Last week Jason and I flew to San Diego for the National Speakers Association Annual Convention. What an amazing week! So many lessons learned, I’m still digesting it all. Jason and I modeled the Adultitis-free lifestyle by leaving our “business casual” attire in our closets at home, collecting dust. We instead wore the new limited edition t-shirt adorning the Adultitis definition and inviting others to “Get Tested and Get Cured.”
They were a huge hit!
Fellow passers-by would come up and ask us about “Adultitis.” The shirts started many conversations. It didn’t matter that we broke the dress code rule– which was clearly stated in the pre-show materials. Nope, we wore jeans everyday and I even wore my new red shoes that I bought during Escape Plan TV #5: Madison.
The lesson…
Be YOU.
Don’t underestimate what this means. You are the only you here on this crazy planet.
What do you bring to the party that is different than everyone else?
Dan Burrus, one of the world’s leading technology forecasters and business strategists and a fellow NSA WI Chapter member, shared from the platform that everyone has talents that will aid you in making a living, but you only have one gift. That gift will take you to places beyond just making a living.
As the audience members would approach the presenters to shake their hands after their speeches, Jason and I had presenters coming up to us. “What are the shirts all about? I saw them when I was giving my speech.”
In my last post I talked about the idea of dancing as if no one is watching, not caring about what others will think. Kids know how to be themselves. A five-year-old doesn’t care if her clothes match, if she has dirt on her face, or if her hair is a complete rat’s nest. She is just sincerely present. SHE shows us for the party, not someone she hopes everyone will like and approve of.
Be YOU.
It’s amazing what will happen.
Ironically, at the convention I got the opportunity to make a new friend…Judson Laipply, the “Evolution of Dance Guy,” which is one of the two videos I shared in my last post. Judson’s video is the #1 Most Viewed All Time Video on YouTube.com. He is a great example of someone who is truly being
himself…and it’s serving him well!
You can imagine my excitement when I dicovered that I would get to see the “Evolution of Dance” in person…front row, of course.
If you haven’t yet identified your one gift, ask those closest to you for their thoughts on what it could be and spend some time meditating on what it is.
Deep down you already know.
[tags]National Speakers Association, Judson Laipply, The Evolution of Dance, Dan Burrus, San Diego, be yourself[/tags]