Are you on repeat? Maybe it’s time for a reset

We have, most of us, experienced it. Sometimes, when you have done something for a long time, it is easy for it to become mundane, to 'phone it in’, and even if you are quite accomplished, the temptation is to 'rest on your laurels'. Sound familiar? 

The challenge of these behaviors is that they can often feel like pushing a repeat button on a machine which results in flat, uninspired or life-less expressions.  In other words, you’re uninspired….and it’s beginning to not only wear on you, but to show. 

It is tempting to think that people won't notice, but when we witness a presentation or performance that feels alive, we actually feel the difference and it is hard to turn away. Energy gets passed along.  It is as if what we are experiencing gets flooded with light and people can't stop looking at it.

I felt this way when I watched this year's Grammy awards, and witnessed the performance of Fast Car by Grammy winning singer-songwriter, Tracy Chapman and country Superstar Luke Combs. Even though it has been a few months, I still remember how I felt when I watched it for the first time. I found it breathtaking in its authenticity, while being a perfect example of collaboration and reinvention. I loved this song when Chapman released it in 1988 and now that I was hearing it with new ears, because of the blend of these two unique voices, it reset it,  transforming  it into something new and fresh. 

In the hours after the broadcast I searched the internet for a link to the performance so I could watch it over and over, along with sharing it with friends who had missed it live. During the following days, I found countless articles talking about how moved people were by the performance. Some columnists even suggested that this reinvention of a classic was a metaphor for this moment in America. 

Then recently it happened again. Back when I was a speaker agent, I represented author Mitch Albom for almost two decades, starting with the release of the blockbuster memoir, Tuesdays with Morrie. During that time, I sent Mitch on countless speaking engagements all over the country, and since our agency was based in New York City, I often attended events to celebrate the publication of his new books. 

Fast forward to February of this year, I attended a speaking event Mitch did at Temple Beth Sholom in Roslyn, Long Island.  I went because it was arranged by a close friend, and I am so glad I did, as it was one of the best speeches I have heard in years. 

 Mitch had recently released his novel, A Little Liar, which is set in Salonika, Greece at the time of the Nazi invasion in the late 1930’s.  He began his speech with the character of Truth and explored the impact of when people start to tell and believe lies. Of course, as the story unfolded,  we could hear the echo of anti-Semitism, which sadly still rings true today.

This speech that began in Greece, then went on to take us to Port-au-Prince Haiti, where Mitch introduced The Have Faith Orphanage, an organization he has helped to run for over a decade to the audience. Then he took us back to the beginning, having learned that his beloved Brandeis College professor  Morrie Schwartz was dying from ALS, Mitch reconnected with him and during those visits, Morrie shared with Mitch his " Lessons for Living ". There were moments during the speech when the audience was silent, then times when I could hear tears being shed,  and shortly after… peals of laughter filling the hall. 

 Although I had heard many of these stories before, Mitch's speech that night was an experience of renewal and reinvention. He took us from the inhumanity of mankind to the power of love, all in one speech,  giving those in attendance a way to experience the best and worst of humankind and inviting us to decide how we want to live. 

Do you want to live a life of repeats?

Is it time for a reset? 

Are you willing to do what it takes to reinvent your work… or your life?

After a career of supporting the ideas of others, 3 years ago, I decided to do the same for myself. Through my experience working as an agent and a speaker coach I developed the concept of Intellectual Architecture, my signature program to help potential speakers develop & design their speeches. I was excited that this concept resonated with my clients, and so recently I decided to trademark it. This year I received notification from the USA Patent and Trademark Office that my trademark had been issued. I was overjoyed, first for creating the idea itself and secondly for my willingness to value my own intellectual property. This action, in turn, helped me to see myself in a new and different light.  It was my own act of reinvention.  

If you are lucky to have a legacy, rather than rest in it, I invite you to stand on it and use it as a beacon to find what is next for you; to reimagine the work you do, or to discover something in the distance you yearn to reach.  

If you want support in this endeavor,  let's explore which of my services, life coaching or public speaker coaching will serve you best.

Let's talk soon. Your reset is waiting for you.

“Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.” Maggie Smith