I was driving north on the freeway today during lunch. I had my first speaking engagement for a company and I was excited! As I continued to drive north, I very quickly saw a large section of dark clouds on the left. Then the rain came. And it came harder. Soon my wipers on the car were at full speed and it was still hard to see. While this was happening, I was looking at the printout from Google Maps to help me find the exit to take. I felt like the storm just might consume me.
By this time I had to use the restroom with an urgency well above what I am normally accustomed to. This led me to pull into a 7-11 after exiting the freeway. I pulled in the parking spot and turned off the car. It felt like a stampede was running on top of my car the rain was so fierce. I quickly got out and ran into the 7-11. I was completely drenched in only a couple seconds. Someone up above had fire hoses turned on!
But there was no stopping me. I used the restroom and walked back to the door to leave. I asked the man at the counter of the 7-11 if I should go outside in the torrential down pour. He said, “Yes, we want more entertainment.” I laughed, opened the door (to the 7-11) and bolted for my car. The key to the door took a few turns to get in and as I pried open the door and sat down, I was REALLY drenched. But I drove and found my way to a company where I was a guest speaker. It was exciting!
Giving a talk while drenched
I was too excited to notice I was soaked. I’m sure I was an amusing sight, walking in the company dripping wet. But it didn’t bother me. It actually felt great! No silly storm with pounding rain was going to mess my mojo up!
The company was a home and business furniture/furnishing company. I spoke for about 15 minutes to a group of eight people, one of whom was the owner. The presentation I gave involved creating the right habits in your life. What struck me the most was that these people were eager to listen and learn. They obviously were hungry for knowledge to give them an edge. I can see that now, with one being the owner and several others holding key top positions in the company.
In a nutshell, I talked about my shifts and experiences in my life that were creating a new path for me. I had autism at an early age and for some miraculous reason, I beat it. I had their secretary demonstrate the difference between a soft and firm decision by hitting the table with her flat hand. The first time was very soft – not very firm. The next time I had her smack the table really hard. It got the point across. As I shared my story of P90X, I got the sense that I was making an impact.
The Wrap Up
I finished by sharing how timid and shy I was growing up. That if a kid from Kalamazoo, Michigan, born with autism and constricted through timidity and shyness can get a speaking arrangement to talk to a company, that they should be able to accomplish whatever it is they are trying to do.
This opened my eyes. For so long I’ve tried to talk to people around me about the philosophies of personal growth and higher learning that have so enriched my life. But it usually falls on deaf ears. What a shift to be in front of a group of people who were ready and willing to learn. This is a breakthrough of sorts for me. I almost couldn’t believe it, to be honest. But they listened and ate up what I said and applauded afterward!
The good news is that the woman I spoke with owns a corporate wellness business. That is, she offers packages, which include speaking, to companies to help the employees improve their overall lifestyle, which in turn will add to the bottom line of a company, because healthy and happy employees equals more productivity. She said she will be creating a contract for me Monday and was extremely happy with the job I did. There is a good chance I will be doing more speaking.
A Belief That People Are Out There
Faye, a regular commenter on my website left a comment recently that was further augmented today. It is that there are people out there who will listen. I know there are people who will listen to what I have to say, for I have a grand tale to tell – about a boy who overcame autism, timidness, and shyness to live a dream of writing, inspiring, enriching, and uplifting others to become more than they are.
9 Responses to A Shift In Understanding
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It’s A Pleasure To Meet You
I'm Jeremy N. Johnson. I'm one man looking to make a difference. What can you expect here? A look at my research, results, and journaling as I strive to advance at a public Internet company and work on side businesses in writing, game development, and niche websites. If you have a philosophy of success, let's connect. GFree Updates
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Made props for making it and delivering soaking wet! That’s great you got to speak and help motivate them. How did you get the gig?
Good job impressing the woman to give you a contract to speak some more!!
Financial Samurai´s last [type] ..On A Mission To Refinance America
Hi Sam. It is interesting how I got the speaking gig. I think I will write a post about it, but I’ll give you the short version. Denise (the owner of the company) was speaking at the company I work for. I said, “This is cool, I want to do that too.”
After her presentation, I went and talked to her and asked her about what she does and I started emailing her afterwards too. Six months later she asked if I would do some speaking for her company and we worked out a time and a place and that was the speaking I wrote about here :)
Love it Jeremy. It’s all about your initiative!
Well done.
Financial Samurai´s last [type] ..On A Mission To Refinance America
Congrats Jeremy! This is just the beginning!
Public speaking…not THAT is Something that freaks me out. It’s very strange because I spent many years as a lead singer, fronting a rock band. I was always fine when I was performing but the ‘talking’ part…well, that just sends me spinning!
The last public speaking I did was at my brother’s funeral. I was really nervous but the nature and reason for doing it caused me to do it without question. I think it’s really just a mental block I have. I was pitifully shy in high school and have horrific memories of giving oral reports.
With my book being published in January, I’m anticipated that perhaps I may have to do some kind of speaking and I must say, I am NOT looking forward to it. Even the thought of book signings and such creep me out! I’ve always been really good at facing and overcoming obstacles in my life, but If there’s one area in my life where I’m stuck..this would be it. I think it stems from not enjoying having the spotlight on me and me alone.
I’m always so fascinated by people like yourself who actually relish the idea of getting up in front of a group and speaking like you did!….particularly when you tell us that you too have a history of shyness. No doubt, I think double congrats are in order!!
Did you ever have fears in this area and if so, how did you overcome them?
Faye´s last [type] ..Aug 18- The Ascended Master – Channeling St Germain
Hi Faye – very interesting to hear about your fear of public speaking. I’ve heard that most people fear public speaking more than death. There is something to be said for having many people looking at you waiting for you to say something…
You are publishing a book! That is so cool. I would love to hear when it is ready.
As for your question, I absolutely feared interaction with people for about the first 30 years of my life. Especially in school (high school and before) I would literally sit at my desk and cover my face with my hands to avoid being called on. It was very difficult. I would have panic attacks when I was called on to read in front of the class.
Part of overcoming this was first recognizing that I had the problem in the first place. When I was in high school, I didn’t realize that the nervousness and rapid heart beating, along with dizziness was a panic attack. So I learned the technical details of what was wrong with me.
Once I understood what was wrong with me, it was a matter of choice for me to do two things:
1. Work by myself to learn skills to better myself in communicating and public speaking.
2. Taking opportunities, even if I was fearful, to speak and interact. This includes talking to strangers wherever I am. This was hard, but not too hard. The hardest part is the psychology – the mental block of taking the first step. It’s like getting into a pool of water. The hardest part is jumping in. After that, it’s pretty easy.
I hope this helps you. I just try and take the opportunities when they come and work on myself in the spare time I have by reading books and talking out loud and visualizing myself having a positive impact.
I love this post. I have always been impressed when I hear you speak to a group. You do it with such ease and keep the interest of those you are speaking to. You don’t sound rehearsed or forced at all … completely in your element.
It makes me happy to see you so happy. You’re doing awesome!
Cute Heidi. Not sounding rehearsed does take a good amount of preparation of going over thoughts in my mind. I try and make my presentations mostly story oriented, with details interwoven.
Thanks for your encouragement. Lots of Love!
[...] in the minority. I salute you for your willingness to try. I had a breakthrough when I did my first public speaking assignment and realized there are people who are willing to listen and make an effort. It says a lot about [...]
[...] very excited to share my experience with my last speaking gig. I mentioned last year a shift in my understanding that occurred when I went to go speak in front of an audience for the first time. A few months [...]