Say yes

You ever wonder how people can get up and speak, sing, or perform in crowds? Yea, I am in awe of people who do this comfortably and often. I have always had public speaking anxiety. I know this is a common issue for many people. Unfortunately, I chose a profession where I cannot escape this semi-dreadful activity.
You know the feelings that arise; sweaty palms, stomach in knots; nausea, cramping, etc. Basically, it’s like have a GI bug with the trigger being, “will you present at xyz”. Approximately, 3 months ago I was asked to present at a conference. I had all these feels despite it being so far away. I wanted to say no, however, instead I said...let me check my schedule. Secretly hoping there would be conflict that would give me an excuse to say no. Welp, my schedule was clear. So, I got on the phone with my mentor, who said “Of course you are doing this, this is a great opportunity”. Here is the thing about people you allow in your life,  always choose people who allow you and push you toward being the best version of yourself.
That word opportunity stuck with me. How many of us miss great opportunities because we allow fear and insecurities to keep us from saying yes? We talk ourselves out of them, we assume there will be another one. What if you were supposed to meet someone that could change your life? If you could predict this beforehand would this change your no to a yes? Maybe that is a question we should ask ourselves when fear creeps in.
I spoke at the conference and it went great. Usually, it goes very well. However, it’s an inner voice that ask; is it worth the physical stress? Well I guess it depends. It depends on how you view the opportunity. What you don’t want, is to miss out on a great opportunity because of fear.

 Many gym trainers say: the exercise you hate the most is the one you need to do the most, because its is the one that will have the greatest results. So, maybe we should use the discomfort we feel when we are offered an opportunity that takes us out of our comfort zone, as the driving force to say yes. Maybe our results will lead to bigger scarier opportunities that will lead into greater success. Maybe, our yes will bring us closer to our life’s purpose.

Today, I am glad I said yes.


Until next time,
Live, Laugh, Love & Say yes