Today is a day of gratefulness. Not that I’m not grateful each day—I am—but today is a little extra special because of yesterday.
Yesterday was our Toastmasters Division Contest. Our club had three members competing—two in Table Topics and one in the International Speech contest. First- and second-place winners will move on to the District Conference Contests, and the winner of the District International Speech Contest will advance even further.
Let me give you a little description of the contest. International Speech contestants deliver a 5- to 7-minute professional, meaningful speech. If they’re smart, they’ll add some humor to hold the audience’s attention. If they go under 4 minutes, 31 seconds or over 7 minutes, 31 seconds, they are automatically disqualified.
In the Table Topics Contest, each contestant is asked the same question and has only 1 to 2 minutes to answer. This is a great way to prepare for interviews or impromptu speaking at work or school. It’s extemporaneous speaking fun! Contestants enter the room one at a time so they don’t hear the question ahead of time. The question for this contest was (not exact but close):
“Tell me about a mistake you made, what you learned, and how it affected you.”
All the answers were good—some took a serious approach, while others added humor.
One of our club’s Table Topics contestants has been competing in contests since he became a member approximately seven years ago. He has either not placed or come in third in about 28 contests, and most of the time, he didn’t place in the top four (unless there were only four contestants).
This year has been different for him—at least in one contest. At the club level, he came in second in Table Topics and third in International Speech. Clubs were allowed to send their first- and second-place winners to the next level. At this next level (area), he won the Table Topics contest.
Yesterday was the Division level of contests. My sweetheart and I went to support our fellow members, and I am extremely grateful we did. Unfortunately, our member in the International Speech contest did not place. He has won contests before, but he was up against three extremely tough opponents—two of whom have competed at the regional level or higher. Still, he did great.
Table Topics was just as competitive, with even more contestants, all of whom were strong speakers. One of our contestants did well, but her answer wasn’t quite strong enough. She had some humorous moments, but her delivery was a bit off. Our second contestant (the one who had only ever won one contest) chose to go full humor—and the audience responded enthusiastically.
As the winners for the International Speech contest were announced, I pretty much knew the lineup. Then came the Table Topics results:
• Third place – not one of our members.
• Second place – not one of our members.
• First place – Mr. S, our member!
All of us who were there to support him, along with the other contestants, cheered loudly. Several of us teared up, seeing this man—who has never given up on competing, even when he thought about quitting—finally achieve this victory. I was so excited for him!
I’ve competed in all the contests—Evaluation, Humorous, International, and Table Topics. I’ve made it to the District level in each (International three or four times), but I wasn’t as excited with half of my own wins as I was for Mr. S’s.
Feeling genuine joy and happiness for another person (or creature) is one of the BEST feelings. I was on a high for several hours, just celebrating his success.
Sooooo, there are two lessons here:
1. If you really want something, don’t give up. Keep working toward your goal, because each failure brings you one step closer to success. We learn from our mistakes and failures—and we succeed with every step forward.
2. Feeling joy for another soul is one of the best feelings. It feeds our inner desire for goodness.
Every night, my sweetheart and I list six things we’re grateful for. Last night, one of our “gratefuls” was that Mr. S won and is going to the District Level Contest.
Questions for you:
• What are you grateful for today?
• Have you ever been so happy for someone else that you felt warmth in your soul/heart?
I also want to congratulate all the contestants who made it to the Division level—that alone is an achievement! For those moving on to District, I wish you the best of luck.🥳
Mr. S, I’m rooting for you! I hope you win at District, feel the thrill of success, and know that you’ve reached a long-standing goal. No matter what, you are already a winner, and we are all incredibly proud of you!
Good luck to all the winners!
One last thing…
Have you read the sneak peek of Dangerous Desires? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to email me—I look forward to your feedback.
Till next time… I hope your week is filled with love, laughter, hugs, and blessings. 🙏
We are Creatively Unlimited! 
Leave a comment