Is it Lou-E-Ville or Lull-Vulle?

Earlier this week I ventured to Louisville, KY for the Kentucky DECA State Conference. It was my first DECA state conference, first trip to Louisville, and outside of the freezing cold weather, it was AWESOME! :)  

When I got there I met the team and told them I was so excited to be in Louisville for the first time. Of course, I said it Lou-E-Ville and within seconds everyone was laughing or looking at me like I was from another planet.

At first I was a bit confused, but then they explained that it's not pronounced that way but rather it's pronounced Lull-Vulle. Considering that I was thinking about saying Louisville in my speech, I spent a good portion of the rest of the night trying to break my habit. 

The next morning I head down to get breakfast and without even thinking I say Lou-E-Ville...

But, I catch myself right away and correct it. 

When it finally came time to speak at my workshop and keynote, I got it right and all was good. 

I can't explain why it was so hard for me to pronounce Louisville correctly, but it was one of those things where I had just been saying it wrong for so long and it was hard to change because it didn't feel natural.

Maybe this has happened to you, maybe it hasn't. 

Here's the thing though...

I could have continued to pronounce it incorrectly and just say, "Oh well it doesn't really matter," or "I'm only here for two days so I'll just say what I want," but instead I tried to learn something new to show respect. I also wanted to show the State Officers and other attendees that it's okay to make mistakes (no matter how silly they are) and laugh about them later as long as you are willing to show that you care and try to improve upon your mistake.

In Elevate Your Network, I discuss the importance of genuine interest as a pillar to building an authentic relationship and building trust and interest with another person. 

This experience was no different and it is now a funny memory from my first trip to Louisville, KY. I'll always remember my first trip to Louisville!

Jake Kelfer is a lifestyle entrepreneur and life elevator. He is the bestselling author of Elevate Beyond and Elevate Your Network and a high energy inspirational speaker on a mission to elevate and motivate millions of people to achieve their definition of success. He is the founder of the Professional Basketball Combine which features NBA draft prospects in a secondary draft combine. He and his work have been featured on Forbes, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, NBC Sports, USA Today, Bleacher Report, and many other major media outlets. Connect with Jake on social @jakekelfer!