Since I was a teenager, I have always been enthralled meeting different business leaders and entrepreneurs. What fascinates me is trying to understand how their minds work, what it is about them that influences and moves others to do something and their brilliant and different approaches to building successful businesses. It’s a passion that only gets stronger as the years go by.
They are all so different! Some of these people are warm and friendly, others are totally unassuming and some are bloody intimidating and disarming. And then everything in between!
The opportunity…
When I was invited to be interviewed by Mark Bouris on the Mentor podcast I was equally terrified and SO excited. I was about to have an hour with one of the most revered business people in Australia so I did what many like minded crazy others in my situation would do.
The fast track to self-sabotage began!
I started Self sabotaging and giving into the imposter syndrome. I found myself thinking:
- “This isn’t going to happen”.
- “Wtf am I thinking.”
- “Obviously they would cancel.”
It got to the point I had to give myself an internal therapy session on why I was being so negative when I’m usually a positive person!
Why do we do this?
A good pep talk to myself later, I realised I’m just giving into feelings of fear and discomfort. So I moved forward -more aware, and I ended up having an unforgettable experience on the show. Definitely a 2022 highlight! You can check it out here if you like.
But it got me thinking about how this very scary opportunity enabled personal growth………
Here are 3 takeaways I took away from my experience that paves the way forward for me and hopefully you.
- Say yes to intimidating opportunities. By saying yes to this, on a daily basis for many weeks prior I said to myself ‘how do I want to show up?’ What do I want to have accomplished by then? And the impending date drove me to step up in different ways. These things force you to Rise to the challenge.
- Work on your self confidence. I had no control over how the meeting would go, but I could control how I felt. I did what gave me confidence which was preparation and listening to lots of other episodes, healthy habits to feel my best and for me- wearing something red! You gotta do what you gotta do!
- Be vulnerable. I knew that cookie cutter answers in the interview would be boring. But safer. I decided to “put it all out there” and deal with the consequences which were pretty good! When you are open, you connect with others on a deeper level. And that’s what we’re there for.
In summary
Say yes to scary shit because you WILL step up, build your self confidence because it becomes a secret weapon you own and control and be vulnerable to connect with and compel others.
