Surround yourself

Surround yourself with people who love you and support you in all you do. I was speaking to a group a few weeks ago and during my speech I noticed a girl in the front row who had the awkward look on her face of confusion. When I saw her face, immediately my mind started racing "I'm doing a terrible job!" "I'm not getting through." "I'll never be a professional public speaker" " I should just quit now and walk out". Of course, I couldn't just stop speaking and walk out- I had to keep going. I quickly moved my eyes away from this girl so that I could concentrate. As I continued to make eye contact with more of my audience, I came across this other girl who was just beaming. She had the biggest smile on her face, this light in her eyes that made me know that I was in fact doing a great job. I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing. She gave me that extra confidence boost I needed, without even knowing it. I did occasionally see if the girl in the front row would change her expression- but it never did change. That is when I realized, I can't focus on "who I'm not getting through to" and focus on who I am getting through. The people who support you and only want the best for you are the people who will help you get to where you want to be in life!

I have heard countless stories of people who have said that when they are told by someone "You could never do that!", then it lights an everlasting fire and they do it. Well, whenever someone says that to me... you can find me in a corner of a closet, with this face:

I need constant positive reinforcements. Negative ones, do not do a darn thing for me. Yes, for maybe .05 seconds I think to myself- "Oh, yeah! I'll show him!" hmphhhh.... and well- then I'm crying in a corner like a baby! So, find a group of friends who believe in you and support you and want the best for you... and you will be that much closer to having a life your way.