My conversation with Ryan Estis last week about the roller coaster of our industry got me thinking about how grateful I am to have been in this industry for the past 25 years. Here’s why.
We live in some turbulent and difficult times. Media is littered with a non-stop barrage of bad news and tragedy. Social media has given our society an unfiltered voice, which has gotten very critical and vocal on just about every topic, big or small. For Pete’s sake, you can’t even kiss your child on the lips without hearing from the haters!! (Really??)
But guess what?
Most of us in the world of professional speaking have kept it positive. Moreover, I feel such gratitude when I visit my favorite places online, where the message is peaceful and uplifting. It can do a spirit good. I do not want to take the kindness of our industry for granted; it has always been that way, but guess what? It is not always like this in other spaces.
[Tweet “#Speakers: Are you embracing your role as an ambassador of #hope? – via @janeatkinson”]
What’s our role moving forward?
95% of the speakers that I work with come to the platform with messages of hope. From ideas that help people run better businesses to thoughts on innovation and performance, to building corporate cultures where people are excited to work to straight up motivation, these are all hopeful messages.
Libby Gill, who speaks to leaders about hope, says this:
“Although most people don’t think of “hope” as part of the leadership toolkit, I consider it the most significant – and overlooked – element in the workplace today. And I’m not alone. The pioneers of “hope theory,” from the positive psychology and medical communities, tell us that high-hope people set more goals; have goals that are more difficult to attain; are more successful in reaching their goals; and are happier than low-hope people. Leaders who feed hope increase engagement, drive performance, and inspire success.”
No doubt you are already playing the ambassador role in our industry when you hop onto the stage, but my hope is that you are living it all the way around, on and off the platform.
Now you may say that you cannot hold your tongue on something that you believe strongly about. I get that. But how do we get our message across while maintaining the dignity of being an ambassador of hope? Ask yourself, are you spreading hope or are you spreading fear? Moreover, which one do you want to be known for?
I will not be attending our industry’s Influence Conference this weekend in Phoenix, and I will hate to miss it due to my schedule, but I hope you all will walk away feeling smarter, stronger and more confident in your role as ambassadors of hope. Because sharing positive messages to the world (and getting paid for it) is the BEST job there is!
See you soon Wealthy Speakers!
