This bird is not lucky. She builds the nest patiently against the odds. She had no connection. Persistence pays.
I read a comment from one of my videos on Youtube. The guy was answering a couple of questions about luck and connections. Here’s part of his comment:
“Are successful people luckier or smarter than failures? My answer is yes, sometimes they are but not always or necessarily so. Do they have the right connection or resources? Again the answer is in many cases yes they do.”
He is right. In some cases, luck has something to do with it.
MY LONG REPLY:
I started writing a reply. Then I decided to put here. It should inspire you to believe you can become a powerful motivational speaker.
Wow! Great feedback Carlton. I agree with you. So, let’s look at it from a different angle.
What if you didn’t know everything you just shared with us?
I’m asking you because when I started in the speaking business, I had many barriers in front of me. Statistically, I was not supposed to make it.
I didn’t speak good English. Most people had a hard time understanding me.
I didn’t go to school in the US. In fact, I never finished High School.
I had zero connections
I was a doorman at a hotel – Meeting planners didn’t want to pay attention to me
I didn’t know anything about public speaking – I didn’t even know about Toastmasters Internationale
I have no money to promote myself or join some associations to network
I tried to contact some of the top speakers – nobody responded
I didn’t know how to write proper English (That was 18 years ago.)
I was extremely shy. Really. No joke.
Most people around me didn’t believe I could – Some told me to try something else… Others laugh at me
There were many odds stacked against me. Finally, let me share this with you.
When I got my first break to speak on the main stage at the National Speakers Association or NSA, I was raw. That means I was not on the speaking circuit yet. I was learning about speaking. (Please, don’t tell them.)
I was going to be in front of 2,000 professional speakers… Many big names. The day before, some people started asking me if I was afraid. I said no. I was calmed, collected, and relaxed.
I hit the stage and stole the show. At least, that’s what Jeffrey Gitomer, the sales GURU, wrote in the foreword of my book. He’s the real deal.
Would like to know why I was not afraid. It’s because I didn’t know the names of the big dogs in the audience. I didn’t know I was in front of the gods and goddesses of the speaking industry.
You see what happens when you pretend you don’t know the facts? Or assume everything you know is false?
Alright, you may be thinking, “Ah! You had a big break?” Yes, I did. But would you like to know how I got that break?
Well, that would be a long story. The short answer is, I was everywhere trying to meet everybody. I attended many lots of events. I introduced myself to so many people. I infiltrated lots of networks of movers and shakers. I was polite.
I made myself available to help in any way I could. I volunteered many hours of my time for free. Simply put, I saw the parade; I threw myself in front of it. Just like a bird, I know it takes many trips or steps to build a nest.
As I said, there’s a lot to the story. But you get the gist of it.
That said, I don’t mean to disagree with you. Everything you said is true everywhere, in any country. I know. It’s even worst in my country… Haiti. The reality is, some people still manage to rise from horrible circumstances and make it. That’s proof anybody can.
I just wanted to offer you a different way to look at it. Perhaps I should say a little motivation.
The takeaways: Be dumb. Be persistent. Erase those negative beliefs. Build your nest twig by twig!
Two days ago, I delivered a keynote presentation for a group of women entrepreneurs. Standing ovation! I left them ecstatic and fired up to dash to the summit of success in their respective business!
Later, I was in my room reflecting on my speaking journey. I was wondering about the magic bullet that catapulted me to the top as a motivational speaker.
I got an instant revelation! I got so excited; I wanted to crack open the champagne. I’m sure you know the feeling when you suddenly experience a flash of brilliant insight. Right?
So kick back and chill out. I want to share my big reveal with you so you, too, can shift gear and get on the fast-track in your speaking career.
Here it is:
You probably are thinking to get paid as a motivational speaker. You need knowledge, skills, experience, this that or the other. Or you need a degree or be a top-notch speaker.
WRONG!
I want to debunk that myth for you.
Yes. You do need to be a good speaker. That’s a given. But that doesn’t take much. That comes with platform hours. No biggie.
Here’s what I mean…
When I first launched my speaking biz, my fee was $500 for a speech. (I didn’t know better.) That was a DUMB mistake.
Today, my check for a one-hour keynote is $10,000 plus all expenses.
The Ugly Truth About This
I’m still giving the same speech. And I’m still sharing the same stories and points.
Simply put, I went from $500 to $10,000 without any significant shift in content and delivery.
Well, okay. I do have more experience now. But I paid some gurus a hefty price for it – money I didn’t have. Hint: Plastic cards.
That means you can buy all the experience you want. You can slash your learning curve by leaps and bounds.
However, I told you it was not about that. Starting out, I had none.
When I hung my shingle and proclaimed I was a motivational speaker; I was making $4.25 an hour and some tips. I was still learning English.
Audacity? …Hell yeah!
The thing is, nobody knew about me. I didn’t have any testimonials or references.
I was an unknown and obscure Haitian immigrant carrying bags at a hotel – in debt and hanging by a thread.
My English was rough. I cringe when I listen to my first recording from years ago.
Some words I can’t even understand myself. I wonder how the audience managed to get my points.
Now, do you want to know how come I command that much money for the same speech today?
Cool! Make sure you write it down.
It’s Not About The WHAT. It’s About The WHO.
The higher your fee is, the more they pay you for WHO YOU ARE instead of WHAT you are.
Look at it this way.
You may be a motivational speaker or a lawyer, or an account. That’s what you are. We all know there’s a price expectation for what you are.
For example, if you are a writer, the national association of writers might publish a suggested price guide.
They might recommend you charge from $20 to $100 depending whether you are a beginner or and advanced level writer. That’s just to illustrate. I don’t know for sure.
But…
The WHO has no ceiling. There are so many polished speakers with deeper knowledge who are struggling to get paid 2k while I get 10K.
Think of Oprah Winfrey. She makes a boatload of money. She is the richest black woman in the world.
Does that mean she is more talented, gifted, and experienced than the other people who are on TV?
No!
So, what does it takes? Answer:
Be A Fascinating Person Who ATTRACTS And Arrests Attention!
Radiate the following: Mystery. Influence. Intrigue. Charm. Charisma. Celebrity.
The good news is, you are not born with any of those. But, you can engineer them.
How?
Well, here are a few things among many you can work on:
Get brilliant on STORIES… that’s where you can make the most impact and money
Create videos for YouTube – Be a talk show host there
Have your O type magazine
Write articles or special reports
Have a person with the presence of a news anchor to interview you
Share your opinions about things or philosophies
Write a book, etc.
Perception IS reality!
Every single thing I just mentioned is EASY TO DO. Do not over complicate it. Most people get stuck because of complexity.
Look, if a little guy from poverty and diseases from tiny village in Haiti can do it, you can too!
Make sure you target one particular problem that bug millions of people. Something like time management, self-esteem, bullying, etc.
Of course, those people need to have money; or make sure companies are willing to sponsor you to reach them.
As a result, you will now be busy enough to activate the law of scarcity. And bam! You are ready to fly high!
That’s what happened to me.
Today, it’s not easy to get access to me. That was never my intention. But, it is what it is.
Lots of people email and write to ask me questions. Others want me to mentor them.
Unfortunately, I cannot spend time one-on-one to coach, mentor, and answer questions for free.
I can only take the time to answer general questions here on this blog when I can rearrange my schedule to do so.
The reality is, if I were devoting my time to dispense free advice, I would have to work 365 days, full time. There are way too many requests. That means I would never be able to eat and pay my rent.
I’m not complaining. That’s a nice problem to have. You’ll have the same problem soon if you stay with it and do the things I suggest to you.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a giver. I love giving! I give my time and money to the needy children in Haiti. I also mentor a few selected people.
Okay, Here’s The Big Takeaway:
I just peeled back the curtain and revealed the magic formula to you.
Work on the WHO. Become a fascination person who commands and arrests attention.
That strategy works anywhere on the planet – regardless of your current status. How you go about it may be different. But the process is the same.
By the way, when you become that kind of person, your future fans will hang on to your words. Regardless if they heard them before. They will feel more compelled to take action.
Before I hit the publish button, let me ask you…
What are you struggling with now? What’s your frustration? What’s stopping you? Type it in the comment box below.
In this video, I reveal the number one secret to public speaking. It’s not enough to be clever in front of an audience.
In fact, they will not remember your brilliant points after the speech. They will not remember your powerpoints. But they will remember the stories you tell.
That’s why storytelling in public speaking is a must. It’s the one skill you have to master.
Whether you are giving a wedding toast, speaking at your family reunion, or giving a presentation at work, you need to share stories.
The people who changed the world through words use stories to persuade, motivate, and evoke emotion in their listeners. They mesmerize them with highly charged and emotional hooks through stories.
Now, of course, there are so many different kinds of stories. But it doesn’t matter. You just need to keep in mind that when you are speaking in public, you need to carefully select a few stories to engage your audience.
Yes, you must make a point. You cannot just tell a story for the sake of telling it. The audience is always silently saying, “What’s the point?” or “get to the point.” Do you see what I mean?
When you can masterfully use a story to illustrate a point, your message will stick. You are able to engage and connect with your audiences.
I’ll tell you what; there are people out there that I’ll never be able to reach. And it’s the same for some of the big names in this field. There are some people they’ll never be able to reach. They can’t identify with them. Only you can.
I can tell you from experience that I’m reaching a large group of people who would never pay attention to the gurus. For whatever reason, I’m the only one that (more…)
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While at the store, I started a conversation with a brilliant man. He was sort of perplexed to know someone can actually teach others how to become a motivational speaker. He said, “I don’t think it’s possible. You either have it or you don’t have it. People are born public speakers.”
Oh, oh… He struck a chord in me. At first, I hesitated. Then I got to think about it. I said, (more…)
If you are going to launch your speaking career or you want to start any business, now is NOT the time to buy that big house. You shouldn’t go for the fancy car, or the toys either.
Now, I’m not really telling you what to do. It’s your life. It’s your money. Do as you please. (more…)
