Woo Hoo! After seven years of healing, Rebounding After Relapse and happily hiding while creating, researching and writing my upcoming book, I blew my diet! Now what?, I’m finally stepping outside my comfort zone to and re-emerging this year to embark full speed on “My year of Speaking Boldly & Fearlessly.”
I’m following the lead and advice of the introverted-and-now-brilliant speaker Susan Cain, who embarked on her year of “Speaking Dangerously” before the publication of her amazing book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking.
Inspired by Cain and many others who have the guts to inspire others via live talks, in the last few months — especially since my next book, I blew my diet! Now what? will be released next March (2020) — I’ve become determined to slash my fears of public speaking this year.
Frankly, up until about three weeks ago, my public speaking fears were very real. Last month, I even poked fun of myself in a cartoon created by Isabella Bannerman.
But since I know I can really help millions, I decided to do something BIG to really shake things up so I’ll get ready to speak. That’s when — despite my HUGE, ENORMOUS, HUMONGOUS fears and obstacles — I entered a challenging Speak Off Contest, presented by Advance Your Reach, which was founded by the brilliant Pete Vargas, aka the Stage Whisperer, who, along with his team, have booked over 25,000 stages worldwide.
Now, to join this contest, I needed to do a three-minute video, which was probably more scary to me than doing a speech in front of a live audience. But I decided: Phooey on those fears!
To get ready to do my video, I cancelled EVERYTHING, including a VIP ticket to the amazing Paleo f(x). Then I rehearsed over and over and over again. I must have prepared my three-minute talk hundreds, if not thousands of times. (I simply lost count.) Now I’m waiting with baited breath to find out if I’m a semi-finalist, who would speak at the awesome, upcoming Advance Your Reach Live from May 15 to 19.
As you can see in the photo above, I FINALLY did it! (I’m watching my video above.) NO matter what happens, I’m still a winner, as Pat Quinn, Advance Your Reach’s speaking coach points out. After all, I stretched myself in a HUGE way, broke through my fear and did it!
Do you, too, have a fear of public speaking? If you’re like millions of us, you do! Just see what Jerry Seinfeld has to say. It’s a hoot!
So now you can’t stop me. I’m still practicing my new short talk, and I’m eagerly looking forward to fleshing it out and making it longer and more compelling, thanks to the Advance Your Reach programs.
Stay tuned. I’ll update you soon on my Year of Speaking Boldly & Fearlessly.