close to the stage. Too much space between the speaker and the first row can destroy the connection with the audience.

Studies show people remember more and laugh more in bright areas. Turn the lights up full blast, unless you are showing overheads.

Practice, practice, practice. Know your stuff. Don't ever give another speech without it being entertaining as well as educational.

Never, never, never end your program with a question- and-answer session. You cannot control the agenda or the quality of the questions. Start the Q & A five minutes before the end of your talk, and then end with an awesome story.

Find out who the group's last three to five speakers were and how they were received. Ask why they were successful or why they failed.

Contact the Chamber of Commerce of any city you are to speak in. They will give you loads of information to familiarize you with the local surroundings and help you personalize your remarks.

Never mispronounce a person's name. If you're not sure, check with the sponsor. Then double-check.

Stick to your allotted time and don't go over it.

If you don't have a smashing "opener" and "closer," go back to the drawing board. Don't step up to the microphone until you do.

And finally, number 35 on the list: Debrief yourself within 24 hours of a speech, and take 10 minutes to write down what you could do better next time. Try something new every time you speak and you'll never become stale.

Above all, you must know your audience. Here's a slightly risque story that illustrates my point: Harold calls Al and tells him, "I have a problem. My guest speaker for the Rotary meeting just canceled. Might you be able to fill in?" Al says he will be happy to.

Harold says, "What might you talk about?"

Al says, "Oh I don't know ... I'll probably talk about sex."

The next day Al gives his speech and gets a standing ovation. Al goes home and tells his wife that the speech went well.

His wife asks, "What did you talk about?"

Now Al knows his wife doesn't think he knows anything about sex, so Al says, "skiing."

"Oh," she says, "I see, skiing."

The next day Al's wife is at the supermarket and runs into Harold's wife. And Harold's wife says, "I heard your husband gave a great speech at Rotary. He must be terrific."

And Al's wife says, "I don't understand. He has only done it once and his hat blew off."

Mackay's Moral: A public speaker should stand up to be seen, speak up to be heard and shut up to be appreciated.

(Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive." He can be reached through his website, www.harveymackay.com, by emailing harvey@mackay.com or by writing him at MackayMitchell Envelope Co., 2100 Elm St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414.)

Two men met on an airplane and began to talk. They asked each other the usual questions, and as it happened, one of the men was married and the other man was not. After a while the married man asked, "Why is it that you never married?"

The single man looked pensive then said, "Well, I think I just never met the right woman."

"Oh, come on," the married man replied. "Surely you've met at least one girl during your lifetime that you wanted to marry."

The single man once again thought about the man's statement. "Well, yes, that's true," he said. "There was one girl once. The perfect girl."

"Well, why on Earth didn't you marry her?" the married man asked.

"She was looking for the perfect man," the other replied.

Perfect is the ultimate praise. But trying to attain perfection can cause stress, hinder efficiency and create unnecessary conflicts. Perfectionists are frequently thought of as critical, overwhelmed, unable to see the big picture, stressed-out, anxious and rarely able to enjoy their accomplishments.

Perfect is also the ultimate impossibility. Most of us are content to settle for almost perfect, or pretty darn close. So it makes sense to focus instead on a goal of excellence: meeting the highest standards agreed upon for oneself or by the group.

As the legendary football coach Vince Lombardi said, "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence."

Excellence means continued personal and professional growth, job satisfaction and customer service, clear and reasonable expectations and a strong sense of accomplishment.

To truly keep on the path toward the pursuit of excellence, give these points some consideration:

-- Get real. When you find yourself becoming frantic about a goal, stop and ask, "Is this problem really worth the level of frustration I'm experiencing?" The likelihood that a result can never be good enough is counterproductive to progress.

-- Establish clear expectations. If you know what's expected of you, you can better track your progress and draw boundaries when needed. This will help you move forward with a project instead of obsessing on details that may not ultimately make a difference.

-- Identify your triggers. Learn to recognize the factors that lead or contribute to your perfectionist thinking and behaviors, and avoid them. If you can't figure them out by yourself, ask your colleagues. They will likely be able to tell you what you need to know.

-- Delegate. Many perfectionists mistakenly believe that they, and only they, can complete the task at hand. Allow other people to assist you, which will increase the odds that the group will more easily reach excellence.

-- Know what's important. Ask yourself: "What's most important about this project?" Seek input from supervisors, colleagues and employees. Setting your objectives and then identifying key points allows everyone to contribute to the success of the project.

-- Focus on what you can do, not on what you can't. Do the best job possible within the limits of your resources. Rather than wasting time, energy and money obsessing about how good it could be if you had more to work with, concentrate your efforts on how to get the best result within your limitations.

Longtime readers of this column will suspect I am contradicting one of my favorite aphorisms: "Practice makes perfect -- not true. Perfect practice makes perfect." I still adhere to that philosophy. If you are practicing to improve performance, whether for a presentation or golf swing, you want to improve your performance, not repeatedly practice mistakes.

Management guru Stephen Covey put it this way: "Real excellence does not come cheaply. A certain price must be paid in terms of practice, patience and persistence -- natural ability notwithstanding."

In other words, you have to be willing to pay the price, because excellence in any field is not automatic.

I know people who have bowled perfect games. I have witnessed pitchers throwing perfect games. Not to brag, but I recently got my first hole-in-one. Those are rarities, believe me. And that's why we keep practicing, as perfectly as we can.

Mackay's Moral: Even if you can't achieve perfection, you should never stop trying.