I have just come back from the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers Convention in Ottawa. I had the privilege to be on the main stage, as a rising star for 2017, representing the Vancouver Chapter. We each spoke and received panel critique on our performance.
It was a truly exhilarating feeling, but with the contradictory feelings of fear and dread too. I had the chance to speak to nearly 250 professional speakers, some who have been in this trade for 20 years or more!
What was most fascinating was this key learning.
EXPANSION is SO FREEING!
The traditional way to perceive stepping out of our comfort zone is with dread, because our ego is afraid of the unknown. It does not know with certainty what will unfold, and with it, is afraid to trust the process.
My butterflies prior to flying out to Ottawa, were another experience to tell me that something new wanted to be transformed inside me. So, as I teach, I experienced a Dalian Method session, just prior to leaving with Mada Eliza Dalian, the creator of the method.
If I asked you to guess what the fear might have been, you would possibly say, “fear to be judged”, “fear to be criticized”, “fear to be seen”, “fear to make a mistake”, and the list could go on and on! And yes, these are valid fears, many of which I have previously addressed. So this time something new was lurking.
The truth was, as follows :
I WAS AFRAID TO BE ALONE
Let me explain the link. On the stage, I am alone. On the stage, I am alone in my delivery and I am fully responsible for what comes out of my mouth. If no one approves of what I have to say, my mind could go into an even deeper place of aloneness- to be literally standing alone in my words! As a panel was there to offer constructive feedback, this fear to be alone was being felt inside me with even more potency than normal.
Now, the way out of this fear, was to accept that I am always alone, even though I don’t want to be! lol! I simply had to trust my truth, and speak from that place, since from that place the only approval I need is my own – an acknowledgment internally, that I am sharing my experience, without concern over whether it is accepted, validated, applauded etc etc or not. Why would we seek approval for a truth that does not belong to anyone else? Our self feedback is the most important loop to consider.
TRUST YOUR SELF FEEDBACK LOOP
I needed nothing in my aloneness and I got to feel “free” standing in my truth. This of course is a bodily knowing in my physical being, not a mind made conclusion that I am trying to force into my knowledge. The Dalian Method does this automatically for us. We just have to be open to our learning.
So, when I went onto stage, I centred myself in my own knowing and saw it was a privilege to be able to share. I just wanted to experience sharing my truth, and all by itself, the words fell out of my mouth, and mesmerized me, as much as my audience. Nothing had been practiced beforehand, so none of the words came from my mind. They all came from my lived truths.
IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO SHARE YOUR TRUTHS
And the bonus for all of this: a shy girl was set free! I had no desire for anything from anyone. I was just willing to learn, and with it came this expanded bonus- a new world opened up. I can speak to larger audiences and share with even greater joy than before! I am so thrilled to expand the sharing of the multifaceted rewards of working with the Dalian Method.
THE DALIAN METHOD SETS YOU FREE
Thanks for reading ❤️❤️❤️
