It was probably about ten years ago when a close friend of mine challenged me to commit to my personal growth. I didn’t really get it at first to be honest. I thought to myself, “I’m pretty motivated, I’m not stupid, why do I need personal growth?” Well, once I started I quickly realized why making a commitment to constantly evolving was vitally important to me as a husband, father, and businessman.
Even though I told myself I didn’t like reading, that’s exactly where I started. And I learned to love it. From there, I attended seminars and gleaned knowledge from experts on various topics I enjoyed. Hanging out with like-minded, positive people was another great asset that helped me take giant steps forward in my pursuit of personal growth.
Speaking to groups was the biggest challenge for me, but it’s been the most rewarding. I cannot begin to tell you the joy and exhilaration I get from speaking to various groups of people. Speaking was my biggest fear and has given me such amazing satisfaction at the same time.
I’ll admit it, sometimes I still get nervous when I think about speaking, but I never allow that to stop me. I just face it and get out there in faith, and it’s amazing every time. The best part of speaking is the ability to change people’s lives, whether they’re high school students or prison inmates, and if I gave into that fear I’d never be able to reach anybody on such a personal level.
Speaking will challenge you to grow like nothing else can, so here is my encouragement to you: Try it!
There are so many things you can talk about that might be a huge inspiration to others. Maybe you’ve overcome an eating disorder. God forbid, but maybe there was sexual abuse in your life. You might be funny. Maybe you’re an expert at an interesting job. Can you juggle or do magic tricks?
I have no clue what you do or what’s happened in your life, but I can promise you this: There are groups of young people that can be impacted in a positive way by your sharing your gift.
Start with a Brownie or Cub Scout Troup and talk about what you know. Work your way from there to a local Kiwanis or Rotary Club. Just getting yourself out there and offering your knowledge to others will take you places you never imagined. It will stretch you to the point that you have to grow, and you’ll be better off as a result. And as you’re helping others, you just might learn a lot about yourself.
I know I’m asking a lot from you here, but I’d never suggest any of the exercises in this book unless I knew you were capable of achieving success on every level. I’ve read this in the Bible, and I’ve heard it in Superhero movies: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
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