In 2010, I heard a great quote, but I didn’t understand how deep it was, or how it would affect my winning speech in Toastmasters International Contest at District level.
“How you think of yourself will determine your thoughts, your feelings, your actions, and the outcome of your life.”
On May 19, 2024, I won the Toastmasters International District 97 public speaking contest (covering 5 Southeast Asian countries), and became the representative of District 97 at the quarterfinal rounds later. You can see my winning speech below.
Hearing all the cheers at the moment the Chief Judge giving me the certificate, I remembered that quote above and realized:
Every result starts with how you think of yourself. 💡
If I had kept thinking of myself as an introvert who was afraid of talking to people, I would have always felt insecure and acted like an introvert who was afraid of talking to people, and never got that winning speech.
But I wrote down my goal of becoming an inspirational speaker and changed how I thought about myself.
Of course, I faced a lot of challenges, not just from my family but also from my colleagues… A lot of fears appeared to hold me back, but I knew it was a sign that I was on the right track.
Because…
When you decide to be different, difficulties become signposts.
You’ve read this far, you’re awesome… I have a secret for you.
In 2020, I published the book “TNT – The Secrets of Presentation from the World Champion” (I’ll translating it into English soon) and the book was also considered a “bedside book” by many trainers and experts in Vietnam. Did you notice something strange?
I wrote it before I won the first prize in the Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest in 2022, and The Toastmasters International Speech Contest in 2024, at District level.
What made me so confident?
It’s simple, I thought: I’m an author.
And what does an author do? Sit around and be afraid that their book isn’t good? Or focus on learning and writing to create valuable books?
You see, the results speak for themselves.
And that’s the source of my results today.
So, who do you think you are?
Whatever you think, always remember that it will affect your thoughts, feelings, actions, and the outcome of your life.