As a funny female motivational speaker speaking at main events, I've noticed that what people need to learn is what we don't teach them. Status and grades have always been more important than compassion, creativity and self-awareness.
Yet an ideal employee would be able to relate to others, be innovative and be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. You would need to have a clear picture of yourself to improve. Most people are more aware of what they see on the news than themselves. It's hard to see yourself because you are yourself. You'd have to look back at yourself objectively to see yourself for who you really are.
I'm hired as a funny female motivational speaker because I've done years of stand up comedy, and I weave it into these powerful messages. The advantage of doing years of stand up comedy is you learn to laugh at yourself. This allows you to see yourself more clearly because you don't take yourself so personally.
What I've learned is many problems are made up. They wouldn't exist if we didn't keep fussing over them. We take things personally, and we take ourselves seriously over them. But problems are actually just giving us clarity and insight. They are meant to help us move forward.
A high performing team is made up of members who are accountable and able to adapt quickly. You can't do that if you have unconscious behaviour patterns that hold onto the past with resentment and doubt.
As a top female funny keynote speaker, I used to perform stand up comedy to laugh at what holds us back. I became especially popular with male-dominated audiences because a female perspective affords a good balance.
Laughter helps audiences relax, so they are more susceptible to learning. Especially when it comes to self-awareness, it allows people to see their own behaviour patterns more clearly.
One of my favourite lessons to audiences is to stop being so hard on yourself. We've been taught being self-critical leads to self-improvement, but that same critical voice is the one we lead with and treat our customers with. Being critical is never inspiring, so any growth is minimal.
Inspiring others brings unlimited potential. To inspire others, you have to be inspired. With tiny tweaks, people can catch glimpses of how they hold themselves and their teams back.
The great news is it's not hard work that produces change. It's just awareness. It's easy to change when you see that all that gets in your way is your mindset. All you need to change is your mind, and laughing at yourself always helps!
