The brief story of how I tried, failed, and bounced back from a public speaking contest

Last weekend, I spent my days brainstorming and writing a speech for my school’s public speaking contest.

On Tuesday afternoon, I walked into the assembly hall and performed my speech at the semi finals. It went well. One participant even told me: “I’ve never seen someone giving a speech as confidently as you did.” Overall, I felt confident in my performance given the effort I’d put in. All excited, I hoped to be contacted by the jury that I’d made it to finals.

But the message never came.

To be honest, my first reaction was denial.

I knew my script wasn’t the best.

However, I was convinced I left one of the most engaging performances. So why didn’t I qualify? I still don’t know. The feeling of defeat is still in me. But I see it as a great reminder to get back up and try again.

So, how did I bounce back?

I reminded myself I’m playing the long game.

When you fail, your only option is to try again and again and again, until you succeed — otherwise, you’ll quit.

I try to look into the future, not to distract myself from my defeat, but to remind myself that more chances will come. I know I’m going to work even harder for my next speech. And I will start to speak publicly more often, and write more speeches.

If you, like me, felt defeated lately, embrace the feeling and prepare yourself for the next round.

I believe in you.

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