Respect, Integrity, and Improving the World
Good Morning from Prince Edward Island,
Put the kettle on...
Recently I was the dinner speaker at the 45th birthday of the local Toastmasters Club.
It was such a great learning experience even being only a one year member 30 years ago. After all that time, I was honoured to be asked.
Below is a good part of what I had to say, the written word and the spoken word is a different experience altogether.
Why Toastmasters is One of the Greatest Service Clubs
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” Anne Frank
Ralph C. Smedley, was somebody who did not wait.
Mr. Smedley had an idea. Help others to become confident speakers.
He grew from a single club at a YMCA in Santa Ana, California in 1924.
It has grown globally to 357,000 members through 16,600 clubs in 143 countries.
Mr. Smedley’s vision helped people from diverse backgrounds become better communicators and leaders.
Why is Toastmasters one of the best service clubs in the world?
Let me share my experience with Toastmasters and this club has done for me.
Was I an Introvert? No.
Was I an extrovert with no idea how to communicate? Yes.
Toastmasters helped with the skills I needed to grow our business.
( I shared our business story and about our non-profit Gardens of Hope Respite Cottage).
In the last month, I have lost two friends to heart attacks.
Way, too many people go to the grave with their music still in them.
A wake-up call for all who are in what I call “the zone”.
I read a quote by Eartha Kiff which resonated.
I am learning all the time and the tombstone will be my diploma.
There is a birthdate date, an end date and a dash on a tombstone.
We short change ourselves when we don’t live with abandonment in “the dash.”
Toastmasters helps to reach into ourselves and develop confidence and grace.
It enables the real you to grow and reach out to encourage others to do the same.
Toastmasters cultivates courage. It nurtures self-confidence.
Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.
Life begins when you do.
Once you develop communication and leadership skills, a world of opportunity opens up. The new skills enable you to become a person of influence and have a positive impact on the lives of others.
Through the power of positive encouragement, Toastmasters guides you through personal discovery. If you are learning you are winning, there is no failure as long as your learning.
What would happen if we had a million leaders with integrity, respect for others, a servants heart, and a desire for excellence?
Toastmasters International teaches how.
This is why Toastmasters is one of The Best Service Club in the World.
Speaking of service, one of my heroes passed away this week. Jean Vanier. I first heard him speak on a CBC Radio program called, Ideas. His "Becoming Human" series had an effect on me.
Live Each Moment
by Anonymous
I may never see tomorrow,
there is no written guarantee.
And things that happened yesterday,
belong to history
I cannot predict the future,
I cannot change the past
I have just the present moment,
I must treat it as my last
I must use this moment wisely,
for it will soon pass away
And be lost to me forever,
as part of yesterday
I must exercise compassion,
help the fallen to their feet.
Be a friend unto the friendless,
make an empty life complete
The unkind things I do today,
may never be undone
And friendships that I fail to win,
may never more be won
I may not have another chance
on bended knee to pray
And thank God with humble heart,
for giving me this day.
Thank you for taking the time to read this today.
Wishing you the very best of what the weekend has to offer.
Happy Mother's Day Weekend.
With love from Prince Edward Island.
Sincerely,
Bruce
ps.
A man goes into a dentist's office.
Man: "Excuse me, can you help me? I think I'm a moth."
Dentist: "You don't need a dentist. You need a psychiatrist."
Man: "Yes, I know."
Dentist: "So, why did you come in here?"
Man: "The light was on."
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