“Nope, I’m not available Mr. President. I’m traveling this week to North Carolina on the 1st of September and I won’t be able to attend toastmasters meeting this week on the 5th. Will see you in 2 weeks.”
That was me telling my club president that I wont be able to attend our club meeting as I’m travelling to North Carolina on holiday this week for 10 days. The good thing about Toastmasters is that it is everywhere you go. For me, Toastmasters stand for continuous education and self development. In most, cases we do not excuse ourselves from what others enforce on us to comply such as our job responsibilities, but we regularly excuse ourselves from our own self development.
Jim Rohn, one of the most respected success gurus, says, “Formal education will make you a living; self education will make you a fortune.”
How much respect and priority do we give ourselves? While traveling to the airport, I was forcing myself to reevaluate the decision to cut a Toastmasters meeting.
When I was planning this trip weeks back, I connected with 3 clubs near Apex, NC to see if I could visit the club and maybe talk. I received positive responses. Why am I not taking an opportunity to improve despite the fact that I’ve got doors open for me?
All of us have this constant battle with our Victim (Loser) personality within us while our Victor (Winner) personality keeps asking us to improve ourselves. Are you battling such thoughts? Are you living up to your fullest potential or playing yourself short focusing on limitations the world has taught you?
As I push myself to keep promises to myself, let me suggest to you to ‘Push yourself off the cliff and believe that you will get feathers to fly on your way down. You are a result of what you think you are.‘ Challenges and personal limitations remind us that they are too steep and too scary for us to handle, but in reality they are the very things which set us up for success to unveil the winner inside us.
The strongest and most daring sailors weren’t made in the safe harbors of the known, but in the midst of frightening storms. Join me to jump off the cliff of self limitations and get our own set of feathers of grit. Unless we jump, we will not know our ability to soar like an eagle.
Don’t listen to the turkeys. Soar like an eagle.
Visiting other TM clubs has introduced me to new ideas to bring home to my home club, Power Talkers. I have visited clubs in Toronto, Omaha, and several in Florida and have come back with creative ways to add interest and verve to our meetings and program