My name was the hardest one for me. It was the last part of my speech I worked through because I had so much emotional attachment to saying it.
I'd been laughed at right to my face because I couldn't say my own name. “Did you forget your name?” I'd heard that kind of thing so many times. It was soul-crushing.
I even thought seriously about changing my name at the courthouse. I didn't do it. That is how badly I wanted something easier to say.
Who brought up the name mattered
I described going to a fishing banquet with about two hundred people. The first time I felt nervous was when I realized I would have to give my name at the front door. There was one woman at the table, which felt better to me than a crowd.
I feel more comfortable when I bring up my own name than when somebody asks me. That was something I noticed about the situation around the word.
In the yoga class, I volunteered to introduce myself first. When I was ordering coffee, I sometimes used Steve for the order. Those are two of the choices I've described.
The introduction I remember feeling calm about
At a ballroom event, I saw Shad Khan, walked right up and introduced myself. I looked him right in the eyes, and I felt calm.
I had been very intimidated by people I saw as having a tremendous amount of authority, power and wealth. That is why this introduction meant so much to me. I was saying my name to somebody like that and feeling calm.
Saying it during an ordinary order
In one of my recordings, I ask for a pour-over coffee and say, “My name is Craig.” Then I thank the person. That ordinary exchange is in the speaking examples too.
My name had a long history behind it. When I tell these stories, that is the word I am talking about and the work I wanted to bring into saying it.