New Day Resolutions

January has flown by in a blur. Just yesterday it seems we were wrapping presents, enjoying the holidays, and anticipating a fresh start with the new year.  

How about those fresh start new years resolutions? Have they survived the month? If you are like me a few are moving forward, some have fallen off track, and others are still sitting in the starting gate.

Why do we often struggle accomplishing our goals and resolutions? One reason is because the goals we set are too big, or at least they feel that way. We take Jim Collins' advice to create Big Harry Audacious Goals (BHAGs) but then don't know how to achieve them. Whether it be a goal to lose weight, open a business, or complete a Toastmasters manual, the amount of work involved can feel overwhelming and ultimately become a demotivator.  

Recently I had a conversation with someone who was almost paralyzed by the goal she set for herself. As we talked I began to realize she was trying to tackle the entire goal at once, focused on the end result instead of the steps it would take to achieve success. In other words she hadn't full deconstructed the goal to the monthly, weekly, and daily activities required. We worked through this together and now, while still at times overwhelmed, she is back on track with a set of daily goals and activities that build toward accomplishing the larger goal.  

How about your Toastmasters goals? Does completing your CC manual feel overwhelming? How about getting to DTM - does that feel completely out of reach?

The same principal of deconstruction can work for you. Break your speech projects down into small manageable steps. For instance you could plan to do research one week, followed by collecting examples the next week, followed by writing a rough draft on the the third. Each of those weeks can be further broken down into actions which can be checked off your list each day.  

Don't allow the size of your goals to become discouraging. If you need help deconstructing Toastmaster goals, any of our experienced Top of Texas members would be glad to help. Create New Day Resolutions and take small daily steps toward achieving your goals.  

Jeff Wright, CC

January Open House Was a Success!

When I walked into the Top of Texas Toastmasters meeting this morning, I was greeted with a host of members and guests mingling and chatting before the meeting. It's meetings like this that make me pleased to be club president. I was especially proud because this particular meeting was the Open House!

I have never attended an Open House, but these kinds of meetings focus on introducing potential new members to how a meeting is run so that they can understand Toastmasters, our club culture, and how they might find their fit here.


We had a superb Toastmaster with Jodie Sanders taking the helm in explaining how Toastmasters can help anyone, how we all can use Toastmasters to "Break the Barrier," and she introduced our two speakers, Susanne Nickerson and Marshall Lehr. Susanne's speech was especially befitting for the Open House meeting, "Toastmasters and the Alphabet Soup," as she discussed how one can move about from being a newly minted Toastmaster to becoming a Distinguished Toastmaster (and all the acronyms in between), emphasizing how it is totally self-paced and not meant at all to be daunting. Marshall followed that with another encouraging speech, "From Doubt to Daring: One Simple Step," which encouraged us all that the difference between those two is simply saying "yes."

 Following the speeches were our Table Topics to give speakers the chance to speak on the fly, and one of our guests volunteered to speak, and not only that she won Table Topics!

With six guests in attendance this was a successful and fun Open House.

DeAnna Wolf

Adding Toastmaster Goals To New Year's Resolutions

This past weekend I attended the Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) for Officer and Judges' Training! This was my first time at TLI. I gained some great tips for being Top of Texas' new Secretary for the January - June term. The Judges' Training session was informative and taught me all the different considerations that are used to judge speeches. I also enjoyed hearing about the different speech and club experiences from members across the District.

Earlier this month I gave a speech on the benefits of yoga and shared with the group that I would like to start practicing yoga this year. After the morning at TLI and reading Marshall's "Made to be Broken" post, I've added professional and Toastmaster specific goals to my list of new year's resolutions! Being in Toastmasters is helping me work towards my goal of being more comfortable as a speaker and in networking situations.  As the Secretary for this term, I look forward to being a more active member and improving my leadership skills. I think all the members of Top of Texas will be great motivators to keep me on track to reach my goals. Everyone is incredibly encouraging and positive.

The end of January draws near and I can't wait to see what everyone brings to the table at the Top of Texas Toastmasters meetings for the year!

Lina Choun

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January 18th Meeting Review

It was cool Saturday morning when I got to the meeting place. But a cup of hot java compliments of Faith Pinto, and the warm camaraderie of my Toastmaster buds things soon warmed things up.

Despite having all seven of our officers out for training we still had 10 people including a couple of guests. We heard Kyle Meyer give his Ice Breaker speech and got to know about his family, his techie work with AT&T, and also some of his sports interests including sailboat adventures. 


Then we heard Regina Clay give a speech from the advanced Speaking to Inform manual. She reprised the group with interesting information about three of the areas sports teams: the Dallas Mavericks, the Texas Stars, and the Texas Rangers team which by the way has a museum in Arlington. 


Meanwhile our meeting Toastmaster host, Franco Hernandez, kept talking about chocolate every chance he got and at least one person was heard to chide him for not bringing some to the meeting. Not to be outdone, Dudley Mecum threw down a "chocolate gauntlet" for the Table Topics portion of the meeting which our guest Rey won. 


All in all it was a nice way to start the weekend!


Larry Nickerson, DTM

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Made To Be Broken

Surly you've all heard the saying “rules are made to be broken.” I believe the same holds true for New Year’s Resolutions. We are only a couple weeks into 2014 so many of you may have resolutions still intact and I hope you stay strong and prevail in the end—you hear the “BUT” coming don’t you—but let’s be real, your resolution will meet its ultimate fate of failure. No worries though because they are New Year’s Resolutions and they are made to be broken.

With an opening like that you might be surprised to hear that New Year’s Day is my favorite holiday. I love the New Year because it’s a time to wake up from sleep walking through life and get back on track. It’s a time to reflect on where you've been, evaluate where you are, and most importantly decide where you are going.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the daily grind of get up, go to work, go to practice, make dinner, do homework, go to bed, and wake up and do it all over again tomorrow. Embrace the New Year as a time to stop, or at least slow down, and take a good honest look at what you’re doing and where you’re going. Does your daily routine or your calendar match up with what you say you want? Are you letting other people (i.e., your boss) decide what’s most important. I don’t care if you lose 30 pounds or pay off your credit cards, worthy goals indeed, but use this New Year to reflect on the bigger questions and correct your course if you need to.

Marshall Lehr, CC, ALB

What A Fun Meeting!

What a fun meeting! I know I say that after every meeting but it is true. We had great laughs on Saturday. Dudley’s witty, dry humor had the audience laughing and enjoying his speech about his days training for his commercial pilot’s license. Lina gave a speech about the benefits of yoga, and I learned something new – yoga means the connection between one’s body, mind, and spirit. I always learn something during our meetings!

The theme for our meeting was Winter Olympics. Members got a primer on the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympic games in Sochi, Russia, and some fun facts about past winter Olympics. Did you know that the U.S. has never medaled in the Biathlon? The Biathlon is a tough sport – it combines the adrenaline rush of cross-country skiing with the concentrated calmness of target shooting. Skiing and shooting – that’s one tough combination. On the other hand, Germany dominates the sport with the most medals – shout out Susanne!

We are very excited to welcome back Marshall to our group! After a brief leave, Marshall is back officially. Marshall can’t wait to get back to speaking, and we look forward to his speeches. Coy also returned for a second visit… we are too much fun to stay away from!

Ana Ortega, CC, ALB

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Top of Texas Open House - January 25, 2014

I Haven't Broken Any Resolutions Yet!

It’s one week into the New Year and I haven’t broken any resolutions yet!

Now I’ll admit that I haven’t actually made any yet, so that doesn't sound so impressive. One resolution I've made often is to read all of Shakespeare’s plays in one year. I haven’t succeeded yet, but nevertheless I try every year. I’m going to need all 12 months because there are 37 plays!

Other resolutions don’t need as much time. In May of 1989 I resolved to quit smoking, and in about six weeks I ended a 20-year, pack-a-day habit. I believe that being mentally ready and planning a strategy were crucial to my success. I also enlisted a support group of friends.

I could probably plan a strategy and get Shakespeare knocked out in 2014. But then I wouldn't be putting it on my list for 2015, and I rather enjoy telling people that’s my resolution.

Kicking the smoking habit was different. Every time I failed to keep that resolution I damaged my health and shortened my life. When I finally made the decision that this was something that I wanted to do for myself, that put me in the right place mentally so that I could succeed.

If you’ve made an important resolution for the New Year, especially one that involves being a better communicator or leader, put yourself in the right place, plan your strategy and call on your friends. Top of Texas has all that you need to succeed. 

Jodie Sanders, DTM

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First Meeting of the New Year

It was an awesome beginning to 2014 with another great meeting at Top of Texas. Our theme for the meeting was Winter Activities in Texas. We learned about winter golf, bowling, and ice skating opportunities in our area.  We always have fun at our meetings. I love beginning my Saturday mornings with friends and laughter!

We welcomed two guests to our first meeting of the new year and they both delivered wonderful answers during our impromptu portion of our meeting. Coy was most entertaining with his list of the top three most important items to have on hand during an ice or snow storm.

Join us next Saturday morning at 9:00 and start your weekend off right!

Post by Cindy Hinckley, DTM

Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk via Compfight cc

Have you made a New Year's resolution?

Post by Susanne Nickerson

Oh, how I cringe when I hear that question. It just reminds me of all the things I wanted to accomplish, but failed. Loosing weight is always on top of the list. Getting healthy a close second. Spending more time with family and friends and on and on. But then life happens. And another year passes by and the same resolutions are being made and broken within a few days. 

Why not make new resolutions more often then just once a year? 

Why not learn something new throughout the year? 

Almost every time while I attend Top of Texas Toastmaster meeting I get inspired to improve myself. I spend time with my friends who share their struggles and accomplishments. Sometimes their hobbies give me insights and ideas to try something new. I hope you can come and join me Saturday at 9 am. Let's start the new year together.


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