I don’t often meet people with better public speaking/presentation abilities than me (that are around my age). Yes, I know how arrogant that sounds, but it’s something I practice a lot, which is why I think it’s okay for me to say that.
But a few months ago that changed, and my ego took a hit.
I was giving an ethics presentation in my journalism class. I was crushing it. Just like always, the night before the presentation, I practiced in front of a mirror. (You don’t have to do it in front of a mirror, but I like seeing how handsome I am.)
Anyway, like I said, I was crushing it. I even did this cool question/answer activity at the end, where I gave out a $50 Visa gift card and a $25 Starbucks card. You want to know how to wake up college kids? Offer them money and caffeine! It’ll never fail. So that’s exactly what I did, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
My group and I by far had the most engaging presentation. If you’re working on your “try-hard” skills, just send me a DM; I’m the person to ask.
But then, after the lovely applause settled, the next group came up. Immediately this dude’s voice captivated me. It was one of those journalists, radio voices. I mean, he was so engaging and persuasive that he could’ve sold sand to a damn beach. I was in awe. I have to say, though, his overall presentation wasn’t nearly as good as mine, mostly because of his lackluster partner. (Writing that made my ego feel much better.)
But still, this guy was so impressive; I was a tad jealous. After his presentation, I made sure to compliment him on his remarkable abilities. He told me he was a sports broadcaster. Who would’ve guessed!? “Maybe I’ll have to give that a try,” I responded. (That was a complete lie. That definitely wouldn’t be my strong suit.)
I walked away from that presentation a little less sure of myself, and weirdly, that felt right.
Sometimes in life you need an ego check (I need a lot more than “sometimes”). For me, this was, in fact, one of those times. Sometimes, you need to see someone who is so much more capable than you that it pisses you off. And I think that’s a good thing.
This inherently makes you improve yourself. It makes you learn more and faster. It’s essentially a wake-up call. Many of us humans need those moments. Maybe your bar was set too low. Maybe you weren’t taking things as seriously as you should’ve. Well, now you know.
So many of us like to stay in our own little bubble where we feel comfortable. I call this phenomenon “living in small scale.” Instead of taking the scarier step, instead of doing the harder thing, we decide not to. Why? Because we are afraid of failure and/or looking dumb (aka: getting humbled).
Here are some examples:
- You don't take the advanced class because you're afraid everyone else will understand things faster than you
- You avoid study groups with the top students in your major because you don't want them to see how much you struggle
- You don't apply for the competitive internship/job because the other candidates went to better schools or have more experience
- You turn down the invitation to collaborate with someone more talented because you're scared they'll realize you're not on their level
The list goes on and on. Choosing to live “small scale” will keep you from living “big scale.”
In high school I took an honors algebra II class. You’re probably thinking that’s for the smart kids, right? Hence the “honors.” Well, you’re sort of right. However, there was a caveat. I was just one of two juniors in that class. The rest were all freshmen and sophomores!
Quite frankly, I chose that class thinking I might be one of the smarter ones, but boy oh boy was I utterly wrong. In fact, I was one of the dumbest students there. Just ask my teacher; she was always helping me. I raised my hand so much that the freshmen started using me as a visual aid for what "perpendicular" meant. (Sadly, I’m not joking about that.)
Nearly every single day the freshmen and sophomores bullied me for how “dumb and behind" I was.
Junior year was already supposed to be the hardest in high school; of course, all this noise made it even harder. This was certainly one of the more embarrassing times in my life.
Guess how much I cared? ZERO. LITERALLY ZERO. Okay, this was high school, and I was a little more insecure then, so, admittedly, it got under my skin.
Still, though, I didn’t drop out of the class, I didn’t complain. Instead, I studied harder than ever before. I stayed up late doing practice problems and rewatching lectures until I was confident I understood the material.
Did I get an “A” in that class? No. I did get a “B+” though. And that is the most proud I’ve been of a grade in my entire life.
This is all because I prioritized learning over the outcome. I was surrounded by people who were miles smarter than me. While I was double-checking what “12x11” was, they were already turning in their tests.
Again, I didn’t care. I was too focused on improving my own skills. You can spend your whole life being the smartest person in rooms that don't challenge you, or you can step into the rooms that terrify you and actually become someone worth being.
Stop living “small scale." Stop protecting your ego. Get humbled. Get better. Repeat.
PS - I thought this tweet was fitting for this newsletter.
Until next week,
—Wyatt
