10 May 2026 2 min read Wellbeing

I Hate Tuesdays

Every Tuesday, I'd wake up with a sense of dread.

“Oh man… I really don’t want to go.”

All my life, I hated public speaking.

Class presentations, interviews, or even answering a question in a group were enough to give me anxiety.

As I progressed in my career, I was asked to give talks and presentations. And as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t overcome my fear—so I turned them down.

But I desperately wanted to be a confident speaker. I asked myself: what would that person do right now?

He would probably invest time into improving his public speaking.

So right then and there, I decided to join Toastmasters on Tuesdays.

My Greatest Fear: The "Table Topics"

If you don’t know, Toastmasters is a club where people practice public speaking. That alone was anxiety-inducing for me—but what I hated most was a part of the meeting called Table Topics.

During Table Topics, you’re called to the front and asked an impromptu question. With zero prep time, you must speak for a few minutes. For example:

"Make a sincere apology to a chair."

"Why are Santa and Mrs. Claus arguing?"

"Make up a word and tell us what it means."

I marveled at the ease with which experienced speakers improvised an eloquent answer. Meanwhile, I'd be filled with anxiety, struggling to put together a coherent answer.

The club I joined met every Tuesday, and I absolutely dreaded going each week.

But I went. Every single week, for years.

It wasn't motivation, and it wasn't will power. It was one simple idea from James Clear:

Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

Belief Influences Action... But Action Influences Belief Too.

Our beliefs guide our actions.

Belief → Action
“I’m not a confident speaker” → I turn down speaking opportunities.

That’s easy to understand. But it goes the other way too.

Action → Belief
I attend a public speaking club every week → I start to believe I'm a confident speaker.

When you consistently behave in ways aligned with your desired identity, your self-perception begins to shift.

Research on self-perception theory shows that we infer our identity from observing our own behavior. In short, you become what you do consistently.

My Speaking Journey

Over the last two years, I’ve had the privilege of delivering over ten talks to various professional groups - something I never imagined I would do.

It's also something I never could've done without those years of showing up to Toastmasters, even when I didn’t feel like a confident speaker.

I also want to sincerely thank the people who played a pivotal part in the early part of my journey:
Alexis, Juanita, Penny – thank you for your trust and the opportunity to speak. It means more than I can put into words & I'm forever grateful.