Imagine you’re a track and field athlete about to run the 400m dash. One lap and you’re done. Sounds simple enough right? Now imagine the lights in the stadium go out and you can’t find your shoes. Are your palms sweating yet??

This nightmarish scenario is akin to how many people feel when they are preparing to give an important presentation or pitch: poorly equipped and unsure how to begin down the road in front of them.

What if I stumble?

What if I let everyone down?

Where the hell are my shoes, anyway??

Anxiety. Fear. Trepidation. We’ve all been there. Emotions run high when prepping for a big moment, and for good reason, this stuff matters!

But once you’ve had hours of practice under your belt, you’ll find that the percolating pit of anxiety in your stomach will evaporate into a cool, relaxed confidence, leaving you ready to take on the world. You know the material. You know how long the race is and what the rules are. Once you have your message down, you’ll begin to feel like the track in front of you has been illuminated and you’ve finally got two shoes on your feet.

Confidence is a powerful and contagious thing. And once you’re feeling on top of the world, you’ll be ready to speak to the hearts and minds of your audience.

We all seek emotional connection and inspiration everyday. It’s why storytelling is one of the oldest and most effective forms of communication. From generation to generation and through all different types of media, effective storytelling always invokes some type of emotional response in an audience. From awareness and urgency to sympathy and triumph, the most memorable stories are those that go after your ticker.

So today we invite you to get in touch with your sensitive side. Find something that moves you. Maybe share a nostalgic song with a friend or curl up alone and watch your favorite sad movie with a pint of ice cream. Whatever it is, let it rip because sometimes there’s no medicine like a good old-fashioned feels trip.