Thoughts From Our District Governor (April 2013) — Are You Growing...?

by Dennis E. Wooldridge, DTM, District 84 Governor

Dennis Wooldridge, DTM

Growing up, most of the kids I knew had fathers who worked blue collar jobs. My Dad was a millwright in the Ford Motor Company plant in Hazelwood, Missouri. Millwrights are the people who install, dismantle, repair, reassemble, and move machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. He worked very hard for a living, and thanks to the unions to which he belonged, it was a very good living. We weren’t rich, but we really didn’t lack for anything either. I remember talking to my Dad in his later years about looking back, what he would have done differently. “Not much,” he replied, “although I would have liked to have had more education so I could communicate better. I might have gone further in my job if I did.” He used to say they had to burn down the schoolhouse to get him out of the third grade. Now, considering he was the son of a sharecropper, I think he did quite well. A tour in the South Pacific during WWII, a career at a job he enjoyed culminating into a very comfortable retirement. However, I think his assessment was probably correct.

The ability to communicate effectively is the most important skill we can have. I see so many new people coming into my Toastmasters clubs who want to be better at expressing themselves, better at describing their ideas, their goals, and their dreams. I see what Toastmasters can do in those lives and I know they have made the right decision by becoming a part of their club. After a few speeches they are generally not great orators, but the improvements are impressive... often nothing short of miraculous. This program we have joined works, if you work it. Funny how that can be said of so many things, isn’t it? I often think of this quote: “We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started.” I think Henry Ward Beecher was a Toastmaster at heart. We should never judge our members by where they are, but by the distance they have come in their Toastmasters journey. For many, especially if they are working the program, that distance from where they were to where they are is great indeed.

I am so proud to be a part of the journey of my fellow Toastmasters, watching them grow week to week, month to month. After all it’s all about personal growth. T. Harv Ecker was spot on when he said. “Isn’t it interesting how a plant seems like it’s either growing or dying? Just like a plant, you’re either growing or dying as well.” May I ask of you, are you growing or dying? It’s either one or the other. There is no middle ground. Toastmasters is the best way I know to stay engaged in growth. Like I always say, it’s a perfect way to ensure that you are more tomorrow than you are today. Are you making sure that you are growing, become more each day?

Have you paid your dues for the current period? You have until April 10th. If not, do you really want to give up the growth that is possible by working the Toastmaster program? Where else is there a program with such growth potential—all for less than the cost of a daily cup of coffee? Do you know others that could be growing, but are slowly dying in their professional or personal lives? Why not reach out and invite them to a meeting? Share what the program has done for you. Invite them to experience a meeting. Invite them to join. What better gift to give to a family member, friend or co-worker than an introduction into a program that really can cause growth, personally and professionally? Right now, Toastmasters is running the 1 + 1 Campaign. Check it out here on the District 84 website. It’s an easy and great way to help yourself, a friend and your club. Don’t wait. If you haven’t renewed, do so. If you haven’t invited a friend, do so. Don’t wait. Do it now. As Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Let Toastmasters be the wind in your sails as you explore, dream and discover just how far you can travel on your journey of personal and professional growth.

Until next time...

Dennis E. Wooldridge
District 84 Governor