Today- Saturday 13th February 2021 - I delivered my first ever TedX Talk hosted by Royal Holloway University! For the past few years I've had the desire to deliver a TedX talk, so when the opportunity finally arose I was absolutely ecstatic! With the current pandemic, the initial plan was for the TedX talk to take place live, with appropriate social distancing. However, as restrictions itensified, this all changed and the event was made completely virtual.
Delivering a virtual TedX talk was not what I initially had in mind.... It was my dream to walk onto a stage and stand in the centre on the red circular carpet with the TedX logo behind me. Delivering a virtual TedX talk is not quite the same experience, however, it is still something I thoroughly enjoyed.
The theme for this year's conference was transformations; a topic that I am quite passionate about. We had the liberty to interpret this theme in whichever way we wanted to. I decided that I would share my personal journey of transformation, in the hope of inspiring others that they too can transform themselves and their surrounding environment.
There were four key tools that I shared that helped me along my journey of transformation:
1 - Holding on to positive words
As humans we are social beings. One of the key ways we interact with each other, is through verbal communication. Words possess the unique ability to empower, transform and liberate others. Equally, they possess the ability to wound, break and scar an individual. Painful words can surface in the mind of an individual years after they were spoken! An individual full of potential can be constrained by low self-esteem and fear resulting from negative words they're holding on to. If negative words can hold this much power, how much more can positive words!? It's important that we hold on to the positive words that have been spoken over us and that we reinforce this by speaking positive words over ourselves.
2- Cultivating the right mental attitude
Your throughts influence your actions which influence your habits and thereby begin moulding your reality. Ensuring your mind is a healthy environment is critical for helping you move in the direction towards your goals and vision. One of the key things I do to help cultivate the right mental attitude, is listen to inspirational podcasts, YouTube videos or other types of media. This helps to reaffirm the endless possibilities that we possess as human beings, especially when we tap into the niche that we are designed for.
3 - Have a vision board
Businesses have 5, 10 or even 50 year plans! This creates a roadmap for how they will achieve the vision they have for their company. We can apply a similar strategy to our own lives! Having a vision board - a visual representation of the goals and dreams you have for the future - can serve as a great driving force in terms of both direction and motivation. I look at my vision board on a daily basis and this helps me to take pleasure in my day to day life as I am reminded of the end goal I am working towards.
4 - Have a Why!
Your why is the driving force behind why you do what you do. It is the reason you get out of bed in the morning, the reason you go to work, the reason you push yourself to do what you know you need to do. When you have a powerful why - a clear understanding of what you stand for and why you stand for it - it gives you a drive and determination like none other.
I hope that by implementing the tools above, you too will be able to embark on a profound journey of transformation!