Kids with something to say came to the Optimist Club’s Oratorical Contest at the Harquail Theatre on Saturday.

The Oratorical Contest is designed to bring out the best in children by encouraging them to excel at public speaking – an art which is not only valuable in its own right but helps build confidence and self-esteem in the kids – just one of the positive benefits the Optimist club works to bring into children’s lives.

Each of the children was speaking on the topic: “How My Optimism Helps Me Overcome Obstacles.”

In Oratorical contest tradition, none of the children were referred to by name, but rather as “Contestant A,” “Contestant B,” etc.

Contestant B made some very worthy points on the power of optimism: “Thinking positive thoughts, having to keep on trying and being optimistic has helped me to look on the brighter side of a problem. When there is an obstacle that may seem hard to overcome, I stop for a moment and think about ways that I can make the situation better.”

Contestant C’s optimistic observations included:  “An optimist sees a glass of water at the halfway point as being half full, not half empty. Being optimistic also means that one expects the best possible outcome from any given situation. An optimist is one who makes opportunities out of difficulties.

In all aspects of my life, including athletics and academics, I occasionally experience disappointments, setbacks, and repeated failures. But, over the course of my school life, I have achieved quite a lot of goals, and succeeded in many areas, just by being persistent, and never giving up. I firmly believe that those who continue to persist are more likely to reach their goals and potential.”

Contestant D said: “Like my grandmother used to say, being optimistic doesn’t mean that everything is perfect; it means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfections and problems…the secret to optimism is to not waste time on irrelevant decisions. Happiness is the key to life. Gandhi once said, ‘Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.’

Happiness can help me overcome obstacles by always looking on the bright side of things, and never using negative thoughts in any situations.”

Contestant E said: “I believe that optimism makes you successful. If you are optimistic, even if you have the worst job in the world, you look for the good in it. You’ll say things like, ‘I’ll gain new experience; it’ll teach me new techniques, everything will work out for the better.’

“Being optimistic makes you more confident to take risky career paths. I personally think that Steve Jobs was an optimist: he dropped out of college, not knowing what the future held…Steve Jobs was truly an optimist and because of his optimism, he created truly innovative technology. With his hard work and optimism, it paid off. He created the world-renowned brand, Apple,” she said.