This is me public speaking.
I used to be the WORST public speaker. I would get so nervous and rely on my PowerPoint too much and had zero confidence.
I even once dropped all of my cue cards on the floor and had a really hard time going on because I lost my train of thought and my mojo.
(That was the very last time I ever used cue cards!)
But now I get paid to speak and do trainings for top law firms. And before the pandemic I was traveling around the country to do speaking engagements.
How did I do it?
I practiced. I listened to feedback. I put myself in my audience’s shoes. I stopped relying on my slides and instead used them only as visuals and mental cues.
And most of all, I added personal elements into my presentations, telling stories from my own experiences and injecting humor where I could. I celebrated small successes. Whenever I got positive feedback after presenting, I held onto it.
I believed in myself and I didn’t give up.
But most of all I was myself. I love what I do and it comes through when I speak.
My love for connecting and teaching others was stronger than my fear.
Sometimes the strongest and harshest critic is the one inside of you. Sometimes what’s holding you back is due to the fact that someone made you feel like you couldn’t do something and you believed them. Often it’s fear based. And sometimes it’s because you failed and you’re nervous about trying again.
But whatever is holding you back know that you can succeed and overcome whatever is standing in your way – you just need to believe it. Bad times and negative thoughts don’t last forever. And it’s just statistically impossible to fail all the time!
The next time you hear that harsh inner critic that tells you that you can’t do something or that you aren’t good enough – silence it. Keep going. Believe in yourself. Talk to yourself like you would talk to your best friend instead of beating yourself up.
Join me in banishing those self-limiting beliefs and repeat YES. I. CAN. And do it until you really believe it 💪🏼💪🏼