While coaching Josh, our worship & outreach pastor at Platt Park Church, on the talk that he gave on December 30th, I listened to him deliver a great joke as part of his message. I noticed him pulling back just a little bit as he told me the joke. I can relate! Whenever any one of us creates something and offers it to the world, aren’t we tempted to pull back just a little (or a lot), with this anxious question inside, “Do you like it?” or “Did that work?”
My coaching advice to Josh was this: “If you’re going to tell that joke in the message, you’ve got to commit. You’ve got to decide you’re going to do it and then just put it out there full force, no matter if people laugh at your joke or not.”
Well, he delivered that joke with conviction, and it worked, and I was so proud of him for taking the risk to put himself out there, regardless of the response. Even if it hadn’t worked, and people hadn’t understood or laughed, I’d still be proud because the world needs more people to risk, to dare greatly, to take a chance at adding value/joy/insight/art to this broken world.
When you choose to commit, we are all better for it.
Susie Grade 