Dear Gyeol, I know you are still upset about the speech contest. You lost your place in the middle of your speech, and since then you have kept telling yourself, "I should have practiced more" and "I should have written my key points on a card." Those thoughts show how much the contest meant to you, but replaying them every night will not change the result. I would like to offer you two suggestions. First, speak to yourself the way you would speak to me if I were in your place. Forgetting a few lines in front of a large audience is not a sign that you are a poor speaker but something that happens to many speakers. Second, separate what you can change from what you cannot. The judges' scores are already final, but how you prepare for the next contest is still up to you. You could practice in front of our class a few times before then. I believe in you, and I will cheer for you from the first row again. Your friend, Onyu