The Remedy for Risk

how ironic is it that today i’m here to

unlock the revelation

of the root the remedy and the reality

of risk so when i first got this

opportunity

i went and researched ted talk because

i needed to see what was approved or

what kind of ted talks got the accolades

or the most applause

and it dawned on me that what i was

doing

is the exact opposite of what i would

tell anyone else to do

but here’s why i did that it was because

i was trying to avoid the possibility of

failure

to reduce the risk of failures

and flops because that’s what leads to

frustration

and ultimately causes us to forfeit the

fortune

that we are hoping for so what i’m gonna

talk about today

is the biggest risk of all

which is being yourself a hundred

percent

and showing up authentically as you

see let’s be honest here we have been

conditioned from the time we were little

ones

to compare ourselves to someone else

when we were born there was already a

standard set

of what success looks like there was

already

a rubric or a ruler made of who the best

is and how to be the best

and what this did is it caused us

to operate in the culprits of comparison

which then forfeits the power

and the potency of our peculiarity

see there’s absolutely nothing wrong

with being different being different is

exactly what we’re supposed to do

but it is the feeling of rejection the

feeling of failure the feeling of not

being liked

or being loved that makes us conform to

the version of ourselves that’s

comfortable

for others see risk is

all around us the risk of

heartbreak because you want to find that

one true love

the risk of disappointment because you

applied for your dream job

knowing that there were hundreds of

other applicants that could possibly be

more qualified

or if you’re like myself a business

owner the risk of building a business

without a blueprint

and hoping that you won’t have a blunder

but here’s the reality of risk

risk is the recipe for

reward it is inevitable

the risk to be to do and to become

it takes a risk for you to change the

world because to do that you must

challenge the norm now let’s talk about

the root of risk which again

is the culprit to comparison who

are you comparing yourself to who have

you begun to idolize

that causes you to minimize the

greatness of who you are and what you

bring

to the table what incident was it in

your life

that made you say that you would stay in

the confinements of conformity

just so that you won’t be crippled by

criticism

of those who don’t even have the courage

to do what you were called and created

to do

see i remember that very vividly it’s

when i was in the third grade and i

tried out for the spelling bee

and i misspelled the word and my teacher

embarrassed me in front of the class

because she asked me if i was stupid

and in that moment i

made an internal vow that i would never

make the risk

of standing before people again and risk

being ridiculed rejected

or mocked for months and months but what

i understand

now is that risk is the recipe for

reward

and because the reward is so much

greater on the other side

i am willing to be subjected to

the opinions of others see there’s so

much

power in your authenticity there’s so

much power

in your peculiarity so instead of

allowing yourself to be pushed away and

put in a box

because you’re worried about the

opinions of other people

i encourage you to step out and to stand

tall in your authenticity

see you are tailor-made because you are

cut

from a different cloth there is no one

who does you like you and i know it

sounds so cliche but

this is the reality but before i wrap

this up i want to talk to you about the

remedy for risk

because that was what i am originally

here to do

the remedy for risk is to free yourself

from the prison of people’s perception

of you

even if they don’t like you even if they

don’t love you

even if they disagree with you

you are not called to conform to the

version of yourself that’s more

comfortable for them

instead you’re called to operate and the

power of your peculiarity

you’re called to operate in the

anointing of your authenticity

so that you can cause all of those who

are playing small

and operating in mediocrity to stand

and their authenticity too when you

understand just how amazing you

are and just how powerful your

difference is

you will no longer shrink back pull back

or play it small to make anyone else

feel be against all

when you understand the power that you

have when you understand just how

amazing you are you don’t sit around

waiting for other people to clap for you

you clap for yourself because you

understand that you do not put your

value in anyone else’s

hands you understand that your value

doesn’t decrease

based on someone’s inability to see your

worth

so even if you’re the only cheerleader

that you have or you’re the loudest one

in the stand

guess what you have secured

your value in your own hands

your authenticity has a trifecta it

activates aggravates and annihilates

it activates your authority to oppose

anything that tries to detour you from

your destiny

it aggravates mediocrity and the lies of

those who’ve been okay

with playing it small and it annihilates

any opportunity to silence to sabotage

or to

stop you what you were created to do

lies in your authenticity your

originality

and your individuality

you know that if you try to be anything

other

than who you are created to be you

forfeit

the fullness of what’s been laid up for

you

so from this day forward you will stop

apologizing for what you’re anointed to

do

stop answering to the opinions for what

you

are appointed to do you will simply be

who you are created to be boldly

and unapologetically i’m dr shamika dean

thought leader and transformational

teacher thank you

for listening to my ted talk