Meet David Gibson

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful David Gibson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

David, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

In my line of work I am frequently speaking in front of people…this can range from small groups within a meeting room or large audiences in a conference building or auditorium.

I did not always have the confidence to speak in public and express myself in front of others. In fact, confidence and self-esteem was an area that I struggled with for years.

I grew up very quiet, shy, and reserved and in many ways afraid to share my thoughts. However, I was gifted with a dose of wisdom and developed the habit of looking at things with an empowering perspective which often positioned me to help others overcome their challenges.

So just imagine the constant tug-of-war that I would experience mentally. I began to develop an interest in helping others, but lacked the confidence in my ability to do it.

What I now know about confidence is that, in many ways, it’s all about connection. We lack confidence because we tend to lack connection to 4 key things:

1. Knowledge/Information
2. Skills
3. Experience
4. Our TRUE selves

For me, and for many other leaders that I frequently speak with, my biggest disconnect was with my TRUE self.

I was replaying a negative narrative in my mind. I had bought into beliefs that were blinding me of my capabilities. I would often assume that I couldn’t do certain things, handle certain responsibilities, and believed I couldn’t thrive in certain environments.

I had developed a disempowering story about myself.

…And I’ve learned to understand that the story you tell yourself about yourself carries the greatest influence on your life.

But here’s where the shift took place…

I started doing the very thing that I was afraid to do. I would frequently get asked to speak at events, and even though I was terrified…I’d say yes, because I had a passion for helping others.

The best way to battle your inner critic is to grow, to change, to show progress in your areas of struggle—To confront your doubts and fears head on.

Not only that, but the biggest shift took place when I changed the way I communicated with myself.

Our self talk sets the tone for our attitude. The words we speak put out a certain energy that influences how we show up and connect with others.

Our minds—on a subconscious level—are paying attention to everything that we speak and our words create a narrative in our heads.

I started identifying how I was sabotaging myself with my words and started speaking words that were more in alignment with what I wanted to produce and experience in my life.

It took some time, patience, and persistence…but I actively began affirming myself, encouraging myself, and expressing appreciation towards myself.

This is what truly began promoting possibilities and inspiring confidence within me.

The more and more I did this, I began to notice a new sense of comfort in expressing myself and a deeper sense of belief in what I was capable of.

We will only rise to the level of success that our self-esteem can absorb. So I believe it’s essential that we each invest in developing our self-confidence.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I lead a personal development platform, Elevation Is A Must (EiAM), that provides ambitious leaders with the tools, inspiration, and strategies to optimize their potential and improve their performance.

After being laid off from a corporate position in 2013 due to downsizing within the organization, I made the decision that I no longer was going to do things that didn’t express my heart…I then began my journey of pursuing my dream of becoming a professional speaker.

In spite of my circumstances, lack of experience and connections…I committed myself to the vision because of my burning desire to impact others.

Through growth, dedication, and consistency I established my brand that has provided me with opportunities to speak for amazing conferences, major corporations, and built an online community of personal growth advocates.

In addition to my speaking at events, I also coach leaders and aim to impact others is through content creation in the form of short films and documentaries. One of which is my documentary series on small businesses (The QuEST). Where we help to amplify the stories of business owners and also utilize our content in ways that educate and empower aspiring entrepreneurs.

Here’s links for reference:

www.elevationisamust.com

www.questsmb.com

https://www.instagram.com/D1Gibson/

https://www.instagram.com/questsmb/

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The 3 most impactful qualities and skills for me:

1. A willingness to learn (Growth Mindset) (QUALITY)
2. Communication/Storytelling (SKILL)
3. Courage (QUALITY)

What advice to share that would helpp others develop in these areas:

– Growth Mindset:

Invest in your personal development daily—Feed your mind, spirit, and overall effectiveness.

Growth is the great separator of those who succeed long term from those who don’t.

When we see a person beginning to stand out from others, it’s almost always due to personal growth.

Set daily goals that help you become 1% better than the day before…and here’s 3 simple ways that can help you do this.

1. Learn something new each day: This is how you keep your mind engaged. Read books, listen to podcasts, take a course—never stop investing in your education.

2. Create Things: Do this daily. This helps to expand your mind—As you create, you are learning by bringing ideas to life.

3. Do something that’s challenging: In other words: Commit to something that’s beyond your current capabilities—this is how we grow. Challenges will force you to level up. They help you discover more about yourself, develop your confidence and enhance your capabilities.

REMEMBER: The moment that we stop striving for more in life, will become the moment that we start accepting less.

– Communication/Storytelling

Focus on developing your communication skills each day. Find ways to become more effective at communicating your ideas.

Develop your voice. Your tone. Articulation of speech. The way you structure your ideas.

Join a Toastmasters group, a storytelling club, or take an improv class.

Create videos where you’re sharing ideas about topics you’re passionate about, and aim to improve your skills as a speaker every time you record a video.

– Courage

This is one of those qualities that’s driven by your belief in yourself. Gain clarity around who you truly are and what you truly want and don’t compromise or settle.

Stick to your vision and keep taking steps towards it.

It can be challenging and at times you may feel lonely but stay the course.

It’s those that lead with courage that redefine possibilities in their lives.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

One book that truly had an impact on my growth and development was “As A Man Thinketh” by James Allen. It’s a short and easy read, but it’s extremely profound and truly inspires you to revaluate your thoughts and beliefs.

A few valuable insights that I took away from that book were:

1. “We are not victims of circumstances, we are creators of circumstances”
2. “We don’t attract the things that we want in life, we attract what we are”

This book really reminded me of the capacity that we each have to shape our reality. Nothing changes our lives more than our perspective and we should aim to train our minds to find the value in every experience in order to keep moving forward.

Reading this book also helped me understand that if there’s something that I want or aim to experience in life…then it’s my responsibility to start reflecting it in order to attract it in my life.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

N/A : I own all of the credits

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
What would your closest friends say really matters to you?

If you asked your best friends what really drives you—what they think matters most in

Highlighter Series
When do you feel most at peace?

In a culture that often celebrates hustle and noise, peace can feel rare. Yet, peace

Highlighter Series
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?

Almost everything is multisided – including the occurrences that give us pain. So, we asked