Shush Your Self-Doubt the Presidential Way

Did you know that?Abe Lincoln, George Washington, AND JFK were each known to be absolutely terrified of failure??

How comforting is it to know that when you're afraid to show up on camera, or nervous about an upcoming presentation (ahem- raises hand), or simply unable to shush your inner Regina George mean kid voice… that even the world's most “successful” humans have likely struggled with the same?

Last week, we got booked for an extremely high-stakes presentation that is TWO WHOLE MONTHS AWAY and whenever I think about it, my stomach turns over with nerves. It's eight weeks away and my heart just started racing AGAIN just typing this to you. If you also have an upcoming presentation, video, or pitch that is making you grit your teeth with the “what if” scaries- let's take a deep Monday morning mojo inhale, link virtual arms and take a page out of the presidential playbook here.?

?I'm pretty sure we already know that the main reason most of us are scared of showing up, speaking up, or leveling up is that at a primal level- we don't want to be a disappointment to ourselves or others. George Washington once wrote to a friend before he had to make a big speech:?“I greatly apprehend that my countrymen will expect too much from me. I fear, if the issue of public measures should not correspond with their sanguine expectations, they will turn the extravagant praises which they are heaping upon me at this moment into equally extravagant censures.”

?Whether you are addressing a brand new nation or addressing a brand new prospect-?most of us are deeply afraid of not meeting the expectations of others. This is where it's imperative to ask ourselves if we are really and truly?controlling the controllables??

?Can we control that someone decides to change their ‘extravagant praises’ of us into ‘extravagant censures’ of us? Nope.?

?Can we control how we prepare for our big upcoming moment??

Can we control how we think, research, and rehearse??

Can we control what we put into our bodies for maximum performance optimization??

Can we control what we tell ourselves (excited not nervous, excited not nervous)??

?Yes, yes, yes, and HECK YES.?

?It's that simple.?

?Here's to controlling the controllables and releasing the rest today, this week, next month, and in two months.?

PS- If you're with me on this, please take a minute and tag a friend who could use a little presidential pep talk.?

Erin King is the world's leading digital persuasion expert and the Amazon #1 bestselling author of "Digital Persuasion: Sell Smarter in the Modern Marketplace." A three-time entrepreneur who has been featured in FORBES, she is currently the Chief Digital Officer of Strikepoint Media. Erin specializes in equipping today's executives and sales leaders for more persuasive communication in a hyper-digital, increasingly automated, post-pandemic landscape.?