So tonight I’m speaking (very briefly) at my kiddos school! Am I nervous? Yes. YES! Why is public speaking such a challenge? I can tell you… Its FEAR…. Fear from all the negative talk that keeps swirling around my head no matter how prepared I am. When the Headmaster e-mailed me requesting that I say a few words at our Preview Night, my first response was to curl up in the fetal position. I informed him that I was indeed NOT the best fit for the task. I’m good a many things but public speaking is not one of them. I am prone to obsessive nervous talk in most public situations. I can make any conversation that involves more than two people awkward. Sometimes I just make things up, like my age, or how long I’ve been married or the ages of my kids. When I talk in public, sometimes its like I can’t hear what I’m saying, or I’m two steps behind of whats coming out of my mouth… And then he told me there would be a microphone involved… I started sweating. But then… I thought about all the amazing opportunities and experiences fear has robbed me of in my life. I told myself, “you can do this Shelly” You lead workshops, you mentor clients, you know what you love about the school and you tell people all the time how great it is. Just embrace this and DO IT. Maybe this will open a door for something awesome. Maybe you’ll meet someone you would never have met before… Maybe this will help you overcome the crippling grip public speaking has on your life. So I said yes, I’ll do it Mr. Headmaster. Then I re-read chapter Five of Marie Forleo’s Everything is Figure Outable. Wish me luck!
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