Page 3 - Voices April 2018
P. 3

Choices









      Phyllis A. Harmon, DTM - Editor/Publisher




      To be or not to be, that is the question . . . William Shakespeare truly understood

      the vagaries of human nature. People waffle when they should take a stand
      and/or wait to see which way the wind is blowing before making a  decision.
      Those who do step forward, away from the crowd, are viewed as risk takers
      (silly fools), forward thinkers (not credible), or just plain weird (laughable).
      A few—less than 10%—are considered worthy of the title Leader (capable

      of making a difference).
          If you slap on your data researcher’s hat and take a look around District 7,
      chances are you’ll discover that less than 10% of members have taken their

      first steps into the new world of Pathways as leaders charting unfamiliar
      territory and reporting back their findings. Fewer yet have chosen to give
      back to their fellow members by serving as a club officer or District leader.
          Why is that, do you think? There are always plenty of excuses for not
      stepping forward when asked, but they always culminate in the same                             EDITORIAL

      underlying theme—I DON’T WANT TO! (Never mind that we all promised
      to serve as a club officer [or leader, if you will] when called upon—which is
      the first rung on the Toastmasters leadership ladder.)

          I’ve discovered that stiffening my spine and stepping into the unknown
      is far more rewarding that hiding behind my excuses. There’s a whole
      world out there just waiting for us to make the choice. If you find yourself
      waivering between hiding or stepping into the unknown, I urge you to stop
      procrastinating, and get on with becoming the leader you are destined to be.












       Volume 4 Issue 8 February 2018  Monthly Columnists   2017-18 Officers       Administrative Manager
      Publisher                   Donna Stark, DTM          District Director      Crystal Pugh, ACB, ALB
      Phyllis Harmon, DTM         John Rodke, DTM           Donna Stark, DTM
                                  Emilie Taylor, DTM                               Public Relations Manager
      Associate Publisher         Leanna Lindquist, DTM     Program Quality Director  James Wantz, DTM
      Brenda Parsons, ACS, ALS    Terry Beard               John Rodke, DTM
                                  Brinn Hemmingson, ACG, CL                       Voices! is published monthly by District 7
      Senior Editor               Harvey Schowe, DTM        Club Growth Director  Toastmasters. First issue published August
      Phyllis Harmon, DTM                                   Emilie Taylor, DTM    2014. Submit articles or contact us at
                                  James Wantz, DTM                                voices@d7toastmasters.org
      Associate Editor            Future Stars Gavel Club   Finance Manager
      Leanna Lindquist, DTM       Lee Coyne, ATMS           Karen Sempervivo, DTM





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