A few years ago I knew I was being called to public speaking. God had led me down a path and blessed me with knowledge I had to share. However, I was terrified of public speaking. I kept telling Him that He had the wrong girl. After a while, an embarrassingly long while, I finally embraced the work I was called to do. It wasn’t easy. I let fear take over. Sweating, upset stomach and focusing on the moment my feet could leave the stage was my experience of public speaking. This fear was holding me back. There had to be a better way. So, I did what I do, I researched the bejabbers out of fear of public speaking. I found tips on breathing, imagining the audience in clown suits, visualizing myself as an entertainer putting on a good show...none of it worked. Although, visualizing myself as Dolly Parton was kinda fun. 

Eventually, I came across a Simon Sinek clip about nervous vs excited. It seemed so simple. How could changing the word nervous to excited remove my fear of public speaking? It’s just a word. Well, it worked! Honestly, once I changed my thoughts and words to reflect excitement, I was able to take the stage with confidence.

The excitement of sharing my message, helping people and drive change was nothing to fear or be nervous about. It had really been excitement all along but I let self-limiting beliefs and fear take over. Now, when I take the stage, I do it with excitement!