Faith to Conquer Fear: Sheri’s Story

 In last week’s blog post, I highlighted my editor’s personal story of conquering fear. I asked you all to send me your stories, as well because sharing your stories helps others to conquer their fears. Immediately after my post, Sheri emailed me her personal story and gave me permission to share it with you. Be inspired!

 “My reason for joining Toastmasters was to step out of the shadows and find my own voice. I was married for 32 years to a man who was a successful and dynamic speaker. I was shy, so I was happy to sit quietly beside my husband and let him do the talking. Writing always suited me better and came a lot easier to me than speaking. When my husband abruptly decided to end our marriage in 2011, I decided it was time to learn how to speak for myself.

 When I first joined Toastmasters I could barely stand up and speak for 20 seconds without shaking like a leaf and sitting down. I truly didn’t think I could ever overcome my shyness. Boy, was I surprised to learn that I really COULD stand up and speak in front of an audience! I even won humorous speaking contests at the Club and Area levels, and came in 3rd in the District competition. It made me so happy to finally face my fear and discover that I was capable of doing things I never dreamed were possible.

The encouragement and support I received from fellow Toastmasters made all the difference. I don’t think I’ll ever get over having stage fright before I speak, but I no longer let it stop me from saying what I want to. :-)”

 Sheri, thank you so much for sharing your “Faith to Conquer Fear” story. I would love to hear your stories of conquering your fears too. Please send me an email at [email protected] or post on my Faith to Conquer Fear Facebook page. Your courage helps others to overcome their fears. Don’t keep it to yourself.

#Communication #PresentationSkills #Career #faithtoconquerfear