Rising To The Occasion

My intention isn’t to toot my own horn today, but it’s definitely going to sound like it is. Something I have to give myself credit for is I’ve always been a “game-time” kind of guy. When I was a D1 college soccer player, I wasn’t the best in practice but I pretty much always played well in the game. When I’m invited to speak on a podcast or at an event, I feel like I usually do pretty well. I rise to the occasion when I need to… And I think this is why:

I am rigorous about my preparation. In soccer I was in the rehab room every day doing exercises to proactively keep my body healthy. I would eat healthy and get sleep every day, even in the off-season, not just the days before a game. When I’m paid to speak I run through my presentation dozens of times, recording myself and reviewing how I did.

When it’s time to execute, you tap into a more natural state of flow when you’re prepared. You show up with more confidence because you know that you’re ready for it. I relate with confidence as “feeling good about how things are going to go.” You can be confident in uncertain situations because you know that you’re positioned to perform well in them. 

This is how I feel when I’m invited to speak on a podcast or lead a workshop. I’ve done it so many times, and feel like I know my stuff so well, that I’m confident I can rise to the occasion and do it well with minimal notice.

Being ready for game-time has everything to do with what you do before the game starts. So if you’re noticing that you want to be better on sales calls, know what types of questions you want to ask so that you can focus on listening to your prospect. If you want to be able to respond to an emergency, keep your First Aid certification active so that you’re fresh on all the processes.

How you show up when it’s all on the line is within your control! A higher level of performance comes naturally when you’ve done the work to be prepared for it. 

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