As a teenager I figured out that kind words get further than harsh ones. Then a girl called me a liar for it, and I had to decide what my words were for.
The Same Tongue
Tag: toastmasters
The Step in Front of You
Brushed off at nineteen, stuck in a smoke-filled office, and a cancer diagnosis that came back. What got me through all three was the same thing: the step in front of me.
The Other Tony Robbins
A guy from my old Toastmasters club wished me happy birthday by calling me the other Tony Robbins. I smiled. Then I had to sit with the fact that I've spent this whole year running from exactly that.
Second Place
A stranger stopped me ten seconds after I walked off the stage with a second place trophy and offered to tell me what I'd done wrong. He may have been right. I'll never know.
