Edwin, My Enemy!

When I was studying 5th standard, I had an enemy called Edwin. You know in childhood, we have friends and foes. This chap wanted to get me into trouble, One day, without informing me, he has given my name for the next Monday’s assembly speech. The previous Friday, the school leader came up and informed me that I need to give the speech on “Conserving Trees” as we were celebrating the environmental day.

I was taken aback. Public speaking was completely new to me, and I was filled with apprehension. I turned to my father and tearfully explained what Edwin had done. In a comforting manner, my father handed me a one-page write-up and encouraged me to memorize it. I followed his advice and, on that Monday, I delivered the speech with surprising fluency.

To my astonishment, my school principal recognized my talent and selected me to represent the school in an upcoming district-level Elocution competition. This experience marked the beginning of my public speaking journey. I participated in the competition and emerged as the district-level first-prize winner. From that point onward, I never looked back, as my passion for public speaking led me to deliver keynote speeches, conduct training sessions, and even perform stand-up comedy.

Thanks to my foe, Edwin for pushing me to the unexplored territory

• The moral of the story is, when you are pushed into a crisis, you may not even know the opportunities that bring up.
• Not that everyone who pushes you is bad, Edwin and I reconciled our fight over a missing chocolate and become friends again.
• Choose the quality of the people you fight with.
• The tougher it gets, the stronger you become!

Have fun folks!