Sather

I've been giving speeches for 18 years now. After hundreds of speeches in front of all kinds of audiences large and small, I made a shift: I stopped focusing on content and started focusing on meaning.

Just last month, I delivered a keynote and a breakout session to a group of HR professionals on storytelling and presentation skills. I didn't just teach them what to do and how to do it, however. I talked about what it means to "Be Amazing at the front of the room and in life. I spoke to their yearning to make a difference in the world and to be better people to go beyond their desire to just give better speeches.

I challenged them to consider the meaning and significance of each speaking opportunity the opportunity to inspire and lift people up.

After the applause had peaked, one of the organizers of the conference stepped onto the stage to thank me and give me a gift of appreciation. As he shook my hand, I could tell from his body language and demeanor that he was still feeling the effects of my talk. He looked into my eyes and connected with me as if the other 100 people werent even in the room.

His handshake was firm and sincere as he said, "I want to thank you for your program today. I don't think I've ever been so inspired and so uncomfortable at the same time. Thank you for making a difference in our lives today."

I consider that one of the greatest compliments Ive ever received. When that gentleman said that he was uncomfortable, he was saying that I had moved him, that what I had said and done meant something to him at that moment in his life.

I had made him uncomfortable with his personal status quo. The way he said it though, with a deep sense of appreciation and respect, told me that I had done my job well. I had motivated him.

The word motivation is derived from the Latin word Motivus, which means to move. When we talk about being moved by something that we've experienced, we're referring to a stirring of emotion. We were moved emotionally and perhaps at an even deeper level. On that particular day in that room, I moved people. I made them uncomfortable. They were moved because I was moved. They got emotional because I got emotional.

To motivate someone you must make them feel the power of your ideas and concepts emotionally. It's not enough for them to think your ideas are provocative. Success takes place when they are moved to action.

Over the last few years, my work as a speaking and storytelling coach has informed my professional speaking and training engagements. By digging deep within myself for the meaning of the work I do, I have come to understand how to inspire others to dig deep for the meaning in their lives.

Because of this personal transformation, I can no longer stand on a stage or at the front of the room and just teach skills. I have to call forth the desire in my students and audience members to use those skills to make a difference in the world.

I believe that most speakers have a desire to face the formidable challenge of standing in the front of a room and giving a speech because at a very core level, they want to help other people. It is a calling. A calling that comes from some deeper place than ego or the desire to get rich or the need to be appreciated. It comes from a desire to fulfill our souls purpose.Performing at my highest level of excellence now includes challenging people to rise to their highest level of excellence. Ive got to make them uncomfortable with being average. I want them to fulfill their souls purpose.

Ive become a hybrid speaker, coach, teacher, wisdom-sharer and friend.

In that context, I believe the difference between true motivational speaking and ordinary (and often pedestrian) speaking is determined by the speakers ability to connect with their audience members deepest desire for meaning and purpose. It goes beyond the integration of intellectual and emotional stimulation. It is the ability of the speaker to make their ideas, principles and skills resonate in the very soul of the listener.

When Martin Luther King delivered his I Have A Dream speech, he dug down into the depths of his soul for his words and then delivered them with incredible passion and fervor. It was one of the most incredible speaking performances of our lifetime. He was speaking philosophically. He provided a vision of a more desirable future. He left the how-to to be determined by others. He knew the how to was not his job. His job was to motivate.

Motivational speaking is as much art as it is science. At its best, its a powerful experience for both speaker and audience member. For the speaker, it's a physical, emotional and spiritual workout. I know that when I am finished speaking, I feel both exhilarated and spent, like Ive given it my all and held back nothing. That's because, in the moment of performance, I put my heart and soul into it.

When you speak, are you speaking from the depths of your soul? Are you sharing your deepest truth, based on the profound meaning you have discovered? Or are you only sharing what youve gleaned from reading books by others who have found meaning and purpose and have written about it?

Do you spend time in quiet contemplation seeking to understand the meaning behind the patterns of your life? Are you willing to look into the shadows of your past and illuminate them with meaning so you can help others understand their lives? Are you prepared to ask more questions than you have answers for?

If you are willing to go deep and explore the meaning of life, and to take the time to fuss and fight over the best way to communicate your revelations, you are on your way to becoming a true motivational speaker.

If you are brave enough to be vulnerable, to tell the unvarnished truth with emotional honesty, you may have what it takes to change someones life. After all, isnt that what its all about?

Doug Stevenson, president of Story Theater International, is the creator of The Story Theater Method and the author of the book, Never Be Boring Again. He provides keynotes speeches, corporate training and individual speech and story coaching.

His 10 CD - How to Write and Deliver a Dynamite Speech audio learning system, is a workshop in a box. It contains an 80-page follow along workbook. Learn more at: Dynamite Speech Home Study Course

Some of his clients include: Hewlett Packard, Century 21, Volkswagen, Oracle, The Department of Defense, GlaxoSmithKline, The American Medical Association, The Irish Management Institute, Amgen, The Denmark Ministry of Finance, UPS, The Internal Revenue Service, The National Education Association and many more.

Doug can be reached at 1-800-573-6196 or 1-719-573-6195 or at: http://www.storytheater.net

Subscribe to his RSS feed on his blog at http://www.dougstevenson.com

Besides being synonymous with spring break vacations, sand and surf, Cancun is also famous for the number of girls who parade through its streets and thoroughfares. Unofficially known by all as Cancun girls, these young girls are mostly of the college going age who want like to have their fun and who, for the most part were caught out in the act.

Cancun girls are a generally fun loving breed who is up for most anything that's thrown at them and you can always find at least a handful of them at any party or resort, especially during spring break. That’s not to say that there's a stereotypical girl out there who decides that she wants to be one of the Cancun girls, but it is still true that these girls exists and are not just figments of the imagination.

Wherever you go on the height of summer you will be bombarded by a bevy of Cancun girls in all shapes and sizes, and all of them in various states of undress. The dress code in Cancun on these hot summer days generally tends to be as little as you can get away with, and most of the girls will take advantage of this fact to strip down to the barest of bikinis. Sometimes it's even difficult to call the scraps of barely there cloth a bikini.

Be that as it may, there is also the chance that you might stumble across not a scantily clad girl, but one who believes in an all over tan. Although not as common a sight as in some European countries this practice can be seen from time to time from amongst the throng of people on the white hot beaches.

Now apart from the fact that these Cancun girls seem to be ready for any wild partying or adventure that they can get into, you shouldn’t forget that they just college going girls. Girls who want to have some fun before they go back to a bout of hard study.

Cancun girls aren't a breed apart nor are they anything other than what they are, young college girls out for a good time, and determined to find it in Cancun, the spring break central for most college students. So when you go to Cancun don't be shocked by what you see, and don't believe everything that you hear. If you just keep in mind the pertinent facts and enjoy yourself regardless of others, you'll have a smashing great vacation yourself.

Bowe Packer is the webmaster of 80 websites. Providing the public with free information. Visit his Cancun site and Get all the free information on Cancun that you need.

There are virtually unlimited affiliate marketing opportunities on the internet. Many people that are new to internet marketing have no idea just how potentially lucrative online marketing is.

The biggest thing that new people need to stay away from is the Internet Marketing niche. It's very complicated, extremely competitive and, although I'm not saying that it's impossible to make money in, there are so many other things that you could do that are much more profitable with a lot less knowledge necessary. As a matter of fact, there are many prominent Internet Marketer's that make a killing with businesses in other, more obscure markets.

Do you love hunting or fishing? Why not start a membership site or write an ebook about it? Better yet, why not just start your own blog in the beginning and draw traffic to it by writing about what you love to do? People can tell if you are genuinely passionate about a topic and your passion for your hobby can sometimes make you incredible amounts of affiliate money by promoting other people's products.

There are usually many others that share the same interests as you and want to know all they can about their hobby. Many of these people will willingly pull out their credit card and buy everything that they can get their hands on about that topic. Why, you ask? Well, why do you love your hobby so much? There's your answer.

Some people simply can't get enough. Look at niches like golf. Golf is incredibly competitive. It's not a niche that's impossible to compete in, but it would definitely be a big challenge because golfer's are very passionate about the game and savvy marketer's know this. Golfer's are constantly doing whatever they can to lower their handicap. Whether it's a new book, new training aid, new video, ect., you can be sure that the true golf lover has them all.

So what about you? With all of the affiliate marketing opportunities available, what is it that you LOVE to do? Don't put it off any longer! Do the research, find something that you love to do, see if there's a market to support it and get to work!

Are you struggling with affiliate marketing? Are you spending a lot of money and time only to have the same result? Grab my free report "Top 10 Affiliate Mistakes" and save yourself a lot of heartache. Visit MakeAffiliateCash.com Right Now. You'll learn what NOT to do and finally get yourself on the right track. Affiliate Marketing Opportunities . Joe Stewart is an Affiliate Marketer and Small Business owner that enjoys helping others.