This:
‘I cancelled because I felt like such a fraud standing up there. All those eyes looking at me. What if I blacked out? Or said the wrong thing? And no way could I deal with the questions afterwards. So I gave the job to someone else.’
This is what a client told me recently and it broke my heart. He was asked to speak at a prestigious tech conference in California, and he backed out.
Why?
Because he didn’t believe in himself, and he didn’t believe in his story.
He was locked into his fear and totally forgot all about his passion and expertise on the subject.
To me, this means that he stole. He stole his ideas, his vision, and his knowledge away from the audience and denied them the opportunity of learning from him and being inspired by him. He put his connection to fear above his connection to his future (enthusiastic!) audience and his passion for his subject.
Such a shame!
In our sessions we talked about where that fear came from. How English was taught at his school, and how he learned English after that. His school English got him through school, but it never taught him the all-important nuances and subtleties he needs today in a high-paced professional environment.
We worked intensely together and focused on his brilliance in his field and discovered new angles to shape and share his story. I saw him grow in confidence month by month.
He started believing that his words had value, and that HE had value.
He realised that it’s ok to sometimes forget a word, or stutter. (These actually show that you are human and serve as great connectors with your audience.) He reconnected with his passion and moved focus away from fear.
Now, he is ready to rock. He will talk to anyone who will listen about his ideas. He is out of the shame spiral and he’s loving life on the outside.
I just wanted to share his success with you to inspire you to connect to your passion today.
What is it?
Have you shared that lately?
XX Buffi
PS: If you want a fast and fun way to expand your English vocabulary, check out my Talk Nerdy To Me cards – they will help you laugh and learn! You can grab your set here.
