Something very interesting happened at the Castain household on Friday night!
My two sons decided to enter a local talent show.
I know . . . so what and No, I wasn’t out of stuff to blog about. There’s a lesson if you stay with me for a moment.
They entered the talent show and decided to get up in front of their peers.
Not the easiest thing to do when you’re 18 or 16 . . .
Heck, most of us get nervous even thinking about that.
Its one thing to do a speech . . . its another thing to get up and perform.
Please allow me to add one minor detail. Neither one of my sons performs.
One received a scholarship and is about to study software engineering. The other has aspirations of becoming an architect.
In their spare time, they like to rap. The metal head in me cringes writing that, but they’re actually pretty damn good.
And no, I’m not just saying that because I’m their proud father . . . I’m saying it because they deserve that compliment.
Why?
They earned it!
They practiced relentlessly.
When they went up on stage, they brought confidence, attitude and apparently some talent with them because . . .
They won!
It made me reflect upon things that made me uncomfortable at one point, that I too had faced up to.
Like getting up on a stage and speaking.
There was a point (about 13 years ago) where I decided to face my fear and today I’m really glad I did because . . .
As fate would have it, there isn’t a really good market for key note speakers who are scared of getting up in front of crowds. 🙂
Today we are all cordially invited to push our comfort zone, take a risk and make sure that we “show up” with a little bit of “attitude”.
I triple dog dare ya!
For those of you who would like to improve upon your ability to present one on one or in front of groups, please click on this link for details on my upcoming webinar Presenting Our Solutions With Impact!
Congratulations to your sons! They were winners before they won.
Congrats to you and your family! Speak to you soon.
Thanks Richie!
Awesome Uncle Paul!!
My respect for your boys. Congrats to them!
I definitely have stage fright so….
Thank YOU Peter . . . much appreciation!
Very kind of you to say that Mary Beth . . . thank you so much!
congrats to your sons. my six year old plays piano. he is o.k., not great. but he gets up there and hammers it out. great experience for the youth!!!! when I am prepared, I have never met a microphone I didn’t like. LOL
Thanks Lou!
“When I am prepared, I have never met a microphone I didn’t like.” I love that! Well said!
Congrats to them both! They signed themselves up for an opportunity and were prepared to meet it.
Keep my information, if they become a Software Engineer and an Architect, I may be able to help them with their first jobs. I recruit for both areas. 🙂
Thank you and in a few years I might just take you up on that 🙂
3 short years ago my daughter entered her first horse judging competition, and broke down in tears when defending her placings for the judges in a local competition. Last summer she won the National Championship for Arabian Horse Judging, as a 15 year old. This weekend she was runner-up at the 4-H VA State championships.
I wish I still had a teens capacity to learn and change. Change is slower and takes much longer at my age 🙂
I’m sure your kid’s success is not unrelated to seeing Dad jump into the deep end of the pool himself! Congrats!
Congratulations to your daughter and to the proud Dad too Chris!
Thank you for the kind words as well. I really appreciate it!
Hi Paul,
Your boys are a credit to their Dad, no doubt learning by osmosis and direct fathering that you do not get anything unless you go out and work for it. Even when it is outside the comfort zone!!
I coach Water Polo at a level about the same age as your sons, and it is a constant message that you have to do it yourself or it doesn’t get done.
I am one of the fortunate ones who just loves a crowd to speak too, big or small, it does not matter, presenting and coaching is “my thing”.
Thanks for your tips and info, I am also a “life time learner, and enjoy what you bring to the table.
Cheers
“
Congrats to your boys, Paul! That’s fantastic! 😀
I think anyone who has the ability (and courage) to stand up in front of people – be it to perform in a talent show, be a key note speaker, be a presenter in business, etc. – and can do so with confidence, should be admired.
And I do. Admire them.
I daresay these folks still get butterflies (or even panic) on the inside – but the ability to stand up and do it anyway? That takes character – and attitude! And to knock it out of the park? They deserve whatever success comes from it! 🙂
Hm. A triple dog dare? Guess I can’t really ignore that, eh? 😉
Virtually Yours,
Anne-Marie