Last Friday was my TED Talk! What an experience!

First, I'll address a question I've been asked many times:

You cannot watch the video. Yet. 😊

One thing I found out was how detailed and thorough these TEDx events are.

In the case of the video, TEDxAWC has 30 days to edit it, then they submit it to TED, who has up to 90 days to officially "approve it," at which point it goes live on their website and YouTube channel.

Stay tuned. Trust me - when I know, you'll know!

There are plenty of lessons I learned from the talk but I'll give you a top 3:

1. People are more supportive than you realize

This piggybacks on a social media post I made earlier this week.

I think a lot of people are afraid of speaking because they fear being judged and criticized by others.

This wasn't the case. The TEDxAWC speakers, staff, audience, were all ABOVE and BEYOND supportive.

And beyond public speaking, a truth I've learned is that the ones who are quick to criticize are the ones who are not "in the arena" (whatever that arena happens to be).

Those who are striving valiantly towards something are the most supportive. They want you to win.

2. Preparation is everything

Even though we had a speech coach and it is a LONG build up to the event, it was obvious the ones that put in the extra effort to prepare and the ones that didn't.

What happens in private shows up in public. Unfortunately, for a couple of them, they forgot lines in the middle of their talk and froze up. Or started rambling because they didn't rehearse the clear point they were trying to make.

It had less to do with nerves. We were all nervous. It was more about being prepared or unprepared. Some of the most well-prepared speakers were the ones who had never been on stage before. It was cool to watch them shine.

3. Comparison is the thief of joy

Was my talk the best?

I have no idea. Probably not. Or maybe it was? It depends who you ask.

Of the ten speakers, one of them has battled through epilepsy and short term memory loss.

Another speaker is using AI to proactively predict health conditions before they arise.

The closing speaker suffered severe trauma when she was younger and came out stronger.

Everyone has a unique story. It's not about being the best. They had a great mix of personal & professional, local & non-local speakers.

Everyone had an "idea worth spreading" (TED's tagline).

Wherever I go, I'm always encouraging people to share their story, idea or message. You should, too. You have one worth spreading!

I'm not saying you have to give a TED talk. That's your call. But don't diminish the power of your own voice because you perceive it as less than. It's not.

Thanks for your support in this journey. It has been a long time in the making and it's always rewarding to cross items off a bucket list.

Keep Outperforming,