Got Courage to Be Yourself?

With recent national interest in what I do, it’s given me pause to wonder, Am I ready for this? As I thought more on that question (bad idea), I found myself gravitating to not only the cookie jar but to thoughts like, Do I need to change my speaking style, have less humor, more statistics? Or possibly rework my wardrobe? Or change my idioms, my energy level, or even my hair color? Reason intruded and begged a moment’s time—if it’s been working so far, why overhaul it? But the other Shoulder non-Angel would have to retort—yes, but you need to notch it up to play in the Big Leagues now.
What to do.
I embarked on my next speaking assignment with slight trepidation, but holding faith in what I knew to be genuine. I brought my trusty non-national looking Acer that held my Powerpoint and wore my burgundy speaking dress purchased in my local community, and kept the same hair color and style (because I knew it would last through the day). Even though this crowd was much older and perhaps wouldn’t appreciate my younger style, I decided to let the chips fall where they may.
In short, I chose to have courage to be myself.
And can you believe, they responded incredibly? I was overwhelmed by not only how
enthusiastically they enjoyed my presentation, but how immediately (as in, I hadn’t even gotten out of the conference room) they surrounded my book signing table to purchase, shared their excitement to set goals and boundaries, and showed their rejuvenated mojo on all fronts!
What personal lesson did I learn? That the courage is within is. It waits, it nudges, and sometimes it all out roars. But it is already there. And all we need to do is CHOOSE it.
This week I’ll be sharing more on my Studio 5 segment about this courage, and key ways to summon it. Join me on live Thursday at 11 a.m. on Channel 5 (or thereafter on my website) as we explore how to be our bold, courageous selves in any situation!
Best,
Connie