The “HOW ON EARTH DID THIS HAPPEN?!” moment… How do you measure (and appreciate) it?

Do you ever have one of those experiences where you look at where you are today, and wonder how you got there?

I *mean* to write down my goals, journal regularly, practice gratitude, do the “take a look back and see how far you’ve come” exercise, and engage in all the actions that us enlightened entrepreneurs are SUPPOSED to do. Really, I do. Yet somehow, these wonderful practices often end up a lot further down in the to-do list than I intend. But every now and then, my brain DOES manage to kick into a reflective mode, where I look back at where I was a year, 5 years or 10 years ago, and really take stock of what’s happened in all that time. The accomplishments, the failures, and everything in between.

So what do you do when you realize that something MONUMENTAL happened? When an accomplishment that you had aspired to years earlier, that you had *almost* forgotten that you ever wanted, actually happens?? Or better yet, when you planted a seed early in your career — via stating an aspiration, goal or you just wish upon a star — and then 10 years later, realized in that “OMG!!” moment, that it was actually happening??

So it goes with this keynote at the Toastmasters District 61 conference.

My public speaking career began with Toastmasters. Specifically, the McGill Toastmasters club. I joined in 2002, at a time when I was struggling in my career, working in the marketing department at various IT companies, terrified of public speaking, and searching for both personal and professional development that could give me a little direction in my life and help me advance in my career.

I couldn’t have found a better place. So much encouragement, so much support, so much guidance and generosity. So much so, that in 2005, I started my business as a presentations and public speaking trainer, coach and speaker. It was a slow start, where I had to stay at my full-time job for a few more years, but the seeds started to get planted.

I remember at one of the first conferences that I attended in 2003, I watched the conference keynoters and thought, “What does it take to get on THAT stage??” In 2009, I was given the opportunity to give a breakout session at one of their Division conferences. It was a huge thrill. And yet I continued to watch the conference keynoters and think, “What does it take to get on THAT stage??”

My Toastmasters journey officially ended in 2010, but I always kept in touch with the McGill Toastmasters club, (who actually invited me back for a fun interview earlier this year — the video is posted below). But since I wasn’t regularly going to meetings anymore, and my attention turned elsewhere, life went on, and Toastmasters went onto the back burner of my life.

And then, sometime last year, I was asked to speak at their District conference.

And I got on THAT stage.

And I had to admit that sometimes, the seeds that you plant, and the ideas that you put out to the universe, can actually happen. Even if they happen many, many years later.

(To be honest, there’s still a tiny bit of “how on earth did this happen?” to the whole thing. But I digress…)

Now I don’t want this post to sound like it’s I’m being all braggy, or doing a “yay me!” thing (although if there was a tiny bit of “yay” sprinkled throughout this post, then…well, forgive me). But in the midst of always posting public speaking tips, ideas, videos, strategies, guest posts, and guidelines, I just wanted to share something a little more personal, a little more meaningful. And a little more like something that, short of sounding all “yay me!” again, I wanted to share with you as a HUGE, beautiful, and unbelievably appreciated moment in my life.

There are so many people who offered support, kind words, and kicks-in-the-butt along the years, and that’s a large part of what the keynote was about. Ultimately, the main message was to look around at those who have helped you get to where you are. Notice them. Appreciate them. And know that YOU can help others get to where THEY want to go. As you help others grow and be amazing, YOU will grow and become amazing. It’s this full-circle process, where you will grow and succeed by accepting the help that others give…and by giving the help as well.

So it’s with immense gratitude that I thank all those people, over all those years, who played a part in making this incredibly meaningful moment in time into a reality. It will not be forgotten.

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(Pssst….here the video of my interview at the McGill Toastmasters Club, where we talked about the [sometimes very messy] journey from terrified Toastmaster to full time professional speaker/trainer/coach, and everything in-between):