MUSINGS and other writing by Mark Kolke

. . . . . . there is no edge to openness

CONFIDENCE GAME Sunday Oct. 5, 2014     Life, is a confidence game.    So is writing.   Tomorrow, about this time, walking corridors of a hotel in Banff – I will be slow-breathing, getting into my-zone in final preparation to enter that room for my session:     Public Speaking is a Confidence Game   I know what I’ve known all along, writing this column for 11 ½ years; everything is a confidence game.     Will what I say help anyone, change anyone, improve anyone, trigger ideas, fuel thoughts – will it transfer my confidence to my audience?   Opportunity, preparation, and anxiety – weave themselves into rough cloth, or fine silk – which will I be?    In any walk of life, preparation and opportunity do not usually meet on the same day, in some pivotal ah+ha making moment.    Sometimes preparation comes first.    Too often, opportunities arrive and we feel not-prepared.    Is this some gap we can leap easily, or is this chasm far-too wide?    I often misjudge, underestimating my ability to rise to challenges, or blithely and overconfident, falling flat.   Sometimes – insufficient preparation.   Sometimes misjudging an opportunity, misjudging my capability – but more often, for me as it is for everyone, it is about confidence.   I reviewed the six-day conference program. I found most of speakers/topics interesting and relevant. Presenters are experts in their respective fields. Two are headliner motivational speakers: Brian Burke, General Manager of the Calgary Flames hockey club and Catriona Le May Doan, former Olympic champion speed skater.   Both, widely acclaimed motivational speakers.    I’ve heard them before.    So which am I?     Expert in my field?     Motivational speaker?    Since I am speaking about speaking, talking about confidence – I need to demonstrate confidence and be both, do I not?       Mark Kolke column written/ published from Calgary   morning walk:  5C/40F, clear and star littered – yielding to dawn. I walked straight for a change. Alone. I dropped Gusta off at the kennel yesterday      Reader feedback / comments always welcome:   NEED SOME KETCHUM God help us all please. Sounds like a desperate plea does it not? Well I read the newspapers this morning and here is what I saw besides more murders, stabbings and shootings taking place in B.C., JB, Calgary, AB  Sign up to get MUSINGS by Email » click HERE to be added to our list! For Email Marketing you can trust   If you liked any Musing column, it would mean a lot to me if you would respond. Comments are welcome, so please contribute to the discussion. To reply, use: kolke@markkolke.com . You can also connect with me on LinkedIn . You can sign up your friends here at MarkMusing.com . This site is updated daily, each column is retained in the archive when the next day's column is loaded ... I also publish FACILITYCalgary, a weekly newsletter, free every Tuesday. To sign up, CLICK HERE Copyright - all rights reserved - Mark Kolke, © 2003-2018