“Don’t preach, teach.” Love it

Now try it and tell me what you think!❤️

When you’re wrapping up a song, or a speech, or whatever, end by creating a short, empty moment.

Pause, look around, and then finish.

Leave a lasting impression.

Speak, or sing.

Keep your head lifted, and be deliberate with your words.

Feel the start, middle, and end of each one. And when you want to pause, BREATHE — but don’t drop your eyes.

We’re still on your schedule.

Try it out:

Start alone, with a friend, or in a group. Prepare to speak, or sing, by lifting your head.

When you have everyone’s attention, take a long breath in.

Wait. Settle into your body.

Now begin.

Often, that initial pause is enough to put everyone on your time.

Another thing: Pauses aren’t just for the audience — they’re also a chance for you to settle and reset if you feel like you’re going too fast.

Speak slowly. Sing slow songs. ❤️

Linger on every word, or just the right words.

I guarantee this will give you more power.

Why?

Slowing down creates focus. 👁️

Pauses create anticipation. 👂

These are negative spaces that people fill with their attention.

USE THEM when you’re speaking or singing to draw people in closer to you.

when you do it successfully, they’ll be on your schedule.

THAT is how to control time.

Why is this?

When you’re in the “hot seat,” there’s a lot of adrenaline flowing.

Going slow, or taking a pause — any pause — can feel like it lasts a LIFETIME.

But these slow, empty moments are where the magic happens. 🔥

The weird thing about speaking or singing in front of others is that we often feel pressure to go fast. Why?

We fear losing attention or being “boring.”

Yet when you look back at videos of yourself, you’re probably going way too quick through your speech or your song.

This makes me a little sad, though, because it seems to imply that time + education are luxuries/privileges. They should be human rights. What do you think?

This is not a totally originally thought, but it’s landing for me in a new way today as I’m thinking about how to show up in my life.

Sending hugs ❤️

— these very human traits that we have tried to cover up will be (or maybe already are?) a commodity.

This is going to be reflected across all expressive media.

Being messy is IN

🦋