ispell cognizance: Ready For Your Moment? : Darren LaCroix

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Ever competed in anything?? How did you react to winning?? How did you react to not winning?? Last week the Olympics came to a close.? Just a few days ago the World Championship of Public Speaking took place. So many emotions. So many reactions.

If the competition were judged on the best practice run, the results could have changed.? Practice is important, but the contest is judged on performance under the pressure. It all comes down to ?your moment.?? There is so much riding on that one moment.? There are so many truthful stories on the faces of the competitors and their families after the results are in.? Whether it?s a world championship competition, a presentation to your big client or that life-changing conversation with your child, what happens in a moment can change the path of your life and someone else?s.

Twenty years ago, while listening to Brian Tracy?s audio programs, I remember him quoting Abraham Lincoln when talking about his numerous loses while trying to achieve his political goals.

?I will study and prepare myself and someday my chance will come.?

Wow.? It still resonates with me today.

Three important questions for each of your moments:

1) Have you fully prepared for your moment?

Did you ask for advice from people qualified to answer? People who have wisdom based on experience?? Often we seek out advice from people whom we know will give us the answer we want to hear.? When we fully prepare, we ask people who speak from experience and will give us the truth? even if we don?t want to hear it.

I had a pastor contact me with a question.? During our conversation I learned that he never prepared for his sermon.? When questioned, he told me he just allowed the inspiration to flow through him.? I?m not against being spontaneous. However, I honestly believe that he would deliver a more complete and inspirational sermon if energy was put into preparation.? I?m willing to bet if we listened to a recording of one of those sermons there may be some brilliant thoughts, but probably a lot of blah, blah, blah in between.

Sometimes life might not allow us to fully prepare because higher priorities may sometimes prevail, but in my opinion there is no excuse for not preparing.?? I heard famous collegiate football coach, Lou Holtz, say that he?ll excuse any mistake, except the lack of preparation.? David Brooks, 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking tell me, ?Darren let no one out prepare you.? Great advice!

2) What will you do with your moment?

What if you won? What would you do with that?

What if? you lost? What would you do with that??

In the World Championship of Public Speaking many competitors believe that winning equals an instant career.? No. It does not.? You may get invited to give many free speeches, but it comes with no golden ring.? There are many speakers who do not win and earn much more than I do.? There are many winners who do not speak full time. That?s cool. It is a choice. I?m no better than they are. I just chose to do something different with my moment.

I?m far from the best speaker who won.? I am a great marketer however. Therefore more people may know about my win.? I?ve invested a great deal of time on YouTube marketing and over $100,000 in advertising and promotions.? I loved learning that Harry Houdini may not have been the best magician of his time.? He was, however, the best marketer.

If your results were not favorable, remember there is a fine line between being disappointed and being bitter.? In 1998 I was bitter when losing a humorous speech contest to someone with a hefty amount of old jokes.? I boycotted Toastmasters for three years because of it, yet I lacked the confidence to even lodge a protest.? I?m not sure if you were aware or not, but Toastmasters went on without me in 1999.? I grew up and was urged by mentors, ?Darren, it?s not about writing a new speech. It?s about making your speech so good, people will pay to hear it.?

Wow! Talk about a new perspective! I ended up competing in 2001 for the purpose of improving the stories I was already telling in my keynote speech.? The cool part about that was, even though I won every time I gave it, I kept working on it even if I did not get a trophy.? The result was that my keynote improved.

Watching the Olympics this year, I enjoyed being reminded of the story of Dan Jansen who slipped on the ice while speed skating after hearing news of his sister dying.? He came back four years later to compete again and fell again.? Another four years after that he won gold.? Maybe there were lessons he needed to learn from the earlier mistakes that taught him the exact lessons he needed to win.

3) Will you appreciate you moment?

Whatever level you reach there are many people who did not make it that far.? It is normal to be disappointed, but will you appreciate and recognize what you did right to get there?? After the World Championship I often tell the people who did not place that there are 34,991 people (out of the 35,000 who compete) who wish they were you.? They wish they just had a chance for their moment on the big stage.

Joshua, a speech competitor from Canada, told me he had to hear the advice I give losing contestants who believe they were ?robbed? by the judges.? He had heard that I recommend waiting two weeks and watch a video of your contest speech and see if you can?t see what some of the judges saw. If you have the Own the Stage check list Craig Valentine and I created, use that while watching your video.? I loved Joshua?s honesty when he told me recently, he really thought his situation was different and he really was robbed.? He watched his speech two weeks later and he saw the flaws.? That takes a strong person to tell me that.? I think he was the first. I usually never hear from people again after I suggest that.

Coaching people in the speech contest was interesting again this year.? It is amazing the levels of ?coachability.?? Every person is different.? One that stood out was Claudia from Mexico.? She was incredibly coachable. She wanted to hear it all. She loved brutal honesty.? Though she is a great performer, she was challenged opening up and being conversational. When I pointed out that she was not opening up, she grew immeasurably as a speaker during the process.?? My favorite comment of hers was, ?I did not only become a better speaker, but also a better person.?? Wow, I love to hear that. She threw her whole self into the process and was willing to challenge herself.

Sadly, Claudia did not place at the semi-final level, but I was inspired by how much she appreciated just being there.?? She is a poster-woman for appreciation and faith.? I can learn from her example.? We all can.

How about you?? Do you fully prepare for your moments?? What will you do with your moment?? Will you appreciate your moment?

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts?.

Stage time, stage time, stage time,

signature1 Ready For Your Moment?