Toastmaster Club speech P2-2 Long Vacation

Dear fellow toastmaster and distinguished guests, good evening. It is feeling very well to stand back on the stage to deliver a new speech. But I have to confess, it is not an easy time for me actually, no matter my job changing or my toastmaster club activities, I am facing some problems, so it is quite hard for me to stand here. Why, let me tell you a story.

It is a story about self-growth with TMC club, and how to find your own pace to develop yourself. The first time I stand here to present myself, I feel nervous and unconfident. Gradually, I try to take more challenges and feel better and better. I try my best to accomplish my goal which I would like to finish 20 speeches within 1 year, it is quite ambitious, right? Maybe at that period of time, I try too hard and I am quite exhausted, work changing, busy to balance my work, my family and other activities. As a result, I quitted my first Chinese speech contest due to my kid WAS not feeling well at that moment. I feel quite regretful because it WAS my first time to attend a contest. And at last it became a knot in my mind, I FELT quite stressful and breathless when I stand on here to deliver a speech. Even though I prepared very well, when I stand on the stage, I will suddenly forgot everything I prepared before.

I try to look back and think, am I doing the right thing, why I can't do everything well? It is quite frustrated for me at that moment, a couples of times, I try to ask myself, am I pushing myself too hard? Am I too aggressive or ambitious to achieve my goals? I heard that someone answer my questions at the bottom of my heart, and I decided to take a short break to find my own pace. It is not easy to take a break actually, I used to live like a wheel before, and I have a tight schedule every day, there is a song sings like, "the wheels on the bus go run and run, run and run, all day long, and suddenly, the bus was stop. I FELT LOST AND I NEED TO change. At that time, I review one of my favorite Japanese Drama "Long Vacation", the leading actor is an ambitious pianist with dreams, but he constantly meets with failure, and he thought that he is not a talented pianist. However He never give up and finally he win an important international piano contest and turn to be a famous pianist, there is a nice quote from him "When you did nothing well at the moment, don't worry, just make it like a long vacation. Let it be, and everything will be fine at last".

At the end of October, my family and I go for a long vacation to Japan, in that period, I put down everything and treat it like a long vacation of my life, to think, to feel, to let go the depression. We had a super happy time together, and it is great to witness the beauty of a new country, I am healing at that moment, meanwhile I told myself, put down the burden, off the rope, and follow my heart. When my vacation end, I came back to Dalian, I found I am full of energy already, I have lots of stories and Ideas gained from my journey and would like to share to the toastmaster fellows. That is why I am here. Like the unsuccessful pianist said" Don't worry, be happy". Do the right thing, and let the nature take its course.

Life just like a long-distance running, sometimes we need to stop and look back, is this the right direction for me? Life sometimes like hiking, some moment we are just arriving the half way up mountain, don't give up, take a break, then keep moving, you will finally reach on the mountain’s peak, overlooking nature’s beauty.  When you feel upset for didn't do everything perfectly, don't give up, just make it like a long vacation in your life, enjoy and treasure the moment, keep doing what you are believe in, don't afraid of losing something or making mistakes, in some day when you look back, those tiny lovely mistakes made your life more shining and beautiful.

"Don't worry, be happy."

PS:自我評價：

這是我困擾了很久的演講心悸綜合征的復(fù)出演講，兩個月來，我一直都不敢再上臺，因為有別的事情非常忙。而且10月底去了日本旅行。當(dāng)時演講的時候準(zhǔn)備的非常充分，我也是真情實感的去表達。大家都能感同身受，所以那個演講也得了Best speaker，但是其實我的IE給了我一些建議，就是以往的演講都是比較emotional的，希望我可以加一些理論的依據(jù)來支持我的演講，而不是純感受。這個演講我配合了Long Vacation 的OST 鋼琴曲，整個演講都沒有卡殼。