Dealing With Life’s Curveballs.

Dealing With Life’s Curveballs.

The world can throw us curveballs and sometimes they are life changing and sometimes, well they are just something we need to deal with in a very short space of time but may just prove to be for our benefit.

I’ll give you an example. I give talks on Fear Control and teach physical Self Defense, usually combined when I am asked to do a seminar , so for example, you may have fifty people in the room, some there to learn the former, some there to learn the latter, and so I combine to two.

A technique is taught whilst teaching the attendees how to deliver that technique whilst feeling fear, and that by doing so we can transfer the feeling of fear into everyday life problems.

Just last week at Fight Fortress we had a stressful session, aimed at encouraging people to dig deep, then inviting them to rely on the drill they had just completed as a benchmark for the next day’s difficult task.

The method seems to to go well, and I have taught it throughout the country, mixing with the trainers as they go through their paces.

So, sometime ago a large government agency got in touch and asked if I would do a motivation/fear control talk along side a physical seminar. Of course, we took the job and made our way west to do our thing.

Except when we arrived at the venue, the first thing I noticed was three rows of chairs, about twenty per row, arranged in a semi-circle facing a stage, and so I naturally though someone else was speaking first.

Not so. The organiser told me they wanted me to do the talk first to a seated audience, take a break whilst they removed the chairs and then go through the physical drills.

Now this might not sound like a lot, but if threw me. I had never talked to a “captive audience” from a stage before, I had no idea how to handle it, and I only had five minutes to figure it out.

Now that is a curveball and the extra adrenaline I had flowing through me confirmed this. I was going to have to throw out the seminar plan and start from scratch.

It was difficult I’m not going to lie, but if I wanted to break into this kind of market, I would have to make it happen. I did what I always do before I teach, but it was so much more needed now.

I put my headphones on, my faviroute, most inspiring song (which varies from event to event), took a few deep breaths, had some positive self-talk and walked on stage. The rest is a blur, but I know I talked from experience so there would be no slip ups, I know my fear came from real- time matters so there was no bulls**t and I knew I spoke from the heart. And then it was time for the questions and answers that were followed by a standing ovation at the end. Yes, I was relieved that it was time for physical training, but I loved it and it opened a whole new avenue for us.

Public speaking is very much on the cards for 2026, but it was only possible by dealing with that curveball so when your’s comes, and it will if you are ambitious and go for your goals, take it for what is is, an opportunity. Deal with it quickly, deal with it professionally and deal with it with courage. You will be fine.

Good luck in all you do.

If anybody would like to book Simon for a motivational/fear control talk or physical self defence seminar, please email me, Julie, at info@simonmorrell.com