3 Life Lessons From Watching SpongeBob Squarepants
Today, I gave my first ever Toastmaster Speech at The Collide Toastmasters’ Club. For my Icebreaker Speech, I wanted to keep it lighthearted and talk about something personal to me, hence I decided to talk about my favourite show, SpongeBob Squarepants!
I was honestly quite nervous giving the speech. I found myself stuttering and going off-script initially. However, I managed to calm my nerves within the first minute and the delivery became slightly better. One key takeaway would be to be concise; don’t be unnecessarily elaborate. Nonetheless, I am thankful for the positive feedback that I received from my peers at The Collide and will carry on honing my public speaking abilities.
For those curious, this was the script for my speech. I hope that some of you might find inspiration from my speech: 3 Life Lessons From Watching SpongeBob Squarepants.
Ohhh ~~ Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob Squarepants!
Mr Toastmaster, Fellow Toastmasters at The Collide Club, honourable guests, a very good evening to each and everyone of you tonight. I am Jing Kai, a new member of the Collide Club and it is my honor to be speaking face-to-face with each and everyone of you tonight.
Looking at all of you right now, I’m sure all of yall are thinking, why the hell did I start with the SpongeBob Theme song? Well, I asked myself the same question every time I practiced in front of the mirror. But that aside, for my icebreaker speech, I would like to talk about why SpongeBob Squarepants is a show worth watching and the 3 biggest lessons that I learnt and apply actively to my life today.
So how did it all start? With some spare time, most people find joy in watching Korean or Chinese dramas. However, I found myself watching SpongeBob Squarepants on Youtube. A 21 year old watching SpongeBob Squarepants, a show too young for my age! Yet after accumulating many hours of watch time, SpongeBob might be the role model we need in our everyday lives. His can-do attitude, kindness and optimism are just 3 out of the many character traits that we might have lost growing up and should continue to adopt in our daily life. Allow me to share just 3 life lessons that have influenced me and the lives of my generation.
You can do whatever you set your mind to.
How often do we embrace defeat at a simple setback?
How often do we give up without trying because we think we can’t?
Firstly, SpongeBob’s can-do attitude reminds me to have the courage to persevere and hold out through tough times. In every single show, SpongeBob does his utmost best in anything he does, be it flipping patties at the Krusty Krab or trying to win Patrick in a sandcastle war. When times get tough and the odds seem stacked against SpongeBob, we never see him give up. Instead, he echos “I’m ready!”, innovates and comes up with a brand new idea, however ridiculous it is. Watching him, I can’t help but draw parallels to our daily lives. How often do we embrace defeat at a simple setback? How often do we give up without trying because we think we can’t? Having grown up now, it is apparent how the vicissitudes of life have changed the way we think. As I turned 21 in March, I started to realize how easy it is to get caught up in the rat race. To catch-up to others, I am tempted to seek instant, easy successes and avoiding failures. SpongeBob’s can-do attitude serves as an apt reminder that I can do whatever I set my mind to and the importance of perseverance through tough times.
The Importance of Optimism.
Take life less seriously and enjoy it while you can.
Secondly, SpongeBob is an extremely optimistic character. While SpongeBob may be surrounded by sour characters, like his co-worker, Squidward and a business rival, Plankton, SpongeBob often remains optimistic. He is not discouraged by Squidward’s pessimism or the adversities he faces. This led me to wonder, how often do we face our own lives with such optimism? How often do we attempt to influence others with happiness? In a world plagued with bad news, like the Russo-Ukrainian war and the Covid-19 pandemic, SpongeBob’s personality is rare to find. His relentless optimism reminds me to find positivity in everything I do and to spread that joy to other people, to give other people hope and joy where many others cannot. Most importantly, this optimism taught me how to take life less seriously and to enjoy it while I can.
Never Underestimate the Power of Kindness.
We may seek fame and wealth, but to me, nothing is more important than spending time to build quality relationships and showing kindness to those around us.
Lastly, SpongeBob reminds me of the importance of kindness. He always has people’s best interests in mind. From wanting to be the change he wants to see in the world to completing random acts of kindness in one episode, SpongeBob does not discriminate against who should be treated with kindness and respect. We live in a world of inequality, competition and violence. Discrimination remains rampant, emphasizing how we show kindness selectively. Verbal and physical violence at all levels, from politics to social media to the Oscars, demonstrates how little kindness is valued in our society today. SpongeBob comes as an apt reminder to spread love and show kindness to people around us. We may seek fame and wealth, but to me, nothing is more important than spending time to build quality relationships and showing kindness to those around us.
To me, SpongeBob represents a figment of my youth, a character with a desire for love and great dreams. The lessons he taught me are more of reminders of what I stood for in the past and to maintain a can-do, optimistic and kind attitude towards life in a society that embraces wealth and status more than anything else. I implore all of my friends at The Collide to watch more SpongeBob and see whether these lessons apply to you too. If they do, please actively use them in your lives and reflect on how your life can change for the better.
Who knows, the yellow sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea might be the one that will change your life for the better.
Thank you.
Mr Toastmaster.
