Don’t get trapped in a routine. The secret of success is to practice what you are not good at. Get uncomfortable. A sport’s man, when asked to identify the secret of his success, replied ’I practiced what I was not good at’ All successful people both in and out of Toastmasters have had to overcome obstacles in life. What determines their ability to transcend those obstacles and fears is a great willingness to stretch their comfort zones. In a Toastmaster’s Club your comfort zone is measured by the speeches you give and the assignments you take on. Successful Toastmasters have one thing in common – they form the habit of THOROUGH PREPARATION and ACTIVE LISTENING. Those who clock watch and day dream do not get far.
Your habits reflect your personality. They influence how you dress; walk; sit; smile and laugh. As part of your internal makeup most habits are formed early in life. By adulthood those habits are much easier to follow than change. If you want to be more successful both in and out of Toastmasters, you must make an effort to reject stagnation, and form habits of self improvement. To evaluate your personal habits – ask yourself
Do successful happy people seem to enjoy my company.
Do others seek my advice
Do I continue to grow through careful reading and exposure to stimulating ideas.
Do I surround myself with positive uplifting influences.
Do I usually feel good about myself
Do I look for new ways to improve my speaking, writing, and listening skills
Remember a lack of time is almost always a lack of organization and management. The ability to invest time wisely is a habit acquired through deliberate choice. Success requires passion and is governed by the laws of habit. To develop habits, one must have an objective. It is never the strength of a goal that will make you do anything in life. It is the strength of the purpose behind it. If your goal in life is to make money to put bread on the table, then that is all you will do. This standard requires you to cross the finish line only because it exists. In order to achieve a far greater level of success, you must have passion to go the distance. So finally “Never be content with what you are, if you want to be what you are not”
After that PARTY POLITICAL BROADCAST - the party being Speakeasy Toastmasters – let me turn to the immediate. Speakeasy Toastmasters will hold their next meeting at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow on Thursday 3rd May, at 7.50 for and 8.00 pm start. Do call in to see what is going on. You will be most welcome. We have a full and varied programme, and the usual delicious ‘cuppa’ at the interval.
Another big news item for our Club is that our Club member Mike Cronin is representing us at the Toastmasters District 71 Spring Conference, on May l3th in the Evaluation Contest. This incorporates contestants from both Ireland and Great Britain. We are very proud of Mike. He is a nice person, a hard working club member. He has great ability, and a winning personality .He will do us proud at the final. Any Club would be delighted to have Mike as their ambassador, but you are not getting him. He is ours. We wish you the very best Mike. We will be with you in spirit, that is, those of us in the club who are not traveling there.
No comments:
Post a Comment