I love this home stretch time of the year because it gets me excited for the new year and new beginnings. Although December always feels kind of rushed and busy, it makes January feel like a breath of fresh air.
Speaking of new beginnings, two month ago our family welcomed a second little Viking!!! And this gave me three insights:
1 – I am nothing without coffee and I miss uninterrupted sleep.
Every night I’m jostled awake by what sounds like a brazen red fire truck on a rescue mission during rush hour. And then it turns out that it’s just my newborn announcing that he’s still there.
2 – Having less time gets me super focused and energized.
Call me crazy, but I’m still coaching and still hogging the spotlight. In fact, knowing I have to bring my best self for my clients really gets me fired up and in the zone.
(Actually, I’ll be offering a pilot program “How to be assertive at work without losing yourself” in January – keep an eye out for it!)
3 – Being a parent can be a great motivator for stepping up your public speaking game.
Well… this is probably obvious, but let me explain what I mean.
If you want to step up in your public speaking, (or leadership, or confidence, or anything else,) the first step is to get clear on what that means for you.
WHO DO YOU WANT TO BECOME?
But… this is surprisingly hard to answer.
One hack to get started is to ask yourself how do I want my kids to picture me giving this presentation? Asking yourself this question can really help you define and clearly see who you want to start being. How you speak and carry yourself. And it doesn’t have to be about public speaking:
- How do I want my kids to picture me at work?
- How do I want my kids to picture me at the gym?
- How do I want my kids to picture me at the Christmas party?
(If you don’t have kids, I’m sure you can substitute this with someone meaningful.)
Do you feel yourself straightening your spine a little? Feeling a little more focused? A little more driven? Things change when you think about how your kids picture you.
So think about someone whose opinion matters to you, and ask yourself – how do I want them to picture me RIGHT NOW?
Now go be impressive, because someone out there thinks you already are!
Caffeineatedly yours,
Maryna Shkvorets
