Finding That Inner Confidence

I don't know where to start, this may be a long one. I shall stat from the beginning I guess :-)

As I have been progressing through my studies I have been focused on obtaining Cert III & IV in order to start work as a PT in a gym, well that still is a focus and part of the plan. But I found another avenue that I really want to go into and it didn't even occur to me until I progressed through my studies to "Specialty Training for Older Adults and Children".

I started thinking more so about the older adults and so I started to look deeply into it to find that over 200,000 Australian's suffer from Dementia and this number is set to double in 20 years.
So I then take my research even further and have the urge to learn more about the disease as possible which I have been doing and I have found that I am so drawn to learning even more. Now my focus has also turned to the carers. These carers are locked in there homes caring for there loved ones who are slowly deteriorating and do not like to be left with anyone else. These carers have no outlet, they feel so alone. They have no time to take care of themselves as they are constantly caring for someone else. They become unhappy with how they look and then struggle to find any motivation to go out at all. It's very sad.

So with extensive search on the web I decided to go one step further and make some calls etc. Long story short I managed to get myself to sit in on a dementia class which is put together by the government for carers of dementia. This was the most incredible day and I am so thankful for being allowed to attend. It went for 5 hours but only felt like it went for an hour, I didn't want it to end.
I meet 15 carers that day, I heard there stories, I saw them cry, I fought back my own tears, these were real people talking about real situations that they were living.
The training class was to teach the carers about the disease and how it effects the brain and behavior's of there loved one's. To understand more about what the sufferer is going through and feeling and how they can make it easier on them. But it also focused on what they need to do for themselves, they need time out in order to not become overwhelmed with pressure and stress of caring for their loved ones 24/7. These people are truly incredible.
After the class the speaker told me I mended in really well with the carers.

I have been offered an opportunity to be a speaker next year when they hold another carers class. I wasn't expecting this, hoping for it but not expecting it, and now I find half of me saying "but your biggest fear is public speaking and you are not confident enough", and the other half says "you can't let this opportunity slip through your fingers, you know how you can help and you can do this"!

I feel as though I got my foot well and truly through the door and there are so many avenues I would like to take in relation to this. It's the tip of the ice burg and I will share it with you as it gets closer to it as I was advised not to say anything yet, but it's all very promising and will be very rewarding in so many ways.

To tell you the truth I still can't believe this path has opened up to me, and how fast it is all happening it's blown me away. You just never know what's ahead of you.