A Journey

Which lies do you currently believe about yourself? How are they robbing you of your future?

Fact: I used to be a school teacher who spoke in front of kids all the time, but who could not speak in front of adults! Somehow the role of classroom authority figure and teacher felt safe to me. Beyond it, I struggled terribly. 

In my head, I heard the words “You can’t”. I believed that I couldn’t, therefore I didn’t. I avoided speaking in front of adults at all costs, until I realized the pain of remaining like that was going to be worse than the pain of changing!

Coupled with this was a life-long desire to learn more about communication. Thinking I’d need to go back to school, I started looking for suitable courses. That is when I stumbled upon Toastmasters.

I quickly knew that this was what I needed, and so the journey began. I had to choose to go to that first meeting, choose to give each speech, and choose to be uncomfortable. I stumbled and fell often, but with a little help from my friends, I managed to pick myself up each time.

After three years, I had completed two paths, served as a club officer several times, as district admin manager (secretary) and as a district Pathways presenter. This gave me the courage to step out and forge a new path in my career. Challenging, but amazing!

You’ve heard stories similar to this many times, from so many other Toastmasters, and it is real.

If you suspect that faulty thinking is keeping you stuck, get whatever help you need, throw it off and move forward.

2 thoughts on “A Journey”

  1. Sabrina Darley

    Wow! I so admire your honesty in this well written and insightful article! After 25 years working in communications I’ve finally joined myself for some sonar reasons. In my opinion, no matter how much or to whom we speak, there’s always room to improve our delivery! Thank you for posting!

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