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From: Alan Badmington
Date: 10/4/02
Time: 4:26:22 PM
Remote Name: 195.92.67.67
Hi Mary,
(We met briefly in Anaheim.)
I can certainly relate to your article.
In order to overcome my own fear of stuttering, I began placing myself in situations where I did things that I would not previously have attempted. I knew that I needed to challenge the negative beliefs and feelings that I had developed (in many cases unconsciously) during my lifetime of stuttering and, above all, I resolved that I would never again practise avoidance.
I would never again succumb to the temptation of substituting an easy word for a difficult word, and I promised myself that I would accept, and never avoid, the challenge of any speaking situation.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said,
"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really look fear in the face...You must do the thing you think you cannot do".
I should like to conclude by reproducing a limerick that I recited at the 2001 British Stammering Association Annual Conference. The theme of the conference was "Fear can hold you prisoner, hope can set you free":
When you stutter, some think you're a dope
At times, it is so hard to cope
Whether mild or severe
Face up to your fear
If you let yourself go, then there's hope
Kindest regards
Alan Badmington