My hand shakes, reaching for the doorknob. With my first time on the Stanford University campus, I have this one meeting — one chance — to secure a big opportunity. If I do well, I’ll be able to serve as a guest lecturer to MBA students at Stanford. I’d enjoy a significant step forward in my journey as an educator. Or I could fall on my face.
Can I do this?
How about you? Have you recently faced one of those do-or-die moments? One of those moments of “my life changes for the better or I could choke”?
I’ve learned about a crucial element to rising to a higher level of success. It’s learning how to perform at your best when you’re tired, afraid or feeling rejected.
This was so important for my clients and audiences that I developed a process, The 3 A’s to Perform at Your Best.
- Access what you don’t know
- Adapt through rehearsal
- Align with your Personal Energy Buffer
1. Access what you don’t know
It’s crucial to develop a Circle of Support. I have my own coaches, and I serve as the Spoken Word Strategist and Executive Coach for my clients.
In your Circle of Support, have those people who will listen to you when you have a fledgling idea. Be careful about any negative family members. I have a family member whose negativity creates a place where good ideas go to die.
Instead, I invite you to develop friendships with people who can walk with you during a process of uncertainty. I’ve noticed that a new idea might sound like something with no chance to work, but it can serve as a step on a ladder so that you rise.
2. Adapt through rehearsal
Rehearsal has served me in so many areas: job interviews, acting on movie sets, speeches and interviews on television.
My rehearsals helped that day at Stanford University. I secured two opportunities to address MBA students at Stanford.
Here is a crucial distinction. You do better by going beyond merely rehearsing your text. Instead, focus on rehearsing for situations when things go wrong.
When you know how to handle something that goes wrong, your True Confidence is enhanced.
For example, if you misspeak, you can say, “That’s not what I meant to say. What I meant to say was …” Then, you start again and express the words in an effective and compelling manner.
It’s still vital to rehearse how you will handle a mistake. You make your method to recover into a part of you.
3. Align with your Personal Energy Buffer
To perform at your best in a high-stress situation, rehearsal is key. As a trained actor and professional speaker, I noticed that with effective rehearsal I have even more freedom to improvise. How is this so? It’s because I have connected with the essence of the most important ideas that I want to communicate.
Just as important as rehearsal, your Personal Energy Buffer can empower your performance. By this I mean, you need extra personal energy every day. Why? Because on any day you may be hit with a painful, scary, bad surprise.
With extra personal energy, you’re ready to face such tough moments. You build up your Personal Energy Buffer by getting enough sleep. I log my sleep, and I’ll take steps to gain more sleep if I miss hours of sleep on a particular night.
The basics will help you develop that extra buffer of personal energy. The basics may include good nutrition, exercise, quiet time (perhaps, meditation), playful time with a pet, and quality time with people you care about.
The value of a Personal Energy Buffer comes to light with research on tennis pros. During a tennis match, a tennis pro only leaps into action for 20 minutes — of a 3-hour match. Otherwise, the tennis pro is relaxing between bursts of energy.
One of my clients, a sports psychologist, emphasizes that she helps Olympic athletes develop appropriate poise and relaxation so they have full access to their best energy when necessary.
Your Personal Energy Buffer helps you bounce back from rejection. It takes energy to say next! and make the next phone call or go to a meeting after having a disappointing experience of rejection. Do what is required to keep up your strength.
Nurture yourself and keep yourself strong. This is the process so you can succeed even if you’re tired, afraid or feeling rejected.
Go the Next Step and See the Video Ep. 50 “Succeed Even If You’re Tired, Afraid or Feeling Rejected” (16 min.)
many happy moments,
Tom
Tom Marcoux
Spoken Word Strategist
CEO – Executive Coach – Pitch Coach
Speaker-Author of 47 books
PitchPowerFest.com GetTheBigYes.com
Get the Advantages to take your business to a higher level. Learn Leadership Advantages, Pitch Advantages, and Success Advantages. To Soar with Confidence, you learn and use principles for top level communication to board members, team members and the media.
“Marcoux demonstrates how to “Prepare a Compelling Story that Moves Emotions.” He mentions techniques that he teaches clients for developing compelling Ted Talks.” – Dantalion Jones
Learn the vital skills of pitching your ideas and enrolling others into your vision. Get that “Big Yes” to funding your project. “This insightful book shows you how to zing a curveball right past the parts of the Hollywood exec’s brain that want to say no before you even make your pitch. You will learn what works when pitching, and more importantly, why, so you can get to YES much more often. Buy this book now. Consider it Spring Training before the big game.” – Danek Kaus
This invaluable guide, used by people in 15 countries and now in its second edition, will help you become immune to dark persuasion. Learn to use countermeasures to defend yourself against unethical persuasion and seduction tactics. Break any trance in which a salesperson is trying to get you to buy something not to your benefit. “Learn how to defend yourself against manipulation. Best book you’ll ever read to protect yourself, feel strong and move forward in your life. Highly recommended!” – Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter
Imagine dining with Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., Helen Keller, and John Lasseter. These seven people share one thing: They’re great communicators. So this book will help you become a great communicator. “Marcoux especially stresses the importance of personal branding, of coming across as trustworthy and dependable.” – Einar Masson
What the Rich Don’t Say about Getting Rich: Work Smarter, Live Better
You want wealth, abundance and enjoyment–yes? Wouldn’t it be great to learn the real strategies that the Rich use to create Sustainable Wealth? This book takes you behind-the-scenes to what really works. You’ll see a lot of myth-busting, and you’ll learn the strategies that get real results. “Tom Marcoux gives you an inside look on the psychology of what it takes to be successfully wealthy in life. It’s more than just taking advantage of opportunity, but also about taking care of yourself. This book discusses a number of strategies that we often overlook when it comes to leading a successful life that leads to wealth generation.” – Barry Adamson II
Amazing You: Enjoy the Power to Get It Done, Get Stronger, Get Credit for It … featuring Secrets of Extreme ConfidenceWould you like to Amaze yourself? This book helps you Get Stronger so you can Get It Done!You’ll learn how you can Get Credit for It! All three elements are crucial so you rise to a higher level of success and happiness. Think about it. If you get it done, but you’re a physical wreck—you lose. If you get things done, but you don’t Get Credit for It—you cannot get new clients. And, you’ll lose your current clients—if they don’t know, in their gut, how their lives are better because you’ve brought them significant benefits. Here’s a secret: You can unleash the Amazing You! Executive Coach Tom Marcoux helps you develop Extreme Confidence. “Tom Marcoux, once again, has written a book filled with practical insights and veteran business expertise that allows individuals to acquire the tools to balance personal and professional life. Tom’s wisdom possesses depth and the experience of someone who has ‘walked the walk.’” – Dr. Arthur Ciaramicoli
Learn how you can tap into your natural gifts and tendencies to radiate Three Types of Charisma. Discover how to influence people with your words. “Marcoux explodes this myth: Charismatic people always feel comfortable before and during an important event, such as public speaking, networking or some other social event. This book shows how you can feel discomfort but still come across as confident and charismatic.The secrets include ways to radiate all three forms of charisma Marcoux describes as Warm Trust Charisma, Natural Charm Charisma and Magnetic Charisma.” – Danek Kaus
Shape the Future, Lead Like a Pro: 3 Skills Every Great Leader Needs to Succeed
This book will empower you with the 3 Skills every Great Leader needs to succeed: Relate, Optimize and Intuit. Learn to excel as a RoiLeader. The Bottom-line: You need an “unfair advantage” of top communication skills. Use Expansive Thinking to handle Disruption and get out ahead of it. “Shape the Future, Lead Like a Pro empowers you with essential leadership skills. Integrity is the foundation of Authentic Leadership. This book helps you lead and retain people who appreciate true leadership and who will excel for your organization.” – Christopher Salem, Host of Sustainable Success Radio Show
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