SPEAKING.APP

Life will sometimes feel like a fight. The punches, jabs, and hooks show up as challenges, obstacles, and failures. But if you stay in the ring and learn from those past fights, then at the end of each round, you’ll be still standing. Mr. Contest Chair, fellow fighters, can you think of a time when life tried to knock you down? Who was your toughest opponent? Most often, our most challenging opponent is ourselves. Round one: college. I dropped out of college not one, not two, not three, but four times. And each time I told myself, “College isn’t for me,” and I’d never go back. Round two: marriage. I married my soulmate, the love of my life, my best friend. He was fine, too. We were married for eight long, beautiful, amazing months. You heard right: months, not years. It was like immediately after we said, “I do,” the heavyweight champion came in and delivered an electrifying knockout blow to our vows. Boom. Divorced. Round three: speaking. In 2015, I competed for the first time in the International Speech Contest. I won at the club level. I won at the area level. I won at the division level. Then district was on the way. I was on a roll. I was on fire. I was unstoppable. I lost. I was crushed. After going three rounds and taking hit after hit, I was ready to throw in the towel. I was down for the count: six, seven, eight. When was the last time life knocked you down? Who was the lifeline you reached out to, to help you stand back up? Was it your family, your friends, or did you hold on to your faith? Or maybe you’ve seen someone you love take a devastating blow. Were you the lifeline they reached for? Were you the coach in the corner saying, “Get up. Get up. Stand up!” As I gathered all the strength within myself to pick myself back up and stand, I made a choice. Instead of looking into a mirror of defeat, I found a window of possibilities. I got back in the ring. I went back to college, I got my degree, and I graduated magna cum laude. After my loss at the district level, I got back in the ring again. And today, I’m speaking to you from the World Championship stage. As for my marriage, I’m still in training. I have not yet found Mr. Right, but this is an international convention. And there are thousands of men from hundreds of different countries. So single Toastmasters, call me. After failing four times, I was still standing. Even after suffering loss, I’m still standing. Even after my divorce, I’m still standing. And even after taking a few hits, I learned I could get back up and keep going. Thank you. Thank you. My challenge to you is to stay in the ring, whether you’re a fighter or a coach. Whether you’re on the side of the ring encouraging someone else, or you’re in that ring throwing those jabs and those hooks, don’t quit in the middle of the round. Use what you learned from those previous fights. And when that final bell rings, ding, ding, ding, the fighters and the coaches will raise their hands in victory, singing: “I’m still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.” “We’re still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Stay in that ring, and at the end of each round, you’ll remain still standing, Mr. Contest Chair.