It isn’t easy taking risks, especially if the outcome could go either way. If you’re a public speaker, a business owner or occupy a position in which you are judged by the public, every decision you make will have some kind of impact on your success.  (Photo:  redfriday)

There’s much talk about the importance of carefully nurturing a public persona, creating an air of professionalism if you will. But at what cost? Do people hire you because you appear polished with perfect videos, perfectly created websites, perfect blogs?  Or do they hire you because of your authenticity?  Or both?

To start off this week, I thought it would be fun to share behind the scenes look at what it has been like to do something for a living that most people list as their number one fear:  public speaking.

Yikes!  Does the mere mention of those words strike fear in your heart?  If you’re like most people, it does.  (Photo Credit:  laffy4k)

These are my own observations for I have personally gone through the gamut of emotions involving the very thing many people are afraid of.  If I were a psychologist evaluating my life’s history, I would probably say I became a motivational speaker because as a child with a profound hearing loss, I missed out on a lot of late-night dinner conversations, often becoming lost in the shuffle of human interaction.   The psychologist in me says that because of that, I unconsciously set out to find a way to make up for it. 

The Abraham-Hicks book, Ask and It is Given, inspired me to write today’s post. One of the greatest things we can do for ourselves is to ask for something we want. The trouble is those who were our early influencers while we were young (i.e. parents, teachers, siblings, friends, caregivers and/or authority figures) may have admonished us with a withering look that signaled that it was not okay to ask for help. (Photo credit: Amber Waves).

If you asked for help in school, you were probably called a “brown noser” or maybe a “teacher’s pet.” Perhaps you’ve heard someone say to you, “Quit bothering me and do what you’re told,” “I don’t want to hear about it,” “I don’t have time for this right now,” or “You’re so selfish, all you ever think about is yourself!”

You know, I want nothing but the best for those of you who are a part of the Adversity University community. I know how important your time is so I refuse to post just for the “sake of posting.” That is, until I am inspired or find myself in that creative zone where the words flow from my mind to the keyboard easily and effortlessly. This causes me not to write for days or sometimes weeks, even months until BOOM, I’m hit with something I feel is worth your time.

Today I found it. I stumbled onto a YouTube video that blew me away this morning and I think it will do the same for you. It might even cause you to experience goose bumps!

Do you know who this guy is? If you don’t, you will want to by the time you’re done with today’s article.

About ten years ago during the late 90’s, I was just getting started as a motivational speaker and author. Ravenous for advice, I went hunting for inspirational articles that were geared towards beginning speakers/writers.

Good ole Google swamped me with a dizzying array of information on that subject, which could have easily overwhelmed me. But somehow I was divinely led to Patrick Combs’ Good Thinking website. From the moment I entered the world of Good Thinking Company, I was hooked. Like a crazed crack addict, I kept going back for more, frequently downloading articles and motivational statements so that I could inject myself with more faith whenever I needed it the most.

Eleven years ago a young lady named Heather Whitestone became the first woman with a disability to win the prestigious 1995 Miss America crown. She was deaf.

During her reign, she became known as a tireless supporter of the deaf and hard of hearing community. That inspired Merrill Lynch (ML) to honor her at a lavish luncheon where the World Trade Center used to be. You will recall that I was a successful ML stockbroker during the early nineties.

My intention was none other than to enjoy myself for a few hours, stuff myself with free food and perhaps schmooze with Miss America. When I walked in, I was surprised to see that just about every major media organization was on hand, including CNN.

The majority of us have spent part of our lives not knowing what we want to do. We seem to drift aimlessly thinking that life is about paying the bills until we are presented with a set of circumstances that force us to sit up and take notice of why we are here. Some of those events are quite jolting while others represent a gentle reminder. (Photo:  WisDoc).

Have you ever had an “Ah-ha” moment where the answer you were seeking came to you in the form of a thought that flashed through your mind? You’re almost never prepared for it. You go into a situation thinking you’ll accomplish one thing but end up achieving something else entirely.

Even experienced risk-takers get “butterflies” every time they take on new challenges.

A great way to exercise your faith muscles is by doing things slightly different every day like taking an unfamiliar route home after work, asking your boss for a raise or if you’re self employed, raising your fees. If you tend to be quiet in group meetings, gather the courage and speak up. Say something even if it’s just a follow up question.

This story happened a few years after quitting Wall Street in 1996. I was starting over to follow my dreams of becoming a motivational speaker and author.

The decision to switch gears led me to one of the most challenging times of my life. Because of this life altering change, there was a heavy price to pay. While making the transition, I was struggling to pay the rent. But one has to eat, right?

One morning, the refrigerator and cupboards told me it was time to restock them. Making an ATM withdrawal of $40, the amount I had budgeted for groceries, I headed for the nearest supermarket, eight city blocks away.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I spent a decade at a Wall Street bank in a variety of different positions, most of which I viewed as nothing more than a series of jobs to pay the bills. Yes, that’s how I viewed my purpose on this planet at one time. It took a major awakening in the late 80’s to snap out of this sleepy way of life. (Photo:  Travis)

The last article announced a series of forthcoming posts about how Southwest Airlines has applied my H.E.A.R. Principle without being aware of it. The source of real life examples have been obtained from the best-selling book NUTS! by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg.

Having a passion allows one to be in a state of mind to entertain the possibilities. The energy of passion creates a space by which you become receptive to ideas and thoughts leading you to the achievement of what you’re passionate about.

It helps if we can maintain a sense of humor even in the midst of adversity. Adversity doesn’t necessarily mean life or death situations but can include life’s most embarrassing moments, especially when you take a risk with something like moving away from the podium for the first time or trying on a new story and testing for audience reaction.

This involves a story where the simple act of gargling mouthwash made for one of life’s most embarrassing moments made easier through a sense of humor.

High School Swimming Championships

I had been taking risks and entertaining the possibilities as far back as high school. Back in those days, my biggest passion was swimming. While I was not a “hot dog” (a term given to swimmers who consistenly broke records), I did have a dream and that was to make the finals at the state championships in my last year of high school.

My parents wanted me to belong to a sports team of some sort to help me develop social and competitive skills. Believe me, I tried out for track, baseball, football and even tennis but never made the cut. Did that ever happen to you?