Growing up, I’ve had many humbling experiences (I’ll have to post more to this blog in the future). One experience still haunts me to this day. Like every cocky 17 year old, I thought of myself as indestructible...especially in the area of public speaking. I was always confident in front of larger crowds, that was until my dad asked me to speak at one of our Saturday night services in Wisconsin.
I was suppose to get up and talk about my experience in 3rd world countries. After reminding my dad that I did not need to practice or prepare what I was going to say, I found myself walking up on stage clueless as to what I had to offer to this topic. I was handed the mic before getting lost in the audience’s blank stares. All I can remember is fumbling over sentences that made no coherent thought and then sheepishly handing the microphone back.
As I walked off the stage, I headed straight for my car to hide like a turtle in its shell. Since then I’ve always gotten nervous before speaking. Don’t get me wrong, I take every opportunity I can get to teach but I’ll never forget the blank stares that seemed to whisper “you don’t need to prepare do you?”
The worst is when you prepare and you still go blank. I've been know to write bullet points on my arm. :0)
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