Opportunities are in front of us. Some see it. Some don’t.
Let’s focus on the ones that see the opportunity.
The ones who see the opportunity can do few things. See it and jump into the opportunity. See it and decide not to do it. See it and not make any decision on it. Three choices. That’s it. Many times, I choose the first one.
I live by the statement Strike when the iron is hot.
One such opportunity came about in the form of a toastmaster event. After researching a few Toastmaster clubs in Kathmandu, I stumbled upon Himalaya Toastmasters. They meet on Thursdays at 6pm at SAP Falcha, Babarmahal. I thought it was a great opportunity to go there to practice my public speaking skills plus take a few of my coworkers to experience Toastmasters firsthand. We got to SAP Falcha at 5:45pm and networked with other club members. You can definitely feel a different level of energy in the room. The meeting started at 6pm, continued till 7:45pm with a short networking break in the middle. Within that time frame, we heard from some fine speakers on various topics. There was a Table Topic session where guests could participate. Two guests spoke before me and I wanted to seize the opportunity to speak as well. The third topic was announced “Your younger brother or sister has just failed the exam. You need to console him or her. How would you do it?” I raised my hand and went to the stage.
I gave a short speech on the third topic and it felt great. Later on, I learned that I had won Best Table Topics Award. I was exhilarated. I credit all of this to taking chances and putting yourself out there to continuously improve. By making a decision to attend the Toastmasters event, I was presented with so many opportunities: met other professionals, met old friends, improved my public speaking skills, won a award, got inspired, shared travel stories and created many memories among others. I highly encourage young professionals in Kathmandu to join a local Toastmasters club. The benefits are endless.