YMCA KL Toastmasters Club just hit its 150th meeting. And I noticed something I never planned.
I spoke at the 1st meeting. Then the 5th. The 10th. The 25th, 50th, 75th, 100th, 125th… and now this one.
Every milestone meeting somehow had a prepared speech from me. Not by design. Just a quiet pull that kept bringing me back to the stage.
Over the years, I’ve held almost every role in the club, Charter VPPR, Secretary, VPE, President, Club Coach & Mentor. Later, Area Director for District 51. I saw this club grow from a small, vulnerable group into one of the prominent clubs in the district, picking up President’s Distinguished multiple times.
And personally, this journey gave me more than I expected….five consecutive Triple Crown Awards, and eventually the Distinguished Toastmaster award.
Then life moved on. And so did I.
I stepped away from Toastmasters. But when the 150th meeting came up, I reached out to the club president and asked for a speaking slot. No one asked me to. It just felt wrong not to show up.
Then came the harder part….what do you even say at a moment like this?
I kept thinking about it. And then it hit me. The answer was always there.
It’s persistency.
Not motivation….it runs out.
Not passion…..it fades.
Not discipline….it cracks under pressure.
Persistency is different. It survives all three.
Think about your own life.
The job you almost left, but didn’t.
The skill you kept building when no one noticed.
The project you restarted after it failed.
The relationship you kept working on after the excitement was gone.
No one applauded you for those moments.
But that’s where the real work happens.
No one celebrates the 32nd meeting of a club. Or the 67th. But take those away, and the 150th never happens.
Same goes for a career. A business. A marriage. Any skill worth having.
Persistency doesn’t mean you never step away. It just means you never cut the connection completely.
I walked into the 150th meeting as a non-member, with a prepared speech, because some commitments don’t end when your membership does.
If there’s one thing I’d leave you with, it’s this:
You will miss days.
You will lose momentum.
You will question why you even started.
That’s normal.
What matters is this, do you come back?
Because the real difference isn’t talent or timing.
It’s the decision to return…one more time than you quit.
That’s how 150 happens.
