Being vs. becoming

Twice in conversations with a client, she's told me, "I'm not a writer." And yet, she is a writer, because she writes!

Perhaps I'm oversimplifying a bit, because I suppose there's a difference between someone who writes all the time and enjoys it (whether or not they receive income from it), and a person who writes sometimes and finds it a struggle.

So, with this in mind, that there is a certain mental "picture" she might have about what a writer is, and a story she's telling herself about herself, I suggested she change the story to "I'm becoming a writer."

Because while it might be true that she doesn't fit her mental picture of what a writer is, it's also true that the more she writes, the more she becomes a writer.

I often hear from my clients and colleagues that they're "not speakers." And yet, they stand in front of audiences or classrooms or conference room tables and they speak, teach, train, inform, educate, persuade and inspire.

Does someone have to get paid for speaking to call themselves a speaker? Nope.

Does someone have to give formal speeches to call themselves a speaker? Nope. 

Do other people need to believe you're a speaker for you to believe you're a speaker? NOPE!

If you give presentations as part of your job; if your business requires you to teach something to people in groups; if you give regular reports or deliver information to groups of colleagues, clients, community members or other stakeholders... you're a speaker!

Maybe you only speak sometimes and you find it a struggle, like my client mentioned about her writing. You have the power to change the story you tell yourself. 

Are you a speaker? Maybe you're not quite mentally there yet. Are you becoming a speaker? Try that story on for size and see how it feels.

P.S. If you'd like some support in making that mental shift to start becoming the speaker you're meant to be, Click here to fill out my consultation questionnaire and we'll schedule a free, no-pressure conversation to explore your speaking needs!

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