Who Says You Have To Reach Your Speaking Dream Alone?
I was raised up on the “pull your own weight” method of living. The loving three little words my father used most were “Figure It Out”. The way I was raised, you make your bed, you lie in it. Okay, I’m done with the clichés. The point is that I took that attitude to the speaking business – the idea that I needed to figure this out myself. And while that is for the most part true, there’s no reason why you can’t bring in a partner to help you reach your goals.
Back in January I purchased a program designed to help me publish a series of books on Kindle. It was a pricey program and knowing myself and my busy schedule, I questioned whether I would be able to do all the work involved. As it turns out, my friend Scott, who was sitting beside me in the conference, bought the same package and was feeling the same anxiety. So we decided to partner up and do it together. We didn’t realize how brilliant a move that would be.
We scheduled our first phone call, set up boundaries, decided how to state our goals and the procedure for follow up calls – and we were off. And every two weeks we had a scheduled phone call to state our progress on our goals. And every two weeks, I found myself at the last minute trying to get my homework done because I didn’t want to report to Scott that I had not done anything.
It’s April now, and I am convinced that if I hadn’t gotten an accountability partner, I still wouldn’t have started this project. Instead, I have written four books, and am working on the fifth and last in the series. Amazing progress. And I have my partner to thank.
So next time you set a hefty goal for yourself, why not find someone else to partner up with and hold each other accountable? I think you’ll be glad you did.
Now go find you a buddy!
Kelly Swanson is an award-winning storyteller, comedian, motivational speaker, Huffington Post Contributor, and cast member of The Fashion Hero television show airing on Amazon Prime. She is also the author of Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale, The Land of If Only, The Story Formula, and The Affirmation Journal for Positive Thinking. She was a featured entertainer for Holland America Cruise Lines, keynote speaker for the International Toastmasters Convention, and has keynoted major conferences and corporate events from coast to coast. She just launched her one-woman show Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale in theaters, and it is being booked all over the country. In July of 2022, she was inducted into the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame.
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