One of the things I love is sharing the lessons I’ve learned in this sport and telling my stories. I was able to do that last weekend in San Antonio thanks to Jodi Mann, a mom I met at the Storm Youth Championships last year. But, more on that in another blog. 

I was so excited to take my Mastering Mindset Workshop on the road!

It was the first workshop of ‘24. The first of what I hope to be many more around the US, this year. Because I love doing this. It really fills me up, and the feeling I get during these workshops solidifies that this is EXACTLY where I’m supposed to be.

Every time I do a workshop, I can just feel that I am in the right place. People connect with what I am sharing. And to be in this position, to travel across the country and spread positive energy while sharing the lessons I’ve learned through bowling, is such an honor.

The wonderful feedback I receive about how my talks have made an impact also keeps me wanting to do more of these. Everyone sort of pulls something different from the mindset talks. Sometimes, the information reaches people in the most surprising ways, too. I never really know what someone is going to take out of it.

At last weekend’s youth event, parents were allowed to sit in. Afterward, many of them went out of their way to thank me for giving the presentation – and to tell me how well I delivered the information. 

One mom came up to me and said, “You know, while I was listening to your lessons it really struck me how confident you are. You are confident, in a very “non cocky” way. You come off as real. You share many stories and make us see you as human.” 

That got me thinking that there is a fine line between coming off cocky/arrogant and just being confident. 

Being unapologetically confident in who you are is often mistaken for being arrogant and full of yourself. And so many people are afraid to be who they are because they’re worried about how they will be perceived. Who do you think you are? They don’t realize that other people’s perception of it has nothing to do with them. If anyone is ever uncomfortable with your confidence, that’s their problem. Not yours.

Many of the stories I share are from when I was at the top, but I don’t share them to build my credibility or tell people how great I was. I talk about the times at the top simply as context for all of the other times that they don’t already know about. The times that I failed or messed up or fell on my face. Or stories from college, when I called home, crying because people didn’t like me, and I could not for the life of me understand why.

By sharing all of that, people are able to see how I learned from it all, and all of it makes me who I am. This mom saw that I was confident in myself, in what I learned, and in what I was teaching. And that I was in no way cocky. I am just proud of the things that I’ve done and where I’ve been. I’m also grateful that I can pass those lessons that I’ve learned onto others so that they can learn them sooner than I did. I don’t want to gatekeep this golden information. I feel like maybe I was meant to learn all those valuable lessons so that I can go and teach them to others. 

One of the young girls approached me afterward to tell me how much she loved the presentation. When I asked her what she loved the most, she said her biggest takeaway was that it helped her realize it’s okay to struggle and fail as long as you learn from it. And I thought, YES! She totally gets it.
 
Another mom approached me afterward and told me she was a librarian at a school, and she couldn’t wait to take all these ideas and lessons back to the kids at her school. She commented that even though they’re based on my bowling stories, they are about personal development. She saw how these lessons apply to anyone.

She followed up by sending me an email, and I’ve quoted some of it here:

“As you were talking, I watched the kids you were addressing. These kids, whose ages ranged from elementary to high school age were all hanging on every word you spoke.  They were engaged, taking notes and absorbing everything you threw at them.  That is no easy feat.  You are a talented, motivational speaker.  

Corporate groups, educators, and other professionals would benefit from listening to you speak. 

I am so glad my son, who is just starting out in bowling, had the benefit of listening and learning from you.  Even if he doesn’t stay in bowling, he can use what he learned throughout his life.”

That’s exactly why I am doing these workshops. I feel like I have a lot to give inside of me, and this is just one way I can share what I know. I think what many don’t understand is that I am equally inspired by those who show up to level up their life as they are listening to my life stories and lessons. 

My next workshop is scheduled for next month here in the Chicagoland area with Judson University and I’m already dreaming about it. Who else is ready to Master Their Mindset?