Clarion District 59 newsletter DECEMBER 200505/JANUARY 2006
Inside This Issue 1
Impressions of Cologne
2
Peace, Love and Joy Message from District Governor
3
Club Building
4
Why attend a conference?
4
The Power of Bits of Paper
5
Open House success
6
Verbreitet Toastmasters!
7
Rebuilding the Tower of Babel
8
Tribute to Bill Sylow
9
Beautiful Thoughts…
9
May God bless Christmas
I love Christmas Markets. I particularly love the one at the Cologne Cathedral. As soon as it is opens I go there to enjoy the special atmosphere. I love the warm lights and the smell of Christmas cookies and mulled wine. All around there is the aroma of different dishes from every corner of the world. Foreigners from Europe and even Asia amble around and search for special Christmas presents or souvenirs. I remember one year I went to the pavilion and was enjoying a mulled wine, I looked around and there were a group of young foreigners. They all wore t-shirts with a picture of the Cologne city coat-of-arms displayed proudly. They told me that they were from Scandinavia and had traveled to Cologne on one of the cheap airlines. It was their third visit to the Cologne Christmas Market--like pilgrims they returned every year. I smiled and asked them if they knew the history of the city’s coat-of-arms. When they replied that they did not, we sat around enjoying our mulled wine and I told them the story of the coat-of-arms. The three crowns symbolize the three Holy Kings. In 1164 Emperor Frederick Barbarossa defeated Milan and gave the relics of the three Magi as booty to the Cologne Archbishop Reinald von Dassel. At that time Cologne had no valuable place to store the holy bones and a decision was made to build a Cathedral. In order to preserve and store the bones of the three Magi, one of the most famous Cathedrals was built. These relics are still being stored inside a golden shrine behind the high altar in the Cologne Cathedral. On account of its many and important relics Cologne was considered a sacred city in the Middle Ages and proudly called itself Sancta Colonia. The relics made Cologne a major place of pilgrimage. The 11 ermine tails, symbolize the 11.000 virgins of Saint Ursula. St. Ursula was a princess from Brittany. On her way back from a pilgrimage to Rome she and her companions were murdered by Attila the Hun, who at that time had been besieging Cologne. Atilla wanted Ursula to marry him, and when she refused, she was murdered. Ursula and the 11,000 virgins died here as martyrs! When they were killed 11.000 angels came down and the Huns took flight. Because the three Holy Kings made a journey to Jesus they are the Patron Saints of passengers. In Cologne on January 6, three children disguised as the three Magi visits the houses and collect money If you go around Cologne you will see a lot of houses with the Letters C + M + B and a date on top of the door. The letters means Christus Mansionem Benedicat (Christ may bless this house). During the Middle Ages, Cologne was a place of pilgrimage--the pilgrims were actually the first tourists. Quite often the pilgrims on the legendary medieval way of pilgrimage (Way of Saint James) made a stop in Cologne. They stayed and worked in recommend places which were run by 'Jacob's Landlords'. The job of the pilgrims was to serve the beer, not the food, just the beer! The cologne Citizens always called them 'Köbes'.
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If you, Fellow Toastmasters, visit the Spring Conference in Cologne and take part in the brewery tour on Friday evening you will be told that Köbes is the word for 'Jacob' in local dialect. Even nowadays in Cologne the waiters in breweries are called Köbes. They usually wear a uniform typically worn by brewery workers in the past. After the brewery tour you will have the opportunity to eat and drink in a typical Cologne brewery. We are not able to give you gifts like the three Magis, but if you book before January 15, I promise you a reduced rate. So, make a pilgrimage to Cologne, not only to see the many wonderful sites that Cologne has to offer, but to take part in the Toastmasters Conference and Let Your Words Flow. th
th
Your Spring Conference Team 26 -28 May 2005 http://www.district-spring-conference-2006.org/
Peace, Love and Joy for the Holiday Season By Elizabeth Nostedt, District 59 Governor
As we approach the Christmas and Holiday season, I would like to wish you and your families Peace, Love and Joy at this special time of year. I would further like to take the opportunity to say thank you for a great first term! As Toastmasters, we have accomplished a lot in the term from July 1st to now. (I am sure that you have also accomplished much as individuals.) From July 1 to December 10, we have accomplished: 1 DTM, 7 Advanced Leaders, 21 Advanced Speaker awards, 17 Competent Leader awards and 53 Competent Toastmaster Awards. That is a tremendous number of people working to become better speakers and leaders! Congratulations to you all!!! Five new clubs were chartered in the District! Welcome to all the new club members. I also know that there are many other potential groups functioning as clubs at the moment, even thought they do not quite have 20 members yet. I believe that we will see a huge explosion in the new year – and it won’t be just the New Year’s fireworks! I hope that you can all take it easy over the holiday season and come back to the Toastmasters year refreshed and ready to charter more clubs, to bring in more new members, to complete the second round of Officer Training, and to accomplish even more Speaker and Leader awards. “Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.” – Earl Nightingale
All the best for the holiday season, Elizabeth Nostedt District59 Governor
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Club Building In the last Clarion there were several articles focused on the club building. This is the theme of this year. We really want more clubs in Europe. Up to now, 5 clubs have been built. We can warmly welcome our new family members: Het Sprekesgilde in Amsterdam, Redekuenstler in Berlin, Bearn Club in Pau, Henkel Cee club in Vienna and Rhetorik Club in Zurich. Many thanks to all involved. I get one request per week for a New club kit, so hopefully more clubs are coming soon. The steps for successful club building were well described by Carsten Kuckuk. In a shorten version we can use also „5P“ approach. People, place, promotion, paperwork, payment. People: 1. Enthusiastic and experienced people or supported leads, 20 paying members (of which 17 must be new, transferred or reinstated members and only 3 can be dual members). Place (and time). Find a good location. Good to have it before we start promotion. Promotion: The basic key to attract people to the demo-meeting planned for certain date and to the following meetings. It is best if they are held at the same place and at the same time. Paperwork: a horror for many people. Don’t be afraid of it. Just 5 papers to be filled in. Start with the Application to Organize and send it first to the District Governor for the signature. It helps very much because DG will assign the future club to a certain area, otherwise the new club will be homeless. Then continue step by step. Fill the form with 20 people (Membership Roster). Fill in the officers. Continue with the rest of them – just 2 are missing (Constitution and Bylaws, Charter Certificate and Remittance Notice) Communicate with the DG about the Mentors and Sponsors of the new club. All the documents can be downloaded from TMI website, here you are: Application to organize form. Click on the following link to obtain a copy of the form: http://www.toastmasters.org/pdfs/5.pdf. Club and Officer information form: http://www.toastmasters.org/pdfs/parta.pdf Membership roster: http://www.toastmasters.org/pdfs/partb.pdf Constitution and Bylaws: http://www.toastmasters.org/pdfs/partc.pdf Charter Certificate and Remittance Notice: http://www.toastmasters.org/pdfs/partdu.pdf These documents and more are found at: http://www.toastmasters.org/artisan/detail.asp?CategoryID=1&SubCategoryID=1&ArticleID=3&P age=1 Payment: This is the final step. There are 3 items to pay. 1. Charter fee (125 USD), can be paid together with sending in the Application to Organize. You will get the material for the club and members. 2. New member fee 20 USD (one-time fee: paid only by new members; transferred, reinstated or dual members do not pay this fee) 3. 6 months membership dues – 27 USD. Remember: this is a strange habit for other months of charter than April and October. Normally we send our dues for the period April-September and October-March. If you charter the club in January you will be asked to pay the rest of 6mths dues (i.e. till the end of September) in March. But since you know it you will not be surprised. Easy, isn’t it? Thank you for building a new club! Let’s celebrate! There is one more expression you might not be familiar with. Who are Sponsors and Mentors? The Sponsor is the person who helps to the new club to charter. Usually an experienced and enthusiastic Toastmaster who will get not only the credit for Advanced Leader award but also the new experience to be proud of. The person does not need to become the club member. The Mentor is the person who helps the club after charter. The Mentor should become the member of the new club for at least 6 months. It is even better to stay for the whole year and help by being role-model (e.g. to achieve CTM). After 6 months Mentors get their credit toward Advanced Leader and- of course- wonderful experience with the new club culture.2 Sponsors and 2 Mentors are assigned by the District Governor to each new club. The more people that are involved the better. Don’t give up this part and try to find people who are willing to help. Their work is appreciated and awarded. Sometimes the new club is built very quickly. Sometimes it takes a little longer. This year we want to build as many new clubs as possible. We are focused on the density. The closer the clubs are the better relationships between members can be built, the better support from Area and Division Governors can be obtained and the more fun during more easily organized events we can have. Merry Christmas and happy Club building Zuzana Grofova Ltg. Governor of Marketing
“An obstacle is often an unrecognized opportunity.” – Anonymous
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Why attend a conference… I’ve been asked on several occasions by Toastmasters across Europe about the importance of attending a District Conference and why should we bother. My answer has always been the same three words, Expand Your Horizons. Let me explain. The reason why Toastmasters become members to begin with is to improve ourselves. We do that by giving speeches, doing evaluations, mentoring or coaching and participating as much as possible through impromptu speaking and the many tasks that we do each week in our Club meetings. This helps us to overcome our fear of communicating in public whether we speak to a small group or a hall full of 100’s. What a District Conference brings to you is the opportunity to go one step further and that is to improve ourselves outside of our Club environment. Moreover, we get the opportunity to meet and socialize with other Toastmasters from many countries who have similar objectives as we do and are taking advantage of the extra training that the educational sessions provide them. Now I ask you, isn’t that expanding our horizons? As good as any Club can be we all know how difficult it would be to invite 185 guests from all over Europe complete with professional speakers, the tops in speech contestants and house, feed and entertain them while they are all here. Well, let me tell you that is exactly what the Mallorca Toastmasters Club did this November 11th, 12th and 13th. It was the first for them in many ways. It was the first Fall Conference in Spain. It was the first time that Spain was recognized as a Division. It was the first time attendees were provided transportation to and from Conference Venues and, it was the first time that the costs for attending the Conference were less than €100. We should all be proud of this feat and there were many that worked very hard to ensure the success that it was. Indeed, the Mallorca Toastmasters has set a precedent for future Conferences by the way they organized and conducted themselves.
CLARION NEWSLETTER members of the Mallorca Toastmasters Club, Kay Newton. She proved that anyone could achieve if they put their mind to it no matter how long you’ve been a member. Her feat was a brilliant example of Toastmaster’s perseverance. After winning her Club Contest, Kay competed in the Area Conference held in Barcelona on the 8th of October. Unfortunately, she lost to a very talented speaker from the Barcelona TM Club who for personal reasons, could not compete at Division level. Therefore, Kay had the opportunity to compete again winning the Division Contest and making her eligible to compete at District level which she won against the best of Europe. So for those of you who say, “I simply can’t do that”, look at the example that Kay has set. She didn’t stop; all she did was to Expand Her Horizons. God Bless… Ralph Arroyo Area H1 Governor Mallorca, Spain
Have you checked our District website lately? www.district59.org You will find a lot of new and interesting content there. If you have further ideas, let us know.
The Power in Bits of Paper Presenting Toastmaster Deborah Cameron, ATMB, AL District 59 Toastmaster of the Year 2005-2005 She squeezed a torn-off piece of paper into my hands with the words “I’m going to win, 2008” inscribed on it. “If I get a vision,” she said, “I write it down immediately and share it.” When you know exactly what you want, it energizes you and, on that subject, Debbie Cameron is a regular nuclear power plant! She has a dream board at home papered with tiny bits of paper, each carrying a dream, a goal, and a vision. Now she’s fulfilling each one of them -- one personal reward at a time.
The highlights of this Fall District Conference were the uniqueness of how everything was presented. From the keynote speaker to the educational sessions to the impromptu and humorous speech contests and to the gala dinner, there was not one person that said they did not receive value for their investment. I heard over and over again that they were sorry that a lot of their colleagues couldn’t have been with them as they would have enjoyed it as thoroughly as they did.
Yet, not every reward is planned by Debbie. This year our District recognizes Debbie for a “dedication, commitment, and effort that made a significant contribution toward achieving the Mission of the District.” Sure, she founded the Mallorca club. Okay. She’s sponsored and mentored several other clubs. And, even on those rough and rocky personal days, she still shows up for her club to greet the guests with a beaming smile. She does all that because Debbie is a ‘go-go-go-getter.’ And that’s good news for all of us lucky to be in the same District with her.
Foremost in my mind was the fact that the Table Topics Contest was won by one of the newest
How can she balance family, a successful business and all her club activity? Evidently, Debbie has proven
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that the same basic management techniques she learned in order to become a lifestyle and health coach could be applied directly to the Toastmasters program with great success. She leverages her time and energy to get the biggest jobs done. “Toastmasters is not all about one person, but about creating and working in teams to help inspire others. We create passion and enthusiasm in others so they lead and communicate better in their personal and professional lives.” She calls it inter-networking. That’s how she rallied her Spanish club mates in Spring 2004 to achieve division status for Spain by 2005, becoming Division Governor herself in the process. “It’s all about finding the right people to take responsibility. You must delegate to allow people to grow.” “Before Toastmasters, I was successful in my network marketing business. I did well myself, but, my network didn’t grow -- I wasn’t coaching, training and following through. In front of an audience, I used to get this hot, hot feeling inside me. I felt overwhelmed with embarrassment. That’s all past tense for me now. Sure, there are still moments when everything seems too scary, but you don’t give up. Of course, not. It’s to help yourself and others. You can’t quit or you won’t learn. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve grown as a person, especially in dealing with other people.” Debbie personifies the Vision of Toastmasters International. She is realizing her dreams and helping others to find the courage to change and achieve their own dreams. In Debbie’s words, “My passion lies in making a difference in the world, one person at a time. I feel so privileged and grateful for the life that I have, that I can go out and help other people. Gandhi said that you must be the change you wish to see in the world. And I think that is certainly something we can move towards achieving.” You can bet that Debbie has this wish pinned up on her dream board at home -- on one of her powerful little bits of paper. By Bill Monsour, CTM, CL and member of Het Sprekersgilde Club, Amsterdam, NL
Open House success… The doorbell rang. Again. Again. Again. Once again, and we had to set up the 4th row of guest chairs. Excitement and anticipation hung in the air... Would we have enough space? Would we have enough to eat and drink? Would the evening be a success? Would we be able to communicate to so many new people what a great organization and self-help program Toastmasters is?? Would the preliminary work be worth it, and would we have many guests coming back after this Toastmasters evening? The answer to all these questions is an enthusiastic YES!!!
Our first Mercury Toastmasters Open-House Event on October 26th, 2005 was a huge success. We had about 18 guests, all of whom we sent follow-up mails and will send invitations to future meetings. We began the evening with an educational speech about Toastmasters in general and about our Mercury Toastmasters Club, including information about how a regular meeting is and how the organization works. We followed that with a sample icebreaker speech from a non (English)-native speaker. Table Topics were made to include many guests (who were asked prior to the meeting if they would like to participate). This was followed by a long break where we offered
PAGE 6 drinks and finger food, as well as an info-table with Toastmasters magazines, our flyers, a laptop showing previous speeches, various Toastmasters brochures and myself to answer questions our guests might have. All other members mingled with our guests and did the same. After the break we had an evaluation for the icebreaker and ended with a further session from our President and our General Evaluator about how evaluations work and what the different officials at a meeting do. Prior to the Open-House, we motivated members to get the word out as well as hang up flyers we had created for the event. We had announced it on our website and by mail to our previous guests. We had 2 ads in local magazines. If you are a club looking for more guests and new members (and who isn’t?), an Open-House is definitely a great way to generate interest and offer guests a lively way of learning what’s in it for them! They have the opportunity to see samples of a Toastmasters meeting, but also to hear what Toastmasters is about and to have any questions they might have answered. Our Open-House Event was such a success that we gained 4 new members (a 5th pending!) as a result, many interested guests who have come back again, and new motivation among our Club members! We are planning on repeating this event twice a year. If you have any questions about our Open-House, feel free to mail us at info@mercury-toastmasters.de. Friendly greetings from Berlin Chrissi Sommer, VP Membership Mercury Toastmasters Club Berlin www.mercury-toastmasters.de
CLARION NEWSLETTER sprachen die Besucher und Aussteller sowohl direkt an, indem wir uns frei auf der gesamten Ausstellungsfläche bewegten, als auch durch unsere Präsenz am Stand. Wir führten viele recht intensive und in ihrer Offenheit beeindruckende Gespräche. Wir konnten ca. 30 Interessenten auf unsere Kontaktliste für die Redekünstler aufnehmen, die an unserem Klub-Newsletter und einem Besuch unseres Klubs interessiert waren. Weitere Besucher bekundeten ihr Interesse, mochten sich jedoch lieber selber auf unserer Homepage informieren, als in unseren Verteiler aufgenommen werden. Zusätzlich haben sich ca. 30-40 Interessenten für einen neu zu gründenden Klub in Adlershof, dem Standort der Wirtschaftstage, gefunden. Adlershof ist einer der größten Technologieparks in Europa. Ein Hotel erklärte sich bereit, dem entstehenden Klub für das erste halbe Jahr kostenlos einen Raum zur Verfügung zu stellen. Das Ergebnis des Einsatzes war, die gute Idee von Toastmasters International weiter verbreitet zu haben, Interessenten gefunden und einem neuen Klub in die Wiege geholfen zu haben. Tobias Träger redekuenstler@web.de Schriftführer Berliner Redekünstler Toastmasters
Verbreitet Toastmasters International in Berlin Die Berliner Redekünstler hatten durch Vermittlung von Schifra Wittkopp, (Area Governor), die Gelegenheit bei den 9. Wirtschaftstagen des Berliner Stadtbezirks Treptow-Köpenick Toastmasters mit einem Stand zu vertreten. Das Motto der Wirtschaftstage war: Wissenschaft, Tourismus und Gesundheit als bedeutende Wirtschaftsfaktoren. Das Ziel der Wirtschaftstage bestand in der Bündelung der Initiativen aller Akteure zur weiteren Optimierung des Standortmarketings, der Verbesserung und Förderung der Kommunikation zwischen Politik, Verwaltung und den Unternehmen. Die Messe war von Unternehmen für Unternehmen am Standort. Die Redekünstler nahmen die Gelegenheit wahr, um das Konzept von Toastmasters unter den Besuchern und Ausstellern der Wirtschaftstage bekannt zu machen. Wir waren an beiden Tagen mit drei Toastmastern vertreten. Wir
It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can do only little. Do what you can.” – Sydney Smith
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Rebuilding the Tower of Babel: a bilingual contest Many people associate Toastmasters with the English language only. But there are more than 2,500 clubs outside North America. Where does TMI state that English is mandatory? It does not. Toastmasters is about public speaking, leadership development and personal growth, period. The language choice does not matter. And, with the majority of new clubs being founded in non-English speaking countries, we’ll be seeing many more nonEnglish Toastmasters.
“The pain lies in the difference of what we think should happen and what actually happens.” – Vernon Howard
Many contests are now held only in English. Should Toastmasters in nonEnglish clubs not be entitled to all the benefits that TMI offers, including joining in contests? Speakers are at their best when using their preferred language; which is not necessarily English. With four English and two Dutch clubs chartered in Area B2, the Netherlands, that is too few to organize separate English and Dutch contests. So, we experimented with bilingual contests to stimulate better speeches and a higher turnout. The judges were fully bilingual and the contestants could choose to use Dutch or to speak in English. Here is what we discovered. Solely native Dutch-speaking judges might be biased with more awareness of nuances in Dutch than in English. No jury is 100% objective, though; we each have a different background and values. Nevertheless, most of our judges reported language did not matter; they had more difficulty in evaluating the small differences in the quality of the speeches than with the language spoken itself. Still, a mélange of mother-tongue judges is a good idea. It seems the Dutch speakers benefited from being allowed to use their native language. Three of the four contest winners were Dutch-speakers. After winning, they all accepted the challenge to confront speaking in English at the Division level. We learned not everyone was happy with a bilingual contest. Of the thirtytwo Toastmasters who attended, all understood English well, but not all could understand the Dutch. Dutch-speaking contestants, on their turn, lost part of the audience that did not laugh or react as much to them. How important is this, really? For the English-speaking contestants, it remains difficult to evaluate how well the audience could understand the English speakers’ humor and expressions, anyway. Neither the English-speaking contestants nor the English-listening audience were all native English speakers. Some were Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Polish speakers. Impressing an international audience is much tougher when so many different cultures are involved in the communication. The majority of attendees were highly positive about the bilingual event. It provided greater diversity, more color and better speeches. There were more competing clubs and more (confident) speakers. This leads to a higher overall quality contest experience. The attendees experienced the intertwined languages as an enriching attribute, bringing Dutch speakers closer to the English language and inspiring English speakers to conquer Dutch. In the end, Toastmasters do not compete against each other. Bilingual contest or not, as speakers and judges we challenge ourselves to do our personal best. That is what counts the most. Contributed by Milena R. Janic, VP PR of Toastmasters of the Hague
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A great Toastmaster passed away! Tribute to Bill Sylow On Monday, December 5, Bill Sylow passed away from a massive heart attack in the hospital in Oslo, Norway. He was known by many in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was a member of the Toastmasters club there. He competed in the Humorous Speech contest with his tremendous speech about being an Oral Medical Engineer (a kinder name for a Dentist).
Yes he was sharing, he was generous and caring, he was witty and yet extremely profound.
When he moved to Oslo about 4 years ago, his Toastmaster spirit was still burning bright, and he started the Oslo Toastmaster club, bringing Norway into the District 59 family. He continued to be a strong member of the club there, and most recently represented his club as the Division G competitor at the District Humorous Speech Contest in Mallorca. We heard escapades of gold digging and small monkeys. Others will remember him from competing in the golf tournament prior to the District conference.
I hope you will be able to practice your remarkable speaking skills forever wherever you are now!
I am sure all those who had a chance to listen to his speeches will remember how subtle and good he could be. Bill, we will miss you, our whole District is already missing you.
Odile and Alain Petillot, France
As Toastmaster friends, we will be opening a William Sylow Memorial Fund, so if there is anyone who would like to contribute, please contact me. We will all miss a truly great Toastmaster, whose Toastmaster spirit will be hard to match! In memoriam, Elizabeth Nostedt District 59 Governor
C'est avec une profonde tristesse que j'apprends cette nouvelle épouvantable. Notre grande famille s'en trouve appauvrie et amputée. Bien sincèrement Bernadette Morineau, France
What a shock! My condolences to Bill’s family for me on behalf of all who met him from the Organizers of the Fall District Conference and the Mallorca Toastmasters Club. For the short time I knew him I enjoyed his laughter and his love for the game of golf. I pray that his passing is as painless as possible for his family and in particular, for his wife. God bless him… Ralph Arroyo, Spain Alain and myself loved Bill deeply. Each time we met at a District conference, he was such a nice fellow, always smiling, always ready to share a moment, an idea, and a good laugh.
Bill and Ingrid
I am really sorry and sad too. His speeches were tremendous. I remember his speech which connected Greece past and presence viewed from his yacht. Please, we Czech Toastmasters want to join the condolence list. Best regards Tomas Wagner, Czech Republic P.S. One of our members Zdenek Danek died suddenly last Monday.
Simon Johnson wrote: Needless to say, I am terribly shocked and cannot believe it. I spoke with Bill on Sunday and he was in great spirits. He was a great mate and loved Toastmasters and gave so much joy and love to everyone he came in contact with. …just a few extracts from the outpouring of our feelings for Bill
“Beautiful thoughts make beautiful lives, for every word and deed lies in the thought that prompted it, as the flowers lie in the seed.” - A. E. Godfrey L Have you ever entertained the thought that our maker seems to take the “good ones” to him earlier than the others? Since my father passed away 8 years ago I have had that thought quite often. Too many of my friends have followed him. When I received the horrendous news of Bill’s passing away I was shocked because one of us had to move on but I thought I had never met him until Odile sent me the photo. Boy, was I mistaken. Bill was the charming, entertaining gentleman at our lunch table after the conference in Mallorca. Bill and Ingrid were the lovely people who gave me a lift into Palma on their way to the airport. I really wish I could turn back the time and tell both of them how much I enjoyed their company. But one thing we cannot do is turn back time. It is our most precious commodity and how often do we “waste” it watching some silly or even violent film on TV or doing things that are no good for us? I call those moments, when a friend leaves his body to be part again of the higher awareness, my wake-up calls. It makes me aware how fragile life can be. It makes me aware that we can be here today and gone tomorrow. It is in these moments that I reflect on my life and look at what is still left undone. Where are you I in your life’s plan? On which part of the path towards fulfilling your purpose do you find yourself? Have you asked yourself this question lately? We all have a mission on this planet and we must take care not to lose sight of it. Becoming distracted in today’s fast moving world is easier than ever. But if we want to lead a fulfilled, happy life we must stay focused on what is important to us. And for everyone that can be different.
Let us all strive TODAY to make this world a better place. Let us all strive NOW to become the best we can be. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Many people live their lives as if it was eternal even though we all know that not to be true. How often do we put things off for a “better moment” or even wait for the perfect one? Fact is the perfect moment will never come. We can only live TODAY. The only time we can influence is NOW. Let’s give our best now. Let’s tell our friends and family members now that we love them and not wait for the “perfect” moment. Let’s make up that quarrel before it is too late. Let’s share what we have to give with those around us. And let’s not forget Toastmasters. I have been involved in self-development for nearly 30 years now and Toastmasters is the most cost- and time effective personal development tool there is. It gives you confidence and self-esteem in an automatic way without a struggle; actually even with a lot of fun. Let’s share this great tool with as many people as we can. I have yet to meet the person who would not benefit from it. Christmas is a time of reflection. Use the time wisely and share your love and your knowledge with the world around you. Each on of us can change the world for the better – one dream, one vision, one step at the time. I wish you a peaceful, loving Christmas Barbara Hofmeister District 59 PRO
I have always thought of Christmas as a good time; a kind, forgiving, generous, pleasant time; a time when men and women seem to open their hearts freely and so I say.
God Bless Christmas
-Charles Dickens
Please, send articles, tips, anecdotes, and testimonials to barbara@trainingvisions.com. The next deadline is 10th February 2006. Please forward the Clarion to ALL your Club Members. For now I thank everyone for their great contributions! Let’s continue to walk this path together. Remember, Together Each Achieves More = T.E.A.M Have a wonderful life Barbara Hofmeister, District 59 PRO