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.

1. I didn’t speak good English. Most people had a hard time understanding me.
2. I didn’t go to school in the US. In fact, I never finished High School.
3. I had zero connections
4. I was a doorman at a hotel – Meeting planners didn’t want to pay attention to me
5. I didn’t know anything about public speaking – I didn’t even know about Toastmasters Internationale
6. I have no money to promote myself or join some associations to network
7. I tried to contact some of the top speakers – nobody responded
8. I didn’t know how to write proper English (That was 18 years ago.)
9. I was extremely shy. Really. No joke.
10. 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!