To be more assertive, Stop saying this, or things like -

'Oh, foolish me'
'Oh, you know I just can never get things right'
'You know I'm just so pig-headed'
'You know I'm just so X, Y, Z'

You finish making a very intelligent contribution on a thread, on social media, your WhatsApp group, or in class, and you end it by saying, 'Well, that's just my two cents'.

I find such talk belittling, discounting of YOU!

Because are you really foolish?

Or did all that energy, time, research, and data that you contributed to the conversation equate to only two cents?

For real?

If it was just two cents, why did you drop it?

Do you see my challenge?

Many times, we're not able to own up to our strengths, own up to our genius, either because we're trying to sound humble, or we really are trying to be humble, or we're just not sure how to assert our authority, our power, our greatness because we're trying not to shine too much, just a little, not enough.

My question is WHY!?

Why do we try to reduce our light?

Why do we try to fit in when we are meant to stand out?

Why do we try to make ourselves sound less intelligent than we really are?

Are we trying not to intimidate other people?

Or perhaps we're trying not to sound like we know we are really great.

Whatever it is, and you know what I'm talking about, drop a comment and say, 'Joyce I know what you're talking about', whatever it is, by all means, please stop saying things that make you less than you really are, or make you seem less than you really are.

It's kind of contradictory because on the one hand, you want to be great, you want to be seen, you want to be heard, you want to OWN your stage, you want to be referred to as the subject matter expert when you get there.

And on the other hand, you are saying,

'just my two cents'
'Oh, foolish me'


STOP IT!
STOP IT!!

You're greater than that!

Own it with me and say, Joyce, I know I'm greater than that!

So stop it!

The last time you ended your invaluable, inestimable piece of contribution with just my two cents, let that be the last time you would ever do it in your entire life.

Now, this is a teeny-weeny part of the conversation we have in lesson one of my three-lesson online course called PREPARE TO SPEAK!

Prepare To Speak is for subject matter experts like yourself, professionals, mid- to senior-level executives, who need to 'OWN Their Stage' and speak with clarity and confidence.

In lesson one, we deal with who am I and who is my audience?

Who am I?
What am I made of?
What are my strengths that gives me the power to prepare to speak to this audience?

And who is this audience?
And what are they expecting of me?

Should you require to face an audience sooner than later, within the next two, three, four months, one year, and you want to speak with power, authority, confidence, and clarity, then Prepare To Speak is for YOU!

I look forward to seeing you at prepare to speak.

See YOU soon!



Music: Views
Musician: @iksonmusic