Thanks so much for stopping by and reading my blog!
This is totally new for me—awkward even—and I hope to get it right. Awkward moments are often a result of doing a new thing with people I care about (and I really do care about you).
Awkward feels like a way of life for me right now. I’m launching this new website. My first book is due out in the spring. And I’m launching this blog. Lots of new = lots of awkward moments. It also means lots of personal growth; something I value greatly. I chose to tackle these uncomfortable things in order to become a better version of myself.
Most of the time, the awkwardness eventually fades and is replaced with a sense of accomplishment or even skill.
That is how public speaking has evolved for me. It was super-awkward at first, and became less awkward in time, until I actually could look forward to speaking in front of hundreds of strangers. I had an urgent need to be articulate and persuasive because the future of Impact100 was at stake. And the only way for anyone to learn about this new women’s philanthropy model was for me to explain it myself. That was the only way to raise millions of dollars and impact dozens of communities. So, I had to embrace my uncertainties and find a comfortable place.
Explaining Impact100 to a few friends had been easy. Sure, it was comfortable to talk about it on the phone. But it wasn’t scalable. It was far more efficient to talk about Impact100 to large crowds of women. I had something to vital say, so, with sweaty palms and a racing heart, I pushed through.
It was uncomfortable at first. To get through my initial talks, I tricked my nerves into quieting by locking my eyes on one or two friendly faces in the crowd and pretending I was only speaking to them. Since I was very comfortable speaking to only one or two people, this strategy worked. In time, I got more comfortable and could scan the crowd with ease. Today, I prefer large crowds over smaller ones as I am able to feel the energy of a bigger group so powerfully.
How about you? I would love to hear about what you’ve achieved once you pushed through awkwardness. Even if the victories seem small, just pressing through the awkward is a success worth celebrating.
So, here’s my plan for this blog: I hope to celebrate women’s philanthropy with interviews and guest posts from generous women around the globe. I also will share some personal stories relating to newsworthy current events and even a bit of inside scoop about my family, my friends, and lessons learned along the way.
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Cheers to being awkward together,
Wendy