Diana Nyad’s accomplishment of swimming uncaged from Cuba to Key West was no small feat. More astounding than than the event itself was her relentless drive to pursue her dream until she successfully accomplished it. What can we learn from her and how can we apply these lessons to our speaking and presentations? Here are three lessons we can take away from her experience:
Vision. No venture succeeds without a vision, and the more clear the vision, the more likely the success. Define what success looks like for yourself, then develop a plan to achieve it.
Resilience. Defined in Merriam-Webster as the ability to recover after a misfortune or setback, Ms. Nyad demonstrated resilience as this was her fifth attempt to swim from Cuba to Key West. Certainly Mother Nature cooperated in this latest attempt to achieve her goal. But more importantly, with each new attempt, she made changes and adjustments from what she learned from her previous efforts. Can we say we do the same each time we address an audience? We are going to nail some presentations, and others are not going to hit the mark. The ability to bounce back and learn through each experience can propel our performance to the next level. Take the time to reflect on what went well and what we could improve upon. Then make the proper adjustments.
Teamwork. We all achieve more when we are working as a team than when we are working alone. The important lesson here is knowing when to add others to the team who complement our skills and strengths. For instance, could a coach help you in achieving your goals?
Vision, resilience, and teamwork are the three components that lead Diana Nyad to successfully reaching her goal. And undoubtedly, they will help you reach yours as well.
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