"I suck at storytelling."

That's what I said to myself last weekend in Austin, TX.

I was attending the National Speakers Association's annual Influence conference.

I had just listened to Don Yaeger, former senior writer for Sports Illustrated, tell a story about playing Michael Jordan one-on-one.

My self-critique had nothing to do with the story itself—I've never played MJ one-on-one. It was the way he told it. Humorous. Captivating. Memorable.

To be honest, that wasn't the only self-critique I made that day.

When you spend three days surrounded by the top speakers in the world, it leaves a mark.

(I also deemed myself terrible at creating frameworks, poor at building relationships, and bad at negotiating my value.)

Well, aren't you just a juggernaut of optimism, Scott? 🤣

I tell you this because I'll always keep it real with you:

The way you talk to yourself matters.

The way you talk to others MATTERS.

When I'm speaking, I refer to this as communicating through deficiency versus potential.

Deficiency asks, "What's wrong?"

Potential asks, "What's possible?"

I had to remind myself of that distinction.

Sure, I can masochistically say I suck at storytelling.

Or I can tell myself:

"I need to improve my storytelling."

"I have an opportunity to create more concrete frameworks."

"I can become better at building relationships."

This isn't as simple as negative thinking versus positive thinking. It's not exactly fixed mindset versus growth mindset, either.

It's deeper than that. There are nuances to it.

I see leaders, coaches, and parents every day whose WORDS communicate potential.

But their TONALITY conveys deficiency. Their BODY LANGUAGE emphasizes what's wrong.

We're put on this planet to get the best out of ourselves AND the people around us.

That begins with possibility.

It begins with potential.

Keep Outperforming,