| Tuesday, July 01, 2008 12:00 PM | |
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New Beginnings
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2008-2009 will be a special and exciting Toastmasters year for our District. In fact, it is a new beginning. Our District, although still called District 46, is in reality a newer and trimmer district of about 130 clubs- instead of over 260 just last week. As we say goodbye to our friends and colleagues on “the other side of Hudson,” I want to wish new District 83 well, and I am sure that there will be plenty of opportunities for future interaction and cooperation between us. We are lucky to have had Radhi Spear, DTM, as both our districts’ Immediate Past District Governor!
Along with this new beginning, there also comes a new opportunity for our district and for each one of us to excel and grow. For myself, my focus as District 46’s Lt. Governor Marketing is to assist struggling clubs and to build new clubs so more people can benefit from the Toastmasters program. In the coming days, weeks and months, I will be calling on many of you to assist me in serving our district. For many of you, it will be a continuation of what you have been doing for our district. For some, however, there will be new and exciting opportunities to step out of your “comfort zone” and take on new challenges. My own journey in Toastmasters started 8 years ago a little hesitantly, but this is not unique. I remember, as a brand new member, after delivering my Ice Breaker holding tightly onto the lectern, other “priorities” took over and I did not return-- for a year. However, the second time around, with a new eagerness to complete what I’d started, I stayed on. After delivering another Ice Breaker speech, I quickly joined nearly all Toastmasters clubs in sight: Queens, Queens Best, and Excelsior. Why? Because I wanted to focus on improving those critical communication skills! I decided that if it takes three or four classes a week to master a subject in school, waiting every other week for a chance to speak just was not for me. After delivering that second Ice Breaker, I was asked to be the Sgt-At-Arms-- the club must have realized that I had some potential. Since then, I have taken on many challenging roles. Now, as the Lt. Governor Marketing, I see many challenges ahead and know that no one can do this job alone. That is why I want to share with as many of you as possible the challenges and opportunities of serving our district this 2008-2009 Toastmaster year. Please join me. Together, we can take advantage of this New Beginning, and Excel with this New Opportunity! Best regards, |