It happened again… I fell into an old habit. I had to pitch my company and myself in one minute. But my old habit of “over preparing” kicked in and therefore I was not being perceived as authentic (note: this is my opinion, I did not fact-check that). Authenticity is one of my USP’s (Unique Selling Points). I had to look at my notes a few times, which made it look rehearsed, so the thought crossed my mind: I failed, I did not make the impression I wanted.
But… at the end I managed to include one authentic aspect, in which I set myself apart from the other 40 people who pitched before I did: In the last 5 seconds of my 60 seconds show I asked a thought-provoking question to the audience (which is one my talents), to show them my competences and not only tell them about it. The audience started murmuring, laughing a little and talking to their neighbors. I reached my goal: I left a lasting impression.
Back in the ‘old days’ I would be very dissatisfied with the performance described above, because 55 seconds went ‘bad’. Today I feel satisfied, because I did not do so bad after all (I did tell who I am, what the results of my work are, and what I represent etcetera). The last few seconds had the effect of making me stand out of the crowd.
The difference between the ‘olds days’ and nowadays is that I learned to be more gentle towards myself: good is good enough and I can identify and focus on what went well. On top of that: I can accept that every now and then I will fall again into old habits… and again… and that is okay, because I perceive it differently now and deal with it more effectively.
If you also want to become perfectly imperfect with the goal to feel better, function optimally at your work, while using your strengths and perceive less stress, please contact me. I would like to meet you.
