Alexander Graham Bell
Exactly one week ago today I opened up a copy of Toronto's Metro News and saw a photo of myself featured in the column, "On The Move". It felt so good to see my name in print along with my job title of Motivational Speaker! It was exciting and that moment reminded me of the quote above. It also reminded me how the column interview would not have happened had I not trusted in my gut at the time.
To understand more I need to take you back another week before the Metro News feature came out. It was the same Wednesday I had a bomb drop on me that a dream project for my motivational speaking services I'd been working on for months had been terminated by my client (see Tip#22). I was in shock and easily could have slipped into a depressed, reclusive state. Thankfully, a friend of mine offered to cheer me up by taking me to lunch at The Stem on Queen St. West.
Two hours later I was crossing an icy street corner to meet my friend just outside the restaurant when I recognized Toronto media personality Enza Supermodel standing there. Still feeling down and unsociable I chose to walk by without saying hello.
Now let me take you back just two days earlier because I had just met Enza for the first time at a book launch. We had a nice chat and I told her how much I liked her newspaper column 'On The Move' that featured random people she interviewed on the street. Secretly though I always wanted to be in Enza's column!You can probably see some magic unfolding here. Thankfully I have trained myself to recognize that synchronicity and serendipity is always at play and that it was presenting something bigger here.
So as I walked by Enza on that chilly street my gut told me to turn around and say hello. Despite my depressed energy I turned towards Enza and mustered up a mumbled greeting. She recognized me and enthusiastically asked if she could interview me. I was a little surprised but willingly did the brief interview and had my picture taken. This all seemed surreal because two hours before I was feeling extremely rejected and worthless and here was someone wanting to share with the world the value of me and what I do!
Erin Brockovich (2000)
The biographical drama, Erin Brockovich, is about the resilience of a single mother persevering with a class action suit against a corporation that damaged the environment and the health of a community. Erin, played by Julia Roberts, is an inspiring example of a woman demonstrating inner strength, tenacity, passion and perseverance. And though she can be abrasive, rude and angry at times she still shows how she can stand up for herself when confronted by people and even large corporations.
The feeling of rejection can be debilitating as anyone has experienced. My failure at work was a blow to my self-worth and confidence. What inspired me to move forward and when things appear hopeless are movie heroes like Erin Brockovich
who always maintained her self-confidence and self-esteem in the face of adversity and rejections. This is shown in a montage early in the movie of a series of rejections as she inquires about jobs over the phone. Erin's strong proactive attitude eventually got her the job that led to her amazing history making success with environmental causes.Inspiring Themes:
• Self-Confidence & Self-Esteem
• Passion & Perseverance
• Resilience
• Leadership
• Career Transitions
• Indestructible Optimism
And so last week's news article was not only a dream come true but a testament for finding my inner strength to go through the open door in front of me when one had shut unexpectedly. It reminds me that there is a silver lining to every cloud. Imagine all the hidden opportunities that are waiting for you if you just stay alert and open.
Be inspired by movie heroes like Erin Brockovich who remain confidence and resilient when faced with unexpected challenges. Keep your head up despite the weight you feel upon you. Wipe off the mud slung at your face to keep your eyes clear. Rise above your feelings of rejection and watch for your own doors opening in front of you!
“Look, I don't know shit about shit but I know right from wrong!”
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Emmanuel Lopez
www.motivatorman.com
© Emmanuel Lopez 2007
Fees paid to business leaders vary based on the speaker's expertise, star power, experience, niche and level of customization. In addition to educational value, consider factors like humor, storytelling, originality, and the refrain from canned speeches. The best speakers can engage the audience and share best practices, experiences and life lessons without boring the audience.
ReplyDelete.
You are absolutely right !
ReplyDeleteIf we could have been so awake all the time,
open doors are always there.
The trick is how do we keep ourselves believing there is something good behind those doors.
Or some doors would lead us to good surprises eventually.
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Emmanuel - wonderful story....you inspire me!
ReplyDeleteGary
A cool story, Emmanuel!
ReplyDeleteCatherine
I was really interested to read once again one of your well worded stories... about how you got interviewed by Enza. I am glad to see that you are helping people see the open doors and what we can do with our personal energy. It seems that people have forgotten how it used to work...we used to rely much more on our intuition before...help get us back to that Emmanuel! ^Paula
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