Find your inspiration, go after your goals

Lately, I have become quite the fan of quotes. Inspirational quotes, biblical quotes, famous quotes: I like them all. In fact, I share most of them on my social networking accounts. You can find these quotes quite easily on Google or any search engine. 

Many people find solace by taping words of wisdom to their mirrors, lockers and even placing them in their binders. Constantly seeing the positive affirmations will lead to a positive outlook.

Motivational quotes can help a person through a tough time. If you need help staying on course, these quotes may give you exactly what you need. 

Another great source of motivation comes from the music that we listen to. It is said that music is the 'ultimate mood enhancer.' A good song can change your perspective on any situation. There are a lot of theories regarding music effecting people. Music affects our mood. It has the power to make you feel motivated or depressed. We may not understand how powerful the lyrics are, but instead recognize the expression of emotion and its power to de-stress.

Here are a few songs to listen to if you are having a hard time believing in yourself. 

If you are looking for inspiration to keep you motivated to achieve your goals, I hope these help you. Or if these do not reflect your life, search for your own quotes, tape them up and read them daily. You will be surprised what you can achieve with a positive attitude.

The spotlight is on you

 The lights go down, you walk onto the stage. A spotlight hits you. Suddenly, your mind goes blank.

Whether you are on the stage to sing, act or give a presentation, stage fright hits everyone at one point or another. Conquering that fear is hard to do. Even the most seasoned performers have their bouts with stage fright. According to entertainmentwise, even Lady Gaga gets nervous before a show.

To some people, speaking in front of crowds comes easy. I have always been jealous of those people. Singing for crowds comes naturally; speaking for them is not as easy.

I share this with legendary singer Carly Simon. She still cannot read aloud but claims that singing has helped conquer stuttering. It is a fact that anyone who stutters will sing fluently. Despite her Grammy and many hits, Carly shares she has "legendary stage fright." She attributes the fear to her "stammer."

Singing in front of the world and doing live interviews would scare most people. It astounds me that anyone with a stutter could face those fears.

For the other 99 per cent of the world's population who do not stutter, if you are afraid of public speaking you have what is known as Glossophobia. Yes, there is a term for the fear of public speaking. According to the Glossophobia website, "Public speaking is considered the greatest fear a person can have, even greater than the fear of death."

If you have a fear of public speaking, there are many options to conquer it. Toastmasters is a club that focuses on public speaking and becoming the best presenter you can be. There is also that tried and tested "practice makes perfect" theory. You will never become better at something if you don't practice. 

Or, if you are like me, you may try the Carly Simon method. Nothing makes you feel better than rocking out to your favourite song. Whichever one you chose, know that a positive attitude can change your perspective on the situation. Stay positive and practice. Oh, and break a leg!

Self-doubt leads no where

A chance meeting at a restaurant gave me the inspiration for this blog. The young waitress had been at her job for too long for her liking. In her words, she was "stuck." She had been there "long enough" and wanted a change.

In this case, her obstacle was self doubt. She knew what she wanted and that she wanted "to get out of here." She wanted to be an airline attendant, but didn't know how to get there. Unsure of her abilities, she was scared to make the next step.

For most of us, fear plays a huge role in the decisions we make. Self doubt can steer even the most confident of people off of their paths. Throughout my reading of multiple blogs and websites, there were many reoccurring pieces of advice. If self doubt is your obstacle, here are 5 ways to overcome it.

1. Let go of the need to know how you will create your vision of what you want.
   
   It is unlikely that you will know the path to achieving your goals. That is something that you will figure out as you go. People start to doubt themselves when they cannot see how to create their goals.
    
2. Remind yourself of how important your goal is to you.
   
   Set aside time during your day to imagine where you would like to be five or ten years. Imagine how you would feel if it happened and what it looks like. Allow yourself to be immersed in the image; getting excited about it will drive your desire to attain it.
   
   
3. Realize it when the voice of self doubt is talking.
   
   This voice largely appears because people are afraid of change. If you know when the voice is speaking, you will be able to gain perspective and look past it.
   
   
4. Get the doubts and fears down on paper and out of your mind.
   
   Instead of allowing your negative thoughts to play on repeat, write them down. Then take a blank sheet of paper, write down positive words of why you can reach your goal. Reading the positive words over and over again will create a sense of confidence to go after your goals.
    
5. Repeat a personalized affirmation to yourself.
   
   
   This will instil positive beliefs around your ability to create your vision. You can use the positive words that you created in four, or sayings that resignate with you. Such as, "I believe in myself, I deserve to have what I want, I am safe," or whatever feels right.
   

And the sixth I would add is just do it! Being tired of the status quo is what finally pushed her to "do it." She called a school and will begin taking classes next week. If you want something in life, you just need to do it. Sitting around thinking about it gets you nowhere. I guess Nike said it best, Just Do It.

The King's Speech

I feel I should preface this with the fact that I had to bribe a friend to go see it with me. This movie, while having chick-flick leading man Colin Firth, does not draw in a college crowd. My friend and I were literally the youngest, by about 30 years. Also, if you have any inkling to see this movie,  I’m sorry if I give anything away.  

Watching the movie, I felt a kinship with the lead character. I bet you are asking yourself what a college student and the former King of England have in common; the answer is simple, a stutter. The speech therapy tactics by Lionel Logue are quite unique; in fact, if my classes would have been that interesting they may have worked. Exercises that range from singing, to talking with headphones, to accentuating a script as actors would, it is clear that his style of speech therapy is out of the ordinary.

A right-handed person by force, it was also quite interesting that the King was “wrong” for being left-handed.  I Googled to find out what being writing with your left hand had to do with stuttering. I found that there is a connection between stuttering and being left-handed. I too was forced to switch to my right hand as a toddler. My Grandma thought it was "wrong" to write with your left hand. There is much debate, but there seems to be more left-handed individuals who stutter. This is based on similar brain abnormalities. 

I know the fear of the microphone and public speaking all too well. Anxiety is known to make a stutterers speech much worse. Despite this working for me during high school, there is no calling in sick for presentations when you are the King of England.

Logue, who called the King of England “Bertie”, focused on trying to get the King to let him into his personal life. It wasn’t just speech therapy, rather they bonded. The two, according to the text at the end of the movie, became life-long friends.

Whether or not you are a stutterer, there is a universal need for a friend who is not judgemental. When people are with their friends, family or people they are most comfortable, they are more at ease. It would explain why Bertie was able to talk to his speech therapist more fluently than with other people. 

While this movie is not for everyone, if you are a stutterer or know one, you should check it out.  In fact, I may use the script notes as Bertie did during my next presentation. Maybe you will learn something too. 

Labels do not define you.

Every person has a quality that makes them unique. For some, these qualities may personality traits or physical characteristics. The words perky, blonde and dreamer have often been used to describe me. Those labels I have no problem with. Those who choose to merely label me as a stutterer; I do have a problem with.

As a very ambitious person, I never understood why people let things stand in their way. I have stuttered from a very young age. I could definitely have hid in the background, but the sideline is not my thing. From readings I have done, most stutterers choose professions that they do not have to deal with the public. I, for some strange reason, decided that politics and communications is my calling.

Whether your obstacle is stuttering, stage fright or [insert your obstacle here], I’m sure that with the help of your family and friends you can beat it, or at least learn coping tricks as I have. There are many options open to you. If you are a stutterer, check out the Canadian Stuttering Association or the Stuttering Foundation of America.

There is literature that will help everyone from your teachers, to your family better understand what you are dealing with. Believe it or not, you are not the only person who stutters. There are 68 million people worldwide who stutter. Three million Americans have this speech issue as well as one per cent of Canadians.

Keep this in mind; there is more to a person than one label. What makes you different, makes you beautiful!