"Don't think about. Don't talk about it. Live it!"
Have you ever talked yourself out of doing something because you feared what others would think? You thought about all the bad things that could happen?
It's funny how our mind works. It can point us toward success or towards mediocrity and failure. Quite simply, "Where our mind goes, our body will follow."
Last summer, I was in Nashville, Tennessee at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel for the National Speakers Association 2022 Influence Conference. I was their to receive the coveted Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) Designation. It's the highest earned honor from the Association.
The CSP Induction Ceremony would be held in front of 1,000 of my peers, Professional Speaking Industry Leaders and my family. The ceremony is a special moment not just for me, but for the members of my CSP Class.
During our walk through, I thought it would be cool to take a selfie on stage when I got my medal to capture the moment. Then my mind went into over drive. I started to fear what people would think. I started telling myself all the reasons, why I shouldn't take the picture.
That's the funny thing about or mind. It's designed to keep us from getting hurt, so when you start to fear something, you'll create all the reasons why you shouldn't do something. You self justify to prevent yourself from getting hurt physically or emotionally.
Our culture often teaches us to think of all the things that can go wrong. But fortunately for me, I've connected with people who have helped me reprogram my mindset to think about all the things that can go right. Before the ceremony, I spoke to my wife and a few speaker friends and they encouraged me to go for it. "This is a once in a life time experience, make the most of it." was the consensus.
As my time approached, doubts were still in my mind. The I committed...when the moment came, I pulled out my camera and took the photo. The experience was so well received, my classmates joined me for a second photo.
This week I received an email from a friend with the group photo from the event. The National Speakers Association is using the photo to help promote the CSP Application Process and inspire other speakers to earn their designation.
My moment of fear has transformed into a marketing piece to inspire others to Live their professional dream. No remembers the moment because I thought about. No remembers me talking about. The experience was remembered because I lived it!
Thank you to everyone who encouraged me and challenged me to be different and go for what I want.
What career or professional dream do you aspire to live? Is your mindset extinguishing that dream or igniting the fire needed to cook it up?
