There are 4 steps, or phases that I’ve learned from being ridiculous and I cover these in my new, re-shaped keynote speech.
Let me know if you are keen to hear it! I am looking to practice it in the market. Drop me an email.
- I got on a late-night bus in 1999 in Brixton, South London and without being drunk or talking about Jesus, made a speech that turned out to be a ‘Damascus Experience’ of sorts.
- What I learned from that was just how powerful and pervasive fear is and how it dissolved, when I faced it head on. (I had had some experience of this, but never as vivid as that day.) I discovered that there were two ‘voices’ in my head, heart and body and it became clear which one I would do well to listen to, and which one I would do well not to!
- I learned that ‘being ridiculous’ was the way to go. Ridiculous means, ‘extremely silly or unreasonable, from the Latin ridiculus, literally, laughable, from ridēre to laugh. Have you noticed how ridiculous life is? That we think war will actually produce peace. That Trump could be considered a viable politician? That we have great intentions to go running in the morning and then make a bunch of exactly the same excuses that we made last time!
- What next? What can now happen as a result of being ridiculous? Well, do one thing. A ‘crazy’ thing. Something you don’t ‘feel’ like doing, because you are so worried about what others might think; then go ahead and do it anyway! Like talk to a stranger (how bad, and how great can that be? You’ll never know until you do it!) Take a cold shower for 7 days, call an old friend you haven’t spoken to in years. Now, notice all those reasons you give yourself for not doing it. Go ahead and embrace the ridiculousness of it!
Get me in to share my ‘ridiculous’ message with your team or come to one of my events and hear my talk, which you can find by clicking here: Naked Speaker events
Don’t take care – take a risk!
Si.
P.S. Find out your Mojo score by completing the anonymous 2-minute Mojo-Meter here:
