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Welcome to Realizing Ambition.

Reading time: 2 minutes

'Just get started' is horrible advice

You hear it constantly in the creator world. 'Just get started', 'take action', 'nothing happens if you don't start'. While these might be true statements, as advice they are unhelpful, in particular when it comes to speaking.

Doing things right is important. 'Just starting' doesn't necessarily get you to where you want to go. Maybe you lack clarity on what the first steps actually are, or you are experiencing imposter syndrome. This unhelpful advice does not solve these problems for you.

So what should you do instead?

Set your boundaries

Be specific with your task. When it comes to speaking in public set up your clear structure of an open, body, and close. Anything outside of that should be left out.

Boundaries are not a constraint, but help you focus on what really needs to be done - in the case of speaking that should be entirely on what the audience want and need.

What does ‘done’ look like?

We struggle with this question due to:

• Fear of screwing up

• Being driven by what others think

• Striving for perfect

But nobody is expecting you to be perfect. Perfection does not exist. Strive for ‘good enough’.

What 'good enough' looks like depends on where you are at in your speaking journey. If you have never spoken in public before, a 30 second nano speech is what you should strive for. If you are more experienced as a speaker your expectations might be higher.

Set your success criteria based on your level of experience and how comfortable you are as a speaker.

Avoid comparison

If you are on level 1, don’t compare to those on level 50. It sets unrealistic expectations, and leaves you disappointed. Only compare yourself to where you used to be. The journey of how far you have come is the only important comparison.

Remember that speakers you look up to and want to emulate once started their journey from scratch. They were once where you are. You will have a different journey so stay focused in your lane.

Actionable takeaways

• These steps go far beyond speaking. Seek clarity in the specific actions you need to take to achieve your desired successful outcomes.

• Avoid comparison with other speakers - it will delay your practice because you will feel like you need to be perfect to begin. Perfection is an unhelpful standard to try and achieve.

• Set clear boundaries. This acts as your focal point, otherwise you can easily end up in an undisciplined pursuit of everything.

You might be interested:

• Desert of the Real: My friend Matt Watson recently launched his new book. If you are into science fiction, this is the next book you need on your shelf.

• Subscribe to The Sample newsletter to find your next favourite writers. They curate a weekly email of blog posts and newsletters from talented writers you haven't yet heard of.

That's all for today!

As always feel free to reply to this email or reach out @liamsandford as I would love to hear your feedback.

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