When are you going to give your next speech?

When I read this post on Senia.com's Positive Psychology Coaching blog, it got me wondering... when is the "perfect time to give a speech"?

Of course, as Toastmasters, we know that if we wait for "the perfect time", it will never come and we will not achieve our goals.

So, when is the "Imperfect Time"?
Life is a series of tradeoffs or decisions about how you will use your time ... should I think about a speech while I'm driving home (and then write it up as soon as I park the car) or should I just turn on the radio and zone out to songs and boring commercials?

When I get home, will I watch another re-run of an old "Law and Order" episode or will I turn it off and practice my speech?

Will I go for a run or dig around in the attic for a prop for my next speech? (OK... maybe I should go running... but I can still think about my speech while I run!)

From Senia's article...

So, back to the original question: suppose you know that something is important. Suppose you know that you ought to do something. But you want to WAIT until…. until you’re better prepared, until you feel more confident about it, until someone else suggests that you do that action….

Let me tell you something briefly - the only context in which “until” is a beautiful word is in this quote by Jim Rohn:

“How long should you try? Until.”

Senia also referred me to this list of 10 Steps-you-can-take-to-guarantee-failure on http://www.persistenceunlimited.com. (Doesn't that web address sound like a great philosophy?) If you look at the 10 steps, you will see many of them relate to "Waiting for the perfect time".

So, how do you change your choices on a daily basis? What if you are thinking... "I just don't feel like it. I'm too tired."

I learned from Tony Robbins that there are 3 things you can use to change how you feel about an event or task. Emotions are a result of

1) Physiology,
2) Focus and
3)Language.

In other words, how you 1) move your body, 2) what part of your surroundings or events you choose to focus on and 3) the words that you use both in your internal self-talk as well as words you use in conversations with others.

So, the next time you want to change your pattern (and you really don't "feel" like it)....

1) Change your physiology. Go for a brisk 5 minute walk around the block. Do some jumping jacks. Play some exciting music. Anything to boost your heart rate and pump you up to what Tony Robbins calls a "Peak State".

2) Focus on the opportunity of what you want to do, not the drawbacks or negative consequences. Look for what is right and what will help you achieve your goals... not reasons (or, more accurately, "excuses") for why you can't do it.

3) Eliminate the WHINE. If you had a 2 year old child who was constantly complaining about how nothing is good enough and there is nothing to do... you would not put up with it and you would certainly give them a "motivational speech". (Maybe something like..."Go outside and play!"). Don't let the 2 year old inside of you take over... tell them it is TIME TO PLAY! Don't put up with language that focuses on the negative... every "problem" is challenge or an opportunity to grow!

Now.... When are you going to give you next speech?