Page 25 - 2017 December Voices

OF PROSPECT AND RETROSPECT

by Lee Coyne, ATMS - Guest Contributor

January is on the near horizon. The fanfare of the
holidays shall soon fade. Yet new challenges are sure
to surface as we enter 2018.

The Roman godess Janus provides us the month's

name. She is visually depicted as having two faces
going opposite ways. One is looking backward to the
passing year; the other peers forward to the year just
arriving.

What does this metaphor really mean to us?

It signifies that as we peer toward the future we
should not neglect those lessons of the past. Let the
insights derived from yesterday, some with outcomes
not always favorable, be guides as we enter new terrain.

As Toastmasters, we respond in kind to build our
everyday skills to new levels. How tactfully we assess
others can often stem from our evaluator job.

Keeping discipline as the timer can save us from
being overly verbose.Table topics may better prepare
us for the unexpected from the kids. And Toastmasters

meetings teach us all on how to gainfully garner
attention and win over others.

Let the year ahead encourage you to come out
ahead. Heed that call.

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 6 DECEMBER, 2017 25