Tag: Public speaking

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Two Words …

carolyncordon

Yes there are two words, only two, that are holding me back from being the person I most wish to ultimately be. If I can crack the code, learn the password, bake the cake, in fact stop metaphorising and actually do it, I’ll be set for a great and inspirational life. But these two words, they there, every day, every moment I think now is the time to ‘do it’ and get started …

So what are these two words, you ask? Hmm, Procrastination and Prioritisation. These two words are the bane of my better life, the life I wish to live, that is bigger and better than the life I’m living right now. Don’t get me wrong, my current life is a fine life, far better than the life many others are living. I have a spouse I love and who loves me, I have a fine son who is getting on well in his life. I have great family and friends.

I’ve achieved things, I have books published, people in my community know who I am, and respect me. But I am a flawed person, one who realises all of us are also flawed in some ways, because that is the nature of being human. But I definitely know I have plenty of time, and the ability to be better than I currently am …

I put things off until another time, and I fail to give attention to the most important things to be done. I know these things, but what am I doing? I’m sitting on my bottom, writing about it, when it would be much more beneficial if I were sending off copies of my relevant CV to organisations who may want me as a Public Speaker. I even have an email that I could easily flick off to relevant bodies, and I have a fair idea of who those bodies are, that may respond favourably.

So have I done it yet? No, not really, and why not? Well, it’s a difficult time of the year, the between time after Christmas, but before the New Year. And I’m not entirely convinced my ideas on what I would talk about would be as good as I’d like to think. And, and, and. So do I have a plan for when and to whom I’m going to send off my CV, sell my worth as a great public speaker, step up into the lime light? No, of course not. And why not?

Hmm a good question that one. Why on earth haven’t I done that yet, at least devised, or begun devising a plan of action to get this done? I think I know the answer, and it’s a shameful one, in some ways, but again, not an uncommon one. The reason, of course, is fear. Fear of not measuring up, of not being good enough. Fear of failure.

But is that even a thing worthy of my ongoing thoughts? If I try something and fail, I will try again, if it’s something I care enough about, and the more I try, and fail and try again, the more I will learn, and eventually, the better at that thing I will be. That’s a good thing, something to aim at, not to fear.

So why am I still here, sitting on my bottom, and not looking at and improving my CV, and adding new possible organisations to send it off to? Inertia, comfort, and yes, still that fear, that feeling my best won’t be good enough. I need a big kick up my comfy bottom, so I get a move on and get things done!

If anyone out there has big boots, please give me that kick up the bottom, so I’ll get a move on, and move into the new year with plans and ideas, and gigs booked! Thanks, all comments welcome, I need the inspiration, the embarrassment, the oomph, to break through and get me moving!

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First Steps – Hardest to Take

carolyncordon

Being something is always difficult. I remember, as an eight year old, I wanted to be a bike rider. I’d been given a bike for my birthday, and had sat on it, but that didn’t make me a bike rider. To get to that illustrious stage, I had to actually get both feet on the bike pedals, and pedal, fast, to beat Gravity!

But taking feet from the safety of the ground was the scary part, pedalling is hard work, and Gravity is a bitch and hated me. But eventually, after attempts and failures, skun skin, blood, bruises and pain, I did it, I became a bike rider. That first step to the glory of being a bike rider is like many things in life, it’s scary, and painful, if not physically, then emotionally. Being the loser that falls over instead of zooming along the road is embarrassing, at the least, and even worse if one lets it be.

But being a learner at anything, these are the needed steps, and each time you try something, really give it all you’ve got, well that is a thing to celebrate, no matter the result. So you fail at getting all the way down the driveway on your bike? So what, you got both feet from the ground and you pedalled some, you champ! One metre, two metres, ten, twenty, five thousand metres and more, it all starts with getting both feet off the ground, and trying.

So, if I am going to be the whatever it is I want to be, I will have to get my feet off the ground and pedal my hardest, ignoring any fear, and making sure I have enough band aids, to stop from bleeding too much! I can do this. I know I can, and I have the mindset, the story, the desire to share, and the ability to do the job. I am on my way to being the Public Speaker I most want to be!

You see, that is definitely one of my plans, my desired life roles. I have a story, I am able to speak well, interestingly, and both entertain, and inspire others. I know this, because I have been told so, by the ones who were entertained, or inspired by me and my words. I’ve lived a life worth telling others about. I’ve been down, way done, and am now up much, much higher.

So I have an inspiring tale to tell, regarding at least two kinds of potentially bad news, that have become good news stories, because of how I have been able to rise above the bad, to make it good. Child sexual abuse, and then a potentially crippling disability, both gotten over, and not holding me back. My life may have had some negative aspects, but my life attitude, that is rolled gold positive stuff!

I am now living a good life, because I have worked at making it so. Some things can hold you down, if you let them, for sure. I have been able to work through the bad things, with help from terrific family and friends, and am now living a good life, on the way to becoming a great life. I have written words I’ve shared and will continue to share with others, and now it’s time to share my spoken words!

I will become a noted public speaker, and if it couldn’t happen this year, for the obvious reason of this terrible Covid 19, let it be next year, with the year 2021 becoming the year I took my next, and possibly biggest step into the life of a Public Speaker. This blog post is announce my commitment to stepping more directly into public life, a firm step into life as a public speaker, as all of my writing life, books written and published have been steps towards affirming the truth of being an interesting person, adept with words, and with plenty of good stuff to tell others about!

My contact details are here, my book details are here As you can see, if you take a look, I have written on a wide range of things, some serious, some funny, all of it interesting! If you need a public speaker, contact me, and we can make it happen!

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The Value of Words

carolyncordon

So, at this particular time in history, we are on the cusp of changing the President of the United States of America. Whatever and whoever you would prefer to have as the actual President come 2021, we have witnessed many words, some false, some true, so spoken with a boasters bluff, some with a humble hope and strength in belief.

I am not a religious person, but when listening to the first speech of President Elect Joe Biden, I was impressed by his words, the way he calmly, but strongly put forward his hopes for all of the people of the United States of America, and for the better future for the whole world. No bragging, just a calm strength of purpose.

If I were to model my own possible life as a public speaker, I would watch this speech, time and time again. If I were able to give my words in such a strong and hopeful way, no rubbish, just truth and hope for better things to some. No bragging about myself, only truth of who I am and what I have done. Not false words on what I will do, if I can’t do it, but words of hope for bigger and better things that may be possible, if I were able to inspire better things for the future.

I can do this!

True words, strong words, hope and care. Can I be that person, to do this? I believe I can, and I know I can and will write and speak words that touch others, I’ve done it before, I can do it again, if and when the moment and inspiration both come, and my chance to speak has come. I can be that person.

I value words, and I am committed to producing words of value, because the words deserve that from all of us, who call ourselves wordsmiths. The words deserve our very best work!

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Public Speaker, Workshop Presenter …

carolyncordon

I have been a poet and writer of prose, as well as a blogger for quite some years now, but the life of being a Public Speaker, in any big way, has long eluded me. But now, oh now, I feel that is all about to change.

I have a disability, Multiple Sclerosis, OH how sad, right? Not really, it’s under control with medication and lifestyle actions, from diet, to exercise, as well as working to live as stress-free and positive life as I can. It seems to be working, I haven’t had a relapse for quite some time. I know, though, that one could hit me at any time.

I was diagnosed with MS back in 2010, ten years ago, so it’s something I know quite a bit about. I’ve also been interested in dogs, in a few different ways, dogs as pets, showing dogs, breeding purebred dogs, doing obedience training too, in a minor way. And writing about dogs, in both serious, and amusing ways, with three books so far, about a dog who lives in my mind, named Buster the Dog!

Not Buster the Dog, but our Dog, Missy, with her little friend Herman the German.

Gardening is an interesting thing in my life too, and I’m currently getting assistance to get my place made safer for me, and with better quality of life. This is paid for by the government, via the NDIS, and I am grateful for that, or I will be once it is all finished.

I also have lived experience of child sexual and other sexual abuse, fortunately from a much earlier time in my life, my life now is much happier. I have a poetry collection I put together when I was in the healing process of becoming more settled in my life over the things that had happened to me, victim to survivor, and now I can say I am thriving.

So my way of getting through life has relied very much on using my words to heal myself, to entertain others, to explore my life, and the lives of others. And I love to speak to people! Sitting down in small groups and chatting, standing up with a microphone and speaking to a crowd, I love it!

So now, I have a support worker, paid for by NDIS, and she and I are looking to find speaking engagements for me. I give her possible groups I could speak to, and she is working toward getting gigs booked. She will assist me too, once I actually get engagements, by carrying my books I will bring, for possible sales, and book signing, fun times!

And soon, the writing group I’m involved with will be holding its monthly writing workshop, and poetry reading, and I am going to be one of the two workshop presenters, hooray! I will be talking about some forms of poetry, the other presenter another one and some tips of getting small poetry forms published in a particular magazine she has been published in, an Australian one.

I definitely feel like my life, even in these awful Covid times, is heading in a good direction.

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Listening to Authors Talk …

carolyncordon

I love going to authors’ talks, especially when I know the venue and people running the event well, so know what to expect regarding parking, venue. etc. Today I attended an excellent author talk, put on by the Two Wells library. Things were a little different today, because of Covid-related issues, but it all went well, or perhaps even better, as a consequence.

The author was Georgie Brooks, with her first book “A Year in the mud and the toast and the tears”. Georgie spoke well and amusingly as she talked about her year of hell, as a ‘townie’ trying to become a country girl. The problems she faced for that year, some of them anyway, certainly rang bells for me, being a former ‘townie’ who moved to the country back in 1988, with little real understanding about what horrors would be there, waiting for us … I haven’t begun reading Georgie’s book, but if her writing is as good as her talk was, I can see I’m in for a treat!

Learning about what is needed to put on a good author talk, both from the organisational point of view, and the presenter’s point of view, are both important aspects of these things. So that was another reason for me to attend, because I wish to do a lot more public speaking, including author talks such as this one today.

The Two Wells Library was very excited to finally be able to put on this kind of event, which they have often put on in the ‘pre-Covid’ past. They have had training in such things now, Covid Marshall training, so were able to put that training into place, and hold the event with this author, which had previously been planned for March this year.

As I am also a writer, who is quite comfortable about speaking in public, it is important I learn as much as I can about being relevant and interesting too, so that those who may be there to hear me speak, feel I was worthy of their time, and so will be more likely to want to buy my book.

Puss in Boots is my constant companion, when I go to my writing group events

Today I had with me several copies of the newsletter I edit, the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle, and I was able to give the copies to people who seemed interested, and also the guest writer present. (Well, I hope I remembered to give her a copy, anyway … hmm, not sure now). Anyway, I put my hand up and spoke, when there was the opportunity to, and now more people know a bit about who I am, and that is always a good idea, if you have books to sell, and when you are looking to get public speaking opportunities!

So all in all, I did well, as a writer and reader. I have a new and entertaining book to read, and I talked about, and handed out the newsletter I edit, as well as talking a little to some attendees about some of the books I have written.

And yesterday, I, with the assistance of my support worker, put copies of my books that are for sale, into the boot of my car, so that now, whenever I go anywhere in my car, I will have my books available for sale, as long as my car isn’t too far away. And if my car isn’t really close, I can easily grab some of the books and bring them with me.

I’m feeling very much the organised writer now, ready for whatever may occur …