What if it doesn't all go hideously wrong?

What if it all goes well?

What if you are there ready to speak and you feel in control, and you feel excited?

What if you connect with the audience and you feel them engaging with you?

What if you finish and they all sign up for your course? Or they sign the deal? Or they give you the job?

What if ..... you nail it?

Already, even just writing that, I feel so much hope and bubbly excitement in me! Because those thought patterns create an upward spiral for our thoughts and emotions. It gets our brain into the zone where we are expecting positive things.

This means it is getting ready for success and will prepare you mentally and physically for all those good outcomes to happen. Cause the fact is, your brain will prepare you for whatever you're focused on. Great right?

Well yes, but only if you deliberately use that to your advantage. If you're not mindfully choosing the upward spiral, and your thoughts absent-mindedly drift onto

- what if you get it all wrong

- what if they don't like you

- what if you're not good enough

- what if you stumble over words

- what if you make mistakes

...chances are, those things are more likely to happen. Human minds are programmed to focus on the negatives (as a protective device). So, more often than not, we prepare for the worst to try and cushion ourselves incase the worst happens.

But what if you were a rebel?

What if, just this once, you try preparing for the best.

Prepare for being showered with praise and compliments after.

Prepare for hundreds of job offers, course signups, books sold, funding applications accepted, deals.

Prepare for people coming up to you to tell you how much your speech touched them.

Prepare for the emails rolling in with clients & businesses wanting to work with you.

Cause, if that was what you were thinking about before you opened your mouth - wow, wouldn't that set you up well for success.

So much is possible if we just give ourselves the chance to do well.

Believe you can do it.

Trust you can do it.

Know you can do it.

And you might just find you get a better outcome.

Try this next time you're speaking in a meeting, interview or presentation - I'd love to hear how you get on! Drop a comment below or DM me on Linkedin or Instagram 🎤

Lydia is a Voice & Mindset Coach and Founder of Step Up Vocal Coaching. For more on how to work with Lydia, visit www.stepupvocalcoaching.co.uk/bookings.