Yesterday morning I competed in a speech contest. I was one of three contestants, and I came in third, i.e. last place. Am I discouraged about that? On the contrary, I am focusing on what a success it was.
Here’s the thing. The guy who won first place is an actor who has been working on his particular speech for years. It was really an amazing speech.
The second-place guy has been a member of his speaking club for many many years, has been competing in public speaking since he was in high school and has also been crafting his speech for quite some time.
Me, I wrote my speech two nights ago and rehearsed it once yesterday morning. Despite not being nearly as prepared as I would’ve liked, I received so many compliments on how great my speech was. One woman even came up to me and told me how moved she was and asked if I was a life coach!
I’m not judging where I’m at based on yesterday’s contest outcome, because that’s only a snapshot in time. What was not apparent to everybody there is the progress that I have been making on articulating my topic. That, to me, is a huge success. Comparing myself with the winners would’ve been a mistake.
The litmus test of your life is not how you’re doing at any one moment. The real question is… are you making progress?
If you feel like you’re not making progress, or even going backwards – in any area of your life, I would suggest reaching out to someone you trust and talking about it. I would be happy to be that person if you’re interested.
Here’s to a great week of making more progress!