Have you ever reached a goal and felt deflated instead of elated? That’s exactly what happened to me when I gave my TEDx talk a few years ago.
I prepared like crazy and gave the best talk I could, even working around technical equipment issues at the beginning and driving through major flooding to get to the venue.
All I could think of as I walked off the stage was how much I wanted to crawl into the back seat of my car and lie in the fetal position. However, I managed to hold it together until the event was over.
Tom Rosenak was my speaker coach and helped me prepare for this talk. He wasn’t at all surprised by my almost meltdown. During our debrief after, Tom said something that blew me away. He said, “Oh my goodness, Catherine! I failed you! I forgot to tell you that winning sometimes feels a lot like losing.”
Yes, you read that correctly.
Tom shares why this actually happens quite frequently. His quote from tennis great Boris Becker might shock you.
We also covered goal setting, the personal ebbs and flows of energy that we all experience, and how we tend to have seasons for our work. We need to honor our process, but also set a time limit for recovery.
I hope you’ll find this conversation as fascinating as I did.
How did I actually do? Shout-out thanks to the wonderful Ann Higgens, financial advisor for Raymond James, for capturing my presentation on her iPad. For whatever reason, the talks from this TEDx event were never posted on the official website. If not for her, I never would have seen my performance.
