How to Steal the Show & Win a Book
The worst of it was when I was excited. I’d want to tell my mom about something I did at the game or in school. I’d start. Try to start again. And again.
I stuttered. Horribly. I remember those moments of feeling excitement turning into frustration. Then into despair. Because I couldn’t express what I was thinking or feeling.
My stutter was so pronounced that I was pulled out of my grade school classes a few times each week for speech therapy. I remember the techniques — calm down, breathe deeply, talk more slowly, and sound out the words.
It didn’t work. Nothing worked. I just accepted that this is how I talked. Tactics weren’t the answer.
Ultimately, a self-discovered and somewhat accidental mindset overhaul a few years later unlocked the fix, which we’ll revisit more specifically in a future post. But the stutter departed. Quietly and permanently.
Today, 80% of my lifestyle design is built on an intentional mindset overhaul that focuses on working on my health, performance, habits, choices, and my Small Steps Daily Practice. This is the “inside stuff.”
The other 20%? I share what I learn, serve others, and build relationships. This is the “outside stuff.”
This 20% includes public speaking. A LOT of public speaking. Hundreds of times over the past 25 years, thousands of people have generously given me their time and attention to hear what I might say next. Which the 10 year-old me, that kid who stutters, finds absolutely crazy.
From stages and podiums to “in front of the camera” and coaching calls, my lifestyle and the way I support my family depends on this 20%. So, I try to get better, which sometimes means a mindset overhaul.
I’m into a book right now, Steal the Show, written by Michael Port. I wish he had written it when I was struggling in school. A professional actor and public speaking coach, Michael hosted an event last week that I attended here in the Washington, DC area.
Michael’s event, with its point-perfect message, came at a time when I was ready to receive it. It allowed me to re-visit fundamentals. Learn new techniques. Collect different perspectives. Set tougher standards. Discover new ways to experiment. Make a commitment to improve and engage more deeply.
Even though I am a coach, Michael reminded me that even coaches are in need of coaching.
So I adopted Michael as my speaking coach, indirectly for now, but more directly in the future.
The purpose of working on ourselves is not to become or stay isolated from the world. We strive to improve the 80% inside work so that it shines more brightly through the 20% outside work that ultimately influences, impacts, and engages others. At work. In art. In sport. In relationships. In service to others.
I feel strongly enough about this that I’m gifting the book Steal the Show to two of USA Canoe/Kayak’s top contenders for an Olympic medal in Rio next year. And I’d like to do the same for two readers of Sunday Morning Joe. So, I thought of a fun way to give away two more copies of Michael’s book that aligns with my own 20%. Call it a contest of sorts, with two ways to *win* a copy of the book. One way lets me know how you are doing out there, and the other helps me introduce you to my 5 With Joe program:
- Email to me (Joe@JoeJacobi.com) a testimonial for Sunday Morning Joe. Simply a few sentences telling me how my weekly posts help you.
- Sign up for my 5 With Joe email list, which you can do right HERE. Separate from Sunday Morning Joe, this is a series of informational emails that promote my 5-week coaching program where I teach the framework I created to improve performance, increase energy, and build habits that stick. This is the program I offered back in the Spring and surpassed the expectations of the participants. Via this email series, you’ll learn about opportunities to work with me (one coming up very soon!) and you can unsubscribe any time.
Enter either or both ways (enter both ways to increase your odds.) I’ll randomly select one person from each category (testimonials and 5 With Joe) on Saturday, November 7th, 2015 and follow up with the winners to make arrangements to send the books.
As America’s first ever Olympic Gold Medalist in Whitewater Canoe Slalom, Joe promotes strategies and shares stories for living and performing at your best, doing the work that matters and engaging with purpose. His platforms include performance coaching and consulting, professional speaking, broadcasting and his weekly newsletter, “Sunday Morning Joe.”
