Last week I had a big keynote speech for a regional conference. For the previous 10 years of the conference they hadn’t had an outside keynote speaker and they wanted the message to be more motivational, focusing on “Strategies to Be Your Best.”
Believe it or not, these speeches are sometimes the most difficult. It’s easy to do highly-specialized speeches like sales persuasion or the science of goal setting…but where do you begin on helping people to be their best? It’s like throwing a stone into the ocean.
If you had 75 minutes to advise me on how to live my best life, what would you say?
(an interesting question, isn’t it?)
When I coach people on writing books and giving speeches, I always tell them to focus on their recipe. If you’re going to bake me a cake, most of the ingredients are similar between recipes, but the way you put them together (based on your education, experiences, perspective) is what makes your recipe unique and memorable.
As for my recipe, it becomes more clear to me everyday that we like to take simple things and make them overly complex. For the audience this afternoon, here are my four main ingredients and recipe for how I believe you can be your best:
1. Decide how you want to show up
What one word or phrase represents you at your best?
2. Consciously create the routines to support it
Have gratitude, exercise, nourish your body & brain, prioritize the things that matter.
3. Get up when you get knocked down
Failure is feedback, consciously choose your explanatory style, watch Lady Gaga’s Oscar speech 🙂
4. Elevate the ‘play’ of others
Teach others to think (about themselves, others, the world), challenge them to grow, lead by example by showing vs. telling.
And that’s it. Have the right mindset, create the routines, bounce back and bring others with you. Very simple…but also very powerful.
So, again, what’s your recipe?
Keep Outperforming,
