💛 WHEN VULNERABILITY BECOMES MY AUTHENTICITY
Long ago, the speaker curator Shaen and I agreed that my talk would be about about defining one's purpose and how that can help people lead themselves and others through difficult times.
It isn't hard to outline the talk. I know the teaching points, the modality, and the tools like the back of my hands.
I will also tell my story. There are many stories on my path of tracking purpose. But I know I have to choose the one that cuts the deepest. The most vulnerable story.
Because vulnerability is how you let yourself be truly seen. And the audience wants to see you, the real you, not a pretty shell.
But still, sitting here at Starbucks with a venti cup of black tea latte, I've hit a wall.
I have the teaching points, the tools, the story. But something is missing. Something important. Something that will add a touch of magic to the talk.
I stare at the blank page. I gaze out the window. I open my kindle library and look at the books.
Suddenly, my eyes land at the poetry collection of Mary Oliver. Something sparks.
A quiet excitement rises up my body:
"I want to read poems."
A few days later, I spoke to Shaen again. She loves the idea: "We haven't had anyone doing poetry yet! It sounds beautiful. Just be you."
So I open my talk with Mary Oliver's The Summer Day and end with Lucille Clifton's Blessing the Boat.
Several participants say that it brings them to tears. They even share their texts with me right after my talk: "That was soooo beautiful!"
That's when I knew my secret ingredient, which is authenticity.
---
👉 Time to find your secret ingredient with my article here: https://bit.ly/3BJS8sH
