I politely disagreed



my mom's glasses she wore in college



My public speaking course is over and I have to say

 I am glad I signed up and took the classes.

It was a low commitment in time and money and yet,
at the same time, it was a high commitment in stress,
 personal expectations and comfort.

  I could have backed out or not showed up
for the final class where we were to deliver
 a prepared, five minute speech.

A lot of people surprisingly did not show up
for the final class.  To be honest, that thought did
 cross my mind for a brief second

 but I simply pushed past it.

 Was I nervous? Yes.

Was it uncomfortable? Yes.

Did it kill me? No.

Did I learn a lot? Yes.

Would I do it again? YES!!!

As you may know, a teacher can make or break a class.

 This teacher was excellent and I immediately
knew it would be a great class  when he said,
 “I want to show you a video on TED.com.”

 His teaching was clear and purposeful,

 and he was engaging and positive.  

I learned a lot, met some great people
 and have already incorporated some of this new
 found knowledge into my everyday activities.

 I have used some of the concepts

 when I am teaching my boys here at home,

 relaying information to my husband

and recently in some social settings. 



My boys, all three of them, were excited to hear
what I learned in class.
  It was great to see their excitement and support.

Over the weekend, the family went to a birthday party

 and someone overheard that I took a public speaking class.

 They rolled their eyes and told me they took one years ago

 and hated their class but had to
 take it because it was mandatory.

 I mentioned that I elected to take this class on a whim

 to challenge myself and for personal growth.

 

The older woman chuckled at me and said,

 “Oh, you’ll change as you get older!”

I politely disagreed.



I see myself as a student of life.

 As long as I am alive,

 I want to push myself to

 learn new things,

 stretch and grow

and, most of all,

 pass on to others what I have learned.

Now...who is up for some skydiving?

***

{{I would love to hear how you have pushed

 yourself to learn new things!}}