"Why do I speak?  What is my passion?  What do I truly have to say?  Is it an honest reflection of who I am?" 

These are some questions posed by Naomi Rhode in her "Alpha and Omega:  Synergistic Openings and Closings for Successful Presentations" that she gave at Pittsburgh's NSA meeting this month. 

We all have a story, we are just not always encouraged to share it, or brave enough to try.  I read an article today on Higheredjobs.com site by Peter Weddle, "Take Your Talent To Work Day." 

Weddle writes that, "You and every other person on this planet have an extraordinary being living inside you, waiting for a chance to perform."  But, usually, "we retire without giving our special talent a stage. We leave it unrecognized and unused because we lack either the self-confidence or the opportunity to expose it to the light of day."  One reason we don't utilize or showcase our talent is that, "We don't think our talent is worthy enough for others -- especially our family and friends -- to respect it as a career."

But if we don't respect our talent, we deprive others of the lessons we have learned, the truth we have found, and the person we have created.  

Just as we all have a talent, we all have a story to tell.  What will you talk about?  I talk about how to, "Get Your SHINE Together!"  Just ask me.