Buzzin
I did my first ever TED talk a few weeks back.
Wow – what an amazing experience that was!
If you don’t know what a TED talk is, where have you been???
Joking part, TED are a non-profit organisation devoted to spreading ideas. Originally from the US, TED events are now happening all over the world…do get to one if you ever have the chance – highly recommended!
Anyway, I digress.
I delivered my first ever TED talk (first of many, I hope) just a few weeks back and the compère for the event was a dear friend of mine, Catherine.
Catherine owns her own business, just like me, but hers supports people like you and I in speaking confidently. Whether it be a business presentation or an event like a TEDx, Catherine helps people to deliver their message with impact, to help engage and inspire others.
We had 8 speakers at our event talking about everything from the health of our local rivers to why pain is really a myth – great talks and fascinating subjects!
We were in the Green Room, having a bite to eat as we waited for our slot and I overheard one of the speakers ask Catherine how she was feeling. She was first on to introduce the event.
Now Catherine does this for a living remember, so comes across as an extremely calm and poised lady…her answer intrigued me.
She said she was “Buzzing!”.
Yep – buzzing!!
The lady who had asked her how she was, questioned her reply and asked Catherine if she wasn’t nervous.
Catherine’s answer made me smile. “I don’t use that word,” she replied, softly.
So why might that be the case?
Why didn’t Catherine just say she was nervous? All the best presenters probably get both nervous and excited before they go on stage, so why not use it?
What connotations does the word ‘nervous’ bring up?
For many, a knot in the stomach, maybe a slightly nauseous feeling, sweaty palms, a racing heart, jumpy…none of which are particularly pleasant.
What about ‘buzzing’? That sounds like you’re full of excitement, anticipation of something fab, lively, stimulated, euphoric even!
Now which of these words is going to make Catherine excited about walking onto that stage and getting our event kicked off in the best possible way? It’s certainly not ‘nervous’ eh? ;-)
We hear what we say….both to ourselves and others.
Never forget that.
“I’m not a morning person.”
“I’m bad at remembering names.”
“I can never stick to a diet.”
“I don’t ‘do’ exercise.”
“I’m always late.”
“I’m terrible with technology!”...I’m guilty of using that one far too much in the past!
When we say these things about ourselves, we’re repeating a story to ourself…often for years, decades even!!
We then accept these stories as facts. Something that can’t be changed. A mould we’re cast into for life.
When we then try to change these things, our actions don’t come easily as we’re trying to do things that aren’t in line with who we’ve told ourselves we are.
There is always a desire within ourselves to behave in a way that’s consistent with our beliefs, so when we tell ourselves we can never stick to a diet and then try to eat healthily, is it any wonder we find it so hard to do?
When Catherine burst onto that stage, she was full of energy, charisma, and excitement for the event. She was buzzing!!! She didn’t look remotely nervous, largely in part because that wasn’t a word in her vocabulary that her brain could hear or connect to.
So please, be more Catherine. Think about the words you use on a daily basis and how they are continually defining you as a person. Are they creating the best possible version of you?
Just imagine what might be possible for you if you told yourself every day that you were an athlete.
What might the future hold if you told yourself that every day that your nourished your body with healthy food.
Start to become aware of how you talk about yourself, both to yourself but also to others.
Is it time you started to hear a different story?
If you’re interested in working with Catherine, you can contact her here:
Catherine Sandland
White Hart Training
07946 604859