Public speaking used to be my biggest fear. I would do everything in my power to avoid it. I knew I would have to overcome this fear but I didn’t know how or where to start. Three years ago I was given the opportunity to be one of the captains of my field hockey team during a big tournament. The only catch was on the last night of the tournament we have a big team dinner where the captains give speeches to each person on the team. While writing the speeches with my co-captain, it started to feel more and more real, and all I could think about was presenting them. As we were sitting through dinner I was so zoned-out and distracted and couldn’t believe that I was about to speak in front of this many people. Dinner was over and it was time for us to give the speeches. My legs were shaking, as was the paper I was reading off of. I was scared to look up so I kept my eyes glued to the paper, to make sure I didn’t lose my place. I couldn’t wait for it to be over, I felt my eyes were getting blurry. But soon enough it was over and I felt the biggest wave of relief. After this, I was captain for the next 4 tournaments and every time it was easier and I would get much less nervous. To this day I am still grateful for that opportunity and how it impacted me. During my time in high school, I started to take on more leadership roles and started to enjoy getting involved. I even got the opportunity to read the opening prayer at my high school graduation, which is something the younger version of me would have never thought I would do. I realized now how important it was for me to push myself that first time because it forced me outside my comfort zone, helped me become a better leader, and made me more confident.
Key Words:
- Growth
- Nervous
- Confidence
- Terrified
- Leader
- Anxious
- Quiet
- Frozen
- Relief
- Uncomfortable
- Brave