Unpopular Opinion: I love public speaking.
I’m not some extreme extrovert who loves to hear himself talk, but I love standing in front of a room or talking at a Zoom meeting while presenting a story or new information to people who haven’t heard it before. I know this isn’t the case for most people. The fear of public speaking is one of the most common fears and it is alright to feel that way. That anxiety may come from the fear of being humiliated, the fear of messing up, or the fear of not being good enough.
A lot of people ask me for speaking advice and I always highlight one thing: have confidence in yourself. You can easily tell when someone has confidence in his or her abilities. Without being cocky, a person with confidence controls a room, dominates a task at hand, or brings a team together. This effect doesn’t even need to pertain to public speaking. Confidence can be the game changer you need to succeed in many different areas of life.
Where do you want confidence today?
You may want confidence in your daily tasks at work, an upcoming date with someone attractive, or in your athletic abilities before a game or competition. The confidence you desire probably can’t be summoned with a magic switch, but you can take the steps to improve it. For me, I gain confidence in different ways: positive self-talk and visualization, repetition, remembering previous victories, and a solid playlist of pump-up music. I adjust these depending on the challenge at hand.
You deserve a confidence boost this week. You’ve put in the reps that you need to be prepared. You’ve spent the hours rehearsing a speech or practicing a performance. You’ve put in the hours of training to put your body in peak condition. I want you to find a small way that you can boost your self-confidence today. If you are waiting for permission, I’m giving it to you right now.
- Get dressed up for no reason
- Do your hair nice or groom your facial hair
- Dance to your favorite song in your room before a big meeting or deadline
- Smile at someone you don’t know
- Tell yourself that you are THE _____ (fill in the blank with your name)
How are you going to give yourself a confidence boost this week? You deserve it.
I appreciate you.
-JP
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