This annual conference (also referred to as Discon) is a weekend-long event that Toastmasters from all over the country participate in. This is my second time attending. My first one was held in Cebu. For this year, it was held in Pampanga. It was a jam-packed weekend with many social events and opportunities to meet fellow Toastmasters from all around the country. I had a great experience, and I am still hyped; I should be physically recovering from the event, but my mind is still buzzing from all the things that happened, so I knew I needed to unpack and process them all here. 📝

One of my reasons for joining Toastmasters, aside from the usual goal of developing public speaking skills, is my fascination with listening to other people's stories. I am truly captivated by the narratives shared through speeches by each member, since I can pick up nuggets of wisdom from every speaker I listen to. Part of the activities in the Discon is the speech contests finals. The contest has different categories (Table Topics, Humorous Speech, Evaluation, and the International Speech). I really got to enjoy watching the International Speech contest speakers. I felt incredibly inspired by the speeches delivered that I couldn't put my phone down because I was busy taking notes. 😅 

Here's what I have noted down. 💗

The speech was about not going with society's expectations for certain timelines because, of course, we know that comparison with others is the thief of happiness. I've heard this message so many times: everyone has their own pace. You don't have to compare yourself with others. However, what sprinkled the ✨magic✨ for me was when he said:

In nature, there are no timelines.

Do flowers bloom all at the same time? 🌷

Do stars shine at the same levels? 🌟

Each living thing having its own timeline actually makes nature beautiful, just like flowers. Each of us is a unique creature, and collectively, that makes us all beautiful, fascinating, and amazing. At that moment, I felt like senses got hyped up, like I was receiving energy from somewhere. It was a full circle moment because I have been receiving messages from the universe about the theme of being one with the universe (through that recent astro camp that I participated in, which I have not yet written here about 😅), and so hearing that same message in a different form really hit the bulls eye for me. 🎯 I was in a public space so I had to contain some of the emotions (HAHAHA or else my clubmates would see me breaking down LOL) but I got really teary-eyed, and as the speech concluded, I felt a tear flow down my cheek. It was just the first speaker, and so I felt like I was really in for a good show for that day (also thanks to our mentor for reserving us the best seats in the house ✨).

This speech was about pursuing your dreams as long as you're alive and breathing, and not giving up on what you truly want to achieve in life. One of the driving points of his speech was that if you're still here, still alive, still breathing, it means that you are not done. It means that you still have a purpose in this life, and there is still something worth pursuing.

This resonated with me, especially with the recent themes in my life. As long as I'm breathing and alive, there is still a purpose for me. There is still something worthwhile for me to do in this life. It was a beautiful reminder to live fully: having dreams and goals, and simply enjoying life while you're still alive.

It was an inspirational speech about doing things even if you're not ready. Because really: when are we ever ready?

One of the phrases that I really liked from that speech was:

"The experience itself frees us from the fear of it."

There are many things that I was afraid of trying or doing because of the fear of the unknown and uncertainty. But as soon as I exposed myself to it, as soon as I did the very thing that I was afraid of, I realized it was not as bad as I thought it would be. Apparently, it was all just in my head.

Hearing that statement reminded me of that fact and further inspired me to continue this current journey of being adventurous: exploring things and doing things that I have not been doing for a while, experiencing things for the first time. As I have written previously in some of my recent posts, if fear is the only thing that prevents me from doing something, the more I want to push myself to do it. So life, let's goooo! ❤️‍🔥

This speech was in my top three. The speaker brilliantly represented milestones of his life with shoes. Some of the things that resonated with me are: 

"Why are you dreaming of a size A life while living a size B life?"

"Why do you continue to live small?"

"The more I want to fit in, the more I feel like I don't belong anywhere." (this is soo chef's kiss 👩‍🍳😘)

"I didn't lose; I just didn't win."

"Life is not a clearance sale; if it doesn't fit, don't force it." (I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH AS WELL ✨✨✨)

This one is about the theme of stepping out of our comfort zones. Her opening hook was: 

"We only live once. I want to live my life and be able to say that... I did that."

She talked about her experience of trying surfing for the first time, and some of the metaphorical phrases she used in that speech were:

"Sometimes, water feels like it holds all the deepest and darkest secrets, only to realize it’s just waist-deep."

"We are not drowning: just overwhelmed: and we just have to open our eyes."

It's so relatable to my current experiences in life (🫂). Sometimes the mind overcompensates or overreacts to things. We tend to overreact and overlook the simplicity of situations. We just have to change our perspective to see things from an easier angle.

This one is about battling addiction. It resonated with me again, especially with my current struggles of feeling out of control because of certain habits that I have. He narrated how you might think you're okay, but because you were engaging in those habits subtly but consistently, day after day, little by little, everything seems fine: until you realize that you are already out of control.

He ended his speech with:

"I'll stay with you until your "just one more" becomes "no more" 

After all the speakers had finished delivering their speeches, I could really feel the buzz in the air. It felt so inspiring. I got reminded of one of my "whys" in Toastmasters: listening to speeches that truly move me. Hearing these different, inspirational stories is powerful: they can really move mountains and emotions, and I want as many people as possible to experience this magic. ✨

Also, I am also just so thankful to have the resources to experience Discon again this year. I'm locking in for Discon 2027, which will be held in Davao. There might still be unknown factors at this point (logistics, etc) but I want to be there again.

This might sound a bit dramatic, but Toastmasters is something I can't walk away from anymore. Being a member of this organization has enriched my life in many ways. I want to continue that. Toastmasters will be my fuel for living this life: being inspired by people, meeting people, and being moved by their stories.