I don’t have to be the expert.  I can just be Jacob the human being.

One of the most interesting things that happened in my life, many, many years ago in the 70’s - I had prepared a talk on 3 x 5 cards and accidentally dropped the stack as I was being introduced, walking out to the podium. I stood there, sweat coming off of my brow, terrified and I looked at the audience and they were looking at me and I shared with them what just happened. They all started laughing and they all felt it was a laugh and sigh of relief of oh thank God, this is a real human being. 

This is not someone up there that’s just making sure that they’re giving a perfect pat presentation. That broke the ice, something began speaking through me.  I don’t know how to describe it.  My one-hour presentation went for four hours.  It wouldn’t let me go. And I didn’t want to let go because it was so exciting to just have a conversation with the audience rather than presenting something to them. I never have prepared anything in my life since that. It’s such a beautiful stress reducer.  It takes took all the weight off my shoulders.  I don’t have to be the expert.  I can just be Jacob the human being and I can say I don’t know when it’s not there or I forgot or whatever it is. That experience broke my life wide open in terms of the need that I had to try to impress you because I didn’t think I knew anything. I thought I was stupid most of my life from not reading and so on.