5 #SpeakandWrite 2016 Quotes for Entrepreneurs
Last month, I attended #SpeakandWrite2016, an event for speakers, authors, and entrepreneurs led by Lisa Nichols and the Motivating the Masses (MTM) team. I’m a firm believer of continuous learning, and I make it a point to invest in books, courses, and conferences that will help elevate me both personally and professionally. While I’ve volunteered at an MTM event, #SpeakandWrite2016 was my first event as an attendee. It was a 3-day conference (4 if you attended the Bonus VIP day), which was nothing short of enlightening. To be surrounded by so many game-changers who are willing to support and pour into each other is such an amazing thing to witness. There were definitely tear-jerker moments – what I like about MTM is that they don’t solely focus on the business, they dig into the inner work because that’s where the true breakthroughs happen. While the entire experience was jam-packed with value, I’ve listed 5 quotes from the event that have helped throughout my entrepreneurial journey. I hope it will help you along yours as well.
1. "Every market is saturated. Your story is the differentiator." –Keri Murphy
Someone…SOMEwhere is in the same line of business as you. But the path you took to get there, aka your story – will be completely different. When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, an author-entrepreneur was not on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to become a lawyer. I was an aspiring attorney with a passion to create. I had a change of heart in 2011, though, and went to business school instead. Throughout those transitions, I often wondered how I could make a living from my creative gifts. I finally answered my calling in 2012 and I’ve been on the quest to becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur since. That’s my story. Jane or John Doe over there might will have a different one. Your story is the gatekeeper to being relatable.
[Tweet "YOUR story is the gateway to being relatable."]
2. "Imperfect action > perfect delay" –Jennifer Kem
I’m a recovering perfectionist. It took me a while to shake that perfection streak and while it’s still a struggle some days, I realize now that we cannot afford to wait and wait and wait to pull the trigger until it’s “perfect.” If you never materialize the vision, you will miss the opportunity to improve and make it better.
[Tweet "If you never materialize the vision, you miss the opportunity to improve and make it better."]
When your idea is out, you can always tweak it and buff it out later. If it stays in your head, stays unpublished, or [insert another form of inactivity here], you’re robbing others of your gift. The way that this digital era is set up, your content becomes stale with the blink of an eye. We can’t afford to deprive the world of our content.
3. "You have to decide whether your contribution is greater than your discomfort." –Alyse McConnell
Growth happens on the outside of your comfort zone. One of the things that I’m not particularly comfortable with is public speaking. Freezing up in front of my class in sixth grade to rushing through presentations in college – public speaking was just never my thing. That and seeing myself on film. I cringe a little every time I have to watch a replay of myself. Anyone know the feeling?
Now that I’m building a brand and a business, I’m seeing more and more that one of the most effective ways for people to connect with you and your story is if they can actually see and hear you. It’s not enough to shoot an email or text here and there (my comfort zone), especially if I’m trying to make an impact in this world. I've learned that staying in your comfort zone keeps you small and limits your impact.
[Tweet "Staying in your comfort zone keeps you small and limits your impact."]
4. "There is a gift in you that somebody is waiting for." –Nicole Roberts Jones
During #SpeakandWrite2016, Nicole talked about how we often times discredit our gifts because it comes easy to us. I know I've discredited my creative abilities. I never thought it could help or impact any one in any way. That all changed when I actually started sharing what came natural to me. The more I exposed, the more I started hearing from people sharing how much I inspired them.
We were all brought here for a purpose. We all have an assignment and a why. Whether it is fear, doubt, or other self-limiting belief, someone is waiting to be enlightened by you. Don’t leave this earth without allowing another to experience your gift. Our gifts are a part of someone's breakthrough.
5. "You have nothing to hide, nothing to protect, nothing to prove, nothing to defend." –Lisa Nichols
When I heard Lisa say this, I immediately thought about the care-free nature we had as kids. You know, that life where the only responsibility we had was to play, watch cartoons, and live in sheer bliss? But then life happens, we get old(er), and we're tainted by the common stressors in life. Wearing a chip on our shoulders becomes the norm and we become prideful and defensive.
When Lisa spoke these words, it brought me to the realization that we don't have to face the world with boxing gloves - especially not in the MTM community. Knowing that we have nothing to hide, protect, prove, nor defend gives us permission to be authentically and unapologetically ourselves. When we are authentically and unapologetically ourselves, no boxing gloves are needed.
I want to hear from you. Which of these 5 quotes resonate with you the most and why?
