I am a changed man. I don’t feel like the swimmer I once was. Swimming was my entire life, I loved swimming more than air, and we all need air, but I don't need swimming. I think that I need to find who I am because I'm not just an athlete, I'm a human being with feelings and emotions who need more experiences in his life. I want to learn how to love something not just because it can give me money or fame but because it gives me wholeness.
    People that look at a guy like me and call me a disgrace but I'm just a person. People like me mess up all the time, but because they're not famous, they don't get punished for it. I think that people should live a day in my shoes and see how all the fortune and parties and instant “friends” can change them. People who constantly tell you how great and talented you are, are not the people you need. People that lie to you no matter how wrong you will make you forget the values that you were raised with.
    I'm talking to you all today to tell you that no one stays the same. We all grow up and change for better or worse. I just hope you all give me that chance. Often celebrities are painted as perfect, and if they aren’t perfect something must be wrong with them. I’m here to tell you that isn’t true. Just like you’ve all done bad things so have I. I'm allowed to mess up and learn from my mistakes. Thank you for listening to my TED Talk. I hope you all learned something new about me today and now know to treat famous people with the same respect as someone who isn’t.