A promise I made last year to myself and some other people was that this year I would prepare my speeches early for the competition. It's pretty much the eleventh hour with the competition being tomorrow, and here I am writing out the speech script, no doubt rushing to prepare again through the night and giving a less-than-fifty-percent-and-completely-sleepy show. I don't like it. And I'll be breaking my own personal oath.
Insanity is to do things the same way but expecting different results, and I'd certainly be labeled insane if I were to present tomorrow and expect a magically awesome show without any proper preparation. Statistically it just won't work that way. Plus, just like my mum loves to remind me; it's not the best speaker that wins, but the most prepared.
At the moment, I'm neither. And to enter with less that 100% wouldn't be doing me, the other contestants, nor the audience any favor. There must be a time where boundaries must be drawn in the sand, with real consequences and actions happening should that line be crossed. And so, despite the International Speech Contest being the biggest competition for Toastmasters for the year, I won't be entering this year.
Next year I'll join again. Most definitely. If I don't win Best Speaker, I want to be Best Prepared at least.
- Everything is fictional.
