Who the Champion of Choice Really Is

When this all began back in May, I called myself The Champion of Choice. I have struggled with that 'title' because I've been so concerned with viewing it as a title, when, in fact, it is an action.

I champion choice. I fully believe we have the power to choose every action everyday, and we can deconstruct the present state of our lives based on the choices we have made, or chosen not to make. I know I am where I am right now because of each choice I've made. Continuing this blog is one of those choices.

Even after deleting the posts and videos from the first challenge, which I already regret, there is enough in this blog to let people know I'm not as financially successful as Tony Robbins, Ed Tate, or even OctoMom. Well, maybe OctoMom.

Do I want a meeting planner, corporation, or potential coaching client to read past posts know that I'm not an all-out success yet? That I still have goals I'm pursuing, and the big house, fast car, and massive bank account don't yet exist? That I'm still at the beginning of this journey, as opposed to being inundated with bookings and enjoying the speaker life in full? All it takes is a quick look at this blog, and they can see what struggles I face, without yet acquiring all the victories I aspire to achieve. (Of course, I don't have meeting planners bothering right now, since many of those goals revolve around marketing, but that's beside the point.)

Beyond this blog, the silver screen is lurking. Next year, a movie called SpeakEasy will come out, and it won't be hindered by my fear. It's a documentary about Public Speaking, with the storyline of the 2008 World Championship of Public Speaking as its overriding silver thread. I wasn't doing great during this time of my life financially, and was facing personal and family health challenges (some we knew about, some we didn't) throughout. Anyone who sees that movie will see a very stressed-out version of me in the midst of crisis. Of course, the viewer can also see it as "wow, he made it to the World Championship even through all that crap?"

There's no hiding from reality. I'm a financially strapped speaker/coach who can speak with the best of 'em, and inspire and coach others to transform their thought process and speaking skills in ways they never thought possible. Really. I hear that, or a version of that, every time.

I have allowed my present reality to hold me back, essentially extending my reality. My choice has been fear. Fear of being 'found out'. Fear that my competition will point to me and say "if he were really that good, would he be where he is?"

The reality of my reality, however, has nothing to do with talent or ability. It has to do with fear. Fear of not being credible, fear of investing everything and coming up empty, fear of giving others too much to judge. That means I haven't made the choices to succeed.

I've had enough. Because there isn't an audience out there that wouldn't benefit from what I have to say, there isn't a speaker I couldn't help improve in some way, regardless of my bank balance or stress level. Sound arrogant? I've been afraid of that too. No more.

So read the blog. Watch the movie. But remember to talk to my clients, too. Read Speak & Deliver, and my wife's blog Thriving with Neurofibromatosis. Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook. See who I really am. My life proves my own philosophy - our future is ours to create by choice. I've made the choices to survive. The choice to hold onto my family without losing grip of my dream. The choice to build my wife's dreams even as I pursue my own. But ultimately, the choice to fear failure so intensely I have failed by not charging forward with every ounce of energy. Which brings us to now.

The choice I'm making today, December 1st, 2009, is to stop being afraid of reality, in order to build a new one.

What is your reality? What can you do better than anything else, regardless of any other circumstances in your life? What choices are you making out of fear?

The future belongs to The Champions. The Champions of Choice.