Have a good day, even when it’s not
I am proud to be a member of the National Association of Speakers. I remember a story about the great Cavett Robert, one of the key founders of the NSA. He always preached doing his best no matter what, and he always practiced his message.
Against the wall
I remember someone sharing a story about their firsthand observation of Cavett Robert during a speaking event. He was sick and feverish. It was shared that, before being introduced, Cavett was leaning his face against a plaster wall, just to get a little cool. He then went on to deliver his program, just as he had promised.
I said to myself, “I hope I never have to do that.” Well, it happened to me a few years ago. Perhaps you have had an experience something like this.
I was scheduled to train teachers at an educational service center in Waco, Texas. I arrived at my destination, checked into the motel and had a bite of dinner. I even went to bed early to be more alert the next day.
After an hour or two of sleeping, I woke up with VIOLENT bouts of vomiting and diarrhea that continued all night – food poisoning. (If my wife had been with me, she would surely have taken me to the hospital).
A new watermark
I tried to calm myself by saying, “This is BAD, but I’ve experienced worse.” No way; this was a new watermark
Luckily it all subsided around 6:00am so I decided to regroup and give it a try. I was so weak and dehydrated it took me forever to shave and get dressed. Fortunately, it took me about 40 minutes to drive to the customer, which gave me the opportunity to grab a 32-ounce bottle of Gatorade. That allowed me to enter the facility without looking like a drunk. But I was so weak and sleep deprived that I could barely stand.
I talked to my client, Gwen, and we decided to give it a try. They brought me a stool (a godsend). It was a rough start, but you know the rest. When they entered my presentation, I was able to feed off their energy. They helped me get ahead and we all had a good day.
Like a good pitcher on a losing streak, we don’t always have our best stuff. But if we keep pitching and stay in the game, things will change.