I just joined an International Speech Competition. I’m talking about how anybody can use the alchemical process to turn lead into gold. Sound interesting? 9 out of 10 people surveyed say “hell yeah!”
You can change lead into gold using the Philosopher’s Stone. When greedy alchemists read this, they thought they would be rich beyond their wildest dreams. Too bad they were reading the ancient texts literally when they should have been reading it metaphorically. The good news is the alchemical process leads to the kind of success you can take to the bank if you understand what was actually being said.
First, lead is something dull and heavy that needs refining, like a public speech. You will know it is gold when you get a standing ovation.
Next, let’s break down the word philosopher. Philos means “lover of”, and Sophia is “wisdom”. The Philosopher’s Stone was wisdom, but what’s that?
Wise people use their real-world experience to do things that get great results because they’ve accurately predicted the consequences of their actions. In the end, they maximize the benefit to themselves and others.
Unfortunately, most people ignore wisdom. It’s sad but true. It’s just what chimps do.
For example, a wise person understands that being a better public speaker is one of the best things they can do for their careers. They speak in public at every opportunity and join an organization like Toastmasters to get high-quality feedback. Meanwhile, other people let their fear of public speaking overwhelm them when they could be changing their life for the better.
Okay, let’s put all the pieces of the puzzle together into the Alchemical Process:
1) Put your lead into a crucible of practice, practice, practice – It’s not enough to write your first draft. You have to practice it until you have it down cold.
2) Turn up the heat and pressure – Practice it in front of friends and family or join a competition like me.
3) Refine, over and over and over – Most people refine their work a couple of times and call it a day. I’m on draft eighteen of my speech. I’ve honed every word, phrase, and sentence, trying to remove anything that isn’t essential.
4) Apply wisdom – I’ve received a lot of feedback, and I’m using wisdom to decide the best suggestions to take.
5) Repeat steps one through five until you have gold – I’ve rehearsed my speech more than 50 times, and given it to an audience at least 8. My lead recently graduated from brass to copper, and I’m just getting started. Soon it will become silver and one day, hopefully, it will get a standing ovation.
Now that you know the Alchemical Process, hopefully, you will turn your lead into gold.
