As of May 20, 2024 — As I eagerly await my TEDx to come out globally I’ve been reflecting on this incredible experience over the last several months of my life.
Delivering a TEDx speech has hands down been one of the most incredible and profound experiences I’ve had with speaking professionally in my life to date.
Joining the TEDx family has been my distinct honor and privilege. I’m so blown away on the dozens of hours and over 200 times I practiced a 15-minute speech. So much respect for the thousands who have come before me.
I’m frequently asked what it takes to be a speaker with respect to preparation and back-end business processes?
I’ll tell you this… A speech is never done. The best speeches are constantly iterated and then you have to feel the energy of the audience when you’re up on stage. You may have to adjust and improvise your strategy on the spot.
Perhaps most importantly, it’s about understanding that when you get up on stage it is NOT about you… It’s about the audience. What are they going to get out of you speaking? We each have our own secret sauce of how we deliver our messages, but I will say that I have deep appreciation for all the psychologists, scientists, and researchers who have painstakingly done much of the homework for many of us speakers.
As speakers, we have the job of taking information that’s already out there and sharing a message that will not only resonate with our audience, but hopefully lead to actionable change in whatever subject matter we are speaking on.
As you know, I’m a people person. I love people. Even difficult people. I love to marry the concept of psychology and neuroscience understand how the brain works and why people think the way they do.
The highlight of the day for me was meeting so many other phenomenal speakers and building my network out of incredible speakers further.
My purpose in life that KEEPS ME MOVING FORWARD is to help other human beings professionally and personally overcome some of the most challenging situations in their lives – both personally and professionally.
For me it’s about:
“Using my personal story to teach audiences how to Embrace ADVERSITY as their SUPER POWER to KEEP MOVING FORWARD through taking Visible Challenges and turning them into BOUNDLESS Opportunities.”
It took me 40 years to find my purpose, which just goes to show it’s never too late to re-invent yourself and consistently continue to strive for finding what motivates you to wake up in the morning if you have not found it yet.
I was giving a speech a week after my TEDx performance and found myself reciting parts of the speech during that particular keynote.
I’m fairly certain I have my speech ingrained in my genetic code at this point. A TEDx speech is not like any keynote speech I have ever prepared for before. It’s incredible what goes into 15 minutes of speaking with behind-the-scenes prep work. I have a newfound respect for every TEDx speaker on the planet after the last 8 weeks.
We are all in this together to build each other up, advance change, and hopefully motivate the masses!
I woke up this morning with a sense of profound humbleness to have had the opportunity to share my story with the world. I love stories. Life is about the stories, experiences, and memories we create.
I always say this ”LIVE YOUR STORY.” It’s never too late to start.
I know I’m not going to remember how hard I necessarily worked in my life whenever that point comes, but I know I’ll remember the people’s lives who I have affected and those who have inspired mine.
I went out to meditate by the pool the other day to reflect on how far I’ve come since that fateful day on August 21, 2010. In my wildest dreams I could not have imagined I would be where I am today.
That’s the really cool thing about life — if we keep moving forward even if it is moment by moment or inch by inch at times — it’s those hidden opportunities that present themselves (with intentional effort of course) that keeps me motivated to keep going each day.
What do you want your story to be?
