Last month, I had the honor of being invited to do a video meeting/interview with a well-known psychologist, author and founder of Essential Speaker, Dr. Doreen Downing. Her project was to interview 20 of the top anxiety experts for her Anxiety Expert Showcase.
I was given a week’s notice about the one question she would ask me. I reached out to my coaching clients and asked for their feedback, appreciated it, and look for a common theme.
Despite that preparation, I tend to procrastinate much too much and I waited until 10 minutes before the interview to think through how to answer the question. I didn’t run through it once, never mind rehearse it. I had only a couple minutes to jot down some key words for notes.
In addition, I’m not used to being on video much and I could have better set up the lighting and practiced looking more into the camera directly, along with some other things I could have done differently.
The interview started and I remained calm despite beating myself up a bit – “why didn’t you prepare more”? Then when it was my turn to speak, my natural ability of being able to launch right in on my favorite topic took ahold of me, and I nearly went over the 10 minutes I was planning to speak.
Afterwards, I was happily shocked that it went well, much better than I could have anticipated, and started to let go of the – “why do you always procrastinate, you could have done so much better if only you prepared”.
I had to wait a couple weeks to see the interview. The nervous, yet much more excited “jittery” feeling came over me once it was released.
I watched it. And I was pleasantly surprised, yet at the same time, I picked up on quite a few things I should have done differently/better.
Overall, I rapidly came to the conclusion that I’m happy I took on this amazing opportunity, especially while going through a very difficult time in my life. I gave myself lots of credit for simply saying yes.
I was very excited about my genuine energy and passion of the topic, which is evident in the video. I love the way I was able to kick into my natural autopilot when I speak about things that I’m passionate about.
Deep down, I knew and trusted in myself, that I could wait until the last minute and still do well. This is not the first time and certainly not the last. While I’d like to break this bad habit, it’s incredible to see what I’m capable of under pressure like that.
I could have taken the opposite perspective and gotten mad at myself, however, my biggest lesson is that I can trust myself and not focus on the flaws. What I will always remember is the most important part of the experience – that I didn’t feel anxious, I was myself, and I think my information and tips could really help someone.
I’m very pleased with the outcome of the interview, that I felt no anxiety and that I’ve made years of progress with something I would never have dreamed I’d say yes to.
Want to know how to take advantage of your virtual meetings?
Look at it as practice for in-person events while coaching with me and learning a new mindset and perspective shifts.
Please contact me for more information.
Discounted Coaching Sessions for a limited time. Payment plans are available.
