Follow His Way to Make a Definite Fool of Yourself on the Stage

by AM Tadas on August 28, 2011

Today I witnessed something shocking that many of us experience at least a few times in our lifetime. To some this could almost be a weekly occurrence. While attending a three day seminar with about three hundred people in the room the stage was set for a very anticipated or I should say “hyped up” speaker. To protect his dignity let’s use a fictitious name and simply call him Mac.

Mac is a known speaker in his field and has worked with some of the top Fortune 500 companies and handled millions of dollars in his advertising campaigns. The guy has some serious brain power.

The moment is finally here. Mac springs on the stage after a rising welcome from the crowd and launches into his information packed presentation. Mac is very engaging and we all sit with our eyeballs popped out and elephant wide ears to make sure we register every single bit of his wisdom. He shares with us some important principles and the importance of having a mastermind.

One after another pours out some great tips but as he continues something is starting to feel a bit off. The words I, ME, MYSELF, ME, ME… seem to be pouring out of his mouth. Moments later Mac is starting to sound like a completely self-obsessed dude who is identifying with his hardcore, bottom line, “I know it all” character. Alright, no problem, we’ve see the type before. “Just give us the good info and go be friends with yourself” we think and keep listening.

Then Mac starts engaging the crowd and begins making some offensive comments about the answers he received to his questions. His mood turns confrontational after most people give him a raised eye brow about his behaviour. Mac continues with his still very informative presentation some people appear to be completely checked out and his tone grows ever more agitated. Subconsciously he knows he is making a fool out of himself but still believes he can recover and “close” us on his services.

But at this stage Mac has lost his “mojo” and he knows that so he cuts his presentation short and starts taking questions instead. After a couple of business related questions and Mac’s arrogant answers another gentleman stands up and asks him flat out” “Why you are being such a hard ass?”. Oh oh… The rooms becomes cemetery quiet. Some of us with a bit sense of humor turn a biggest grin on our face and some just slide down their chairs with a tense look in their faces. Mac starts walking along the isle as a mad wolf and defends his demeanor by a “skillful” expression – “Hey, I’m paid big money to be an ass-hole”. Nice going Mac, you just lost half of us.

Mac’s adrenaline kicks in even more, his breath is shallow, palms are sweaty. Rather than using well rounded sentences as before, he starts speaking in short bursts. Completely lost in the situation he quickly finds something dear to his heart. He picks up his book and starts reading all the wonderful comments that some author had to say about him. At that moment a short but genuine chuckle ensues in the back of the room who is simply casually talking to his buddy and who also happens to be the next presenter – Andy. (Mac and Andy have not met before.) Mac immediately bursts out “What’s so funny!?” Andy simply replies in calm voice – “Nothing, I just liked what he had to say about you.” Mac immediately speeds to the back of the room, puts his arm on Andy’s shoulder and almost yells “Who the hell are you to challenge me like this?! This is my stage! ” Obviously Mac misinterpreted Andy’s comments. All he heard was “FUNNY WHAT HE SAID ABOUT YOU.”

Mac is now acting like a lion who’s territory has been encroached on by urine of another male. To everyone’s shock Mac firmly demands Andy to leave the room immediately. Another eerie silence overtakes the room. Mac repeats his request with a trembling voice but Andy simply takes a couple of steps back and stands his ground. We can now cut the tension with a knife.

Realizing he’s just one small step from a physical fight Mac retreats towards a stage with is chin down. He then stands for thirty seconds in front of the room and puts his hand on the his beating heart. He knows he lost it. His body took over and his fragile mind is at the mercy if the intricacies of the inner chemistry. He looks at everyone at a last time with a mix of embarrassment and
sheer anger and walks out of the cold room of his audience to never appear on the stage again.

Mac is not alone. Many of us have been in a situation like this in one form or another. Maybe not in the room of three hundred people at the height of our career but certainly we have experienced similar feelings. Let’s admit it though, it’s not Mac who is a true fool here – it’s anger. The very feeling that’s caused the biggest amount of suffering in us human beings. If Mac handled his feelings and just took a moment to gage a situation better he might have finished his presentation, maybe even sold something. His mind however was not an ally and completely misperceived the reality in the room. It made a perfectly intelligent and even charming middle aged man into a child and ruined his reputation.

This blog is dedicated to Mac and many others who’s lives can be improved dramatically by slaying the anger dragon. Anger can be transformed. It can have very little or no effects on our minds if we simply invest some time in knowledge and train ourselves in proper anger management techniques. The knowledge that I will share with you here has been imparted on me by people who have spent most of their lives working with their minds. Some of them are true yogis, some very wise teachers and some are average Joes like you and I who have put the knowledge to test and transformed our lives. I’m looking forward to going on this journey with you.