Public speaking can lead to a lucrative career on its own or it can simply be used as another (very powerful!) marketing tool for your small or home-based business. Regardless of the reason you plan to speak, consider recording yourself so you can use that recording for continued marketing success in the future.

Using video can be expensive and is a hassle to get organized. But an taking audio recording of you delivering your speech can be quick and simple to do if you have the right, easy-to-use tools. This really is one of those tech-type things you can do on your own even if you’re a beginner. Following is a list of what you need to know to record your own presentation with minimal effort and expense.

These two items are the only tools you need at your speaking event to get your speech recorded:

1. Recorder

I use an Olympus Digital Voice Recorder. Make sure when you buy your recorder it is digital so you can transfer the sound later to your computer. Also, choose a model that comes with a USB cable to transfer your recording onto your computer. Prices vary from $50 – $100.

2. Microphone

You’ll need a lavaliere microphone to attach to the recorder so the sound from your voice goes directly to the recorder without any background noise getting in the way. These microphones are sold separately and typically clip on to your suit jacket and simply plug into the recorder. Prices range from $15-$30.

Next, at your event there are a few things to know:

3. Be Prepared

Make sure your clothing has a pocket to slip your recorder into as you present. Tuck the wire from the microphone into your suit so it’s not distracting to the audience. A special note for women – Too many women’s suits and pants don’t have pockets and then you’ll be stuck having to carry your recorder during your whole talk, which is not convenient or practical. Be aware of this and make sure your new suit can accommodate your recorder (about the size of a cell phone).

4. Getting Testimonials

Here’s a little tip I learned from professional speaker, Tom Antion. Keep the recorder going after your talk while you answer questions from the people standing in line to speak to you. Immediately following your speech people tend to be thrilled with your content and will tell you what they liked best. You can use this feedback on your website saying, “According to one enthusiastic participant, …”

5. Uploading and Editing

When you get home from your speech you can simply pull out your USB cable, plug it into your computer and recorder and upload your recorded speech and testimonials to your computer. To edit, download free editing software like Audacity at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ to remove any sounds that don’t belong. After your edits are done burn your completed recording to a CD-R. After that they sky’s the limit for using the recording of your speech!

Many of us have heard the expression “living in the present moment” or “living in the Now.” Spiritual teachers tell us to treat each moment like it’s our only one in existence. Eckhart Tolle teaches that living in the present moment means having awareness and presence in our current reality. Edgar Cayce discusses how we can implement this concept into our every day lives on a regular basis.

In the “Edgar Cayce Companion” book Edgar talks about how in order not to be swayed by uncertainties that come our way, and as we all know life can be very unpredictable, we need to contain an unshifting ideal. What he is not referring to is a set belief on how things should or shouldn’t be. In the book “Courage, the Joy of Living Dangerously” the author, Osho teaches that when you function out of assumptions the conclusion protects you. There is a big difference between a conclusion and an ideal. When one comes to a set conclusion about his reality it gives him security, safety and establishes a well defined comfort zone. A comfort zone is the egoic mind believing that it is a separate entity. The illusion of believing that we are separate identities causes us to find something to latch onto whether it’s a certain image, status, money…etc.

Edgar Cayce refers to an ideal that will always exist no matter how high the tide. For Osho it was the courage to function without conclusions which instilled in him the power to be alive, open and spontaneous. Edgar doesn’t specify which ideal he’s talking about because he wants you to find it in yourself. He holds very high beliefs on the notion that “Direction must come from Within.” It’s inevitable that the more we are aligned with our higher self-our piece of the Source, the more we will want to merge with the source of which that piece came from. What comes with that is feeling the connection with the rest of the universe as they are all pieces of the same Source. In essence, living in the moment means to attain the awareness of feeling a closer connection with your higher self. This will manifest in increased appreciation for all internal and external circumstances that surround you at that very moment. So why do so many of us find it so difficult to live in the present moment? Edgar Cayce explains it best: “the individuality of a soul must be lost in the personality of God.” The ironic part is that the more we become individuated and trust in our innate natures via our intuition via our piece of the Source the more we practice “dvekut” which is the Kabbalistic word for becoming one with Source.

We live in this world to develop the capabilities of being able to discern between forces and energies that can either shift us towards our Higher Self or away from it. Once we master the power of discernment and choose to follow our intuition then we inevitably merge back with the Source that we came from and that we essentially are. It has been said in every religion that the meaning behind this game we call life is to will our way back to our original Oneness by the powers of choice and discernment. In its totality our souls will only become One again after fully realizing and being conscious of what being One is not. It is through experiencing the reality of opposites that we are here to fully appreciate exactly what it’s contrasting in the vastness of time, space and limited conditions.

Living in the present moment is appreciating and recognizing something for the first time like you’ve never done before. If we think of the word “appreciation” it bestows the message of receiving a new found level of awareness resulting in the feeling of gratitude. If we think about leaving our comfort zone in order to live in the present moment it can feel scary for us because it is a form of forsaking our established identities. But if we realize that living in the moment is actually connecting back to our true core nature, that which we really are, then we can readily shift to this new paradigm of perception.

We are exactly where we are supposed to be right now at this very moment even if we are not living in the present moment. The world gives us several opportunities to rediscover ourselves through the reality of opposites. This is a crucial time to ask ourselves what our intent is behind everything we do. Honesty and the right intentions can help us shift to a state of higher consciousness, or in other words, of living in the present moment.