The following text is the speech Darren LaCroix prepared for delivery in the World Championship of Public Speaking Contest at Toastmasters International's annual Convention.

"Ouch!" Darren LaCroix,
Darren LaCroix, "Ouch!"
 

Can you remember a moment when a brilliant idea flashed into your head... it was perfect for you,... then all of a sudden from the depths of your brain another thought forced its way through the enthusiasm until finally it shouted, "YEAH great idea, but what if you... (fall. Ed's note: Darren falls to the floor) fall on your face?"

What do you do when you fall on your face? Do you try to jump right up and hope no one noticed? Are you more concerned with what other people will think, than what you can learn from this? Mr. Contest Chair, friends, and people way in the back!.  OUCH!

Do you feel I stayed down to long? Have YOU ever... stayed down... too long?

After 4 years of business school I went for the american dream I bought.. a subway sandwich shop... you're all impressed I can tell... I donut want to brag but I took a $60,000 debt and in six short months.... I doubled that debt... I turned my subway sandwich shop into a non-profit organization...

(Goddard. Ed's note: The (entries) are reminders to Darren of the story illustration which followed)

I financially... fell on my face...  but I realized I was not the only person from my home town of Auburn to fall on his face... 100 years ago my first hero, Dr. Robert Goddard had a ridiculous idea of building a device that could take off from the earth and reach the stars!!  His failures were the reason we landed on the moon.

(Brain Tracy)

I remember my ridiculous idea. I was listening to a tape of Brian Tracy, a great speaker. He asked the question... "What would you dare to dream if you knew you wouldn't fail? I struggled for an answer...... then... BING!! I would be a comedian! But you have to understand my background... I was not funny, I was not a class clown, in fact the first time my brother ever laughed at me, was when I told him I was going to be a comedian.  (...)ouch!

(first step)

Who do you want to be? What changes would you like to make in your life?...

SO many of us can see clearly where we want to go... and yet we go back and forth,... If I just had more time... If I just had a little more money... or If the kids were little older. But we never take... that first step.....

Dr Goddard's first flight took off in Auburn... and landed... in Auburn. It only went up 41 feet... the first step can be small..

(strangers)

Strangers will mock your first step... When the press found out about his short flight in an effort to reach the moon. The headline read: Moon rocket misses target by 238,799 1/2 miles... OUCH!!  It's part of the process...

(mom & dad)

We also have friends and family that love us and donut want to see us fall. Imagine my parents reaction after stretching their budget to help through college. Seeing me fall on my face and then I came home (hands in pocket) "mom... dad... I want to be a comedian..." I was met by silence... (mouth OUCH).  Its part of the process...

(Gestures)

After a year of trying comedy I remember a night... I'd been bombing for 20 minutes. So I went for my sure fire bit I brought a woman up from the audience.... she stood directly behind me and put her arms forward in place of mine and I would tell the story verbally as she told it in gestures. It always works best the more animated the hands are. Well this woman stood there like an ancient statue... I turned to her in desperation... please do something with your hands....  she did... she....OuuuuuuuCH!

I called my mentor Rick. I bombed!... they hated me!... Rick said... SO?? .... what do you mean so? Rick said "Darren, every comedian, every speaker, anyone who has accomplished anything, has fallen on their face."

Then... I remembered SUBWAY.... I fell on my face, but I never took the next step. The step AFTER the ouch is the most difficult. Take it. It will be hard, you'll be unsure, but when that foot lands... oh you're going like that feeling...........  We learn from the ouch.

Ever watch your own presentations on video? OUCH! Did you learn anything?

(VNI)

Dr Goddard always referred to failure as valuable negative information.Information essential for each step... towards landing on the moon.

He was an.... ouchmaster. We need to be ouchmasters. If you are willing to fail you can learn anything. I still have my day job,.. but it's because I took the step after the ouch... now my picture hangs in a comedy club in my home town.

I was not given the gift of making people laugh, I was given the opportunity to take a next step... so were you... What is your next step? Take it!

I didn't want to look back on my life and say. " I never did try stand-up, but instead I PAID ALL MY BILLS!"

(stuck)

We will find our feet get stuck... and we are so afraid of the ouch we forget when we take a risk....  & fall on our face. We still... make... progress... Fall Forward.