The opportunity to auctioneer a live auction for charity was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
My friend Monica is the one who introduced me to the group hosting the event. My relationship with the local Interior Design Society chapter started as a result of her recommending me to come in and speak.
She popped the question about two weeks before the big day and told me I could get back with her in a couple of days. If I had put too much time into thinking about the fact I'd never done anything like that, it wouldn't have happened.
In my mind, I only had one choice: DECIDE. Right there on the spot. Not a minute later.
So that's what I did. I said yes to something that initially scared the shit out of me and could potentially ruin my chances of ever working with this group again. Or any other organization attending and seeing me for the first time.
You see all of those arrows shooting out of the green guy's head up there?! Yep. That's exactly how I felt. Not this time, but damn near every time I do something that seems crazy or impossible.
Why do I DO it? I won't ever know or reach my full potential otherwise.
And guess what? Neither will you.
People jump out of airplanes, climb deadly mountains, and swim with sharks all the time. These are things that present a real danger! Stuff that can kill your ass if you make one wrong move.
When you're weighing your options trying to figure out if you should or shouldn't, don't look at the worse case scenario. That's where you mess up. Look at the pros - not the cons.
- I was introduced to more like-minded people.
- I spent time giving back. Something I can never do too much of.
- The overwhelmingly good feedback I received raised my confidence.
- I challenged myself and moved to a whole'nother spectrum of my comfort zone.
Not bad. Not bad at all...and I didn't even mention the free margarita and nachos.
photo: Richard Scott33
I don't jump out of airplanes on a regular basis, but if they served nachos and margaritas I just might! I have been taking the JUST DO IT route lately here as well, I haven't regretted anything so far...
ReplyDeleteI swear I commented on this earlier...I said that I would jump out of planes all the time if it involved more nachos and margaritas...I swear I did...
ReplyDeleteok..there's a glitch somewhere..I see your previous comment on my dashboard. The airplane jumping business would probably be booming if they incorporated margaritas and nachos.
ReplyDeleteIt is tough to engage in any public speaking for me, and in my "other life" I constantly had to meet those demands. Builders, realtors, clients, homebuyer education seminars, class presentations--they all scared the SHIT out of me.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I did it and sometimes I was great at it, and I always left with a few more connections than I started with. Decide. Do. Every time there is a meaningful chance to connect.
I agree - most folks dread public speaking. I think you summed up the overall takeaway for anything we do in life. Leave with something more than we started with.
ReplyDelete