The Heart Tree

The ‘LOVE’ month is upon us. You’ll likely see hearts & flowers everywhere. You may receive Valentine’s notes from many sources. Let me be one of the first to give you one:

I find it almost unbelievable that we are more than halfway through our Toastmasters year together. There are fewer than five months left until another team takes the reins. So many members have contributed countless hours & ideas to help make the Toastmasters experience better for everyone.

Now that we are in the ‘middle’ stretch, what do we do? At the beginning of the TM year, I shared a vision to have all clubs at charter strength, every club achieve distinguished status, & all club executives trained. We are not quite there yet, but we can be. The question in your head might be, “HOW?”

Here’s a 1, 2, 3 course of action.

  1. Each member gives one presentation before March 30. Instead of just thinking about it, as NIKE says, just do it. I believe this is why each of us joined Toastmasters: to speak more effectively. The only way to get better is to practice, practice, practice. It might take you an hour to write a speech, 2-5 hours to practice delivery, & seven minutes to give it. (a stretch goal is to give one speech to your club & one outside it, perhaps to a different club or another group entirely.)
  1. Each club adds ONE member a month to the roster. We can do this if each of us brings, drags, and entices just one person each week. No matter how young or old you are, I’m convinced each of you has enough friends to do that. It is not your job to convince them to join; just get them to a meeting. Then do your utmost to make that meeting exceptional. It’s up to your guest to determine if Toastmasters is a good fit for them.
  1. Shine the Light: submit your story to this project. Tell us how you were before you joined Toastmasters, where you are now, & who has helped you/who have you helped. Perhaps include your aspirations. Check out the Shine the Light page on d42tm.org.

We have weathered the Covid storm with determination & innovation. I have no doubt we will come through the next few changing months & years with equal zest.  Most importantly, enjoy your Toastmaster experience. There may be ups and downs, but only you can choose how you deal with all of it. I believe if you choose the positive side of any experience, your life will be better than if you don’t. Pass that positivity to others. It works.
Your hearts aren’t just red. They are made of gold.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Bev LeBlanc, DTM
District Director, D42 2022-2023

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