noun: joy
1. a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
“tears of joy”
Over the Christmas period, someone gave me a Christmas card with the word ‘Joy’ on the front. At the time I wasn’t feeling much joy! I work for a small company that personalises textiles and homeware, and the lead-up to Christmas is filled with long and stressful days. Managing 24/7 operations, additional staff, and demanding customers. Throw in the rollercoaster of a pandemic!
Over the Christmas/New Years break I spent some time thinking about how I can bring more joy into my life. Where am I already getting joy and how can I get more of it?
One place I know I get bundles of it is Toastmasters. I joined Worthing Speakers club in April 2016 and club meetings are a time in which I focus totally on the present. At our last meeting in 2021, I was impressed by three speeches from newer members of the club. The joy of watching each member grow in confidence cannot be measured. It is one of the best parts of having been a member a few years now, not only do I get to enjoy developing my own skills, but I am beyond proud to watch other members flourish within the club.
Toastmasters’ meetings give me a window of time in which I can forget about the outside world and have a window of pure joy. At every meeting we learn through the content shared in people’s speeches and the constructive feedback given in evaluations.
While many of our members have a fear of public speaking, the JOY of Toastmasters is that our clubs create a place in which members can overcome that fear.
I hope that in 2022 you find more time for JOY!