What does walking a tightrope have to do with telling your business story?
Completing a walk across a tightrope was a requirement before completing my MFA in Acting.
Required, not because our department head wanted his students to be more marketable as future circus performers. He believed the act of staying on a tightrope, from beginning to end, was analogous to what is required of our mind and body to be on stage. Staying on a tightrope has less to do with athleticism or grace, and more to do with mindset. Being present. Moment by moment. Step by step. Always moving forward.
I learned a valuable lesson over those months of tightrope class. The second I thought of what I was going to have for lunch, recalled an earlier conversation that had left me unsettled, glanced away from the end of the rope, or allowed even a smidge of doubt to enter my mind, I would fall off that rope. Every. Time.
I fell off a lot. A whole lot. But one of the class rules was if you fell off, your turn wasn’t over. You got right back on. Before you could dwell on why you fell off. Just get back on. Find the courage. Be Present. Move forward. Step by step. Moment by moment.
The mind/body experience of walking a tightrope remains with me today in my work at Center Stage Connections, as I support, encourage, and guide others to move their story forward—whether in the form of a high-stakes presentation, a grueling interview process, or team building and messaging. Moving your story forward is not always easy. Internal and external challenges will be there.
If you or your team have fallen off your tightrope, I have many tools and techniques to get you moving forward with focus, presence, courage, intention, and boldness for the business stage.