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