I’m in a coffee shop here in Dumaguete as I am writing this. It’s my first time in Dumaguete and I must say that Dumaguete is such a charming place. The people are gentle. The eating places are very inviting! Dumaguete is the home of one of the most famous universities in the Philippines — Silliman University. And everything in Dumaguete is walkable.
Inside Silliman University campus during the break. I love to write, write, and write!
In the past two days, my toastmasters friends and I attended the District 75 Toastmasters Midyear Convention. Thanks to Midcon Chair Gov. Ranz Medina and his team for a laid-back, fun, and meaningful convention! 🙂 Toastmasters all over the Philippines convene twice a year for conventions — the Midyear Convention and the District Convention.
With my friends from Presidents Toastmasters Club. They are the wind beneath my wings as far as my toastmasters journey is concerned 🙂
I always look forward to attending the conventions because it’s an opportunity to learn in a fun environment, to bond with toastmasters all over the Philippines, to watch the national (or district) speech contests and to visit new places.
The Speech Contest
Speaking of the Speech Contests, all the winners from the three rounds of speech contests done on the club level, area level, and division level in a span of 3 months will compete in the National or District Level. It means that the contestants are perceived as the champions in their respective divisions from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
This Midyear Convention was quite a unique and humbling experience for me because I was one of the speech contestants in the Speech to Evaluate contest. There’s a test speaker, and all of us 11 contestants will evaluate the speaker. We’re supposed to point out what he did well and how else the speaker can improve. It’s an impromptu evaluation.
Prior to going to Dumaguete, I was so looking forward to being in Dumaguete for #workation. Just before I flew to Dumaguete, I gave a 4-day life skills training in University of the Philippines, Diliman to about 150 youth in Quezon City. It was fulfilling and very tiring at the same time.
And so one of main agenda in Dumaguete is just to chill out, learn (which I find fun), bond with friends, and enjoy the beauty of Dumaguete.
But then I was a contestant. I had to prepare for the contest. And I had to give my best because my club mates and the officers of
Division A rallied behind me and gave their all out support.
What Real Victory Means
The night before the contest, I told myself, “I’ll give my best in the contest because this is not just my fight, but the fight of the whole Division A.”
I also told myself, “The result is a bonus! If I win, then that would be really great! If I don’t win, that would still be great! What’s more important is that this should be my best performance ever and I should be able to give justice to the speech of the test speaker.”
In other words, I was trying to detach myself from the results of the contest. I was also trying to re-define what victory meant for me. Yes, I wanted to win. But I defined my real victory as giving my best during the speech contest.
Behind the Scenes
I was the 9th speaker out of 11. It meant that I won’t be able to hear the evaluation speeches of contestants 1 to 8. While I was in the waiting area, I was really nervous and excited at the same time.
“My gosh! This is the national level! There are so many people! I should give my best.”
“I’m here to love the audience and loving them means giving my best performance ever. I’m here to encourage the the test speaker and help him advance in his career thru my evaluation.”
“This is exciting. God, I’m nervous. Be with me. Help me. This is for You, God!”
These thoughts ran in my mind. I was so nervous, I wanted to hug someone. To calm myself, I walked around. I smelled the flowers outside the convention hall. I admired the beauty of Silliman University. I smiled at my fellow contestants. I wished them well. I also tried to discretely jump up and down to release the tension. I must have looked like a fool.
I was still nervous while the marshals were attaching the lapel in my outfit.
When I approached the stage, I looked at the audience, and smiled at them. I looked at the test speaker, and smiled at him as well. And then I gave my best speech performance ever. It was the longest and the most meaningful 2-3 minutes of my public speaking life.
Then came the announcement of winners. I was smiling. Deep in my heart, the result is just a bonus. I was very happy with how I delivered the speech. Whether I win or not, I would still smile and thank God for the experience. Besides, I didn’t hear the speeches of the first 8 contestants so I won’t be able to benchmark my performance from their performance.
“The 3rd place winner goes to…”
Not my name.
“The 2nd place winner goes to…”
And I heard my name.
Sha Nacino. 1st Runner Up. District 75 Midyear Convention 2014. Speech to Evaluate Contest.
I was very happy! 🙂
Division A was also very happy. So is Presidents Toastmasters Club. This is the victory of everyone who was part of this journey — Division A Governor Lito Baldisimo for his leadership, our Area 4 Governor Remy Santos (who treated us to fried ice cream that night. Thanks, Tita Remy!), Gov. Gabby Go Balauag who is a very passionate and supportive leader, Gov. Zaldy Co, my fellow contestant in the Division Level Third Catayoc, Gov. Fiel Meria, my Presidents Toastmasters Family who were there — Jane Santos who gave me a very important tip in doing evaluations, Pres. Pia Santos for her leadership, and Trixie Esguerra for cheering me up and keeping me sane (because she’s my roommate), my friends from the different clubs and divisions, and the entire Division A family and of course, District 75. To God be the glory.
I am sharing with you this story because I feel that you are a big part of my journey. I don’t live for myself and my family only. My purpose is to inspire YOU to live your God-designed lives through my passions in writing and public speaking. And so I say Yes to every opportunity that could help me improve my craft so I could also serve you better.
Sometimes, we have to find a goal bigger than ourselves in order to keep pushing forward. For instance, maybe you’re comfortable with what you are currently earning. But because you want to give the best to your family, you keep advancing in your career and your business.
I wish we could always strive to be the best versions of ourselves so we could give our best services to the people around us and be a blessing to many.
P.S. Have you always wanted to write your own book? I think everyone has a story to share. I’m cooking up something that will help you make your dream of writing a book come true. Watch out for it! Meanwhile, this may help you.
Sha Nacino is one of the most sought-after Filipino motivational speakers in the Philippines. She is the bestselling author of the books Money&Me, Mission Happiness, plus 7 other books.
Sha is the founder of The 90-Day Book Writing Challenge where she helps first time authors write their books. She also writes for Bo Sanchez's TrulyRichClub newsletters.
She regularly gives talks on Personal Finance, Happiness, Purpose, Success Principles, etc. If you wish to invite Sha to speak in your company or events, visit shanacino.com or email her at sha@seminarphilippines.com.
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Sha Nacino is one of the most sought-after Filipino motivational speakers in the Philippines. She is the bestselling author of the books Money&Me, Mission Happiness, plus 7 other books.
Sha is the founder of The 90-Day Book Writing Challenge where she helps first time authors write their books. She also writes for Bo Sanchez's TrulyRichClub newsletters.
She regularly gives talks on Personal Finance, Happiness, Purpose, Success Principles, etc. If you wish to invite Sha to speak in your company or events, visit shanacino.com or email her at sha@seminarphilippines.com.
