03/28/2026
I’m going to be real with y’all for a moment. This morning I competed in an International Speech Competition for Toastmasters. I thought I was ready. I had devoted countless hours to refining and practicing my speech. I had an excellent speech written with an even better message. When it was my turn to speak, I was confident. I got up in front of 20-30 people to deliver my speech and I thought everything went great. After the competition, all of the contestants were interviewed as we awaited the results. I still felt confident because I had watched the other speeches too. I knew it would come down to myself and another contestant. Third place- Someone else…. 2nd Place……. Time stopped for a moment… Patrick Borecky…. 1st place- someone else. I tried to show grace and congratulate the other contestants, but I was torn up on the inside. Several people in the room told me what a great job I did, but I didn’t believe them. I was disappointed in myself. I was the first loser. I left the venue and literally cried in my car. I was not good enough. I failed. I let myself down, my club down, and my family/friends down. What the hell is wrong with me?
Now, a little time has passed. I’m still disappointed, but I am questioning why I am so disappointed. Did I not practice enough? Is 2nd place good enough for me? NO!!!
Maybe because social media and society tells us to win at all cost. Win! Win! Win! We only see highlights of people winning in life, not those who have failed or those that just made it through another day.
What if you don’t win? Does that mean you’re a failure? I don’t think so!
Maybe you’ve been struggling with other things and that has taken away your ability to be the best version of yourself.
I’m finally thinking clearly… What can I do to improve? How will I do better next time?
What I have realized is that the competition was not between myself and the other competitors. The competition was between me and myself. I will always strive to be a better version of me!
