You will be extraordinary

"Give you. Give love. Give you. Give love."This is my mantra as I take deep, belly breaths, shifting from foot to foot. I nervously smile at my new friend, Rob Young, though I can hardly see his face in the dim blue lights of backstage.Chris Guillebeau has just come over to us, thanking us for what we've done and we are about to do, and telling us that we're going to be great.And I believe him. For this first time in my life, I know I will be extraordinary... even if I bomb. More on this in a second...Our coordinator, Michelle, gives us our cue and all 4 of us featured presenters file out on stage to a roaring applause, lining up as we were told in a slight arc.I look out and, thankfully, I can only see about half of the three thousand people that sit in the audience.Two weeks ago, I received an email from one of the World Domination Summit coordinators that my $100 investment story (i.e. The 30x30 Project) was chosen to be featured at this year's WDS. I was to talk on stage for 2-3 minutes about what I'd done since last year.Long story short, all attendees were given a "$100 investment" last year in the theatre at the closing ceremony. It was emotional for me as I say in my speech below, but it led to my forming The 30x30 Project.This opportunity to speak was a dream come true! I thought it would be years until I made it up on that stage, and now I have the chance to share this movement of hope on stage in front of this highly supportive audience. Imagine what that could do for next year's tour (more on that later, too ;))!...but then doubt steps in, and says in her aggressive, berating voice, "Yeah, but what if you screw up? What if you forget everything you want to say and bomb? Public speaking career? Dead from the start. Your movement will die because your lack of power can't hold a grand message like this. Who do you think you are, trying to stand up there and be more than you've ever been? Just fade back into where you belong: out of the light, in the safety of the darkness you know so well."To which I promptly said, "Shut your lying, ignorant mouth, doubt. You don't know who I am now."I am a speaker. My voice is this movement. It deserves to be heard.This movement, the video that started it all, the bootcamps, all the lives we've touched, came from my daring to reach further than what I know, risk rejection and act big. Because I did all of those things, my confidence has reached new highs. I have never felt this fulfilled in my life. Everything is just feeling RIGHT.If I feel all this in my heart, and I follow it, another voice crops up in my head: "You will be extraordinary."Today, I go up on stage, still hearing doubt in my head, but simply recognizing that her words don't apply to me. She's obviously talking to someone else.Even if I bomb, my message is true. This movement will still move forward and continue to help people. All I have to do is help even more people right now by simply sharing it (and me) with them.If I share this passion and love I have for saving stories that end too soon, I will be extraordinary.I'm not the first up. A wonderful woman named Jean is, who gets up there and tells her story. 2 1/2 minutes later, it's my turn. She hands me the mic as the audience claps, and I take it firmly, and repeat: "Give you. Give love. Give you. Give love."Our presenter, Isaac, introduces me by name, and then the crowd comes slowly to silence.I take a deep breath, looking at all the faces of each and every unique story in the audience.

"So this is what 3,000 people looks like."

I blurt it out unplanned. I laugh out of embarrassment, though thankfully, so do most people in the audience. I calm a little, and move forward...

"When Chris gave us a hundred dollars last year, people were laughing, people were cheering, hugging each other. I left the theatre hysterically crying. It was an awkward reaction."

Some chuckles. Not bad, though I thought that would be funnier. I move forward.

"It was really that cue I needed to start giving myself permission to live this extraordinary life. I wanted to create something bigger than me.

"But I was just a semi-successful fitness blogger at Strong Inside Out. All I knew to do was teach bootcamps and tell my story of how I overcame a suicide attempt and a lifetime of clinical depression with fitness. I mean, how could I create something bigger out of that story and a training background? No one had ever done that before.

"Which is why I decided it was time to be the first.

"In January, I launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $18,000 for The 30x30 Project. To celebrate the 30th birthday I almost didn't have, I would tour across North America teaching 30 donation-based bootcamps in 30 different cities to raise awareness and donations for the charity, To Write Love On Her Arms. They help with suicide prevention.

"In March, I left for 2 1/2 months with my travel backpack and my WDS pack from last year, and we've since raised thousands of dollars for a nonprofit that helps kids realize how important their stories are. In turn, I finally realized how important mine is, too.

"If I'm going to leave you with one thing today, it's to STOP WAITING FOR PERMISSION TO LIVE YOUR EXTRAORDINARY LIFE, AND JUST GO LIVE IT ALREADY!"

Cheers. I move forward.

"Because right now, right here, is all we ever truly have."

Louder cheers. I move forward.

"St-stay strong, guys. Thank you so much!"

Very loud cheers and clapping. I didn't stutter once until the end!The whole day, I had people coming up to me, telling me their stories that they'd been holding inside their whole lives. I heard stories of freshly lost family members. I heard stories of parents lost too soon, and the hole it's left behind.Because I refused to listen to doubt, my story helped other people tell theirs. I guess what I'm getting at here is that, had I given in to doubt, those people who had never before opened up would still be keeping that inside. They might still think that they're alone.You can open someone up today. You can be the one to show one, ten, one hundred people out there that they are not alone.You just have to hold on to the conviction that your voice deserves to be heard. Your voice can help others raise theirs.Move forward through the doubt, through the cheers, through any kind of inner or outer feedback, negative or positive.Give you. Give love.We are here to do just this. It is when we honestly take these actions that we feel like our resonance is found, and we are aligned with our meaning.Give you. Give love.You are a force that can will change a life.Give you. Give love.Move forward.You will be extraordinary. Stay strong,Amyphotos 1 & 3 courtesy of Armosa Studios