How a Year of Sweating Through My Shirt Paid Off in a Big Way
Facing my fears led to one of the best days of my life
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About a year ago my sister asked me to be the best man at her wedding.
I was thrilled, honored, and terrified.
Nearly all of my public speaking experiences had started and ended with sweaty palms, shaking legs, and a quivering voice.
But since I have the best older sister in the world, I wanted this speech to be special.
I also wanted to be able to deliver it without blacking out or having a panic attack.
So I did what most people do when they have a big, scary, audacious goal.
Absolutely nothing.
Waiting & wallowing
I spent about 3 months wallowing in a mixture of self-pity, fear, and apprehension.
Whenever I thought about the wedding I turned into a sweaty little potato.
I would spiral as incredibly unhelpful thoughts filled my mind:
Why wasn’t a born a great public speaker?
Maybe I can get out of giving a speech?
What the hell do I do with my hands?
The cave I feared to enter most
This went on until one day I got sick and tired of losing sleep over what should be one of the happiest days of my life.
So I moved into step #2 of what most people do when they have a big, scary, audacious goal.
I googled it.
I was immediately confronted with the solution I knew to be right but dreaded most.
I needed to join a public speaking club.
Toast…what?
It turned out that there was a group called Toastmasters that met near me.
Apparently this is a public speaking club, not a group of individuals who get together to toast bread.
