Originally published February 5, 2018 , updated on September 10, 2024

It’s time to take the next step. You’ve worked your way to a certain degree of success in your career and you’re dreaming of bigger things. You find yourself comparing your knowledge and experience with the speakers at the events you attend and often think, “I could do that!”

You probably could. There’s a great way to find out and help a cause you care about at the same time! 

A movie of the same name starring a young Haley-Joel Osment resulted in a huge rise in the popularity of the term “Pay it Forward.” Goodwill became popular, charities blossomed, and people gave a lot to the causes they care about. Some got involved and gave their time in teaching, mentoring, and coaching in their communities. 

While the popularity of “charitable” work rises and falls, there are those among us who believe that giving back to the community as a way of life is the only way to go. There are so many things you can do. 

Sure, you want to become a hugely successful business person, but you have to recognize your community. They are the supporting foundation to your every effort. The more you get involved, the more opportunities you will see to build your community. 

The fact is, your business will grow along with you, because the public perception of your organization will be favorable. I’m not suggesting that you do good things so that you will benefit. Sometimes you have to stop and say thank you to the community that raised you.

It’s a tricky path to start down, but there are some simple ways to start it off. I’ll use motivational speaking as an example. 

4 Steps To Become A Motivational Speaker

Start locally – Your community knows you. They’re far more likely to give you an opportunity to speak, get involved, and give back. Your community will be the basis of your success and will usually become your most fervent promoters.

Be relevant – Why should people listen to you? What do you have to say? What is your message? Ask yourself these questions early. Focus is vital! When you believe in yourself and your message, you’ll find that people are far more likely to pay attention.

Don’t charge – At first, you should work for free. You need to build up a reputation as a great speaker. You have to show off your abilities at any opportunity. You’ll also gain experience. The money will follow later as you work your way up to bigger events.

Be worth it – As you work more and grow as a speaker, so will your value. People want to connect with you and feel better about their lives as a result. Make your life about caring and connecting with the people around you.

You can succeed as a speaker by leveraging your public appeal and knowledge to become a subject matter expert. You’ll need to put in the work to become as well known as possible. The worst case scenario is that it turns out you don’t want to be a public speaker. Even then, you’ll have helped your community to grow. Why not give it a try?

Let me know if you want to schedule a call with me. Check out my site at www.kileyco.biz and leave me a message.

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Kiley

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