I think it was December 2007 when I was speaking on the phone with a successful entrepreneur named Amr. I congratulated him on his outstanding training business, and he asked me about what I was doing with my life.
At that time, I was growing my own online business in the motivation and success niche, so I told Amr about my work delivering training programs, writing articles for my website and article directories, and interviewing successful people for my Success Avalanche project. And I also mentioned that I was working on specializing in keynote speaking.
Amr was glad to know that I was still on track, especially since he had been the first person to believe in me and give me a chance to speak for his charitable organization. He had seen a special gift in me and had offered me a rare and important opportunity to deliver a series of training programs to several different audiences that ranged from a few dozen to hundreds of people.
Amr is an excellent salesman and opportunity hunter. Once he knew that I was still doing training and speaking, he told me that he had another great opportunity for me.
He said, with his natural enthusiasm, “Listen Tohami, I have a deal with a big company in the telecommunications sector to deliver a full-day training program on team building. The program agenda is already full, but I will try to call the event organizer and see if we can add a 30- to 45-minute motivational speech to the agenda.”
I was so excited, so of course I jumped at the chance. “Sure, I’m more than ready!”
True to his word, Amr called me the very next day to let me know that, although it had been difficult to convince the company because they didn’t know me, he had finally managed to add me to the agenda.
“Please don’t let me down, Tohami,” he said. “I know you’re good, but I want to make sure you deliver your best. The company accepted the idea because they trust me – and I told them that I’m bringing one of the very best motivators out there!”
With great appreciation I replied, “Amr, I really appreciate your trust – and rest assured that I’ll never let you down. I’m going to deliver a proven speech that I received very positive feedback on from other audiences.”
As the day approached, I spent my time preparing my speech and going over every detail until it was perfect. I was ready!
On the big day, I got up early, went over my speech again, put on my best suit, and started to head out the door so I could arrive one hour before my scheduled time – but then the phone rang. It was one of Amr’s team calling to tell me that the weather was AWFUL!
You see, the event was being held in the beautiful Al Azhar Park, the largest park in Cairo with tons of gardens, open space, and a breathtaking view over old Cairo – the perfect place for a team-building event.
I looked out the window and saw that the sunny morning had, indeed, turned into a blustery and FREEZING COLD afternoon! I turned my attention back to the woman on the phone.
“Mr. Tohami, we finished our program one hour earlier due to the bad weather. Although it is absolutely freezing here, we’ve been trying to keep the audience until your speech – but they are complaining and saying they can’t stay any longer because they are freezing. If you could come RIGHT NOW, that would be great.”
“Oh! Er…well, I’m on my way then,” I said
And that was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made.
Given the bad weather, I should have just asked her to cancel my speech. After all, an uncomfortable – and frozen — audience would never be able to focus on what I was saying to them!
But I remembered my promise to Amr, and I didn’t want to let him down. And I also thought my presentation might be light and warm enough to draw the audience in despite the terrible conditions.
So I hurried up there, and even before stepping on the stage…I was FREEZING too!
I never imagined that it would be THAT cold. I felt terrible for the audience – a hundred people frozen to their chairs, probably hoping I’d give the shortest speech in history.
Despite their discomfort, the people warmly welcomed me upon my introduction – but after that, it was all downhill. What I had feared came true…after only a few minutes, I lost the audience’s attention completely. I even heard a couple of complaints.
But the worst was still to come. One of the audience members – a man in his late thirties with a white mustache, one of those people who think they know everything about everything – kept interrupting me and challenging some of the ideas I was presenting. In an attempt not to lose the rest of the audience, I had to ask him to hold his questions until the end, and invited him to an open discussion after the speech. Instead of quieting down, he started to moan and groan and criticize, saying I wasn’t listening to him. The man almost ruined my speech, and distracted the other people sitting around him.
The situation was getting out of control. At that point, I figured I should just cut my losses and hurry along to my closing. And that’s what I did, with that man complaining, laughing, and criticizing until my last word.
Surprisingly, after the speech, I found myself surrounded by some enthusiastic audience members who had somehow managed to pay attention. They expressed their appreciation for a great speech.
Nevertheless, I went back home regretting that I hadn’t canceled my appearance. That’s when I learned that the speaking environment is as important as the message itself. I had always ignored this fact – I thought that if my content was attractive enough, I could overcome any environmental condition. I was wrong!
Anyway, the next day I received the evaluation from Amr: only 25% of the people considered the speech “excellent.” My guess is that those were the people in the front row or those who were wearing enough clothes to keep warm, which meant they were actually able to listen to my speech!
On the other side, one of the comments said that the event was more than perfect…
…“except for Tohami’s speech, which was the worst part of the day.”
I think I can guess who said that!
In fact, I read that evaluation and SMILED!
Even I was surprised by my reaction. I SMILED at a situation that most speakers would consider a BIG failure.
But I couldn’t stop smiling! And you know why? Because that experience had been the biggest – and only – failure in my speaking career…which for me meant that a big success was just around the corner!
I’d read enough motivational books and success stories to know that every success lies on the other side of failure. If I didn’t know that failure always precedes success, I would have totally broken down and given up on my passion and my dream.
What happened to me that day could make just about anyone decide to never step foot onstage or speak in public again – at least, those who aren’t prepared and passionate about what they are doing, or who don’t know anything about the art and science of success and failure.
And if hadn’t had that knowledge to hang on to, I might have caved too.
Experiences like these illustrate just why it is so important to fill up your mind and heart with stories of success and words of wisdom – positive gems to hang on to when times get tough.
Like Zig Ziglar said, “Motivation is like a shower — you need it every day.”
If you have a burning desire in your heart to create, experience, or be something special, hold tightly to it, hug it close when the world outside gets cold and scary.
And when you fail, just SMILE.
Face your failure with a SMILE on your Face.
Why? Because you know in your heart that success is waiting for you just around the corner! Success is the next logical step. Learn the lesson from your failure, and move forward looking for the success that is waiting for you.
I learned my lesson that day, and then spent the next three years working on mastering the science and art of keynote speaking. I found a great speaking coach named Mike Landrum, joined the Cairo Toastmasters, and even became president of the association two years later, which gave me the opportunity to deliver lots of successful speeches.
One of my most successful speeches was a 15-minute keynote speech about the new trends in training and development in 2010. The event was held in a big annual training conference for an audience of over one hundred HR and training managers in the telecommunications industry. My presentation was highly acclaimed and considered the best presentation in the whole event, although it was preceded by great PhD speakers and training consultants with 20+ years of experience. But the passion and uniqueness with which I delivered my speech left a lasting impact on the audience.
Amr is still a great friend, but he doesn’t do business with me anymore. Perhaps one day he will…when he trusts me enough again! I don’t push for it, but I do hope to work again with such a brilliant man whom I greatly admire.
For you, hang on to your daily motivation and study the stories of successful people, which will give you the inspiration and encouragement you need in your moments of failure.
You know that failure is inevitable – just be prepared for it, learn your lessons from it, work on yourself and sharpen your skills, and get ready for your next mega-hit.
And most importantly – face your failure with a smile on your face, because your next BIG success is just around the corner.
To Your Passionate Life,
M. A. Tohami
Bestselling author of The Pharaohs’ Code
* Photo Credit: ‘PixelPlacebo’ & romsrini
20. April 2011 at 11:05 pm
Really I loved this story and I consider this is the biggest success in your life.
I liked your passion and willingness to work, wish you all the luck in your speech career.
____________________
M.Talaat
SAP FICO Consultant
21. April 2011 at 11:30 am
Thanks Mohamed. It indeed turned into the biggest success in my life. I wish you all best too.
22. April 2011 at 7:06 pm
Dear Tahomi
I’m very grateful for your articles and this particular one.I would say it came at the right time. I have just lost a couple of businesses in the last few months.my young company is struggling to remain afloat and relevant I just had the worst car accident and I’m just feeling I can’t take anymore, was even considering giving up but this article has really motivated me to hang on. Thanks alot for your insightful thoughts.
22. April 2011 at 7:32 pm
I’m so glad that this article came at the right time for you. I won’t say “I’m sorry for what you’re facing”, because I’m sure there is something much better waiting for you. Think differently and look for the blessings hidden within your adversity.
20. April 2011 at 11:36 pm
Tohami, I had a similar experience 2 years ago but with a training in a telecommunications company.
I also had one in the audience who ruined it all. And at the end, the evaluation wasn’t the best.
But since then, I just put my hands on all the weaknesses I had and the evalution now is just appearing on my audience faces before they put it down on papers!
21. April 2011 at 11:35 am
There are several tactics to deal with such type of audience. However, the environment (bad weather) was bigger than anything. Congratulations for getting back on track. You must be passionate about what you do.
21. April 2011 at 12:34 am
Tohami thanks so much awesome as usual u’ll always come on time
- like how much grateful you are to the moment for “Amr” the 1st one who believed in you . but i believe also this’s like the quote “when the student is ready the teacher appears” you found a supportive believer in you coz you just deserve so.
So I believe once the right chance that you deserve exists,your friend AMR will never hesitate to be more confidently repeat the experience with you but now he’s much believer
-I like how much positive thinker u’re as u just re-framed thinks to look at the full part of the cup as u’re strong enough to face a failure as u called it however i prefer calling it an experience as(there’s no real failure just feedback
So as how much you didn’t make a negative impact of that disturber audience makes u lose neither ur concentration nor ur confidence.
-i believe that you’re not supposed to be regretting or seeing its wrong for going that day in spite of the bad circumstances of the weather as it’s an experience + No risk No glory
bgd so much thanks for inspiring & recharging my energy by sharing this lovely experience…
Keep this up as u always do (“,)
21. April 2011 at 11:38 am
Thanks a lot Rania for the great analysis of my story. I like the “No Risk No Glory” part.
21. April 2011 at 2:26 am
This is an amazing art of story-telling Tohami…
You are honest perfect example of someone who is persistent to fulfill his dreams …
Great article, well-done, God Bless You
21. April 2011 at 11:38 am
Thanks a lot Mohammed. God bless you too.
21. April 2011 at 5:29 am
I remember my worst speech too, I moved off the stage for nearly 20 years because I let big name speakers intimate me and make me feel inferior. But I am back…..and love what I do now.
21. April 2011 at 11:39 am
WOW! 20 Years! That’s too much. I am happy you are back on stage, because I believe you’ve a valuable message to share.
21. April 2011 at 12:27 pm
Tohami, Very Inspirational indeed
U made me remember the words of one of my greatest trainers saying: Failure and Success are eventually the same, what really matters is you doing ur best!
21. April 2011 at 12:34 pm
That’s a wonderful statement. I got the core message. However I don’t believe that Success and Failure are the same thing. I believe that Failure leads to Success. In the end, it is true that what really matters is following your heart and doing your best!
1. May 2011 at 9:24 pm
Long but very inspiring
esp. these lessons
>> I learned that the speaking environment is as important as the message itself.
>> For you, hang on to your daily motivation and study the stories of successful people, which will give you the inspiration and encouragement you need in your moments of failure.
2. May 2011 at 10:16 am
Thanks Taher. You summarized the key lessons. Add to that: “Face your failure with a smile on your face”
8. August 2011 at 12:02 pm
Immunity to Failure is the first step near to success.
8. August 2011 at 12:05 pm
Absolutely!
16. August 2011 at 7:42 am
Thanks for this. Good post. I appreciated on it. It was too terrific and I love it more.
16. August 2011 at 10:30 am
Thanks Tayron. I’m glad you like it.
3. October 2011 at 8:28 am
I hope that after reading this story, I gather enough strength so that I can overcome my all fears. I was also one of the best students but few failures had let me down so much that I had lost my whole confidence. I hope to start again with full energy……….and enthusiasm:)
3. October 2011 at 10:38 am
Hi Pallavi,
Failure is your best teacher. Learn the lessons and move forward. You can do it.
28. October 2011 at 11:54 pm
“Every success lies on the other side of failure” This statement is 100% truly .If we analyze all famous successful persons worldwide we will discover how you touch the fact by your story.
We have to accept our failures as you advised by smiling and work on ourselves; I admit it is not easy sometimes especially when we are fighting the corruption round us. When we pass through continuous failures and all these failures are out of our hands and caused by people who fight our successes ,this really cover our minds and our hearts by disappointment and losing our enthusiasm . But we have to select a superior model to follow and remember how this model suffered till delivering the great message to the humanity ,I select “Prophet Mohamed ,peace be upon him”
I really very proud of you ,You are really very distinguish motivator and life coach .Wish to attend a presentation by you one day and give you the best evaluation .
Best Regards,
Eman
31. October 2011 at 11:17 am
Thanks a lot Eman for your kind feedback and great insight. Finding a role model and getting inspired by him/her is a great support to our passionate living quest.
31. October 2011 at 5:26 pm
Hi Tohami
I think your passion obvioulsy underlies all this. But I believe that it’s the perseverance (as I say underpinned by your passion) that allows on to dust yourself off from failure and carry on. Often people do not see the opportunity in failure. They see failure as failure. It’s a stepping stone though to experience without which one cannot develop good judgement.
Thanks
Mike
1. November 2011 at 11:24 am
That’s so true Mike. Failure is just a stepping stone that facilitates growth and success. Thanks for your insightful comment.
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