Success in Life

Good morning and welcome to the promise of Monday!

This article is a continuation in our series, "My Life is Just Speech Material ... And, So is Yours."

We started the series by looking at real life situations and how we can take these situations and develop them into effective, valuable presentations. Every person has real life experiences to draw from, some pay, some not as happy, but all filled with lessons learned, challenges met, or great stories to share. Look inside, look in the mirror, and look around you -- these treasures are everywhere.

We are often inspired by "success" stories we hear about other peoples' lives, so many of us can share stories of your own lives - our own levels of success - that can inspire others.

Lance Miller, 2005 World Champion Public Speaking, states, "In order to inspire an audience, we must learn for ourselves how to live an inspired life." The information in this article and the next will help us realize that the word "success" can be very subjective and can have multiple meanings. It is a true statement that success is not just about money and fame.

Begin With Yourself

If you are old enough to be reading this information, you are old enough to have a ton of information that you could present, that people around you would find valuable. The idea of "valuable" to some people is a little intimidating. Often, I hear people state, "I don't have anything to say that anyone else would like to hear."

If you are a human being, then your life situations have probably been experienced by others. [If you are not a human being, then there is a ton of information you can share with your audience on extraterrestrial living, pace travel, etc. - astronomical possibilities. :-) ]

Other people can give a presentation on the same topic, but NO ONE can tell your story like you can. Your story doesn't have to be sensational, just sincere.

Using Your Successes

Even though our world is inundated with motivational speakers and materials, there are some people who believe they have never had successes or have been a success at anything in their life - shocking, I know. A few years ago my beautiful daughters bought me a lapel pin that states, "I am NOT a nag, I am a motivational speaker." I think they were trying to tell me something.

What about the successes you have had in your life? Even though I may not know you, I know I could name at least 10 accomplishments that most people have experienced in their life, providing there weren't any physical or mental challenges. For example, if you are reading this article, then you have successfully learned how to read. You most likely learned how to walk, talk, (sometimes your family and friends may wish you weren't so successful, as you talk non-stop), say the alphabet, completed at least a few years of school, learned how to spell and write your name, learned to feed yourself and drink, and talk on the telephone.

These are elementary successes for most of us. Though you may not think they could make an interesting presentation, in our next article we will talk about how they could be used as a foundation for an interesting and informative presentation. So, stay tuned! We will publish again on Monday, January 3, 2022.