When was the last time you thought, “I can’t…”?
As the saying goes, “Don’t believe everything you think.”
Sometimes, the way that we communicate with ourselves isn’t helpful.
What do you miss out on when you avoid doing something because you tell yourself you can’t? What would life be like if you actually did the thing you thought you couldn’t do?
For years, I told myself I couldn’t go “on holiday” without my laptop. This started for me in the corporate world and continued when I established my own business.
Last week, I was about to leave for a long-weekend reunion in Germany with friends from my student days – 28 years ago. We were coming together from the U.S., U.K., Netherlands, Germany, and Japan.
I decided that morning NOT to take my laptop – gasp!
It felt like a HUGE risk. What if I needed to respond to something? What if I missed something?
Well, it wouldn’t be so bad because at least I had my phone…
And I planned to use my phone to do a Facebook Live every day until the end of the month because I had lots that I wanted to tell people about (see the replays on the Sasuga Communications Facebook page).
I realized though that when I was thinking about doing the Facebook Lives it took time away from being with my friends.
At first, I thought, “I can’t NOT do the Facebook Lives because I said I’m going to do them.”
But then I questioned whether that was true.
Was it going to cause a big problem if I didn’t do them? No.
Wasn’t it reasonable to skip the Facebook Lives on Saturday and Sunday to focus on this precious time with friends instead? Absolutely.
So that’s what I ultimately did – even though it felt a bit uncomfortable to not do something that I’d said I would do.
I’m so glad that I didn’t do the weekend Facebook Lives and I didn’t have my laptop to distract me. Instead I spent a wonderful time eating sausages and cake, drinking a few beers, and laughing lots with dear friends.
Next time you notice that you’re saying to yourself “I can’t,” ask whether it’s true….
Do you want to communicate clearly, confidently, and convincingly in your online meetings and presentations?
In the brand new self-study course Speak Like An Expert Online, you’ll learn how to
- Analyze your audience to be sure your message matters to them
- Overcome nerves, so that you can speak clearly and connect with your audience
- Structure your communication to make it easy to follow
- Make the most of your body language and voice to engage your audience and clarify your points
- Design and deliver PowerPoint slides that clearly support your message instead of confusing your audience
and more
Discover all the ways Speak Like An Expert Online can help you here.