Friday, February 26, 2010

Create Your Garden

Greetings Happy People,

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “garden?”

Do you picture beautiful flowers? Do you picture ripe fruits, yummy vegetables, and crops of grain? If you do, then you can imagine the splendor.

It takes a lot to grow a garden. First you till the soil and plant the seeds. Next you add water and sunlight on a daily basis. For a period of time, you notice the budding of your plants. In no time, you have your own beautiful garden!! But you do not stop once it blooms. You have to maintain your garden by adding more water and protecting it from weeds, bugs, and furry little gophers. Maintenance is essential in establishing your garden. Without it, your crops will decay in days.

Now take this analogy with whatever you are doing in your lives. In order to be a success, you must not only grow your garden, but maintain it!! Whether it is school, work, or career related, everyone needs to take these steps in order to blossom.

For example, a federal inspection happens at my workplace every two years. To prepare for the inspection, I would read various test methods, practice, and perform them to my best ability. Also it does not hurt to have a “PLAN B” in case something goes awry. Last November, I did these things and got good results from the inspection!! On the other hand, another co-worker talked a good game but never did anything to prepare. Hence, she had a rough time performing her tests when the feds inspected her laboratory. My actions produced success while her talk produced nothing.

Another example I have involved the organization I am currently involved in – Toastmasters International. When it comes to preparing for dues renewals, I would give an appropriate amount of time for my clubs to prepare for the cycle. Without inundating the clubs and members, I would remind them about the dues renewals and surely they will be prepared for it. If a club missed paying their dues, they can lose their charter.

It does not matter what you do or who you want to be, everyone needs to grow and maintain their own garden to become a full blown success. Think of all the successful people you know. They did not get by on good looks and great talk. Instead, they followed the process of creating their gardens. You too can create your own garden!! All you have to do is go from the beginning process to the end results. Who knows!! Someone might look at your garden and be amazed!!

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention!!

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Double Whammy

Greetings Happy People,

Have you had one of those “double whammy” days?

Just when you are dealing with one situation, another one would arise. That is what happened to me today.

Earlier today, I was at Centennial Hills Hospital. My dad was going in for a minor surgery. This was something diabetes related. It was not his first visit to a hospital. You can say that it is his second home. The kind of home he hates to be in. Then again, who does? Within the past 13 years, he has been in and out of different hospitals. From minor surgeries to heart attacks, he went through a lot. Although any surgery must be taken seriously, today seemed simple. But you can never tell because diabetes can be a real monster.

After this round of surgery, I knew that I was unable to participate at that night’s Toastmaster meeting. I was getting ready to transfer some of the things to my fellow members when I got a call from my mother. She told me that my little sister’s car was broken into. With no haste, I drove to the casino parking lot where this happened. When I met my little sister at the casino, we both went to her car. Shattered glass was near the passenger door and a hole was busted through the window. It looked like somebody used a bat. When I looked inside the car, I noticed everything was swiped. Calls were made, reports were taken, and other things were done in a situation like this. Fortunately, the car was still drivable. And more fortunately, my little sister was not hurt.

At the time we took the car home, my dad was getting out of the hospital. Thankfully, he made it through this round of surgery.

After going through this type of “double whammy,” I am grateful for the people I have in my life. Those people that made it through these moments, and those that sent their thoughts, prayers, and well wishes.

These two tense situations could have been a lot worse. Yes, my little sister was not happy that her things got swiped. But the one thing that did not get swiped was her life. A cell phone, a laptop, and other materials can be replaced – a life is irreplaceable!! Knowing that, I think the Oakley household can sleep well tonight.

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Las Vegas Toastmasters - Division D Governor History

Greetings Happy People,

For my latest post, I will share with you the names of the past people that served as Division D Governors for the clubs in Las Vegas Toastmasters. Some of these people went on to become District Governors. One became an International Director.
Others achieved success in a wide variety of careers!!

DIVISION D GOVERNOR HISTORY
From 1979 to present

2010-2011 ???
2009-2010 Narayanan Doraswamy DTM
2008-2009 Jesse Oakley III DTM
2007-2008 Pam Wilson DTM
2006-2007 Sherrie Parker DTM,DG
2005-2006 Patricia Townsend-Martin DTM
2004-2005 Phyllis Tribby DTM
2003-2004 Garry Knight ATMS,CL
2002-2003 Cheryl Baker DTM
2001-2002 Mark Zachman DTM
2000-2001 Bethanie Gist DTM
1999-2000 Damencele DiPasqua DTM
1998-1999 Maria Martinez-Riach DTM,PDG
1997-1998 Gayle Brown Fox DTM
1996-1997 Kay Collis DTM,PDG
1995-1996 D. George Lund DTM,PDG
1994-1995 Gail Patterson DTM,PDG
1993-1994 Aggie Knoblock DTM
1992-1993 Terri Williams DTM
1991-1992 Mike Leviant DTM
1990-1991 Jean Poyet DTM
1989-1990 Melanie Dobosh DTM
1988-1989 Shorty Williams DTM,PDG
1987-1988 Bob Waters DTM
1986-1987 Bobby Williams DTM,PDG
1984-1985 Frank Poyet DTM,PID
1983-1984 Nile Jones DTM
1982-1983 Judy Clinton DTM
1981-1982 Mike Wilson DTM,PDG
1980-1981 Earle White DTM
1979-1980 Roy Walker DTM

Who's name will be next as the Division D Governor? Who will be the next person to leave their leadership legacy? One can only know.

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Beaver or Rebel?

Greetings Happy People,

Several years ago, a star running back from Eldorado High School made a decision. He made a decision that played an important role in his life. He had two choices on where he wants to play college football. One choice was the local school - UNLV. The other choice was Oregon State. After contacting the two schools, he decided to play for Oregon State.

That single decision sparked his football career. In his three years at Oregon State, he rushed for 3,625 yards, scored 39 touchdowns, and had 680 yards that led to 6 touchdowns. The most memorable game he played for Oregon State ironically took place in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Bowl. There he scored five touchdowns against the University of New Mexico and was named the MVP of that bowl game.

That attention led him to the 2004 NFL Draft. He was about to picked in the 1st Round of the Draft. With great anticipation, he finally heard this announcement from the stage.

“With the 24th selection in the 2004 NFL Draft, St. Louis selects Steven Jackson – running back from Oregon State!!”

His family cheered. Steven was thrilled. All those years in high school and college FINALLY propelled him to the NFL. When he got to St. Louis, he did not disappoint the fans!! While playing for St. Louis, he rushed for 6,562 yards, scored 41 rushing touchdowns, and was selected to the Pro-Bowl twice!! When his career ends, he will become a future Hall of Famer.

Let’s go back to the decision he made. He had a choice to go to UNLV or Oregon State. Why did he pick Oregon State? The answer was in the recruiting process. While Oregon State sent a recruiter to his home to talk about the football program, UNLV just sent a letter to him. The personal touch Oregon State gave allowed Steven to become a Beaver instead of a Rebel. What if UNLV put more effort into recruiting Mr. Jackson? He would have played for the Rebels. The effort also showed in the two football programs. Since 2002, Oregon State appeared in 7 bowl games while UNLV appeared in 0 bowl games.

Whether it is in sports, business, or organizations, good quality service does matter. With good service, word will pass rapidly and lead to great success. With bad service, word will also pass rapidly and lead to dismal success. It is always good to put in a best effort because you never know how far it will go. Heck, it may take YOU to Hall of Fame success!!

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Monday, February 1, 2010

Success through Synergy

Greetings Happy People,

Have you ever run into a brick wall?

If you are, then you are not alone. When it comes to reaching goals, successful people ran into many brick walls. They also found various ways to overcome it. One of which is through the synergy approach. What is this approach and how can it be done? To give an understanding how it works, let me share with you the following story.

Last weekend, I went to a District 33 Toastmasters Executive Council Meeting in Pismo Beach, California. The featured speaker was Advanced Communicator Silver and Accredited Speaker Terry Mayfield. He had all of us do a simple exercise based on synergy approach. How simple is it? It’s so simple that you can try this out for yourself.

First, Terry had all of us individually write any type of vehicle that begins with the letter S. This had to be done within 45 seconds. Once the time expired, he had us compare our individual results with our neighbors. I wrote 10 vehicles down while my neighbor wrote an extra four that I did not write. This combined our list to 14!! Now, he had us shout out the vehicles that no one mentioned on their group list. When everyone finished shouting out their answers, the list grew to 51!! WOW!! That was so amazing, it deserves an instant replay!!

My list had 10 vehicles

The combined list between my neighbor and I had 14 vehicles

The combined list of the thirty people in the room had 51 vehicles!!

Are you starting to get the idea of this synergy approach? It was not only fun to do this exercise, but also mind-blowing!!

Successful people use the synergy approach to get goals accomplished. It can be used at work, in social groups, and with families. For this approach to REALLY work, you can also use this with other like-minded people in your community!! When this is done properly, you will be amazed by the results it brings!! Compared to individual methods, the synergy approach works better for everyone involved!!

So the next time you face a brick wall in your path, remember to use the synergy approach. It will not only help you get through your wall, but also help you get to your goals a lot quicker. Just give it a try and be amazed by the results!!

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention!!

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

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