I was doing an event in Fiji awhile ago and when I showed up there to speak, there were over three thousand people waiting to hear me speak. I was so pumped to speak with them that night and I remember that their energy was just amazing. That was such a great event and experience that I think back on it from time to time and I remember when I first started and there were only a few people that would even come to hear me speak and there were even less people that were looking at me or paying attention at all. When I compare those two contrasting images in my head it is just insane to think about how far I have come and how my original vision has become reality.
You see, there were so many times when I started and even before I started public speaking that I thought nothing would ever come of it. I thought that this was a silly idea and nobody would care what I had to say. For a while even after I started there were so many gigs I did that just felt like a bust. There were times where less than five people showed up to hear me speak and I would feel so silly about the whole thing. What was important about that whole process was remembering and constantly keeping in mind how important it was to me to make an impact on the people I was speaking to. So as long as I was speaking to at least one person then I had the opportunity to make an impact, and every speaking gig that I did would help me to grow and get better and better.
The best part of all of the doubt I experienced was that I never let it get me down. I am sure you guys already know this but when you first start to try and make your visions become a reality your fear starts to act up like crazy. Your mind starts to work overtime to tell you that making this dream a reality is just completely impossible and that the only smart thing to do would be to quit trying and find something reasonable to do. I really want you guys to hear me when I say this: the thing is, if you want to make your visions a reality, then you have to ignore that voice and push past the fear. Is there a chance of it not happening exactly how you expect it to? Of course, but you will never get anywhere if you are too afraid to push yourself towards your goal in the first place.
What you have to do is keep your goal in mind constantly when you are facing those big challenges and humps in the beginning. Push yourself past what is trying to stop you from achieving this vision by reminding yourself why you started in the first place and why it was worth it to you to try. Then keep trying.
It all starts with you.
