Sometimes an opportunity comes up and you have to grab it.  One Sunday around noon, I was on twitter when I found a tweet from my friend @edjackman, talking about Ignite Culture.  He mentioned the deadline for presentation proposals was a few hours away and being the curious one I was I checked the link.

Ignite events are 5 minute presentations where the presenters get 20 power point slides(which click through every 15 seconds ready or not) and they can be about any topic you are passionate about.  I was excited about the opportunity to speak to fellow Londoners about Igniting Creativity… especially creative thinking. So…. I went into my zone and put together a proposal and a few hours later I got a message that it had been accepted!

Honestly the next week was a blur preparing for it along with my other everyday stuff but I really had a great time diving deep into the topic and  had a great time making the slides.  I was more excited than nervous!And then that night… I arrived early (way too early) but had a chance to say hi to a few people I knew before my cheering squad showed up.  I really have the best friends ever… so supportive! I especially appreciate it since most of my friends, like me, have social anxieties that make being in large crowds in not familiar surroundings a little uncomfortable. They were there for me <3 despite their own fears. That made me feel very lucky… and it inspired me to make them proud.

When it was finally my turn to talk… well… |I honestly don’t remember much… I didn’t really read my notes so I am sure I missed some good stuff and the crowd was less receptive than I expected but my friends and a few strangers told me it went well.  If I had any doubts… they were all put aside when a gentleman came up to me as I was leaving and said that he really enjoyed my presentation and that he felt the message was perfect for where he was in his life right now.  Perfect!!  I touched at least one person’s life and that was all I was hoping for.  Mission Successful!  Here’s the video. (I need more practice!) Ignite Culture – Ignite Creativity