“Practice makes permanent.”
“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations,
we fall to the level of our training.”
(Archilochus, c. 650 BCE)
“There is no tough. There is only trained…and untrained.”
Left over from decades of training for combat operations, big leadership moments, and Ironman races, these mantras echoed in my mind every day during my TEDx preparation.
I had been offered a unique opportunity—and I had to deliver. That meant I couldn’t just wing it.
I had to craft every word, plan every movement, and rehearse every detail. I needed to become so familiar with the 1,900 words of my presentation that I could pick it up at any point and keep going.
I memorized lines during early morning runs. I rehearsed while driving to work (where I’m sure my hand gestures triggered a few looks from other drivers).
And I recorded video in my home rehearsal space above the garage, which meant getting over the awkwardness of watching myself perform.
Today, I’m excited to share a bit of that video with you.