When I say I was shy as a kid, I’m not just talking about hiding behind my mom’s leg when a stranger approached, I’m talking about being so shy that I would make my mom call my friend’s houses to see if they could come play. Don’t even get me started on oral projects for school…

I was honestly terrified to speak to other people.

Even as I got older, I would get anxious just calling to order some pizza (can we take a moment to recognize how awesome skipthedishes is for anxious people??). 

Speaking anxiety was a real thing.

Wanna know the crazy thing? 

I’ve spoken across the continent to hundreds and hundreds of people. 

At my first speaking event ever, I started off by telling 300 people how sweaty my pits were… (classic Dawn.) 

… and everyone loved it!

They laughed, some people even clapped. And after the event I had so many people coming up to me to thank me for being so “real”. (Crazy right?! I could barely believe it either.)

In that moment it was like the heaven’s had just opened up in that mid-sized auditorium and an angel choir was singing above me:

To overcome my shyness and anxiety of speaking to people all I needed to do was this one thing…

Start being comfortable showing up as ME.

The awkward, shy, weird, small-town girl (yes, I may live in a big city now, but my heart is still in the prairies) that I am. 

I didn’t have to try to become someone I wasn’t to impress others. By being true to myself and who I am, I was able to connect with other people who felt the same as I did. 

You may know me now as more out-going, goofy, anxious creative that I am today, but that’s taken years and a lot of practice to get comfortable with. 

If you had told little Dawn that when she grows up she’d be speaking to crowds of up to 1,000 people she probably would have gotten deer-in-the-headlight eyes and ran away screaming. 

Don’t let your shyness or anxiety get the best of you in life. If I had allowed the belief that I could never talk to strangers consume me, I wouldn’t have gotten to experience so many of the things I’ve experienced.

Growth happens when we step out of our comfort zone. 

What’s waiting for you?