Isn’t is interesting that seemingly minor changes in our life or the things which we do make everything better? In this special speech episode, I share with you my third speech for my Toastmasters club. The title is Life’s A Speech. I wrote a (very) brief summary below, so take a listen for all the details and stories.

As I was reviewing the feedback from my first two speeches, I noticed a theme. The most common recommendations were, smile more and slow down.

As I reflected, I realized these two things not only make for a better speech, but they also improve our lives.

Smile More

It’s easy to let the worries of the day creep into our faces. But when we smile more, our body releases endorphins and seratonin and we naturally feel and look better. Smiling also:

• reduces stress


• boosts the immune system


• lowers blood pressure


• has been linking to longer life


• helps you connect with other people – they really are contagious

Slow Down

In life, we tend to fill our calendars to the brim because we don’t say no and we don’t want to miss anything. We do this and life becomes a blur. We’re overwhelmed, things fall behind, we choke down our food and we end up being mediocre at everything. If we’re not chronically late, we’re certainly never really present and we are so stressed out that we end up miserable.

But when we slow down, when we just stop and breathe, we notice more. When we slow down we also:

• have time to think about who we are, instead of just what we’re doing


• are actually living


• engage with others (audience or family)


• fully appreciate the impact we’re having on others


• can be deliberate about the messages we’re communicating (verbal and non-verbal)


• notice what’s truly important to us, so we’re more able to make conscious decisions to spend time on the important, instead of solely reacting

Smiling just makes everything better. As adults, we’re always so worried about time. But why rush something that we only get to do once?

Episode Resources

• Article: Smile Articles, from Jim Smith – The Executive Happiness Coach


• Article: 7 Benefits of Smiling and Laughing that You Didn’t Know About


• Article: Smiles and Longevity


• Article: Try Some Smile Therapy


• Article: When and Why a Baby Smiles


• Article: The 10 Essential Rules for Slowing Down and Enjoying Life More


• Article: 7 Tips To Help You Slow Down and Enjoy Your Life As It Is


• Article: How to Slow Down and Enjoy Life


• Podcast: Boost Your Communication Skills


• Podcast: Vulnerability and Leadership

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The post #047 Life’s A Speech [Leadership Success Podcast] appeared first on David P. Mariano | Finance Career Launch.