Last weekend I had the privilege of listening to all three of my kids speak to a good-sized audience. My son, Chris, kicked off the event with humorous comments that broke the tension in the room and drew the audience into the stories and ideas he shared. His natural style, energy and captivating performance held everyone’s attention through to his final point.
Whispers filled the room as my daughter moved up the steps to the stage. The audience was concerned for Carolyn, as no one could imagine how anyone would follow Chris’ success. But she too blew the audience’s expectations away with her unique style and satirical humor. To balance her fun approach, she shared personal anecdotes salted with words of comfort, compassion and encouragement.
After a couple more speakers, my youngest daughter, Caitlyn, climbed the steps and shared a reading. It was powerful, thought provoking and clear. Her professional presence at the podium was salted with grace and her trademark smile. Her final words launched a buzz of comments in the audience about how amazing my three kids were.
While I’ve messed up numerous things in my kids’ lives over the years, I’ll claim success in raising three incredible leaders and speakers. They learned how to think, tell stories and develop strong opinions. They are capable of communicating one on one and in large groups. But most of all, they have learned to do one thing I never set out to teach them.
All three kids can speak from their heart in an authentic manner that captures the attention of everyone in the room.
Sharing from the heart presents our greatest passions to our audience. It’s a form of entertainment that opens the mind to consider the words being shared. It also lowers the wall that protects our mind to give room for change and growth. Words of passion help the audience see who we really are and respect the message we share.
Should I leave this world unexpectedly, I’ll be at peace knowing that I left the world three times better off than when I entered it. I am a proud papa and can’t wait to see how my kids impact our world over the next few decades. It’s my prayer that they will each be given a divine calling to make a difference in their marketplace, neighborhood and communities.
And, I’m trusting that I’ll have many opportunities to impact millions too. After all, there are more than 7.4 billion people on earth that I’d like to share a piece of my passion with. Whether by speaking to one person at a time or reaching thousands through the media, I can’t imagine being a part of life and not participating in the possibilities.
CJ's Corner 