Have you ever had an opportunity that could have helped you achieve your dream, but didn’t take it because of fear and self-doubt? Has this ever happened to you? I admit that I’m guilty of letting fear and self-doubt delay my progress as a motivational speaker. But I learned the value of Taking Bold Action, and that changed everything.

MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKING TIMIDITY

Eight years ago, when I was trying to attract customers as a motivational speaker, I decided to only talk to people through email because I was too shy to talk to schools or organizations people in person. This didn't result in any success. As a new speaker whom no one knew, I knew the best way for me to get paid speaking engagements would be to have face to face conversations with people, instead of just email.

I often attend business networking meetings and have heard people talk about getting a speaker at an organization or school, but I let my fear and self-doubt hold me back from pursing those opportunities. Every time I watched one evaporate before my eyes, I would be upset with myself because I wasn’t allowing myself the opportunity for success.

HER REJECTION IS MY OPPORTUNITY

This all changed on a cold rainy day when I was sitting in a coffee shop, sending more emails. A man in his late 50s, wearing a navy blue suit, was talking to a lady who had to be in her early 30s. The lady was talking to the man about partnering with the organization she was employed with on their drug prevention campaign. Based on the guy's slumped body language and lack of eye contact, I could tell he wasn't too interested.

He interrupted the lady in the middle of her sentence and said "Ma'am, I don't want to talk to teenagers about avoiding drugs. That's not something I give speeches about." Then, he got up from the table and left the building. The lady started packing up her stuff and I could tell by her expression that she was irritated. My heart started racing because drug prevention was one of my speech topics and I felt like I could maybe partner with her organization.

FEAR AND SELF-DOUBT; NOT THIS TIME

I started to feel fear and self-doubt, but instead of letting them stop me from another opportunity, I decided to Take Bold Action. I closed my laptop, got up from the table, walked over to the woman, and said "Excuse me Ma'am, I hate to admit that I was eavesdropping on your conversation with the man who left. But, I heard you say that you are looking for a speaker to partner with your organization's drug prevention campaign. "Am I correct?"

"Yes, you are. "What's your name and what do you do?" "I'm Gene Mosley, and I'm a Motivational Speaker who speaks on Behavior Change and Drug Prevention."

She responded with excitement, "Really? Have a seat and tell me more." I sat down, looked into her sky-blue eyes, and told her about my program. The more I spoke, the wider her smile became. Eventually, she said, "You're exactly the type of guy my employer is looking for. Can I have your contact information?" After handing her my business card, she got up and said my manager would be in touch in a couple of days.

GIVE IT MY ALL

As promised, two days later, my phone rang. I answered it and a lady asked in a calm voice, "May I speak to Mr. Gene Mosley?" "This is Gene. Who am I speaking to?" "This is Ms. Julie, who's in charge of the drug prevention campaign that one of my colleagues spoke to you about. I've been on your website and I would like for you to come to our headquarters and do a 10-minute presentation on your content. Are you interested in doing so?" "Yes, I am." We set up a day for me to present in a week.

On the day of my presentation, I started to feel more fear and self-doubt than ever before. I had visions of forgetting what to say and a negative voice telling me that I would fail. I considered calling and cancelling the presentation, but instead I decided to Take Bold Action by showing up even though I was afraid. When I arrived at the organization, a tall, slim lady with blond hair wearing business attire greeted me at the door. "I'm Ms. Julie, the program director who invited you. It's great to meet you face to face." "Great to meet you too, Ms. Julie, and thank you for inviting me."

WHY DID SHE CALL THAT VOTE IN MY FACE

We walked into the conference room and there were 20 other people, all dressed neatly. The men and women came up to shake my hand and introduce themselves. Once we got to know each other, Ms. Julie said, "Let’s all take a seat so Mr. Mosley can present his content to us, and we can decide if it aligns with what we want to do with our drug prevention campaign. The floor is yours Mr. Mosley."

I walked in front of the room and presented my content with confidence. I was determined to give it my all, no matter what happened. Once I concluded my presentation, Ms. Julie asked her colleagues, "Raise your hand if you think that Mr. Mosley and his content would align with our drug prevention campaign."

Fortunately, they all raised their hand. As a result, I received a partnership with that organization, which led to them paying me to speak to teens at schools. And this was possible because I Took Bold Action.

When we Take Bold Action, it helps us take advantage of the surrounding opportunities that could make our dreams come true. So no matter what your dream is, Take Bold Action so that opportunities don't evaporate before your eyes because You Are WORTHY TO BE GREAT!