I swear I was all caught up.  My emails were under control, the pile on my desk was diminishing, and I felt like I was finally getting my head above water.

Then BAM – out of nowhere – came a new list of “things to do.”

Now, I’m not complaining.  A couple of days ago I competed in the Toastmasters International Speech Contest and won.  I’m absolutely thrilled.  The competition was fierce and they really kept me on my toes.  Now I will move onto the next level to compete again – in just six days!  That means I will be calling club members for evaluations, changing and enhancing my speech, and practicing, practicing, practicing.  All that in addition to the work I already have scheduled this week.

So I’m trying to stay in control – to quiet those noises in my head.  The ones that make me feel anxious and discombobulated, like I’ll never get everything done on time.  So to help me, this is what I’ve decided:

I will work on one thing at a time!  I will block out all the distractions that surround me and focus on only what I need to get done. 

It sounds simple, but it’s not easy.  Those distractions are so tempting; so much more fun than focusing on my task at hand.  So I promised myself to shut off everything that dings and buzzes and rings.  Only once my project is done will I even begin to look at texts and emails and social media.  I refuse to venture down that dark hole that consumes so much of my time.  By the end of this week, I WILL have an amazing speech written and give my best “performance” in the contest on Saturday. 

Then – I’m going on vacation!  If only for a few days I’m taking a time-out and celebrate my efforts.  And, yes, to get caught up on all those emails!

Categories: Personal Development Positive Attitude Professional Development Professional Speaker
Tags: International Speech Contest, Positive Attitude, Professional Keynote Speaker, Toastmasters