Let's open a restaurant

This weekend, I attended a Table Topic competition at my Toast Masters Club. The table topic is an impromptu speech - for two minutes. The topics are only announced to the speaker on the podium. 

As I was waiting for my turn, I was nervous - okay super nervous. My mind was racing through thousands of possible topics: Women's Day, world peace, climate change, my favourite food, my last embarrassing moment, my greatest achievement and many more. 

There were six contestants in another room so we did not hear the topic and speech. The first speaker was called, and the remaining five of us started to express our fear of speech. The second, third and fourth and I was the fifth. When I was called, my heart thundered like a rock band drum solo. I suppressed my fear and got to the stage. 

The host announced:

"Ashok Maharjan, it's okay to make mistakes, It's okay to make mistakes, Ashok Maharjan."

I began:

"Contest Chair, fellow Toast Masters and guests, we all learn from our mistakes. Mistakes are the little steps that lead to success." 

Then, my mind went blank. I continued with many filler words, I gathered myself and continued

"As a child, we learn the alphabet, with many mistakes. We then learn to write proper letters."

I continued, 

"Let me share with you a story. Once my wife was away and I had to prepare dinner for my son. I confess - I am a terrible cook. I cooked something that is slightly less delicious than our regular home meal. I told my son, "Please! Don't tell your mother that I am a good cook, otherwise, she will make me cook every day". He tasted the food, looked at me, smiled and assured me that he wouldn't. I could see him struggling to swallow the food. This little mistake inspired me to learn cooking. One day, I shall prepare prepare a meal for my whole family"

The speech was… okay. Not my finest moment, but I survived. I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I had done it. I had stood on that stage, faced my fear, and lived to tell the tale.

The last speaker was called upon the stage and the topic was given. 

"Chhewang Dolma Tamang, it's okay to make mistakes, It's okay to make mistakes, Chhewang Dolma Tamang". 

And guess what? Her speech was almost identical to mine! I’m not sure if it was fate, telepathy, or just the universal struggle of cooking  — but it was like hearing my own speech with a different voice!

Later, we all laughed about it. I joked, "Since both of us are amazing cooks, maybe we should open a restaurant — and call it Mistakes Café! Menu: Surprise Dishes You’ll Never Forget (No Refunds)."

In the end, it was another amazing experience in my Toastmasters journey — proving once again that we truly learn from our mistakes. And if I were to give the same speech again, I might share a different story — maybe about my failed music career.

"I was once a music enthusiast. As a teenager, I dreamed of becoming a rock guitarist. Those days, English music was rare. On Radio Nepal, there was a programme called Rock the Nation on Sunday afternoon. On Television, Bhusan Dahal Sunday Pop. Later, one of my friends had a tape player. There was another important source, a magazine called Rockstar Journal that had a lyrics book. I would hand copy the lyrics on a nice notebook and paste photos of my favourite rock singers and guitarists.

I learned guitar, along with my friends, and had grown my hair up to my shoulders - believing that the length of hair is directly proportional to music skills. Once I had to buy momo for my friend to learn a piece of music. 

Eventually, I could play a few songs and even perform at a college function. There on stage, I realized two things: I loved music and I was terrible at performing!

That was a hard but valuable lesson. I learned that while I love music, my true passion lay elsewhere — in something I could do without traumatizing audiences! So, yes, we all learn from our mistakes — whether on stage, in the kitchen, or trying to become the next rockstar. And that’s how we grow!

Thank you, and over to you, Contest Chair!"