Fellow Toastmasters, it has often been said that we stand on the shoulders of those who’ve gone before us. While we could apply that to any arena of life, for the next few moments, I would like to apply that to our Toastmaster’s journey. There are those who have gone before us as club officers, area directors, division directors, and other district leaders that have been exemplary leaders. They modeled what it was to have a desire to make a difference. They modeled what it was to have a vision and commit themselves to that vision. They also modeled what it was to exemplify resilience when at times it would’ve been much easier to give up. It was their dedication that often resulted in great sacrifice of their time, their talents and their energy that paved a way for us to stand in the places that we stand today. It is for those reasons and more that we owe them a debt of gratitude. 

It is a tremendous honor to stand in the places that we stand today. It is also very humbling because we have a responsibility to steward well what has been entrusted to us, and not just to steward it well, but look for ways to take it to the next level.

During the last couple years, I believe we have done that. We have modeled what it is to be individuals who want to make a difference. Individuals who have a vision to take things to the next level, to commit ourselves to that vision and demonstrate personal sacrifice of our time, our talents, and our energy. I tell you each and every one of those sacrifices are greatly appreciated. Most of all, though, we have modeled resilience. There have been many times in the last couple years, it would’ve been much easier to just give up, to say, “I’m done.”  Instead, we stayed the course, and that has made a difference and that has enabled this year to be a pivot year. A year transitioning from a very difficult place to exploring opportunities, such as hybrid, getting back in person, learning new skills, and a variety of other ways to reimagine Toastmasters in a new light, which in turn is setting the stage for an amazing future.

Now, as we’re approaching the six-week mark to the end of this Toastmaster year, it would be very easy just to give up and say, “I’m tired.” I can relate to those feelings, and yet, I know that now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to give a full court press, to do our personal best, to exemplify our leadership in a way that we haven’t exemplified it before, to continue demonstrating what it is to be an individual who wants to make a difference, who has a vision to take Toastmasters to the next level, to model what it is to lead and most of all, that resilience that causes us to press through and see results that we wouldn’t see otherwise.

I encourage you, whatever your goals were for this year, keep pressing on.

Was there a development goal? Was there an education goal you were trying to achieve? I encourage you to do what it takes to finish that goal. I know for me, I’m finishing another DTM that I will complete by the end of the year. Whatever your goal is, I encourage you to take the steps necessary to complete that goal. You are worth that investment. What are your club goals? Is it to be Distinguished, Select Distinguished, or even President’s Distinguished? There’s still time to do that. You can finish those education awards. You can hold those open houses. You can recruit more members. So, I encourage you to gather those membership applications, gather those membership dues, and before you know it, we will be able to enter them. Our diligent efforts will result in some beautiful surprises on the dashboard. I believe that if all of us will do our personal best, our clubs, our areas, our division and District 6 as a whole will be able to finish stronger than we could ever imagine. I invite you on this journey with me to finish the year strong. Do your personal best. Let your club be its best this year so that we can set the stage for an even more amazing year next year. I encourage you to take that journey.

The BEST is Yet Ahead!

Committed to Your Success,
Colleen Marie Kelly, DTM