Every now and then, some university, or some newspaper will remind us of our greatest fears.
I am always thankful for such articles. After all, if I am having an excellent day, what I really need is for some staff writer at a newspaper to remind me that spiders really do exist. Thank you, bored staff writer.
According to Psychology Today (and multiple other sources), most of us fear speaking in public.
I get that.
That used to be my greatest fear.
I was an abysmal public speaker.
One day, I decided to conquer my greatest fear. I was at a friends wedding. It was my turn to toast the bride and groom. I stood up, raised my glass, and said something like… “cheers.”
That was about all I could mutter. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.
The next week I joined Toastmasters.
If you are unfamiliar with Toastmasters, check out their site here: https://www.toastmasters.org/
Toastmasters takes people like me, people who fear public speaking, people who freeze up on stage, people who cannot toast at a wedding. Toastmasters takes people like me and they help them conquer their fear of public speaking.
I stayed in Toastmasters for years. I stayed in until the organization helped me overcome my fear of public speaking. It worked.
These days, I am comfortable in front of crowds ranging from fifty people to five hundred people. The size of the crowd no longer matters. In fact, I am eager to get in front of a crowd.
The fear is gone. Toastmasters took my fear away.
If you fear public speaking, join Toastmasters. Conquer your greatest fear.
Unfortunately, once you conquer your greatest fear, a new greatest fear will emerge. Here is where you can help me. I know there are readers all over the globe. So… which of you lives in a country with no spiders?
