Stop The Excuses And Start Speaking

July 30, 2015

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Sometimes, when we’re watching a confident and polished speaker we start thinking to ourselves “Wow, I’d like to do that but…”

Then we start thinking of excuses about why we can’t.

Here are some of the ones I’ve heard lately:

  • I’m not smart enough,
  • I’m not good looking enough
  • I fumble over my words
  • I have a poor memory
  • I wouldn’t have the energy
  • I don’t have the right clothes
  • What would I say?

If you’ve ever used these excuses I want you to know you’re not alone.

I also want you to know that none of these things will hold you back if you’re willing to learn how to construct a great talk and find a good teacher.

Many of you reading this have heard me speak. You may know I’m good at capturing an audience, but here’s some things you don’t know about me:

I had a lot of obstacles to overcome to be a professional speaker.

I had a severe speech impediment. It took me years of speech therapy to talk like I do now. And I still stutter. I’m not nearly as bad as I used to be – and the fact is that most people don’t even notice it, even though I do.

I’m also an introvert. I don’t naturally have the urge to hang out in large groups of people.

At times in my life, my introversion has been severe. If I look back 15 years ago when I was sick, broke and unemployable, I did everything I could to avoid talking to people. In fact, I’d look out the peephole of my apartment before I opened the door to get the paper just to make sure there was no one in the hallway that might try to say hi to me.

So if you’re an introvert, I understand that. But it shouldn’t hold you back.

My third obstacle is my health. I have two chronic illnesses. I have had them since I was a kid.

Both my Crohn’s disease and my arthritis can really sap my energy and there are many times when I have taken the stage when I was in pain and exhausted from nights without sleep.

But here’s the thing, I practice my talks so well that I can get on stage, speak well and use that energy from the audience – and actually feel great when I’m done.

So as you can see, it doesn’t matter if you have obstacles – you just need some determination and commitment to learn what you need to learn so that you can really shine on stage and make the money you deserve.

If you’re ready to ditch the excuses, whatever they are, and want to attract more clients more quickly through speaking then click here to set up a free 20 minute session with me.