Business Fit Magazine March 2019 Issue 1 | Page 18

Business that is NOT negative, it’s like being afraid of the sun rising and setting every day. It will happen. Let it happen. It’s not bad. Actually, it could be a good thing because it allows people to give and receive feedback, which is a gift. And it allows people to exchange their points of view, get to know each other, which is the basis for a good relationship. accepted me more and respected me because I was being myself. Not my perfect-self, not my flawless-self, just my authentic-self. Yes, go ahead, judge and let others judge you. So what?! Start with repeating this to yourself over and over, until you personalise it, believe it and show it: The issue is not being judged, but the outcome of it. People are afraid of being harshly criticised and rejected by others due to their judgement. And when you understand this, then you can move on to the next phase to truly transform this fear and conquer the effects of your nervous system when you are on stage. The next phase is to remind yourself that you are ALL THAT, that you KNOW YOUR STUFF, that you CAN do what needs to be done, that you BELIEVE in yourself. If you want to transform and channel this fear, start with something simple. And no, this is not the “think of everyone naked” absurd advice (please don’t!). “I don’t care if you judge me. I am very good. And I am doing the right thing, For the right reasons, In the right way. My conscience is clear And my spirit is lifted.” Enjoy your presentation! You are good enough. You are brilliant enough. You are brave enough. If the chance of people liking you, accepting you is 50/50, then play to the 50 who favour you. Go for the part of your brain that propels you to admire yourself, not the part that sabotages your efforts. Live in the 50% that choses to care more about what you think of yourself and not what others think of you. Who cares about your clothes, your hair, your shoes, your stutter, your crutch? When you show that you honestly care about your audience, that you practiced and prepared for your presentation, the rest is secondary. I was able to learn about many of the skills required to become a public speaker and gained confidence when I started caring less and less each time about other’s opinion of me. I realised that when I did this, people 18 This is a photo of a participant in the Workshop given at HBO. She is raising her hands as she is saying this phrase 19