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The Gift of Toastmasters

Do More of What Makes You Happy

Jennifer Schmidt, EH2

Happy is the key word in Happy New Year, and participate in it. But what areas of Toastmasters
I think it’s time to wish everyone, including would you want to do more of that would
ourselves, a truly happy year. Because it seems at make you happier? Because there’s lots of
the beginning of January, we are encouraged to opportunities, and if you’re trudging along not

focus on what we didn’t accomplish the previous enjoying yourself, that’s not a happy place. If
year. Commercials try to make us feel bad about you’re wondering how to add small steps of joy
overindulging or not exercising enough. We may to your Toastmasters experience, one of the
even feel guilty about how we procrastinated on following ideas may help you get there:

our Toastmasters projects.
Of course, every list varies. But it boils down • Become a Guest Speaker
to what we didn’t do, and how this year will be Perhaps there’s a Toastmasters club or
different, because we declare our resolutions. organization where you would like to be a

We could say we have new goals, but resolutions guest speaker. Over the years we had guest
sound more serious and, well, resolute. Like we speakers from around the world visit New
are going to march to the nearest town square, Horizons who were a treat to welcome.
shake a large bell and publicly announce our They also appreciated the opportunity

plans to change for good. But don’t we do this to present their speech in front of a new
every year? It seems like Groundhog Day is audience. When I visited clubs to practice
January 1st. my contest speeches, it was delightful to
By February, our staunch commitments have hear all the different perspectives and it’s

faded and our treadmills bid us a sad adieu. But helped me to strengthen my delivery.
it doesn’t have to be that way. Toastmaster Ralph
Galantine suggested, during a New Horizons • Help Your Community
meeting, that we should take small steps toward After you have been in Toastmasters

our goals to achieve the best results. I would for a while, it can be enjoyable to share
agree, and would add to this thought, do more those learning experiences with other
of what makes you happy. people in the community. Last year, New
Toastmasters make us happy, or we wouldn’t Horizons gave speech feedback to an

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