The sprinter, Michael Johnson, was maybe the best in history over his distance.
His running style looked very wrong, but he didn't change it, it worked for him.
John McEnroe's service action was very, very unorthodox.
It happened by accident while he stretched his back to deal with an injury.
At times, it was virtually unplayable.
Wrong is sometimes right.
No actually, that's bollocks.
People will tell you what you do or how you are is wrong.
Yet if it's you, truly you, it can lead to greatness.
It's the same with most things in work and life.
Your voice isn't wrong just because it's unique.
Where did your voice go though? Did someone take it?
It was there once, really it was.
When you were little and said what you thought, asked questions without fear and played for hours on end.
It may have been taken by a well meaning parent or teacher who wanted you to be like them, not like you.
It could have been someone at work who wanted to keep you in your place.
It could have been a whole place that made you do everything their way, or destroyed your confidence day by day.
You might spend everyday now, trying to be someone else's idea of who you should be.
You might make yourself really small because that's what you were made to feel.
You may feel too big and loud and try to tone yourself down.
But the only size that really fits is your size.
This matters if you have to present a lot.
If you have persuade others about ideas.
These days, most of us do.
Because great presenters really are not made, they are born.
I don't mean the charisma buffoons that say nothing but make it feel 'inspirational'.
I mean that people respond to people, they respond to people genuinely caring.
They respond to authenticity.
But most of us keep our selves hidden.
Many of us are hidden from our own selves.
Like Eleanor Rigby, we keep our faces in tge jar by the door.
People smell belief, even more than confidence.
So great presentations boil down to two things:
Belief in you
Belief in your idea
But you can still get quite far in life by pretending to be something you're not.
Or channelling what others think is right or good.
Eventually you find it's not only easier to be yourself, it's actually far more successful.
Believe me I've tried both.
I also know it's better to find 'you' as soon as possible, rather than a crisis to force you into it.
Put simply, if you want people to listen to you, listen to yourself.
Now you can say, hang on, this is only presentations.
You're right its not.
The bests talks and meetings are not about slick powerpoint.
They are about you and what you want to say.
It's about you.
It's true that when you assume the traits of others, over time they can become your traits.
This is good, this helps, as long this is genuinely who you want to be.
Look at it another way though.
If we all slip on the same mental uniform, we'll all work the same way and end up with the same results.
So when it comes to work, and everyday life, keep fancy dress for parties.
Much of our education system.
Our work places.
Our very British stiff upper lip and emotional illiteracy.
It builds average, sameness, compliance.
It teaches us not to make a fuss.
It doesn't like self expression.
No wonder we stow away who we really are.
Great companies make us feel something not just buy something..and sell more.
Same goes for presentations.
Nothing is more infectious than enthusiasm and belief.
So, yes, I'm live in the real world, I know you have to conform a lot not get fired.
I know much of your work needs to be ticked.
But never lose that sense of you.
As you get older and more experienced, you still won't have a clue what you are doing, sorry about that.
But you will have more and more freedom to let yourself out.
In meantime, for every project you do, find a way to make it excite you.
Then find a way through peer review.
The best scientific break throughs still need layers and layers of compliance and peer review.
That doesn't make them any less important or wonderful.
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