Get Your At-Bats
I was recently invited to speak to an organization called Ankeny Young Professionals. They are an offshoot of a local chamber of commerce. I’ve been in discussions with their leadership for more than a year, eagerly anticipating an opportunity to speak. Needless to say, I couldn’t be more excited. This is a huge opportunity for me, but not for traditional reasons. It’s not going to be a significantly large audience. The room won’t likely be filled with powerful CEOs. I’m not getting paid a ton of money (unless you consider $0 a lot!).
Here’s why I’m excited for this one:
Young professionals are my people! I serve many different groups of people, but for whatever reason, I connect well with them……and vice versa.
There will be a lot of familiar faces in the room. Acquaintances, friends, clients, and other people I’ve interacted with at some point. I never take for granted when people in my life take time out of their day to read, listen, watch, or absorb my content. It’s a true pleasure.
This opportunity gives me another at-bat. This right here, this is the gold!
It will be the third time formally delivering my new keynote talk. This talk is the culmination of more than 100 non-related talks, thousands of client meetings and conversations, and all my content over the last decade. The first time I delivered this talk, I did it poorly (I know I’m hard on myself). The second time I delivered it, I did it ok. What about this time? There’s only one way to find out!
That’s why at-bats are so important. Each time we step up to the plate, it’s an opportunity to hit a home run, strike out, or something in between. But the only way we can get better is by stepping up to that plate, fear and all. This is the reason I crave opportunities to practice my craft. Will I strike out? Maybe. Will I hit a homerun? It’s possible. But regardless of what happens, I promise I’ll get better.
This is the opportunity we each have today. No matter what you do or what you’re trying to become, nothing can replicate the power of stepping to the plate for another at-bat. Yes, it’s possible you’ll strike out. Yes, you might embarrass yourself. Yes, you might get humbled. Yes, your nightmares might come true. That’s all on the table. But the risk of those things coming true is the entry price to impact. It might be THE thing standing between you and where you want to be.
Are you interested in watching me take my next at-bat? The talk is on October 11th from 12:00-1:00 in Ankeny. If you’re hanging around central Iowa that day, I’d be so grateful and honored if you decide to spend your lunch with us. Tickets are $15 for non-members, which includes the cost of your lunch. So you’re maybe paying $5 to hear me speak…….I’m hoping to add way more value than that!