Turning My Greatest Fear into a Stepping Stone for Success

5 out of the last 5 talks I’ve delivered resulted in invites to present again to the same groups in 2024 and 2025.

Let alone all the invites back that occurred earlier in 2023.

At one point, public speaking was my greatest fear.

My fear was rooted in rejection.

I was (still am) afraid of being seen and heard as close to my authentic self as possible (I believe this to be an onion with infinite layers) and being rejected.

This fear is not mine alone; it’s incredibly prevalent in public speaking.

Hemingway said,

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

He’s right, and this applies to speaking as well.

I get up on stage and bleed because it’s what I’m meant to do.

The more I lean into my fear, the more invites back I receive.

In fact, the more I follow my fears, the more enjoyable life becomes.

Funny how that works.

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My memoir, “Blank Canvas, How I Reinvented My Life After Prison” is available on Amazon.