That Which Does Not Kill Us, Makes Us Stronger

I remember my first big speaking gig, 8 years ago.

What a disaster.

Closing speaker at the Sales Leadership conference for a big brand.

I prepped for weeks.

Two days before the event, the client moved my session from 3pm to just before cocktails.

I arrived at the venue early, checked out the room, met my client.

I was ready.

The client apologised, they needed to move my session to after cocktails.

People straggled into the room….seems they were held up at the bar.

More apologies, ‘can we delay until after entree?’.

I’m nervous… this is the first really big paid event I’ve ever done.

I got on stage at 9:45 pm….with the front table heckling me fiercely ….like kids in the back seat of the bus…only nasty and with alcohol.

And it went downhill from there.

It was a nightmare.

I was shattered by the experience.

I went to sleep wondering how I would face my client at breakfast.

They had paid me to deliver …. and I wasn’t sure I had.

I sat down to breakfast and as I started to speak, one lady came up to me and said, ‘ I absolutely loved your session last night. I am so inspired and can’t wait to get back to my team and share it’.

My client looked at me and smiled.

And that’s when I decided that I wanted to become a professional speaker.

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