You can learn new things at any time in your life

if you’re willing to be a beginner.

If you actually learn to like being a beginner,

the whole world opens up to you.

~Barbara Sher

We were born knowing very little. And over our lifetime, we’ve accumulated skills, knowledge, abilities, and expertise.  Some of us keep learning; others stop at a certain point.

Those that stop get to the point that they don’t want to look silly, they don’t want to look like they don’t have their act together, so they stop trying new things. And they get left behind.

In today’s world, things are moving too fast to stay where we are.  We must be open to new ideas, new experiences, new learning opportunities.  We must be willing to evolve, to reinvent, and to redefine ourselves.

And sometimes that means being a beginner.  It means not having it all together.  It means being willing to make mistakes, to learn from them, and to grow.

It means reading books, going to classes, getting coaching, attending learning events, and trying out new things.

I wouldn’t tell you to do something I’m not doing myself.  In the last couple of months, I’ve presented on two telesummits (new skill for me), learned how to do mosaics, took a pottery sculpture workshop, hired a new coach, took a sales skills workshop, and read two books in my field.

I’d challenge you to make a commitment to learn something new in the next 60 days.  Be brave. Try something you’ve wanted to try.  Be a beginner.  And open up your world.

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I’m going to admit something to you that I’m a little bit embarrassed by.  I watch America’s Got Talent. Now, I’m not much of a television person—I pretty much watch Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and HGTV.  But there’s something about America’s Got Talent that I really like.

I like seeing the amazing, undiscovered talent of some of the contestants.  And watching some of the less talented people is a bit like slowing down at the scene of an accident. I want to look away, but somehow I can’t.

Tuesday night, though, one of the contestants said something that I want to share with you. To give those of you who don’t watch the show some background, The Miami All Stars are a 42 person dance troupe from Miami. A husband and wife, who dance in the troupe, have trained the 40 young dancers.

Tuesday, they had a challenge. After rehearsing all week, they found out that there were legal issues with the song they were using, and they were not able to use that music.  Just hours before their live performance, they had to change the music, and therefore their act.

They did a fabulous job. The audience and the judges loved them.  After their performance, Nick Cannon, the host, asked, “How does it feel?”

I loved the leader’s answer. He said, “It feels great because we had some issues with the music, and we just got it a few hours ago.  And we had to get through. But life is about that. You must get through what life gives you. It is what it is. We don’t find excuses in this group.”

Now I don’t know about you, but I find that profoundly wise.  They could have let the sudden music shift blow their confidence.  They could have used it as an excuse not to give a stellar performance.  But they didn’t. They took a “no excuses” position, and did what it took to revamp the act and perform with excellence.

It got me thinking about speaking in front of audiences.  Often, things go wrong.  The speaker before you goes long, and your time is cut.  The meeting planner forgot to copy your handouts.  Although you had an agreement in advance that this would not happen, the wait staff is clearing the dishes off the tables during your after-dinner speech and is distracting the audience.

These things happen.  It’s critical that we take a “no excuses” stance when faced with these obstacles, and still deliver a speech that “wows” our audience and makes a difference in their lives. We have to be able to make it work and give our audience the experience they deserve.

It also got me thinking about our businesses.  Do you take a “no excuses” position and do what it takes to get the results that you want? Or do you let obstacles, setbacks, and circumstances get in your way?  Do you find excuses as to why you didn’t accomplish what you committed to do? Do you cut yourself too much slack?

I invite you to be like the Miami All Stars.  Let go of excuses, and blame and complaining.  And watch your life, your speaking, and your business transform.

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“There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, ‘Yes, I’ve got dreams. Of course I’ve got dreams.’  Then they put the box away and bring it out  once in a while to look in it, and yep, they’re still there. These are great dreams, but they never even got out of the box.  It takes an uncommon amount of guts to put your dreams  on the line, to hold them up and say, ‘How good or bad am I?’ That’s where courage comes in.” Erma Bombeck

I love talking to entrepreneurs.  They are passionate about what they do, they want to have a big impact, and they have big dreams. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and they can talk endlessly about their passion.

And for many it stops there. They’re spinning their wheels, don’t have enough clients to make the money they want, and don’t know what to do to change that. 

Don’t be one of them. Develop a sound business strategy, create action steps to implement that strategy, and have successful client attraction processes.

The fastest path to cash, to clients, and to your dreams is positioning yourself as an expert, sharing information, and attracting clients who want to work with you. And there’s no better way to do that than through public speaking.

Are you positioning yourself for success? Do you know who your perfect target market and audience is?  Have you developed a signature speech?  Do you have the skills to deliver it powerfully from the stage?

If you haven’t grabbed my f*ree ebook, “Rock Your Speaking: Seven Secrets to Delivering Powerful Speeches that Grow Your Business, Make You Money, and Increase Your Impact,” you can get it here. It won’t cost you a thing, and it’s chock full of information.  It will help you position yourself for the success you crave and get that dream out of the box.

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