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On Christmas Eve, STACKS Magazine introduced to you S. Renee Smith. [READ HERE]  She is an accomplished image and brand consultant, motivational speaker, author, and former model. From her story of being bullied as a child, we got the opportunity to understand what propelled her career. But, before she began her journey as a model and motivational speaker, there was one key component of her life she needed to establish…SELF-CONFIDENCE.

 

Many of us are not social butterflies. We do not possess the knack of socializing. At times, this character trait unknowingly stifles our career growth. Because we don’t “put ourselves out there”, we miss out on great opportunities.  Although not all introverts are shy and bashful, there are a great amount that simply do not believe in their own talents. They do not believe that they are capable of achieving success. Unfortunately, most of the time, this is due to a lack of confidence.

 

In the public speaking industry, in order to be a successful speaker you have to feel comfortable in a room. You have to be confident in your story, your speech, your appearance, your diction, etc. If you suffer from anxiety and nervousness, as a public speaker, this spells trouble.  So, the best thing to do is build up a strong sense of self-confidence. It may take some practice. But, learning how to overcome that fear is possible to achieve.

 

During our phone interview, S. Renee Smith shared some key advice on building confidence and ways to overcome a fear of public speaking.

 

 

On how an introvert can build up the confidence to begin Branding themselves

 

S. Renee:  Challenge themselves and speak up when they don’t really want to. Confidence is really built on practicing and living your truth.

 

Signals That You Are NOT Confident:

1. When you feel like you want to speak but don’t want to speak and feel like it’s something grabbing you.

2. You don’t want to take up for yourself.

3. You don’t want to just do it anyway whether you’re the introvert or you’re the person who is really outgoing but don’t have the confidence yet.

4. You’re the person who really is outgoing (there is a sense of confidence) but you don’t feel worthy.

 

I mean it’s across the board. It always takes stepping up to the challenge that your soul has created for you. Because our soul creates what we need in order to move our lives forward. Every day, something is showing up every challenge when you have creators who has created for us. We condemn it verses embracing it. And I’m still learning that. There are things that happen and I’m like “ahhh ha!”  Then, I say “Ok, wait a second. They showed up for you girl. Alright calm it down, take a breath.”  We will always be on that journey to remind ourselves (that showed up) to teach and help us to get to the next level. So, I would just encourage them to embrace, be curious, be present to what’s happening, and stay aware and awake at all times. Challenge yourself to respond to the way your heart tells you too.

 

 

On ways an individual can overcome the fear of public speaking

 

S. Renee:  I think it’s a matter of: 1) really being confident in your speech. What’s going on inside of us (in that earpiece) is, “Am I going to be likable? Am I going to be accepted? Are they going to really understand what I’m saying? Am I going to be presenting what I said clearly?  So, in that ear, what we’re dealing with is really our internal self-doubt that’s going on in a lot of cases.

 

It’s really about understanding that you’re worthy. Understanding that God stuck you there. He sent you there and that if he sent you there, you are going to do the work and you have built the capacity to do the work. In that moment, if you will just simply release yourself and open up to the spirit, it will come in and use you in that moment. You will become the revel. You will say things you never thought you could say. You will do things you never thought you would do. You just open yourself up to be you. That’s really what happens when you are on stage. You’re just being you. It’s not just you, but the deeper part of you.

 

We look at ourselves. I will give this quick demonstration. Body. Mind. Spirit. Soul. Three quarters of who we are is invisible. It’s only our body that is visible. So, we rely on that to carry us through. But, we should be relying on the three quarters that is invisible to carry us through. Once you get to that place to understand that, this is only a quarter of who I am, it’s gone. I [You] don’t even have to rely on all that.

 

 

Stay tuned for Part 3 of our exclusive interview with S. Renee Smith. Next, she will discuss Branding and its connection to spirituality.

 

 

For more information on S. Renee Smith and her services, please visit www.SRenee.com. The website boasts a public forum and loads of free information. Next to launch is a personal branding webinar titled “Create A Buzz: Grow Your Life and Business“. In addition, S. Renee offers ten (10) free audio downloads of “How To Keep Your Life On Track“.

 

S. Renee Smith will also join the creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield, on an upcoming tour, “How To Become A Paid Speaker“. Check her website periodically for more information on locations and dates.