And then I recalled Dr. Seuss's words:
"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
About a year ago, Yaniv Aharoni, my manager, encouraged me to submit a proposal to speak at a JDevSummit IL Conference.
I hesitated; on one hand, the thought of standing in front of an audience was outside my comfort zone. On the other hand, I asked myself - should I remain in my safe space? I made an instant decision and applied.
I was accepted! But then I learned another fact - the lecture was to be in English. “one more challenge” I thought to myself.
The pressure began to mount, and fears emerged: What if I fail? What if the audience isn't engaged? And then I recalled Dr. Seuss's words:
"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
I decided to focus on learning and practicing.
I worked tirelessly, utilizing every tool and resource I had. I researched, read, and thoroughly understood the topic, worked on the presentation's structure with Netta Magen נטע מגן, a storytelling expert, received feedback from the organizers of the summit(thanks Victor Trakhtenberg Uri Shamay) and colleagues, and got assistance from the head of marketing Jason Beltran to design the presentation visualization. I practiced the lecture repeatedly, talking to myself, recording, watching, correcting, and practicing again... until the day of the lecture arrived.
The big day came: the hall was full, and the air was charged with expectation. My heart was pounding. Before it was my turn, the daunting thoughts returned, I reminded myself again Dr. Seuss's words:
"And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)."
I stepped onto the stage, many eyes looking at me...
With every heartbeat, the excitement grew, but I began to speak - and the words flowed smoothly from my lips. I progressed from slide to slide, without interruption or hesitation, allowing myself to relax and open up.
When the lecture ended, the audience burst into applause. Friends approached, expressing enthusiasm - my inner voice claimed they were just being polite. But then positive feedback started coming in from people I didn't know, allowing me, for the first time, to smile proudly and feel proud of myself.
I did it - I stepped out of my comfort zone and succeeded!
So, I invite you to step out of your comfort zone.
Face your fears! Believe in yourself!
“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!”
Thanks to the support of Sunbit and my partner’s belief in me.