Something Uncomfortable This Way Comes

I joined Toastmasters a few weeks ago.  Why?  I have been asking myself that very same question.  I really don’t have a good answer except to say that it just seemed like something I should be doing.  Pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, that is.

If you are not familiar with Toastmasters, it is a club where you learn how to get on stage and speak in front of people. Voluntarily.  Sometimes with a prepared speech, sometimes impromptu.  I know, crazy, right?

Today I will give my “Ice Breaker” speech in front of a crowd of tens. 

Thank goodness it’s a small group.

I hope I won’t be too nervous. 

I hope that my voice holds out and doesn’t waver up and down.  Or worse, get higher and higher until I sound like one of the mice from Cinderella.

I hope I don’t forget what I think is a spectacular ending to my speech.  I did this a couple of weeks ago while practicing and said, “I’d like to leave you with this great quote from Mark Twain” and then, nothing, I went totally blank. 

I am sure none of this will happen. I am sure it will all be fine. 

I will get through it and be glad that I pushed myself to do something uncomfortable.

Because growth never comes through comfort.

Growth only comes when we push ourselves to do what we don’t want to do. 

Or what we think we cannot do.  And then, we just go ahead and do it anyway.