What Scares Us Most Inspires Us Most

By Author: marc
Total Articles: 3
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What would you dare to dream if you knew with absolute, total certainty that you could not fail?

This is the question I ask audiences all the time during my travels as a conference speaker. People often tell me how uncomfortable that question makes them, but what is really making them uncomfortable?

It's not my question that makes them uncomfortable but rather their answer to my question!

People's greatest dreams are so often the scariest scenarios they can possibly imagine. Let me share a personal example:

During my mid-teens, I had the opportunity to go to a seminar by a motivational conference speaker that inspired me beyond imagination. The experience inspired me to want to emulate this man and become a speaker just like him.

This aspiration of mine was especially scary since I was deathly afraid of speaking in public. For some reason, being in front of an audience made me maddeningly nervous.

I will never forget my first speech in high school during my sophomore year. It was Ms. Gattone's English class and I had to give a presentation on The Grapes of Wrath. I spent many ...
... many hours preparing for the presentation, and actually felt somewhat confident about presenting. Then on the day of the presentation, suddenly my confidence had vanished. When Ms. Gattone called my name to come up to the front of the room, I could hear my heartbeat in my head.

Standing in front of the room, I wiped off my sweaty palms and tried to still my shaky knees. Why had I worn shorts that day?!?

As I looked out at the class I realize that I had completely forgotten my lines. It was devastating and painful. This experience made my dream of becoming a professional speaker both more scary and more exciting at the same time. But, I was determined.

I ultimately joined a public speaking group called Toastmasters, where I consistently worked on and developed my speaking skills. After a few years, I went from frightened to confident in front of an audience and public speaking became a source of great pleasure for me.

Now that I have shared my story with you, it's your turn. What makes you both scared and excited at the same time? What is that one thing, that if you could accomplish it, you would feel unstoppable and ecstatic?

If you have something in your mind, now is the time to take that first step towards getting closer. Will you have doubts along the way? Of course! I had my many doubts along the way to becoming a conference speaker, but that's all part of the process. So go out there and get inspired by doing what scares you most!