The World of Tim...

Serving Others for 85 Years

 
On October 22, 1924; Ralph Smedley gathered a group of young men in a basement room of the basement of the Santa Anna, California YMCA.  No one present at that first gathering could have possibly imagined that they would be the nucleus of a global organization. Today, the organization stands at a historic high point. Membership is at an all-time high of over 250,000 people, in 106 countries and we continue to grow, our programs are more expansive and our leaders have developed innovative strategies to keep up with advances and shifting cultural dynamics of the global age.

I've seen how powerful our programs are in reaching out and helping people to find and use their voice to serve their world in a variety of ways. Heck, I'm a living, breathing example of a member who was able to reinvent my professional life and start an entirely career...all as a result of skills I've learned in Toastmasters.  Do you need to reinvent yourself, want to do better in that interview, desire to face that fear, need to grow your management skills? Toastmasters can help!

 
Personally, I'm forever grateful to that small group in the basement. Gentlemen, you changed my life and not only helped me find a new "dream job" but, as a result, I've got friends that I will have for the rest of my life.

To find a club near you, visit the Toastmasters International website.

Finding the End of the Rainbow...

Most people might think that the journey on this particular road started at 10:30 am on Monday, June 23, 2008. After-all, that was when I lost my "dream" job.  Thanks to economic cutbacks, I was deemed "redundant" and given my severance package.  I had a six month rest stop at another firm that was hit hard by the economy, to be laid off again but without the safety net of severance. Forty days later I was grateful to find part-time work in a call center. I adjusted to the culture shock of being a salaried professional with his own office and an assistant to being an hourly grunt in the cubical farm.

Now you have to understand, I loved what I did as an engineer. Most of the time, I couldn't believe that I got paid to have that much fun.  While I didn't love the call center experience nearly as much, I found satisfaction in my work and was happy that company hired me.  Whenever I'd get down, I just remind myself that this was just another temporary rest stop along the journey until I could get back to my engineering career. Of course, there is nothing like the reality of a tight job market to make one pause and reflect upon the question of, "What else can I do? What would I enjoy doing if I wasn't able to be an engineer again?"

A Refreshed Perspective...

Unless you've been living with Osama in the cave of the week, it should come as no surprise to you that I'm absolutely, totally, and completely involved in the Toastmasters International program.  As a member of the organization's Board of Directors, there are very few things I've not done in my over 13 years of membership but, this week, my perspective on visiting clubs was completely refreshed.

The last couple of weeks have been a "good-good" (as my buddy JK would say) for me at work...I finally got full time hours and I'm up for a team lead position (which is less of a testament to my talent and more of an observation of the turn-over rate). The downside of this great news...I can't attend my home club meeting anymore (so sad).  Not wanted to be a paper member only, I decide that I had to act soon and find another club that I can actually participate in on a regular basis.  It is a cardinal belief of mine that our leaders must be served as a member in a club somewhere on a regular basis and once a month (the number of times my advanced club meets) just wasn't going to cut it.

Peter Gabriel's - "Steam"

I was recently asked by a District what "bumper music" I would want played during my keynote introduction. So many choices but, I finally settled on this one. Off to visit District 50 this weekend...life of an ID on the line continues...

A Nice Change of Pace...

Ninety-nine percent of my conversations with Toastmasters tend to revolve around, you guessed it; Toastmasters.  Today was a refreshing change of pace...

Today, I met KF for lunch.  Now I've known KF for a few years, she was an Area Governor for me the year I was District Governor here in District 3.  Flash to last month, and KF helped to get me the part time gig that I'm doing for Sony right now.  As a small token of appreciation, I offered to take her to lunch on a day that was mutually convenient for both of us...today was that day.

Oh sure, we talked about about Toastmasters stuff, the recent District 3 Conference, some of our mutual friends in leadership, and her home club's 30th anniversary (an event that she asked if I'd be willing to speak at).  That conversation was nice, but the last half and hour of our lunch was the most intriguing...I got to find out more about her. I learned things about her that I never knew and I was flattered that she felt comfortable sharing with me.  I've known her for years, she is an pretty spectacular individual and now, I'm even more convicted of that fact.

As I drove away, I was reminded of a statement that RM made to me during the D3 conference last weekend, "Sometime we'll have to stop talking about TM and you'll just have to tell me about your Thursday."  It is ironic that this organization which is all about communication, has the potential to limit that communication to just topics about TM.  So here is my goal...rip down that wall whenever possible and appropriate.  The next time you see me take a moment and ask me about, _________ ...

It will be a nice change of pace for both of us.