I got the taste of speaking in front of a large audience 13 years ago.
In March 2010, I received an offer to deliver personality development classes to B.Tech. students in Subharati University, Meerut.
I said yes despite having no clue about how or what will I speak.
Now, it’s true that I am a trained radio jockey and voice artist. But that means speaking in front of a microphone in a studio, ALONE. Speaking in front of a classroom full of students was a different beast.
And the worst part?
I had just a day to prepare myself for delivering 5 lectures daily for the next 40 days.
Damn!
Long story short… I did it. I motivated my students as a teacher.
During those 40 days, I felt that a “speaking” career was my true calling.
And Then Came “Hope”
After that session, I put in some work and started getting opportunities to speak and train college students, technicians, and mid-management level corporate employees. But then life caught up. And my dream of becoming a full-time speaker went into oblivion.
Now I realize that my dream didn’t come true because though I had hope, I rarely took “action.” And why didn’t I?
Here’s the answer…
Recently, after listening to a Jim Rohn seminar, I realized that though I always had the longing to become a professional speaker, I never put that desire down to paper. I never wrote it. And as they say, “An unwritten goal is not a goal, it’s just a wish. And wishes seldom come true.”
In the past, I didn’t take enough action because I had no clear direction as to what EXACTLY my goals were and WHY I wanted to go in that direction.
As soon as I got the point, I wrote down all my goals in a diary (not “typed” in a word doc on my computer like I did once).
Not only did I write them, but I also started reading them first thing in the morning and the last thing before going to bed. And it seems that just by writing my goals down, I stirred something into motion.
Why didn’t I do it earlier? Why didn’t I write down my goals in the past? How come I missed such a simple thing?
I don’t know.
But I DO believe this:
You don’t need to throw your hands in the air if you recently became aware of a past mistake.
Because you see, time is going to pass anyway, irrespective of whether you do something about it or not.
Often times we feel that if we couldn’t achieve our goals in the past, how could we even think of working on them again, and that too after such a long “break?”
What’s the Guarantee that THIS Time You’ll Achieve Your Goals?
None.
Yes, you read it right.
There’s no guarantee that you will achieve your goals this time. Simply, because you have very less control over the results you may or may not get. But there’s something you have total control over and that’s called “action.”
You CAN take action.
And you SHOULD.
In fact, you HAVE to.
I know guilt and shame can overwhelm you for not trying harder (or better) earlier but what does it matter?
What if you tried in the past and couldn’t make it?
Maybe you weren’t meant to make your dreams come true at that time. Maybe “god” needed you to gain more experience. Or maybe life wanted you to get ripe enough so you could look at your dreams with fresh eyes. Who knows?
It’s Time to Take Action
Don’t lose heart. It won’t do you any good.
Go back to your previous notes. Try to recall what did you do at that time. Reinvent it from your memory if you have to.
Now, write down your goals on paper. Read them every morning and night. And try to realize the mistakes you committed last time so you can steer clear of them.
Listen to positive seminars on YouTube. Read motivational books. Brainstorm new ideas. Do WHATEVER you have to.
And don’t think for even once that you’ll put in the work later, as you move in the direction of your dreams. No, put in the work first and the path shall reveal itself.
Hope alone can be a bad thing. It has the power to keep you delusional. Being just hopeful is naive because a goal with hope and no action is just a wish. It’s a dead thing.
Remember:
You also need to put in the work!