Greetings happy people!!
Are you stuck in a one way path? Are you feeling like you just CAN’T go anywhere except for that one path? Are you one of those people that think that pushing a 4 ton boulder up a mountain is the only way to get things done? Well buddy, I have some good advice for you!!
Remember the following saying that I am about to give to all of you: “There is more than one way to skin a cat!!”
Yes as graphic as this metaphor would sound, that is a true statement. When one can realize the possibility of finding more that just one way to get to their goals, they can not only feel a sense of victory when they get there, but also have a great sense of accomplishment on the many paths traveled to get there.
Great leaders always realize that there is more than one path to get to their destination. Their key secret is in the intention.
Many of you out there are saying…”Huh??” What in the world does intention have to do with getting to your goals? Well, the intention is the spark plug that drives you to where you want to go!! It does not matter if it is by walking, running, jumping, and flying, moon walking, or digging to your destinations, once you have that intentional focus-NOTHING can really stop you!!
Go ahead, give it a try!! Do you have goals in your life that you want to accomplish -That promotion in your job? What about becoming the world’s greatest speaker? Heck, what about taking that dream vacation or hosting a great party with some cool friends? IT CAN BE DONE!! Just remember to keep your intentions on focus.
There will be times that the path you take will become a dead end. Just remember that if PLAN A doesn’t work, always have a PLAN B in your back pocket!! If PLAN B does not work, go for PLAN C in your shoe. Just how many “PLANs” must you have to get to your goal? Well, developing a plan is an easy as sitting down with a pen and pad and writing down as many options as you can to get to your goals. Some plans would make sense, some would be way too silly, some would be safe and simple, and some would be waaaay out of your league, while others would just lie in between. As soon as you write something down, you my friend would have a plan!!
Once your intentions and plans are set, now you would be able to get to where you want to go!! Just remember that some paths maybe smooth as silk, while others are as bumpy as one can take. But when you get to your destinations, it would all be worth it because you are able to get there.
And does this just end with one goal? OF COURSE NOT!! In life, we have many paths to take and many more roads to travel to get to where we want. Once you are done completing a goal, just remember that there is always one more goal to focus on. And with all this, the more experiences you have in your travels, to more you would be able to grow from them!! Always blaze your trails and never stop growing!! That is the ONLY way to go :o)
That is all I have for now, take care and thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
Jesse I-I-I
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Toastmasters - an awesome investment!!
Greetings happy people!!
Eighty five years ago in the basement of a YMCA in Santa Ana, California, a man by the name of Ralph Smedley started a club that was designed to help young men with their public speaking skills. They had a dinner-type setting where at the end of each presentation, they would toast their glasses to show that a good job was done. This was were they got the name "Toastmasters" from.
As the years passed by, more clubs like this started popping up all over the western part of the United States. It officially became Toastmasters International when a club opened up in British Columbia, Canada. From the idea of one man, there are now clubs in more than 90+ countries with nearly 300,000 members and over 12,000 clubs all over the world!! From California to Australia to even Iraq, you can walk into a Toastmasters meeting with that same welcoming spirit that was embodied back in 1924.
For the 2008-2009 year, I have served as the Division D Governor of this organization. That means that out of the 52 clubs in the Las Vegas Valley, I manageD 27 of them. From Nellis AFB to Summerlin, from Downtown Las Vegas to the Strip, from Henderson all the way down to Laughlin-Bullhead City, I can honestly say that of all the clubs I have been to in my Division, you can really meet some friendly people that are quite welcoming!!
My first experience with this organization started back in early Fall of 1995. I was a 19 year old Civil Engineering student attending UNLV. At the time, I had troubles speaking in front of people. I would stutter, stammer, say "Ah" a lot, and have thoughts in my head that were a rambling mess. My professor Herbert Wells recommended that I take a Speechcraft session sponsored by Toastmasters International. Speechcraft was a eight week course that allowed people to experience different roles within a Toastmasters meeting. From day one of that speechcraft session, I fell in love with that organization. Heck, I joined two more sessions before graduating with a B.S. degree in 1999.
During my time in college, I found it easy to give term presentations, and I was usually chosen to talk about different portions of my engineering projects. Without Speechcraft, I really would not know where I would have gone.
Three years later in 2002, I rejoined Toastmasters by way of Starmasters Toastmasters. Back then they met at the YMCA on Meadows Lane and Valley View. It was then when my passion for public speaking was rekindled!! I got a chance to improve on my public speaking skills and take on a leadership roles!! That was where I held my first club officer position of Secretary.
From that leadership role, I never looked back as I took on more leadership positions. I became a VP Membership, VP Education, and then up to President!! In the Spring of 2005, I decided that I want to spread my leadership expertise by serving as an Area Governor. In order for everyone to understand, an Area Governor manages at least 4-5 clubs within a Division. I served as an Area Governor to four awesome clubs:
New Life Trailblazers (a church club),
Starmasters (my home club),
To Your Health (a club that meets at the Southern Nevada Health District), and
Vocal Vegans (a club that meets at the Clark County Government Center).
While each of these clubs have their own different flavor, they all have the same friendly people and demonstrated the spirit that Ralph Smedley embellished when he started this organization.
I have served as an Area Governor to these four clubs for two consecutive years: 2005-2006 (with Distinguished honors) and 2006-2007 (with Select Distinguished honors). Serving as an Area Governor allowed me to meet with different people outside of my club and establish a great friendship bond that will last for a very long time.
Serving as a Division Governor for the 2008-2009 year, I helped the Division become President's Distinguished (the highest honor any Division can get worldwide)!!
Another benefit of joining Toastmasters are the contests. Here in District 33 Toastmasters (which covers the different clubs in southern Nevada and central California), they have two different contest seasons: the Fall Contest season (Evaluation and Humorous Speech Contest) and the Spring Contest season (Tall Tales and International Speech Contest). While the Evaluation, Humorous, and Tall Tales Contest would reach up to District level competition, the International Speech contest would go all the way up to the International level competition - known as the World Championship of Public Speaking. While I personally have not gotten that high up the level, I have been to this type of competition before in Phoenix, Arizona to see my good friend Bryant Pergerson compete as one of the 10 finalists from all over the world. He did a fantastic job and I like many Las Vegas Toastmasters was proud of him that he made it to this level!! That really put a smile to my face.
As for my own competition repetoire, I only manage to get as high as the Division level back in 2004 - which was still pretty good. I had the chance of competing against some great speakers: Colin, Cheryl, Linda, and Ralph. Eventhough I did not win this contest, I felt that I won a lot of people's respect. It was a great experience and that is something that I will truly cherish for as long as I live.
As you can tell by my own personal experiences, joining Toastmasters would be a great investment. Not only for those that would like to improve their public speaking and leadership skills, but for also creating new friends...travelling to different places, and just having a fantastic time at each meeting. For me, it has and always will be a privilege to join an organization like this. If anyone would like to know more about Toastmasters, please check out the website at http://www.toastmasters.org/
It would be one privileged investment to take part of. Once you get started, remember to learn as much as you can, enjoy the ride, and just have fun with the experiences!!
That is all I have for now. Thank you for your time and attention!!
Sincerely,
Jesse Oakley I-I-I, DTM
Eighty five years ago in the basement of a YMCA in Santa Ana, California, a man by the name of Ralph Smedley started a club that was designed to help young men with their public speaking skills. They had a dinner-type setting where at the end of each presentation, they would toast their glasses to show that a good job was done. This was were they got the name "Toastmasters" from.
As the years passed by, more clubs like this started popping up all over the western part of the United States. It officially became Toastmasters International when a club opened up in British Columbia, Canada. From the idea of one man, there are now clubs in more than 90+ countries with nearly 300,000 members and over 12,000 clubs all over the world!! From California to Australia to even Iraq, you can walk into a Toastmasters meeting with that same welcoming spirit that was embodied back in 1924.
For the 2008-2009 year, I have served as the Division D Governor of this organization. That means that out of the 52 clubs in the Las Vegas Valley, I manageD 27 of them. From Nellis AFB to Summerlin, from Downtown Las Vegas to the Strip, from Henderson all the way down to Laughlin-Bullhead City, I can honestly say that of all the clubs I have been to in my Division, you can really meet some friendly people that are quite welcoming!!
My first experience with this organization started back in early Fall of 1995. I was a 19 year old Civil Engineering student attending UNLV. At the time, I had troubles speaking in front of people. I would stutter, stammer, say "Ah" a lot, and have thoughts in my head that were a rambling mess. My professor Herbert Wells recommended that I take a Speechcraft session sponsored by Toastmasters International. Speechcraft was a eight week course that allowed people to experience different roles within a Toastmasters meeting. From day one of that speechcraft session, I fell in love with that organization. Heck, I joined two more sessions before graduating with a B.S. degree in 1999.
During my time in college, I found it easy to give term presentations, and I was usually chosen to talk about different portions of my engineering projects. Without Speechcraft, I really would not know where I would have gone.
Three years later in 2002, I rejoined Toastmasters by way of Starmasters Toastmasters. Back then they met at the YMCA on Meadows Lane and Valley View. It was then when my passion for public speaking was rekindled!! I got a chance to improve on my public speaking skills and take on a leadership roles!! That was where I held my first club officer position of Secretary.
From that leadership role, I never looked back as I took on more leadership positions. I became a VP Membership, VP Education, and then up to President!! In the Spring of 2005, I decided that I want to spread my leadership expertise by serving as an Area Governor. In order for everyone to understand, an Area Governor manages at least 4-5 clubs within a Division. I served as an Area Governor to four awesome clubs:
New Life Trailblazers (a church club),
Starmasters (my home club),
To Your Health (a club that meets at the Southern Nevada Health District), and
Vocal Vegans (a club that meets at the Clark County Government Center).
While each of these clubs have their own different flavor, they all have the same friendly people and demonstrated the spirit that Ralph Smedley embellished when he started this organization.
I have served as an Area Governor to these four clubs for two consecutive years: 2005-2006 (with Distinguished honors) and 2006-2007 (with Select Distinguished honors). Serving as an Area Governor allowed me to meet with different people outside of my club and establish a great friendship bond that will last for a very long time.
Serving as a Division Governor for the 2008-2009 year, I helped the Division become President's Distinguished (the highest honor any Division can get worldwide)!!
Another benefit of joining Toastmasters are the contests. Here in District 33 Toastmasters (which covers the different clubs in southern Nevada and central California), they have two different contest seasons: the Fall Contest season (Evaluation and Humorous Speech Contest) and the Spring Contest season (Tall Tales and International Speech Contest). While the Evaluation, Humorous, and Tall Tales Contest would reach up to District level competition, the International Speech contest would go all the way up to the International level competition - known as the World Championship of Public Speaking. While I personally have not gotten that high up the level, I have been to this type of competition before in Phoenix, Arizona to see my good friend Bryant Pergerson compete as one of the 10 finalists from all over the world. He did a fantastic job and I like many Las Vegas Toastmasters was proud of him that he made it to this level!! That really put a smile to my face.
As for my own competition repetoire, I only manage to get as high as the Division level back in 2004 - which was still pretty good. I had the chance of competing against some great speakers: Colin, Cheryl, Linda, and Ralph. Eventhough I did not win this contest, I felt that I won a lot of people's respect. It was a great experience and that is something that I will truly cherish for as long as I live.
As you can tell by my own personal experiences, joining Toastmasters would be a great investment. Not only for those that would like to improve their public speaking and leadership skills, but for also creating new friends...travelling to different places, and just having a fantastic time at each meeting. For me, it has and always will be a privilege to join an organization like this. If anyone would like to know more about Toastmasters, please check out the website at http://www.toastmasters.org/
It would be one privileged investment to take part of. Once you get started, remember to learn as much as you can, enjoy the ride, and just have fun with the experiences!!
That is all I have for now. Thank you for your time and attention!!
Sincerely,
Jesse Oakley I-I-I, DTM
Monday, May 25, 2009
You are your own GIANT!!
Hello happy people!!
It does not matter if you are 7'4" and weigh 360 lbs.
It does not matter if you are even 4'11 and weigh 105 lbs.
Just remember that you are your own GIANT!!
In today's time, we can truly measure ourselves by our own physical height and weight. But the key thing is how big are we mentally and spiritually. Just because we are of a certain size does not mean that we have to match that physical limitation with our thinking process.
We all can be giants once we choose to think, feel, do, and dream BIG!! This mammoth discovery can be found in yourselves!! How high are you willing to grow within your expectations? How long are you willing to reach? How far are you willing to go?
The answers to these questions are as simple as looking at the person in the mirror. All you have to do is just start taking those first steps in order to grow as big as you want.
Remember....You are your own person, you are your own visionary, you are your own GIANT!!
Jesse I-I-I
It does not matter if you are 7'4" and weigh 360 lbs.
It does not matter if you are even 4'11 and weigh 105 lbs.
Just remember that you are your own GIANT!!
In today's time, we can truly measure ourselves by our own physical height and weight. But the key thing is how big are we mentally and spiritually. Just because we are of a certain size does not mean that we have to match that physical limitation with our thinking process.
We all can be giants once we choose to think, feel, do, and dream BIG!! This mammoth discovery can be found in yourselves!! How high are you willing to grow within your expectations? How long are you willing to reach? How far are you willing to go?
The answers to these questions are as simple as looking at the person in the mirror. All you have to do is just start taking those first steps in order to grow as big as you want.
Remember....You are your own person, you are your own visionary, you are your own GIANT!!
Jesse I-I-I
Welcome to my blog site!!
Hello all you happy people!!
I welcome each and everyone of you to my brand new bloggging site!! This will be all about the positively mental world surrounding all of us!! Some of the things I would put here can be inspiring, amazing, and just may have your brain buzzing!!
Be sure to check in on the latest messages and thoughts that may come to mind. I promise you that this will be a voyage that you won't forget!!
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions on anything I post on this site, please feel free to make it known!! I won't be that far away!!
Until then, take care and have a nice day!!
Sincerely,
Jesse Oakley I-I-I
I welcome each and everyone of you to my brand new bloggging site!! This will be all about the positively mental world surrounding all of us!! Some of the things I would put here can be inspiring, amazing, and just may have your brain buzzing!!
Be sure to check in on the latest messages and thoughts that may come to mind. I promise you that this will be a voyage that you won't forget!!
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions on anything I post on this site, please feel free to make it known!! I won't be that far away!!
Until then, take care and have a nice day!!
Sincerely,
Jesse Oakley I-I-I
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)