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Be More than a Speaker – A Bold Challenge for Rebel Speakers in the New Year

Happy 2018 rebel speakers!  

Today  I am issuing you a bold challenge, a call to create something bigger, a call to step into a role that is more than just being a speaker.

And most importantly, it is a call to create a bigger impact.

The reason I am issuing this challenge is that Communication Rebel, my business, and the home of the Rebel Speaker Podcast has been around in one form or another for six years.

That means I have been creating content around speaking for six years, whether that's blog posts, Facebook lives, videos, or the podcast. And honestly, at the end of 2017, I was feeling like I covered it all, like I didn't know what else I could say about speaking.

And I was feeling less than inspired to bring this podcast back in the new year.

So I got in touch with why I'm doing this business in the first place.

Why I am creating the podcasts. And it has called me to make a bit of a change.

Now don't worry. Speaking is still at the heart and soul of what we do at Communication Rebel. But it's time to be bigger, bolder, and more impactful than before with speaking.

And it's time for me to get back to my why, the reason for being, and issue you that challenge to evolve into more.

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Why do I do what I do?

So why do I do what I do? Why did I create this business, this podcast?

For me, it all goes back to this core belief that I have that communication changes the world.

It is the driving force behind what I do.

It's what I believe 100%.

It's in my DNA.

It's in my bones, and I know that when we put our message into the world, we make an impact. We change people's lives.

And in the past few years, I have not led with that core belief in my business, or in the podcast. I've been sharing  much needed info on how to get you paid, booking speaking gigs, and your speech as your best selling product.

And I still 100% believe in all of that.

But I don't need to spend more time thinking about it. Or writing about it. Because it's all in the archives.

So what I did want to create in 2018 was getting back to this core belief that communication changes the world.

Inspiration for this came from one expected place and from another pretty unexpected place.

Mel Robbins launched 5-second journal

During the holiday break, I watched  Mel Robbins.  If you've listened to the podcast before, you know that I am crazy about her, and pretty much like stalker-girl obsessed with Mel and her five second rule.

During the holidays, she launched her five second journal, which is a companion to her five second rule speech and her book.

And what I observed is that she sold out of that journal in about a minute flat from Amazon, independent retailers, Barnes and Noble.

Heck, mine is still on backorder from Amazon!

And it made me wonder, why do people love her work so much that she has this frenzied fan base who literally buys what she puts out and makes it an instant best seller on Amazon?

One of the reasons I think Mel Robbins is so successful is change.

She promises and she delivers transformation five seconds at a time. Because that's what the five second rule is all about, counting down from five, four, three, two, one. And taking an action and getting yourself out of procrastination. And people get results.

They share those results on social media. And because they are being transformed and changed, they spread her message.

So to create something bigger, you need to get laser focused on the specific change you want to see in the world.

What is that change for you?

When your focus is on that promise and the delivery of that promise, your message becomes bigger than just your speech, bigger than just another speaking gig.

It can really start becoming a movement.

But that's not the only thing you need.

Richard Simmons Crazy Devotion to His Peeps

During the holiday break, I was watching Red Oaks. It's a TV show on Amazon, which I love. It's set in the eighties, it's super funny, edgy, it's great.

In one episode, two of the characters were working out to Richard Simmons Sweatin’ to the Oldies.

It was actually the same Sweating to the Oldies I had when I was growing up. I knew that tape so well. It was so much fun.

What I loved about Richard Simmons is that he created a movement around fitness in the eighties, beyond anything that existed at the time, beyond Jane Fonda and her leg warmers.

He really made fitness accessible to people of all shapes and sizes. And he promised and delivered a transformation for people, for a better life, for a healthier life with more movement.

The  thing about Richard Simmons that I didn't know at the time is he was also insanely devoted to seeing change happen.

Last year, I listen to the podcast Missing Richard Simmons, I found out that Richard Simmons was so insanely devoted to his people, the people who went on cruises with him, the people he met at his events, that he would spend Sundays calling people and checking in and seeing how they were doing with their transformation.

Could he be of service?

He was devoted to them and helping them change.

And they, in turn, were devoted to him, his message, and his business.

So this begs the question, how can you be more devoted to your audience and the organizations that you serve?

How can you show up in a bigger way that shows that as the change maker that you are, that you are dedicated to your audience, to organizations receiving that change?

Now, you don't have to call everyone individually, like Richard Simmons, but Mel Robbins does it in a hashtag.

She follows up with people on social media, congratulates them on the change that they're making in their lives.

That is devotion.

Change + Devotion = Movement (and a thriving business)

When you have change plus devotion, it equals the creation of a movement.

And also, a thriving business.

This is what the focus of the Rebel Speaker Podcast is going to be this season. Using speaking as the lifeblood of creating that change you want to bring into the world for the people that you serve. And bringing a level of devotion to it.

[Tweet “Change + Devotion = A Thriving Speaking Business”]

Do you accept the challenge to paint the promise of change and be wildly devoted to your audience to bring it about?

If you're all in, let me know by joining the Rebel Speaker Facebook group. Go in, introduce yourself, and let me know what change you want to see in the world.

And also, if you want my support in building something bigger, your movement, you can always talk to me about it by signing up for a speak for impact strategy session.  

Here's to a bigger, bolder, and more impactful 2018.