Friday, July 13, 2012

We are in this together

Bridge Gappers manual speech CC#3

When planning for a year plant corn.
When planning for a decade plant trees.
When planning for a lifetime train and educate the people.
(Chinese proverb)

There are basically two kinds of people in the world.  There are givers and there are takers.  We toggle between these two modes.

All of us depend on others at times.  Others depend on us at times.

This past year this club (Bridge Gappers) was able to fulfil the requirements for President's Distinguished in the DCP program for Toastmasters International.  This was possible because there were people that were willing to be givers.

The reasons we do things vary.  Motives are important.

We are the masters of our own destiny.
We decide whether we are in the giving mode or the taking mode.

You might ask how we control our destiny.

Preparation met by demand is opportunity.

We start by determining where we focus.

We set goals.

Goals are achieved by a simple process.

Your thoughts determine your actions.
Your actions determine your habits.
Your habits determine your character.
Your character determines your destiny.

You need to keep in mind the things that you hold most important.

When your goals are value driven you have more chance to be successful in your endeavours.

When I was in high school I had great potential.  I could have had scholarships to college, but I determined that was not for me.  I wasted my time in high school with partying and menial labor jobs to pay for my partying.

I drifted between living with friends and at home until I turned 23.  I evaluated my life and determined that I was on the slow boat to nowhere.  I re-evaluated my life and what I had been taught.  My parents had given me good teaching as a youth.  I decided to repent of my wayward way and serve a proselyting mission for my church.

That decision changed my life.

The last item I was asked to do while serving in Argentina as a missionary was to write out my goals for the rest of my life.  In those goals I delineated things I wanted to achieve, get a college degree, get married, have a family, and I made goals pertaining to my practice of my religion.

Toastmasters International’s core values are integrity, dedication to excellence, service to the member, and respect for the individual.

The purpose of a club is to provide a friendly environment where each member has the opportunity to learn effective oral communication skills and leadership skills. in order to give the member more confidence and self-esteem, and thereby improving our society.

Goals for the club should reflect these values and purposes.

What is your balance of being a giver versus taker?  Remember that we are in this together.

1 comment:

  1. I have a long way to go to consider myself a giver more than a taker. I'll have to make myself some goals today.

    ReplyDelete

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