My problem with the idea of being very prepared was I thought the more prepared you were, the more you locked yourself into a set pattern or prepared system.  I found the opposite to be true.

If, for example, I’m prepared for a speech, I know my information very well and even know information I do not plan to share, that gives me a lot of confidence and flexibility.  I will give a better speech because I’m confident based on all my preparation and I have flexibility to adjust based on the audience, setting, or a question from a listener.  If I know all my information inside and out, I can easily adjust or adapt with ease.  Being les prepared actually locks me into presenting only what I know in the only way I planned it, even if signs of a need to adjust arise.

Being over-prepared for an event allows for you to still be in control when the unexpected happens because you prepared as though it were expected.  Preparing for the unlikely makes you stand out as great when the unlikely arises and you’re the only one ready.  People will notice this and begin to look to you.

While reading the first few chapters of Put Your Dream To The Test, author John Maxwell’s words had me focusing in on not only my dream, but my thoughts toward my dream.  And did I even have a dream.  Rejecting the notion of dreaming and accusing others of living in fantasy land is exactly what causes most people to live lives of quiet desperation.  On the inside the average man wants more but thinks it is either beyond his right or his ability to get, have, and do more than the average.  In dreaming though it is not about the quantity of what we get, but the quality of what we want.

What do we want out of life?
How do we want to make a difference?

First we must recognize whether or not we have a dream.  Then lay out what it is.  Then evaluate it.  Is it my dream?  When did I begin wanting this?  Did I inherit it from someone else?  Am I getting paid to have this as my dream?  If you say yes to the last two questions it’s probably not really YOUR dream.  So figure that out.  And if you determine it is yours, invest in it.  Put some pressure on yourself.  Throw some chips in on your dream so that you are invested in it and forced to be committed to it.  This could mean buying an item to get yourself started or making your dream public so others will watch your progress.

With my dream, I found myself waiting for “the ok” to go.  I’m not sure where I expected that permission to come from but was hit hard when I read that such permission can only come from myself.  Here I was being the biggest hindrance to what I wanted.

Once we realize it is ok to go, we immediately begin changing.  It’s not just reaching our goal, but the entire journey towards it that molds who we are and what we want.  The journey turns us into better people.  It’s not that only great people can follow their dreams, but ordinary people who follow their dreams often times do great things.

So what is your dream?  Could you describe it to me?  Is it what you really want?  Are you laying it out clearly so others can understand it?

Preaching

Speaking live allows you to sense your audience and receive feedback from them.  A good communicator takes advantage of those in front of them by monitoring their expressions to help judge when people are connecting, understanding, or confused.

Preaching allows you to use a visual aid.

You are able to say things with a certain tone or expression that may give more meaning to your words when you speak live.

Most people have a longer attention span when it comes to watching and hearing over just reading.

Speaking to someone who is at the same place you are causes you to have their attention better than if they are on their computer at home or work where many other things are fighting for their interest.

Blogging

Writing allows you to look at what you have written and even go back and rewrite it if need be to make sure you express yourself clearly.

Written words in books or on websites have the potential to reach more people than you could pack into even the largest room.

Posting short blogs several times a week allows you to address more casual, secondary issues that you may feel need attention but are not necessarily worthy of your forty minute slot on the weekend.

Blogs allow the author to “take you there” with the ability to attach and add links that help the reader experience their point.

Having a blog allows the person with something to say, who struggles with the idea of being in front of people, present their message with confidence.

I enjoy both of these forms of communicating and information sharing.  Studies show that we retain information a lot better if we teach it to others, so find some outlet to be heard.  Take advantage of the many forms of networking that our information age provides.

I would rather be in front of a crowd than a computer any day, but that is not going to keep me from sharing the lessons of my life through whatever means necessary.  Which form of communication do you prefer?