"If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later." — Richard Branson

When I was first presented with the opportunity to speak at NASDAQ - alongside being on the flashy billboards of Times Square - my body said, heck yes. Excitement. A full-body yes. I signed up.

And then I woke up with a holy shit moment.

You know those moments? You realize you’ve decided something big… and now you actually have to do it. And suddenly you think, I guess I didn’t really think this through.

Excitement, nervousness, fear - whatever you want to call it - the feeling is real. Tingling. Energizing. Alive.

Now it was time to get to work.

And honestly? I had no clue what I would talk about that would be highly beneficial to the audience and fit into under 10 minutes. Anyone who’s ever been to my masterclasses or in-person events knows I usually run over - because there’s always another download coming in that feels important to share.

On top of that, I’m not used to speaking without interaction. This was another stretch.

There were a few months between me saying YES and the actual keynote. And hand on heart - I finalized what I would speak about only a week before the talk.

I was unclear. I was avoiding it. My mind kept feeding me the classic lie: “I don’t know.”

So I postponed it. Until it was late. And I had to face it.

Classic procrastination.

But something was different this time.

I was more excited than scared. More curious than overwhelmed.

And when I was finally about to step on stage, I remembered one thing:

Why am I doing this?

To connect with the audience. To spread my message. To create change in cultures - starting from the top.

I won’t fool you. I was very nervous. Probably more nervous than I remember being in a long time.

But I did it.

Was it perfect? Not at all. Was it powerful? Yes.

One comment I received right after, from a CEO in the audience, stayed with me:

“I loved how you challenged the CEOs. I’m a CEO now, but I remember being an employee and how stressed I was. The pressure should be on the leaders.”

That’s when it landed.

My main lessons from the NASDAQ experience:

• Say YES to what feels like a full YES in your body - without overthinking or overanalyzing. You’ll figure it out later.

• Passion is everything - in business and in life.

• Prepare enough to feel confident. Let the rest flow.

• Enjoy the process. Otherwise, why do it at all?

• Remember why you’re doing it.

• Focus on the outcome. Focus on serving others.

• Don’t worry if you’re nervous. You will be. Stay authentic and beautifully human.

• In the end, it’s how you make people feel that matters.

Connect with yourself. And then connect with others.

Love,

Paulina

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