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?