It's Wednesday. Only two more days till the big trip. That's right, a cruise out of New york City. We are flying into NYC Friday morning, spending 3 nights there doing the tourist thing, then catching the boat Monday for a 9 day Carribean cruise. Woohoo!
So I'm going to try the life if the travel blogger and journal my trip. My goal is to post a blog every few days. We'll see if I can be that disciplined. I'm looking forward to some fun and down time. If you've ever been to NYC and have tips for a westerner, let me know. I think I'm more excited about NYC than the cruise itself.
Bon voyage!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Lessons from a Toastmaster
At Toast masters this morning I played the role of Toastmaster ( basically the MC of the meeting). I've done this role a number of time, and one thing that I noticed is that the nerves have really calmed down. The first two or three times that I did it, I was literally shaking. I stuttered and stammered. I felt incompetent.
One of the things I love about being a member of a local TM club is the relationships that I've gained. The beautiful thing is that each of us is there for very similar reason and each of us feels incompetent in the beginning. As we fulfill the roles, complete our speech assignments and practice good grammar, we become better and more confident, not only in a public speaking situation, but also in every day life.
The lesson that I learned today is the more you do something, no matter how challenging at first, the easier it becomes. I'm a sales person. Sometimes I have to make cold calls. This is the reason most people are terrified of sales. When I've allowed time to pass between cold calling sessions, the old fears are there to greet me. But, when I make it a part of my routine and make the calls on a regular basis, it is as natural a process as can be. The more I do it, the more the nervousness and fears diminish, until one day, I'll look back and ask myself, " what was I so afraid of?"
So, I ask you. What are you so afraid of?
You can beat that fear a little at a time. You just need to look it in the eye, set a plan, and begin to bite off a little chunk each day. If you need help, I challenge you to join Toastmasters. It's not just about public speaking, it's about confidence building.
One of the things I love about being a member of a local TM club is the relationships that I've gained. The beautiful thing is that each of us is there for very similar reason and each of us feels incompetent in the beginning. As we fulfill the roles, complete our speech assignments and practice good grammar, we become better and more confident, not only in a public speaking situation, but also in every day life.
The lesson that I learned today is the more you do something, no matter how challenging at first, the easier it becomes. I'm a sales person. Sometimes I have to make cold calls. This is the reason most people are terrified of sales. When I've allowed time to pass between cold calling sessions, the old fears are there to greet me. But, when I make it a part of my routine and make the calls on a regular basis, it is as natural a process as can be. The more I do it, the more the nervousness and fears diminish, until one day, I'll look back and ask myself, " what was I so afraid of?"
So, I ask you. What are you so afraid of?
You can beat that fear a little at a time. You just need to look it in the eye, set a plan, and begin to bite off a little chunk each day. If you need help, I challenge you to join Toastmasters. It's not just about public speaking, it's about confidence building.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Bite Your Tongue
Life is all about choices. Living a life on purpose means not always doing or saying everything that we feel. We live in a free country and that means we can pretty much do or say whatever we want. But...
That doesn't mean that we should. Sometimes it's better just to allow someone else to have their way or win an argument because that person means so much to us. I'm not saying you should be a doormat. What I'm saying is that sometimes its better to put our own feelings down and show the people that we love how much we love them by allowing them the privilege of being right. (even if they are not).
After all, look at the people in your life. People who live totally by their feeling are consider arrogant, spoiled brats. Most people don't want to be around them and they end up alone a lot of the time. After all who wants to hang out with someone who has to have their way all the time or make everyone else miserable because they didn't get it?
The point that I'm trying to get at is that life is give and take. The best relationships are those where both people are allowed to have their way some of the time and are willing to let the other person have theirs too, without it becoming a big to do.
"Bite your tongue" is a pretty good idea from time to time. Even when you know you are right. It's called self control.
Your friends will thank you, your family members will thank you, the world will thank you.
Just saying...
That doesn't mean that we should. Sometimes it's better just to allow someone else to have their way or win an argument because that person means so much to us. I'm not saying you should be a doormat. What I'm saying is that sometimes its better to put our own feelings down and show the people that we love how much we love them by allowing them the privilege of being right. (even if they are not).
After all, look at the people in your life. People who live totally by their feeling are consider arrogant, spoiled brats. Most people don't want to be around them and they end up alone a lot of the time. After all who wants to hang out with someone who has to have their way all the time or make everyone else miserable because they didn't get it?
The point that I'm trying to get at is that life is give and take. The best relationships are those where both people are allowed to have their way some of the time and are willing to let the other person have theirs too, without it becoming a big to do.
"Bite your tongue" is a pretty good idea from time to time. Even when you know you are right. It's called self control.
Your friends will thank you, your family members will thank you, the world will thank you.
Just saying...
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