Are you stuck?

How will you ever get to the next level?

The concept of levels is a direct assault on our self-esteem.

It's like being rich.

Is there a specific amount of currency that distinguishes the rich from the poor?

If you have nine-hundred-ninety-nine thousand, nine-hundred-ninety-nine dollars, and ninety-nine cents, are you just not a millionaire?

As you progress on your speaking path—or gain skill as a writer or a guitarist or anything else—you will meet people who appear to be “on the next level.”

I met a 12-year-old kid at a music festival once.

 

Hey mister, you want to play a few tunes with me?

Well, why not? Maybe I can show you a few things.

That little smart alec played circles around me, even though I'd been playing and practicing since long before he was born!

How did he get to the next level?

If we're doing our homework, we will always meet people who are better at our craft than we are.

We will meet people who are more talented than we are who don't seem to have to work as hard as we do to be really good.

Consider a few things:

If this video makes you a better speaker, you'll have advanced.

That's it. You advanced. There's no scorekeeper in the sky telling you: Congratulations! You qualify to be a level-8 speaker!

Comparing your skills, fees, or the fullness of your speaking calendar to others is a sure way to feel like you're not succeeding.

Want to get to the next level?

Learn one, small, new thing today and you're there!