My Public Speaking Experience

During school, college and service I never participated in any Group Discussion or stage program. Therefore, I never knew what stage fear or stage phobia was.

Our school has a weekly "Parents View" program in the assembly. Around four years ago, I l received a call from the Principal of our school to come to the "Parents View" talk the next morning. He asked me to speak to the group. The month of Ramzan month was going on so the Principal suggested I speak about Ramzan.

After the call my whole body became feverish and panicky. The time between his call to the next morning was just like fourteen years of exile for Lord Rama. The whole night, I could not sleep. Many negative thoughts were coming. One of them was to call the Principal, with regret, and tell him that I could not come.

Finally, I gathered some courage. I thought, if I miss this opportunity, surely, the school will never invite me again to any of their programs. So, I decided to go and speak. I reached the school in time. Before my turn came, my whole body was trembling. When my turn came and I started speaking, my legs started vibrating, my heartbeat increased and my mouth went dry. I wasn't even able to read the written speech properly. I was not aware of where I was standing and what I was reading. That was the day when I realized my biggest weakness: Public Speaking.

After my speech, I met with the Principal and explained what happened to me. He told me that this happens to everyone. These symptoms are very common. Even great Speakers faced the same things when they started. He suggested that I come again the next week. I prepared a topic of talk for the next occasion. I practiced my presentation throughout the week from my notes.

This time I was somewhat comfortable but not confident. Afterwards, I met with the Principal again and told him about the improvements I felt I had made. He was kind enough to invite me again, but this time to give a presentation for the teachers. For around one month, I prepared and practiced for my presentation on Motivation. This time I was feeling comfortable. I gave the presentation and it was appreciated by the Principal as well as the teachers because they knew where I started from. They encouraged and praised my efforts.

After a few months, our school organized a Principal's Conference wherein 120 Principals participated. Our Principal was kind enough to invite me as a guest Speaker. I prepared and practiced for this Presentation day and night. My topic of the talk was Relationships. With the grace of God, this went very well and was appreciated by the audience.

After delivering this presentation successfully, I became more confident. I said to myself, "If I can speak in front of such a learned audience, like Principals' who educate others, I can now speak in front of others too."

I started giving presentations in my plant, especially for GETs/ DETs, on various topics like Self Motivation, Personality Development, Personal Excellence, SpokenEnglish and Presentation Skills. Now I always look forward for the opportunity to give presentations.This has become a passion for me.

I learned that everything is possible if we have courage to take the First Step. The saying goes: A journey of thousand miles begins with first step. Take a risk to take that first step.

©B.K. Mansury

Salvation Ministries Church Begins 5 Nights of Glory!

Hello dear!

Alright...!

So, the much talked about, and heavyweight program that has been making waves across the globe since December 2014 has finally kicked off in a grand style! With God setting people free from satanic bondage, drawing people to salvation, and performing great and mind boggling miracles through His Servant David Ibiyeomie... One of the notable miracles was:

A woman who came to the program (church) with crutches was healed, and also one of her legs that was shorter than the other grew back to normal size (I saw it live!). That was a creative miracle... No mortal man can do that except God!

Therefore, I'm specially inviting you to the program "5 NIGHTS OF GLORY"... Come and experience God's Glory live @ Salvation Ministries Church or any of the Satellites, and Viewing Centers in Nigeria.

You can also worship live online at www.5nog.org (select Radio or TV).
Time: 4:30pm (GMT+1) daily, 19 - 23 Jan 2015

The programme will also be translated in French specially for the French speaking online worshippers.

I wouldn't miss this program for anything else...if I were you!

See You There!

Who You Are Speaks Louder... Let It Be!

A man once went to a fortune teller, curious to know what she would say about his future. The fortune tellerlooked into her magic ball and then her facial expression said it all. The man would die, she said, involved in a bus accident. This would happen within two to three months time, but she couldn't say exactly when. The man went home, depressed and worried telling himself how he never really believed in fortune tellers. Why should he now? When two months passed, he had thought about what she said, day in and day out.

Now he decided to lock himself in his house where he wouldn't come close to any busses for the next month. Another 3 weeks went by when the man came down the stairs from his bedroom to make some coffee. His little son had left his toys on the floor of which one was a little toy bus. The man stepped on the bus, after his last step down the stairs, slipped and knocked his head against the stairway railing and died instantly.

Moral of the story: "Live life on the edge, don't lock yourself away." This story helped me to overcome many of my fears... Fear only has one purpose; it holds you back! Don't let it. Carry on with your life, enjoy it, and just go with the flow, as fear doesn't resolve anything. It's like they say, "Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere."LET IT BE!!

Year 2015 So Far... And Realizing Who We Really Are

Happy New and Unique year 2015! I'm super excited that we both made through to this year...

I heard a story once about an eagle's egg that had got lost or abandoned and was found bychickens. When the eagle hatched, it was loved and cared for by the chickens, brought up to act and behave as if it was a chicken. It knew nothing else... Until one day, the eagle was with his brothers and sisters pecking at the ground, like a chicken, when something made him look up to the sky. High above he saw a majestic sight, a beautiful bird soaring gracefully. Something was stirred inside him, a remembrance, a recognition of 'home'... He asked the chickens, "What is that beautiful bird up there?" The chickens looked up. "Oh that," they said, "that's an eagle, king of the birds. But forget about him, you are one of us, you are a chicken... ."

I don't know how the story ended and, to me, it is not a case of aneagle being superior to a chicken... just different. As I understand it, it's all just about remembering Who/What we really are, regardless of what we've been told by others or how we have been brought up. A rose will grow into a rose even if it's in the middle of a field of tulips.

There is an ancient Indian word "Dharma", which has two meanings. The first is, "Your nature, your true, real, essential nature."
The second is, "Your purpose in life". To me the two are inseparable. I believe the word literally translates as Truth. "You are what your deep driving desire is; as your desire is so is your will; as your will is so is your deed; as your deed is so is your destiny." Or, like they said in ancient Greece, "Character is fate". Whatever we are at our most fundamental level, at our most base, whether that be something metaphysical, or something like DNA, I believe that to discover, or remember it is our 'raison d'etre'. And to live in accord, harmony with our deepest selves is the meaning of success.

"Above all, to thine own self be true."--- William Shakespeare It's been said that when we die and go back home to 'our maker', we will never be askedwhy we didn't cure the common cold, why we never made a billion pounds or anything else like that, but simply be asked, "Why didn't you just be yourself?"