I spent the last four days in Victoria, Canada, at an incredible conference called IP3 hosted by business titan and thought leader Andrew Wilkinson, who has gathered some of the most interesting friends, acquaintances, fans, and business partners imaginable..
Possibly the best conference I’ve ever attended.
Attendees included entrepreneurs, world-famous comedians, musicians, writers, actors, health experts, activists, and more.
Brilliant, successful, inquisitive human beings who wanted to learn, share, and be inspired.
I also played a role at the conference — telling stories, teaching a workshop, and speaking to the group about ideas related to storytelling, communication, and empathy.
I also met and spent loads of time with people individually and in small groups, sharing my expertise while also learning a lot.
It was an honor to play a small role in this incredible event.
I also had the glorious fortune of attending this conference with my friend and fellow storyteller Ellen Last. Ellen has loads of experience and success in business alongside excellent storytelling skills, which made her an ideal person to join me on this adventure.
But perhaps the best thing about Ellen is a lesson for many:
I knew I’d be asked to tell stories, teach workshops, and share ideas at the conference, but I also knew that I could be asked to do any of these things at any time for any length of time. Things at this conference are scheduled but also fluid, which is a brilliant way to run a conference because it offers the flexibility to meet the needs of the attendees but requires the people involved to be able to react quickly, confidently, and effectively.
I love this.
I love standing on the edge of uncertainty, ready to leap onto the highwire at any moment, not entirely sure what I might be asked to do.
But very few people feel this way, especially if the uncertainty involves public speaking in front of some of the most successful people on the planet. I am an anomaly of sorts, or so I thought.
By joining me at this conference, Ellen also signed up for this uncertainty. She needed to be ready to perform on a moment’s notice, and she might not know when and if she would be performing until moments before, which actually happened on the final day.
She’d also find herself speaking to some of the most successful people on the planet, needing to impart wisdom and seamlessly fitting herself into the group despite knowing no one but me.
Despite all of this uncertainty and the idea that she might be performing in front of world-class entrepreneurs, comedians, and entertainers, Ellen was remarkably calm and supremely confident. She was positive, happy, and incredibly sociable despite the possible need to react quickly at any moment.
It was impressive.
Also unusual and wonderful.
Ellen, I suspect, understands something that so many do not:
It’s going to be okay.
Uncertainty is a part of life. Regardless of the circumstances, her skills, talent, and expertise would invariably kick in when needed, and she would perform well.
Maybe even brilliantly, which was the case when she was asked to speak with little notice.
When you know how to do something, you must trust that you’ll be able to do that thing whenever you are called upon to step forward. It might feel better and safer to know the future and prepare for the moment, but if you need to know when the moment is coming, you’ll never be ready to meet the moment when it arrives without warning.
You’re either someone who can only do the job when life is scheduled, orderly, and predictable, or you’re going to be someone who can step into the breach at any given moment, regardless of circumstances, and get the job done.
Performance under pressure means performance without buckling to the pressure, and Ellen did this brilliantly.
She joined me for three days in Victoria with little preparation or forewarning, and she carried herself like someone who knew she could happily and confidently get the job done at a moment’s notice, and she did.
We had a grand time together.
Trust yourself.
Trust your skills.
Trust your experience.
Know that your best will always be enough.
Be comfortable with the ever-present, unavoidable possibility of failure.
Know that people are people, regardless of their success, celebrity, or the size of their bank accounts.
Be excited about opportunities to perform whatever you do, even when those opportunities are embedded in uncertainty.
Ellen embodied all these qualities this weekend.
I was so happy to have her standing beside me.
