I’m writing this post at 35000 feet on my way from Sydney to Hamilton Island. My wife is across the aisle and I’m on my way to spend the weekend working with the management team of a new client.

I will be presenting and facilitating for two days and I’m feeling excited and confident.

Cast back a few years and I’d have done anything to avoid standing up in front of an audience. I was a successful entrepreneur, I’d relocated my family from the UK to Australia and I was living the dream in Melbourne. Inside however I knew that I would never fully realise my personal potential if I did not overcome my fear of public speaking.

Enter Toastmasters and Peter Crofts.

Toastmasters is a global organisation that teaches people the skills of public speaking in a safe and supportive environment. Check if there is a club near you here and spend an evening or two as a guest. I have been a member of my local club for over five years, I’ve been club president and twice a month I’ve had the opportunity to speak, to chair meetings and to evaluate other speakers.

Peter Crofts was a mentor of mine. He operates the Humourversity, the world’s leading training centre for the three disciplines of Humour, Comedy and Laughter. Peter teaches CEOs and stand up comedians the art of public speaking with humour. Peter’s philosophy is “the secret to life is to feel embarrassed and enjoy it.” Now for me, who desperately feared public speaking, this was a stretch! However, over two years Peter used a variety techniques, some scary, many embarrassing, to convince and reassure me that public speaking is to be enjoyed rather than feared.

So what about fear being the natural reaction when getting closer to the truth? Well in my case it was true. My fear of public speaking was a sign that I was getting closer to my personal truth. I wanted to be a global thought leader, to stand on a stage and be inspiring and most of all to realise my own potential.

So what are your personal fears? Are they a clue to what you should be doing with your life? Do you need a mentor to help you overcome your fears and to reassure you that you are definitely good enough?

So as I prepare to land on Hamilton Island, why don’t you visit us at LifeMentoring.com and find yourself a mentor who will help you achieve the breakthrough results you deserve.