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Simply Authentic...Your Soul Voice is Calling. Don't Be Selfish - Own Your Greatness

Writer's picture: Kimberly GenlyKimberly Genly

Don’t Be Selfish – Own Your Greatness Not long ago in a Toastmasters meeting, I evaluated a speech that impressed me. I had a few constructive suggestions for improvement, but mostly I felt the speaker had accomplished his goals and I loved the speech. And I wasn’t alone in my assessment. Yet when I asked the speaker how he felt about it afterwards, he expressed his dissatisfaction with everything from the timing to his phrasing. I felt sad about that. I wished he had been happier with himself. And it reminded me of times I had done the exact same thing myself in different circumstances. We talked about this topic in Authentic Performance acting class the following Saturday, and a fellow Toastmaster astutely pointed out that if language is only 7% of how a person communicates, then the speaker was focusing on the 7% he was unhappy about and ignoring the 93% in which he kicked ass. Don’t we all do this? My acting teacher, Jo, said to me many years ago…when you’re up there, all worried about yourself, your nerves, how badly you might screw up, what people might think of you…you’re being selfish. Now, I advocate being selfish in some circumstances, but not in this one. And I can be as guilty of it as anyone else who gets up on stage. The thing is…this kind of thought pattern is all about me, me, me, rather than what I can share – from my heart – with you, and you and you, in my audience. Give yourself credit for what you do right. Regularly. Open your arms and embrace the good things people say about you. Don’t be selfish – own your greatness. Your authentic self deserves it. Authentically Yours, Laura

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