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Lower the Bar

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"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm so excited. I got a cool new power point template with orange and yellow flames. It's not too much (well, maybe it is), but I don't care. I like it.

So I transferred my regular presentation to the new template. I got some mesmerizing slide transitions like Jim Edwards used (spinning boxes and such that the audience at Big Seminar were oohing and aahing about). My handouts were ready to go.

Then I find out -- they don't have a projector where I'm speaking.

Bummer.

So I freak out. I call my marketing buddies, who don't answer their phones (they're busy marketing). I dial up my mastermind group. No go. I beg to borrow my ex -husband's projector and big 'ol screen to drag on the one day roundtrip flight. He says yes. I don't know how to set this up. Now my husband John usually goes with me. But since this is just one day, he opts to stay at home and take care of the kids. So I figure I can just figure it out and follow the manual (never mind that techno geek John was unable to set this monster up at the last event and we had to borrow someone else's).

My flight is an hour so I'll have to go through security, take off my shoes, get pat down by the female guard (those metal things are set so low now even my belly ring makes it beep) all while dragging around a 6 foot screen that weighs about 45 pounds, a projector, a laptop and a purse.

Hmmm. This isn't sounding like such a good idea.

Finally, I whine to John. But he's used to me making a big deal out of little things. So he just waits for me to get a grip. Why is it so easy for him to not get mired in the details? Because he's good at seeing the view from 10,000 feet. He's a big picture guy, while I'm stuck staring at blades of grass up close and personal.

Handouts. We nix the projector idea and decide on handouts instead. "Well, there can't just be ANY handouts," I say!! "They have to be eye- catching and fancy. I want them spiral bound with a clear cover and black back. The front page should be color. Oh and they have to be ready by this weekend, John. Thank you very much."

"Lower the bar," he reminds me. He has an annoying way of remembering all the chunks of wisdom I tell him then feeding them back to me. He reminded me that Tom Antion widely distributes a recording with some very bizarre background noises (that's a whole different story I'll tell you sometime). One of John Reese's most highly acclaimed articles is about writing "cr@p" for the internet. My gal pal, Alexandria Brown even told me sometimes those of us who care try so hard for perfection, we don't get anything done.

Lower the bar. That does NOT mean under-deliver. Far from it. All it really means is don't worry so much about perfection. I say this for you as much as I say it for myself, because I know other people suffer from this same affliction. You are an expert in your field, right? So just share that information and people will be able to improve their businesses. They don't need shiny covers on their handouts. They don't need eye-popping power point presentations. All they need is information. Information given to them from a place of empathy for what their needs are. And your expertise. So I'm going to go to my event and share some down and dirty information that will undoubtedly help them with their marketing and their businesses.

Lower the bar enough to step into your own power.

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