Measure your progress towards achieving your goals.

By Andy Paultanis

Many toastmasters clubs have themes for their fiscal year of which ours run from July 1^st through June 30^th.

In the 2012-2013 year, we had a great club theme of “No action, no results, it’s just that simple.” It was a challenge to our members and guests to initiate  real action to turn dreams and hopes into tangible goals whether it involved toastmasters or issues in our professional or personal lives.

Trying to select a theme for the 2013-2014 was a challenge although it only seemed natural that once we were motivated to do something, began some action, then to achieve our goals we need to measure our progress. Our theme this year is a quote from the motivational speaker, Jerry Bruckner:

“ Measure your progress towards achieving your goals.”

One of my personal goals is to develop and practice my writing skills.  One of my great passions is Katy Toastmasters and there is a great deal to write about the activities of the club.  I am amazed week after week with speeches given by members regardless of their public speaking experience or backgrounds.  Many speeches are emotionally moving, interesting, informative and humorous.  There is little doubt many individuals have done significant research, soul searching and have written, re-written, then re-re-written their speeches. They continually practice the delivery of their speeches.

 

One of my greatest disappointments in Toastmasters are speeches that I have missed because I was unable to attend a meeting.

I am so impressed with so many of the speeches, I hope that many of the speakers will give us permission and allow us to post their written speeches on this blog so members who (for reasons beyond their control) miss a meeting will not miss out on the content of a speech. Unfortunately  they will miss out the public speaking delivery of the speech, table topics and the all important evaluations.  

We hope this blog can be a medium for sharing important, creative and sometimes just fun speeches with members, family, friends, colleagues and potential guests.  We also want to share concepts and ideas involving toastmasters and public speaking in general.

We realize what goes on the Internet, stays on the Internet. It’s understandable some speeches are too personal to be posted on the Internet.

One of my goals in the 2013-2014 toastmaster club year is to post to this blog at least once a week in an effort to share some of the “magic” that occurs at Katy Toastmasters each week. 

 

We’ll measure my progress in achieving this goal.