I Decided to Get UP

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”,

Nelson Mandela.

In the year 2017 I was a Contestant for the Table Topics Toastmasters International Speech Contest. This contest was attended by esteemed dignitaries across the globe. My closed ones had lot of expectations from me as they had always seen me winning every contest. As a passionate Toastmaster I was busy mentoring other Contestants for the Prepared Speech Contest. The Contest was held at the city of garden – Chandigarh in the month of May. After having a sumptuous breakfast, I got ready to head towards the venue with my fellow toastmasters. After sometime the moment came when my name and topic was announced. Every step that I was taking seemed like a strenuous task. I was confident and well prepared. Something happened all of a sudden and I started speaking irrelevant things. My fellow toastmasters told me that the first 45 seconds of my speech were flawless. All the eyes were on me and I knew it was not my day. My team waited till the last name was announced and then they all congratulated me for at least reaching the Division Level. We travelled back to our destination and then got busy with our regular work. I was sad, upset and broken and never felt like talking to anyone. For months I never even attended any social gathering and used to avoid taking calls.

One day I got a call from my mentor, how could I miss that call. My mentor appreciated me and told me about the other contestants who were with me that day. I came to know that one of the Contestants was able to reach that level after trying for 11th time and the other two had tried for he 5th time. This conversation motivated me to get up. So, I decided to get up and not to quit. “Winners never quit and Quitters never win”. From the next day I started attending the regular meetings and decided to complete my pending speeches from the Manual. I the month of August I received the highest award by Toastmasters International- Distinguished Toastmasters award. I was the first to receive the coveted award in Uttrakhand, Punjab, Himachal and Harayana. I also learnt that persistence and patience does pay. Remember, whenever you feel like quitting, take a break, but never quit. As I decided to get up, so should you. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall, what matters is the number of times you get up. Get Up- Now, Just Now… It’s time to Fly …Fly High…So always decide to get up…

Keep Learning…Keep Growing…