This week we’ve been talking about the importance of hard work, perseverance and a creative routine when it comes to building your professional speaking career. To continue a bit more in the same vein, today I’d like to share a TEDTalk by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of the best-selling memoir Eat, Pray Love.
In her talk, Gilbert suggests adopting a new way of thinking that will help nurture your creativity. She suggests the notion that one’s creativity – or one’s genius – comes from some outside unknowable source, not from within.
“You know, I think that allowing somebody, one mere person to believe that he or she is like, the vessel, you know, like the font and the essence and the source of all divine, creative, unknowable, eternal mystery is just a smidge too much responsibility to put on one fragile, human psyche,” Gilbert says. “It’s like asking somebody to swallow the sun. It just completely warps and distorts egos, and it creates all these unmanageable expectations about performance. And I think the pressure of that has been killing off our artists for the last 500 years.”
I think that this is an interesting idea for creative types in general – and professional speakers in particular – to keep in mind. As a speaker, you have a message you want to share with the world, but once you find yourself in the spotlight it’s easy to lose sight of this fact. It’s important to always remember that it is the message that matters – not you. People will always expect impossible things from artists, writers and other creative types, but as long as you keep believing in yourself and working away on your message something good will come of it.
“Don’t be afraid. Don’t be daunted. Just do your job,” says Gilbert. “Continue to show up for your piece of it, whatever that may be. If your job is to dance, do your dance. And if the divine, cockeyed genius assigned to your case decides to let some sort of wonderment be glimpsed just for one moment, through your efforts, then ‘Olé!’ And if not, do your dance anyhow. And ‘Olé!’ to you, nonetheless, just for having the sheer human love and stubbornness to keep showing up.”
I think that Elizabeth Gilbert, Henry Miller and Ira Glass would all agree that by harnessing your creativity, working hard and persevering you are sure to succeed in spreading your message. So here’s a final “Olé!” to you for continuing on in your professional speaking endeavours. To your speaking success! And have a great weekend.
