You're NOT standing in front of an audience... You ARE that Audience!
BUT, Before we begin...
If you’ve ever felt your throat close before a big moment.
Had something true to say, but your body said “DON'T”
Felt like your voice was too shaky, too raw, or too much to be heard...
This story my friend is for you.
It’s not about performance.
It’s about light.
And what happens when we finally stop hiding it.
You Ready?
The Man & The Lantern
(A story about fear, light, and the truth that WANTS to speak)
There was once a man who carried a glowing lantern inside him.
Not a bonfire. Not a spotlight. Just a quiet, steady light.
It pulsed with everything he’d lived, learned, and come to know, but rarely shared 🥹
He wasn’t hiding it 'cause it lacked value.
He was hiding it because every time he tried to show it, his body rebelled.
The moment he stood in front of others, even in a small room, or among friends...
his throat tightened.
Breath shortened.
And mind scattered like birds startled off a wire.
He’d trained for this.
👉Joined speaking groups.
👉Practiced on Zoom.
👉Read the books.
👉Watched the TED talks.
And yet still... when it was time to be seen, the fear returned.
Familiar. Heavy. Ancient.
He thought maybe something was wrong with him.
Maybe some people just aren’t meant to “share their voice.”
But deep down, he knew that wasn’t true.
Because, you know what?
The light inside him DIDN'T fade.
It longed to be seen.
The Old Speaker...
One day, after another shaky attempt to speak his truth in a room full of half-watching eyes,
an old speaker approached him and said something that stuck...
“Dedo, You’re not afraid of public speaking.
You’re afraid of dropping the lantern in front of 👉them👈
Of being seen in the moment it shatters.”
(It landed like a thud in his chest.)
The old speaker wasn’t mocking him. He understood.
“But here’s the thing,” he said, leaning in.
“Everyone in that room is carrying their own lantern, too.
And most of them have either buried it, dimmed it, or let someone else blow it out.”
“So when you step up there, even with shaking hands and a cracking voice,
and you show them your light... even if it flickers?
You remind them they still have theirs.”
“That’s not public speaking.
That’s public remembering.”
The Shift!
And from that moment, everything shifted.
Not 'cause the fear disappeared.
But because the man finally understood what it meant.
It wasn’t about being perfek...
Or about captivating or performing or proving.
It was about CONNECTING!
So he stopped trying to control the fear.
Instead, he spoke with it.
Lantern in hand. Heart pounding. Light forward.
And guess what?
... something strange started happening.
People didn’t remember the cracks in his voice.
They remembered the warmth.
The hum of truth. The glimpse of something REAL.
They leaned in, not because he dazzled them with polish and creases.
But because they saw themselves in his trembling hand, holding something sacred.
We don’t need more polish.
We need "authenticity"
To speak what’s real.
To let the light show.
Even if the hand holding it shakes.
So if you’ve been feeling the weight of that fear? Good.
It means your lantern is ready to be seen.
Your move... 😁