Reminding me that perfection doesn’t exist

There was a time, when preparing to speak in front of a group, I used to rehearse over and over again so that I could get everything down just perfect. It was a long time ago, and I can’t help laughing at myself when I think of that time.

I was so focused on having everything go exactly as planned that it prevented me from really being “with” the audience. A huge turning point in my speaking career was when I realized that people prefer “realness” to “perfection.”

In fact, many times people will become more endeared to you when you make a little mistake because they will see you as a human being, someone who they can relate to, and as someone who is comfortable enough to be themselves. When you are free from pressure to perform and free from self-consciousness, you create the space for others to be themselves with you, which is a real gift that you can give to others!

It is incredibly difficult to come across as confident if you are terrified of making a mistake, saying the wrong thing, or embarrassing yourself in some way.

I liked a thing in movie Hitch, starring Will Smith and Kevin James. Will Smith’s character, Hitch is a dating coach and Kevin James’ character, Albert is his client. As Hitch prepares Albert to attend a fancy party with the beautiful woman he has a crush on, he tells him to meditate on the image of an iceberg. Hitch tells Albert that he wants him to visualize this image because ninety percent of an iceberg’s mass in beneath the surface. Hitch wants Albert to be confident and grounded with his feet firmly planted on the ground. That’s how grounded and confident you can be if you invest a few second to mentally prepare yourself. If you do, you will carry yourself with confidence and power. Use the image of an iceberg if it works for you, or find another empowering thought or image to focus on.

Find a way to get grounded – Before you begin your day, before you walk into that meeting, or before you stand up to give that presentation, always take a few moments to collect yourself, get present, filter out any random and distracting thoughts and focus on the task at hand.

Bushra
2225 hours
Sunday 20 May 2012