Kay:

Hey there Questers, and welcome back! It’s Thursday, August 20th, and this is Episode 164! We have a bit of an unconventional quote for you today. And, it’s this, “Be bold, be smart, and speak from the heart.”

Shi:

Now, you might be wondering, “Well, that’s awfully clever. Who said that?” Well, let us tell you who said that….That is straight from the mouth of Mrs. Inkydink from Clark the Shark and the Book Report. And, this is from the, “I Can Read” series of children’s books!

Kay:

Now, this is a ‘Level 1’ reading book that we loved to read to our daughter, Violet. And, in the book, Clark the Shark is about to give a book report. He gets very nervous and, his teacher, Mrs. Inkydink, tells him before he goes to, “Be bold, be smart and speak from the heart.”

Shi:

Now, my three kids are a little bit older…The youngest is six, almost seven, but Clark the Shark was definitely a thing in our house as well, along with all of the other, “I Can Read” books. And so, I love that kids books these days have messages like this included. It’s fun to see! The point of fiction has always been to deliver a lesson, or a moral teaching, or some kind of something. But, to see it trickling down into even your Level 1, “I Can Read” books where kids are being told to, “Be bold, be smart and speak from the heart” – I think speaks volumes about how far we’ve come as a society.

Kay:

Well, often when we want to speak up about something, it can be very difficult. And, in this case, Clark the Shark is very excited to give his book report. He can’t wait! But, when he gets up, he totally freezes in front of the class. Now, Mrs. Inkydink told the class before that one of the things they could do to get through that is to be bold, and be smart, and to speak from their heart. And so, how often are you encountered with a situation in life where you freeze? You know you should say something and you don’t….You see something go down and you don’t step in…You want to speak up for yourself, or to a loved one, but you don’t…Or, you count the point against your husband instead of just bringing up the thing that you’re really mad about…

Shi:

…And give him the cold shoulder for three days.

Kay & Shi:

*(Laughter)*

Kay:

So, people – this is really good advice! It’s okay to be bold in these situations and break through your own silence in order to speak from your heart.

Shi:

What I like too about this is that you’ve got three pieces of advice here, and then they come together in a bundle. You often hear be bold, and you often hear speak from the heart. And to be smart is kind of almost a word of caution. But, to put them all together, I think is what the power of this quote really is…Like be brave, step out, do the thing that you know is right. And then, also be smart. Like, don’t be a dummy about it! Assess your surroundings, understand what you’re getting yourself into…

Kay:

…If you’re giving a book report…practice!

Shi:

…Have read the book!…Just be smart and speak from your heart! And, speaking from the heart is about being genuine. It’s about living your highest and best purpose and delivering that in helping to add value to others. So – be bold, be brave, be smart…Don’t be stupid! And, speak from the heart so you can be genuine and authentic! And, putting these together creates a really beautiful human experience that – whether you’re a shark or a human – is what we’re all looking for!

Kay:

Well, if we boil this down just into the sector of public speaking, and we think about those who decide to be super bold but maybe they leave out smart and heart…they’re just bold. Then, you may get somebody who’s super in your face and they’re energetic, but there’s no substance there. And, you get to the end and you’re like, “Wait, what?…I feel energized, but I didn’t gain anything, and I’m not walking away with anything.”…That’s not very valuable!

Shi:

We met someone like that this summer, which was very interesting. They were so energized about wanting to take action, but didn’t have the smart and the heart coming after it. And so, it was hard to continue down that path.

Kay:

Yeah! Such an interesting experience! And, then, you think about the people who are speaking just from that, “be smart” perspective. And then, you get to all of my dear sweet Professors out there…I just want to apologize in advance for this. But then, you get “professor status” on everybody and you’re out there teaching a semester plan from your ivory tower, and no one understands what you’re saying. And then, there’s that, “I only speak from the heart” kind of people where they get up and they just blab – and they blab – and they blab – and they blab, but they’re not smart, and they don’t have facts, which means it’s not relevant to people. And, it’s also not bold, so it’s not energizing or exciting…It’s just from their heart. And, that outpouring is beautiful, but when you’re a public speaker, you want to be adding value!

Shi:

That’s a great point to make! And, I just think that by bringing all of these together is what really makes the quote from Clark the Shark powerful. So, just to remind you, that quote is, “Be bold, be smart and speak from the heart.”

Kay:

Now, today’s quest is…you know it…a heart quest!

Shi:

Aww!

Kay:

Take some time to speak from your heart today – send a heartfelt message, a text, a phone call, or an email. But, send something from your heart to someone who needs it, or maybe someone who does a lot for you. Are you ready?

Kay & Shi:

Let’s quest!