MY ICEBREAKER SPEECH

In my previous posts I shared about how my auditions went and how disappointing that day was for me.
Well I took a first step in conquering my fears and gave my first speech at my Toastmasters club.
Toastmasters is a club set up for communication and leadership development.
My club meets twice a month at 5th Floor, Atlantic House, 234 Solomon Louis Close, Victoria Island, Lagos (just behind the Silverbird galleria).
If you are in the neighborhood, you can drop by or check the Toastmasters website for a club near you.
So this is my first speech, its titled,' Things I have learnt in overcoming fear'.
I hope its worth your time.

For the short time I have known myself I have always wanted to be in front, out there giving my opinions (solicited or unsolicited) on several issues, so the career path for me was to be an On- Air- Personality.

I don't know if its just me but I love conversation, I live for it, I am naturally endeared to people who 
make magic when they speak, maybe that's why I have attended Toastmasters for the past 4 months or more, just in awe of everyone who has put themselves out their unashamed of
ridicule.

Thing is this behavior of cheering people doing things, who dare to show up regardless of whether they were good enough didn't start today. In school I decided to join the public speaking class made
available on the EDS platform and all I did was cheer people on. I might have as well being paid for it.
Then overtime I got tired of the career I had built in cheer leading, I realized that those persons who had the nerves to give a speech weren't necessarily the best, so I kept saying if an opportunity came
I would take it, but opportunities came and I never took it.

Now that I think of it, there is a lesson to be learnt: Decisions are made by people who show up, they are not necessarily pros but the most skillful,talented or successful, but they get rewarded because they show up. No one ever gets rewarded for being a cheerleader or for
being a "booer".

I got tired of being the one who cheered on, it was unhealthy for me
because I spent time berating myself, it was getting to the point of
self hate.

Recently I went for an audition at Soundcity FM folks my body failed me, I opened my mouth and nothing came out. I was so close to getting a shot at my dream job and fear had reared its ugly head and held me back.

It hit me, fear would be my greatest undoing, it would chew me and spit me out like a cow chewing the cud.
I have come to realize that fear just like love, anger is an emotion and its a very valid one, it only becomes a challenge when it holds you back from that which you want.

I can be a shy person in unfamiliar territory but who isn't? Does that mean my dream of being an OAP is not valid? No!

The Greek orator, Demosthenes stuttered and his life long dream was to be a notable speaker, he left fear aside, grew his potential and his persistence paid off.
He lived his dream and became the greatest orator of the ancient world.
I don't want to brag, but if I do say so myself, I like to believe I am gold, I think I am all that, but I am in my unrefined stage and no one likes unrefined, so that why I am here, to add beauty to this awesomeness.


Thank you!!
*drops mic like Obama*
*applause everywhere, next thing standing ovation, curtains fall*

So what do you guys think? I did well innit? You people can see that I can be deep too, not every time laugh sometimes drop nuggets of life.
If you are fighting fear what steps have you taken to overcome it?
Let me know in the comment section.

Don't forget to leave a comment. They make me happy!!