Club Coaching

Tonight was interesting. In an effort to get my Distinguished Toastmasters, I'm joining forces with a friend at our group, and working on coaching a club over the hurdles they're currently experiencing. I've never been a coach like this before. In fact, I've never really been a coach, so this will all be new to me.

Met with the other group tonight, and it was small. Only 3 current members at the meeting, and then luckily two guests showed up. That's a great start!! Just have to work on getting the rest of the existing members to show up consistently, and keep adding to the membership. It's a year commitment at least, to coach, and we can extend after that if need be.

As with small meetings, everyone stepped up into and helped out, even the guests! Speeches were given off the cuff (way to go, Christine!), table topics, and evaluations given. I handled timing, although I admit to not quite understanding the lighting apparatus they had. I used the app on my phone! I love that about Toastmasters. The group really supports and encourages each other. This group seems like a really good fit, and I'm excited to see where we end up.

Almost done my 4th level in Pathways as well, with the speech tomorrow, and then a few more posts here. And then it's level 5. Insert serious music here... It looks intimidating! I think it's fortuitous that the group we are coaching specializes in project management, as level 5 is all about projects! I have to pick a project, find a sponsor, form a committee...it's all very new to me. But this is really what Toastmasters is about. Pushing you out of your comfort zone and learning new things.

Needless to say, still not any further in the Big Leap! Maybe tomorrow!!

Thanks for reading,

Carol W.

Welcome back, for real this time.

I've done everything I can think of to avoid this moment right now. Changed the litter. Hauled out the recyclables. Emptied garbage bins. Made another cup of coffee. Played with the furbabies. All clever avoidance tactics I've honed over the years.

What am I so afraid of? Why is jotting down my thoughts, dreams, goals and such so intimidating to me. Maybe I'm afraid no one will read it. But that begs the question...why am I really doing this? Is it for me or you? Let me back-track a bit here.

I am a Toastmaster, for just over two years now. I've completed my Competent Communicator, the Competent Leader, Advanced Leader Bronze, and I'm in the 4th level of the 5 level Pathway, Persuasive Influence. I'm also working towards my Distinguished Toastmaster designation. Toastmasters is fun, and I've dived in feet first. After all, Public Speaking were the only two classes in college that I received an A...A+, actually. While I have no problem speaking in public, one of the challenges in this pathway is to complete a blog. Again, I thought...no problem. I've been writing various iterations of this blog for years now. And yet, every time I thought of a topic or decided to actually put fingers to keyboard (not the same ring as pen to paper, is it??), I would find a trillion other things to do.

There in lies the crux...when I have something I "should" be doing, whether it's dealing with issues in my house like the plumbing, organizing my office, my taxes, my budget, building my side hustle, exercise, weight loss...anything that is "adulting", I seem to easily willingly distract myself.

With your help, I am working on changing all of that this year. The hamster wheel, while fun to begin with, is getting boring. I'm tired of the same old, and yet it's what I so easily fall back in to. Jen Sincero said it best when she wrote "the walls of our comfort zone are lovingly papered with our excuses". It's time to break down one or all of those walls. I have all three of her books...let's try actually reading them, shall we? And the many, many other self-improvement, ,marketing, betterment books I have on hand. Did I mention there were many??

Kosmo helping Mommy choose

Step 1 for the blog - consistency. While I laughingly cry "go big or go home" history has taught me that I do just that...go home. I get overwhelmed and crawl back under the covers of complacency. One step at a time to start any journey, right? I will read, and do a book report on one of the books I have on hand right now and post at least 8 more times over the next few weeks. Which one shall it be, though??

I've decided on a rather appropriate one, in fact. The Big Leap, by Gay Hendricks.

Conquer your hidden fear and take life to the next level

Please feel free to share this, if you think it may help someone you know. And comment...I love comments. Let's start a dialogue. How do you get yourself out of the "zone" when you get stuck? I'm open to ideas!

Thank you for reading.
Carol W.

I love Wednesdays

I really do love Wednesdays, and it's not because it's hump day, or the middle of the work week. In fact, for some of us that juggle two (or more) jobs, there really isn't a "middle" to speak of. Just another day, just another shift. No, I love Wednesdays because that's Toastmasters day where I work.

I look forward to Toastmasters every week. I get to spend my lunch with an amazing, ever changing, ever growing, group of people. I get to network within in my own organization, which is great when I come up against something I don't know or understand, but I remember...ah-ha!!  "Bob" works for that department; he'll know about this or at least point me towards who does. While our group is small, and getting smaller weekly it appears, we are mighty! All joining with the goal of working on our leadership skills, interpersonal communications and yes, the dreaded public speaking. But here's the thing...THAT'S my favourite part!!!  I simply adore standing up in front of everyone and giving a speech, or even more fun, the table-topics, a lightening round of questions of which you don't prepare, but answer off the cuff. I enjoy that so much I competed in the last area and division meets. I did win our area, which allowed my to continue on to the division, but sadly came in 3rd. I have some work to do for next year, that is for certain. The competition bug has bitten, and I want to do better. I know I can do better!

But back to the actual speaking part. Toastmasters has introduced a new platform, if you will, to modernize the overall concept. Online course take you through what is call Pathways, and like a path through the mountains, you climb levels, completing various speeches and tasks, until you reach the summit of Level 5. I've chosen the Pathway of Persuasive Influence - something I aim to use with my other endeavor, helping people achieve their dreams and goals. Today's speech was # 19 or 20 (I've honestly lost track) overall, and is almost the middle of my current Pathway. It was about Conflict Resolution, and how I deal with it (I don't...hate conflict...I run scared...oh wait, I was supposed to learn something back there, wasn't I?!) and I gave a pretty good speech. Everyone enjoyed it, and even commented how they can't wait till they are as prepared and rehearsed as I am. So...when do I tell them that it was pretty much off the cuff?! Oh, I had an idea and even wrote one out, but I didn't really rehearse it. I most certainly didn't commit it to memory. And maybe that's why I enjoy Toastmasters so much. It actually plays to my strengths, not focusing on yet another weakness or flaw.

Here's my question for you...what are your strengths? Weaknesses? What do you want to work on? And do you like Wednesdays?!

What am I so afraid of?

I've thought about popping in here and jotting down a few things. And then a Friday turns into a Monday, turns into a Wednesday and I think "I'll get to it on the weekend". The weekend arrives and leaves, and as I'm crawling into bed Sunday night, I wonder what happened to another good intention. Another idea I've overlooked. Made excuses for. Passed by.

What am I so afraid of? The permanence of the words? Who even reads blogs anymore? Are they still a thing? I see them, so they must be, but I was never one to be up on the current trends. And what happens if someone, like you for example, does take a few minutes to read my rambling thoughts. What will happen? Maybe we'll start a conversation. Connect. Make a new friend. Reconnect with some old ones. It's a Devil-may-care world, this Blog-land, and I'm not sure I'm ready for it. Or is it ready for me?!

What to talk about? There's always my life. Still single...still have cats (2)...still living in my 106+ year old house, with the fence falling down and minor repairs required. Did I mention still single?? So that means I'm doing the minor repairs, or at least attempting to learn what I can. Maybe that's why I was also drawn to the part-time job at Home Depot. That, and I really do like the colour orange. I am still working in the banking industry, having recently celebrated my 2 year anniversary. And I am still working on pushing my entrepreneurial self out from behind my employee self. It has been a struggle, but I am also determined (read: stubborn) enough to make this work. That and the company direction is so exciting right now, especially after we got married in March. Wait, didn't I say I was single?! Yes, NOT that kind of married! In fact, that's a great post for another day. I haven't been to crossfit for a while (yet another post idea) but I am still a WW member (can't remember if we're actually allowed to call it Weight Watchers anymore) and continue to work on my personal health and wellness. All in all, much of my life is the same as it was. Hopefully a bit more interesting though. I've made new friends along the way and did some traveling throughout. Not a bad existence, now that I stop to think about it.

So the long and the short of it, is I am back. I will WILL write at least one post a week, as I think weekly is a great place to start. Let me know if there is something specific you'd be interested in. While I do not claim to know everything, I am great at research and am a graduate of MSU (Making $hit Up).

So...hi. My name is Carol, and I hope we can become friends.

With gratitude,
C.