“20 Years Ago I Was Washing Dishes In The Back Of A Pizza Shop”- Says Man Who Later Became A Successful Public Speaker

A man named Ahmad Imam has shared a motivational post, using his life as an example.

Ahmad washed dishes at the back of a pizza shop 20 years ago, says he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life.

The moment he made a commitment that he would challenge himself to do things differently, his life changed.

Sharing the lengthy post on LinkedIn, he wrote;

20 years ago I was washing dishes in the back of a pizza shop 🍕

Yes that’s right….

I spent most of my time out back with pizza cheese stuck to the bottom of my shoes, my shirt covered in flour, scrubbing dishes until my fingers were pruned.

Every shift was the same….

I would start at 5pm, make pizzas for a couple of hours and then wash dishes until we closed at 12pm, followed by a one hour cleanup of the shop.

I was out of there by 1am each night…then would head home, eat, sleep and repeat.

I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, all I knew was that I was in my comfort zone and my comfort zone was, well……comfortable.

I ignored that voice in my head that was desperate for me to break out of my shell.

However, over the months, that voice kept getting louder and louder.

Until one day, it happened.

I made a commitment that I would challenge myself to do things differently.

To jump out of my comfort zone in attempt to see where it leads.

I felt I needed to go into overdrive, to make up for lost time.

I needed to do something that scared me to death, so that I can grow from it.

So I did something that terrified me just thinking about it.

I volunteered to MC my friend’s Egyptian wedding.

To understand the magnitude of this, you have to know that a traditional Egyptian wedding is a massive affair with up to 500 guests.

So for me, this was like going from washing dishes to hosting the Oscars – with no experience 😳

I hadn’t MC’d before.

I hadn’t even really spoken publicly before.

I could fail. Big time.

But I jumped in anyway.

I prepared as well as I could and when I got up in front of this enormous, excited crowd, and the pressure was on, something incredible happened.

I completely surprised myself.

All of a sudden, during a lucid moment in front of the audience, I realized I could do it, and do it well.

(Instead of humiliating myself, which was my deepest fear.)

Something switched on inside of me, gave me clarity, and the response from the crowd gave me a big shot of confidence.

As you can imagine, this was a life changing experience.

A moment where I was able to prove to myself that I was capable of much more.

Over the next 18 months, I hosted eight weddings!

I developed a routine.

And became better and better at speaking in public.

In fact….I not only got used to it, I began to LOVE it.

Here’s my point:

I had every reason to stay in my comfort zone.

Every reason to remain this shy and awkward kid.

…until I chose not to be.

I’m here to tell you that you can do the same thing.

Contrary to popular belief.

Confidence is not just a state of mind….

Confidence is built by DOING.

By accomplishing things that you previously thought you would not or could not do.

And once that momentum is built….you keep raising the bar.

Get out there, have the courage to stretch your comfort zone, and incredible things will happen to you.

You will even surprise yourself 😊🙏

Source: Ahmad Imam|LinkedIn

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com