Sow and You Shall Reap

This has been another busy week of coaching and training as well as delivering a mental toughness talk to a network group.

I have spent a percentage of my time over the past couple of years giving talks to various organisations free of charge to gain experience speaking and to hone my craft. A great speaker once told me to speak, speak, speak wherever I can if I wanted to make it in this business. He told me that when he first started he spoke anywhere in the country free of charge to any groups who would book him. He now commands very high rates for his talks and is in great demand but he had to pay the price.

He told me that he remembered once traveling to the south coast of England in his car to speak at a networking event and only 3 people turned up – talk about demotivating! But he paid his dues and kept going and is now reaping the rewards of his labour and faith. He had to believe in himself and believe that he had the skills to make it as a speaker, then he had to put the work in. I’ve discovered that there are no short cuts to success; the only way to get there is to work hard on the right stuff and never give up.

On many occasions I have spoken to Rotary clubs without charge (except for a lovely meal they provide) and have sometimes wondered why I do it as it costs money and time and I often get home late at night. But from time to time I get potential connections to business and I have the opportunity to practice and improve. It reminds me of my professional basketball days when I used to practice very hard in training so that I could perform well in front of the crowd. Without the practice off-court I wouldn’t have performed well on-court.

There are times when giving things away can benefit you more than charging for them. In my case just last week I received an enquiry on my website which ‘blew my socks off’ and is a direct result of seeds I had sown a year before.

Last week I was contacted by an organisation representing different companies and asked if I was available to speak at their annual conference – this has since been confirmed and it’s in my diary. I enquired why they had contacted me and they informed me that it was someone who attended a Rotary club meeting about a year ago who highly recommended me. This is rather exciting because I wonder who else is out there who has seen me speak and is ready to mention me when an opportunity arises.

This has reinforced the comments made by that top speaker who spoke wherever he could and believed that one day it would pay off. This is my dream and belief and I continue to mix paid for work with no fee work – it is good to give and receive.

Well another week had flown by and I’m looking forward to a nice quiet Sunday with family and Roast Chicken dinner with all the trimmings.

Have a great week.

John