Toastmasters Blog 2015.. First One.. Happy New Year Toastmasters and prospective International Speech Contest competitors. I wanted to send my love to you all. 2014 was an awesome year for me in regards to the Contest and I wanted to share some insights for you before you take the journey of journeys. Insight 1: Start 2014 afresh even if this is not your first time. Jock Elliott 2011 WCPS Champion shared this Gem with me. In 2014 KingiB entered the International Contest as the 2013 First Runner Up. That was an honour that only a few people can own. As hard as I tried though I could not shake the burden it carried. Not only did I need to write a new speech for 2014, it had to match or be better than 2013. For 6 months the phrase Freedom to be and the name Kingi Biddle did not live in the same sentence unless the word not was ensconced between. Nice.. ensconced. The pressure to write and give another speech to end them all haunted my every waking moment and invaded my dreams. I remember brother Kwong Yue Yang saying that normally Im the bubbly guy, this year the bubbles came from the sweat of anxiety that poured down my face. If only I had spoken to Jock earlier, life would have been easier. Coulda, woulda shoulda. Looking back at it now it has become a gift. Please dont get me wrong, Semi Final 1s winner was totally deserving, what an awesome speech he gave. All speakers in our semi were stellar. I consider myself lucky to have shared the stage. Something else that happened is that the pressure is no longer there, the instant I did not place in my semi.. Boom, the pressure to perform disappeared. I became normal Kingi Biddle again. Well, if normal is possible :) Here is my gift to you. When you compete this year, take what you have learnt since you started at Toastmasters and weave your story. Let the audience leave the contest enriched by the tapestry of words, phrases and coinages that you have sewn to clothe our people with a cloak of insights thus making their lives warmer. Farewell 2014 and make it a stepping stone, You choose where the next stepping stone will be placed.. you choose where the next stepping stone will be placed. 2014 was the year of fun and laughter on the stage painting powerful messages.. please make 2015 the year where you walk the stage being... you. Always.. your friend Kingi. PS: Im taking a break from the International Contest and will be back in 2016. Till then Ill be catching up with a old friend.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 23:43:04 +0000
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