I Am a Motivational Speaker

DenaJuly 21, 2010

With time, and saliva, the ant will devour the elephant.” —Ancient Chinese proverb

I spent the first half of my life between forty and seventy pounds overweight. I’ve never told anyone this before, but most nights before I went to sleep, I would lie in bed praying. Dear God, Please let me wake up and be thin. I would pray over and over. I was fourteen, fifteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty. I kept praying the same prayer. Dear God, Please let me wake up and be thin. I’ll do anything.

I was never a very religious person. While I knew even then that there was power in prayer, I didn’t really believe that begging God to make me thin was going to work. I guess, somewhere really deep down, I was praying for a miracle.

Knowing what I know now, it seems insane. If you want to create a change—weight loss, career move, a new relationship—you need to take action. By taking the necessary steps, you can create anything. If you want to lose weight you need only do one very simple thing: Burn more calories than you consume. It is so incredibly simple, but if you don’t have and understand that information, then you can not create the change that you desire. You can beg, plead, cry, pray, and so on, but your desperation will not create change.

This Is It…

I am at a hugely transitional moment in my life. Ten years from now, when I look back at my life’s path, I will identify this period as an enormously important period of decision-making, risk-taking, and life-changing.

I was lucky enough to be chosen by the indomitable Tim Brownson to receive free life-coaching. This is pretty huge because I have been idolizing Mr. Brownson from afar for a year. He is one of my greatest inspirations. We had our first session last night and honestly, I was a bit star-struck.

When I work fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, I get lucky. —Armand Hammer

And even though it was only our first talk, we made some incredible discoveries rather quickly. The most important of which is the fact that I am a motivational speaker. Now this isn’t really revolutionary or ground-breaking because I had this tremendous “light bulb” moment on March 9, 2009 wherein I realized that my purpose in life was to inspire & change lives by sharing my story. But what was really revolutionary in my discussion with Tim, was the clarity that I gained around this fact. This is what I am meant to do. Now I have to start doing it.

Shout it from the Rooftops!

I’ve heard that when you set goals for yourself, it’s important to share them with as many people as possible. The more people that know about your goals, the more that you will be held accountable. I’ve also heard that by broadcasting your desires to the Universe you can get the Universe on your side. So here I go. My goal is to be a highly successful, wildly sought-after motivational speaker. I want to travel the country & the world to spread a message of hope. I want to tell people my story—how I overcame anxiety & depression; how I lost seventy pounds; how I created the life of my dreams. I want to show people that they can do it too, that anything is possible.

Move Forward

To some extent, that terrified young woman still lives inside of me. While I don’t do it consciously, what I’ve realized is that subconsciously, I am still praying. Dear God, Please let me wake up and be a motivational speaker. I have come a long way already. I’ve spoken to large groups. I have incredible stage presence. I’ve overcome my fear of public speaking. I have a message. All of this is wonderful! Now it is time to take it to the next level.

It’s time to stop praying and start acting.

Life all comes down to a few moments. This is one of them. —Bud Fox

So tell me: What are you praying for? Have you ever prayed for something only to later discover that you needed to create it yourself? I want to hear your story.

Comments (14)

  • Sue London

    July 21, 2010 at 5:15 pm

    Fantastic, Dena! Your natural ebullience comes through to me even though this is the first time I’ve run into you. Congratulations on the clarity and keep us posted on where you’ll be speaking.

    1. Dena

      July 21, 2010 at 6:36 pm

      @ Sue – Thank you so much for the kind words & encouragement. You are wonderful. Let’s keep in touch & I will most definitely update about my engagements.

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    July 21, 2010 at 4:37 pm

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dragos Roua, Dena Botbyl and Dena Botbyl, Dena Botbyl. Dena Botbyl said: evolution you | I Am a Motivational Speaker http://bit.ly/bL5Ru5 […]

  • Dragos Roua

    July 21, 2010 at 7:32 pm

    RT @denabotbyl: Amazing first session with @TimBrownson last night! Check out the fruits of our labor: http://bit.ly/bL5Ru5

  • Tim Brownson

    July 21, 2010 at 7:58 pm

    RT @denabotbyl: Amazing first session with @TimBrownson last night! Check out the fruits of our labor: http://bit.ly/bL5Ru5

  • Sue London

    July 21, 2010 at 8:11 pm

    RT @denabotbyl: Amazing first session with @TimBrownson last night! Check out the fruits of our labor: http://bit.ly/bL5Ru5

  • Dena Botbyl

    July 22, 2010 at 1:29 am

    [BRAND NEW POST!] evolution you | I Am a Motivational Speaker http://bit.ly/bL5Ru5

  • movetoportugal

    July 22, 2010 at 12:57 pm

    RT @DenaBotbyl: http://fb.me/F9LIRLai

  • Dena Botbyl

    July 22, 2010 at 7:55 pm

    Why are you so enchanted by this world, when a mine of gold lies within you? —Rumi http://bit.ly/cjUA9E

  • Jared

    July 23, 2010 at 8:43 am

    Good for you Dena. You pointed out something important, that “terrified young woman still lives inside of me” – letting her have a voice as well will help you in speaking and relating with others. You’re good at that and it comes across.

    For several years I spoke once a month at a large treatment center and LOVE sharing my story with others. It is weird, feeling more comfortable the larger the group of people. I always pray before I speak, asking to be rid of my “looking good racket” and to be void of ego. Being a motivational speaker is a dream of mine also. The hard part is getting started and building a reference list… which I have no idea how to get started on. Although I have added a youtube channel for my blog which may help some. Thanks for posting this and reminding me that we can declare what we want!

    1. Dena

      July 23, 2010 at 9:27 am

      @ Jared – Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! There is so much sage wisdom in your words. I really appreciate your support & advice.

      You are so right, there is something somehow comfortable speaking in front of a large audience. The anxiety that I suffered in life is almost gone completely, but on the rare occasion that I do get anxious now it seems to me in smaller group or one-on-one settings. Before speaking to large groups, I may get a bit of stage fright but that seems to wear away quickly once I get going.

      I’ve been lucky enough to build a small reference list over the last year or so & I hope to continue to build it. One bit of great advice I received recently advises to volunteer to speak at smaller associations & then try to get references from those experiences.

      I recently got a flip cam & my next step will be to start recording!

      Best of luck to you, Jared. Let’s keep in touch as we move through this journey.

  • Allyssa Marie Milán

    December 11, 2011 at 6:20 am

    I know *exactly* what you mean, girl. I used to go to sleep praying for the same thing – to be thin. (Of all the things to pray for!) Now that I’ve lost all this weight, I’ve been working on the inner me – realizing my goals and dreams and desires. I get scared too (all the time!), but I press forward when I think about all the interviews I’ve heard with successful people – they ALL say it’s scary. But they also say that you’re really on to something good – something important – when you feel nervous while doing something you’re passionate about. In time, as you see how powerful you really are and as you feel more accomplished, the nerves will largely dissipate. (Though some will always remain to keep us humble, of course.)

    So I salute you, kindred spirit! You are going to have an amazing journey in life. You’ve got my full support :]

    xoxo,
    Allyssa

    1. Dena Botbyl

      December 11, 2011 at 9:02 am

      Thank you, darling.  Your words & support mean the world to me.  I look forward to watching your own journey unravel.  xx

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