First Things First

I like the idea of firsts. It's usually the start of something, or maybe the start and end of something, depending on how it turns out. Your first could be the beginning of so many other firsts because you had a marvellous experience the first time, or your last because the experience was bad, and the end to you ever repeating that experience. Or it could be bad enough that you decide to try it again. It really all depends.

There are so many firsts that intrigue me to talk about. I could talk about the first time I boarded an airplane. That would be when I was nine years old, and according to my Dad, I walked boldly up the stairs and to our seats that the hostess asked him if that was my regular means of transportation, lol.

Or I could talk about the first time I tried amala (a Yoruba dish). Let’s just say it was a uhm... Unique experience. I think I tried it once afterwards, but I knew it would need some getting used to cause my taste buds wasn’t in complete agreement with it.

Or maybe, my first kiss. Definitely the first of many, even though it wasn’t exactly a good experience. But hey, who ever has good first kiss experiences? Lol.

But I would be talking about something dear to me, which became the first of many other similarly amazing experiences. And that would be the first time I tried public speaking. I mean actual public speaking. My Dad’s a Minister, so several times, I would be called in the children’s Sunday school class to officiate a prayer or something. But, I mean the first time I actually spoke long about something.

I don’t know if it’s talked about enough but your stomach is in knots. Real knots. You’re sweating all the way to the palms of your hands. In my case, I nearly had an anxiety attack. My heart was beating too fast. Too hard. It was weird to me that the person sitting next to me couldn’t hear the beating of my heart. I thought to myself that “surely, something this thunderous can’t possibly hard to hear, right?”

It was a debate with students from an opposing school. I’d already made it all the way to the finals, but the debates had all been a private affair between the debaters and the panel of judges. Now, the finalists had to stand before a crowd for the last lap of the debate contest. And I just knew, even before my name was called out, that I wouldn’t be able to do it.

Then, my name was called, and you guys, I stumbled. I literally stumbled on my own feet and fell in the most graceless, inelegant way you can think of. Of course, people came to my aid, but you can guess that this experience had already set the tone for my psyche. The voices became too loud, the room too suffocating.

Anyway, I delivered my opening statement. I relied on getting the hang of it, but my confidence had plummeted hard. It was sad because I was looking forward to beating that particular girl who was my rival in the last spelling bee contest, and had sadly beat me at the last word. Here she was again, about to beat me again. Well, if you hadn’t guessed it already, she beat me once more in this contest.

I was inconsolable. I cried so hard and swore that it was the end of my speaking journey. Well, that didn’t happen. I can’t explain what the failure at public speaking did to me? But I guess I needed that humility to make me better. I’ve spoken in front of a crowd more than twenty times since then. That failure set the tone for me to be more prepared emotionally, more than anything else, when I want to speak in front of people.

There’s actually a trick to it that not many people know of. But uhmm.. sorry, I won’t be disclosing that. Not yet, at least. This first is not as eventful as you may expect, but it meant a lot to me that this singular moment kick-started my public speaking passion from there on.

Mine is certainly boring, but I’d love to hear an impactful first that you experienced. Please share with the Hive Naija Community.

Jhymi🖤

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