Back in the before times, I had the opportunity to take the stage for TEDxPortland during the “Bridges” class of speakers. I was honored and humbled. But I was also super nervous. TEDxPortland was among the top 3 TEDx events, worldwide. I realized how much this opportunity meant. And I wanted to make the most of it.
So I spent a bunch of time preparing. Again and again and again. I got lots of help from many kind and smart people. And I practiced and practiced and practiced.
Then, I finally took the stage in front of a sold out Keller Auditorium audience. I still stumbled and screwed up a few times. But with that out of the way early, I managed to get into a bit of a flow. Not great. But not completely awful either.
By the time I reached the end of my time, I had managed to spit out the primary points I had taken the stage to share. So I hustled off stage to go hide and calm down. The rest of the day was a blur. And that was that.
Now I had to wait for the video to be posted. So that I could get a chance to see how it actually went. And so I could critique my own presentation the same way I’ve critiqued hundreds of other people’s. And when it did, I saw every single flaw and misstep. Every stumble. But I also saw a few moments of me doing okay-ish, too.
Little did I know that years later, that video would go on garner more than 500,000 views on YouTube. (I swear they’re not all me.)
Now, I realize that there are thousand of YouTube types who get 500k views in a matter of minutes these days. But I’m not one of them. So I just wanted to take a moment to celebrate hitting this milestone. It’s a small win. But a win, nonetheless.
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