Thresholds to Transformation

by David Barrett

Has your life ever been so tough that you couldn't even pick your head up? No matter how hard you try, it just won't lift up. This is an experience we have all had as infants. But as infants we are programmed to keep trying and trying through the frustration.  Eventually one day we lift and our head stays up; transformation, the world we see is now much larger.  Eventually this process repeats itself when we try to stand, over and over we get up and fall down, up and down…without ever making it; but one day we get a little higher, stumble, fortunately the ground was close, so we didn't have far to fall, but then one day success.  Seeing the world gave us the desire to move around, to crawl and walk, which brought similar frustrating but rewarding experiences.   These events transformed our lives and made the world even larger yet to see and explore!

David Barrett

Now imagine bringing our current worldly wisdom to our younger self to coach ourselves through this process of lifting our head, sitting up, crawling and walking.  Would you advise your younger self to not try because it is hard? Would you encourage yourself to wait till you understood better or had more experience? Would you give this advice to your children, or to anyone?  What advice are you giving yourself now? Does it contradict the answers you just gave to these questions?

Once when a fellow Toastmaster asked to postpone their speech, because they were not ready and fearful, I suggested they keep their scheduled time.  I offered for them to simply stand at the front of the room till their time was up, experience the fear, fall and learn to get up again.  They could read a book, tell a joke or simply explain how they feel at that moment.  It is these experiences that carry us across the thresholds in our lives.

Our world becomes larger at Toastmasters and we get better at speaking, listening, and thinking.
These are important skills for humans, as we are vulnerable to obstacles through distraction, reaction, fear, and emotion. In Toastmasters we create experiences that transform us to overcome these obstacles; we become more human with fulfilling and delightful lives.

It is important for us to stumble through this learning process so that we can grow and succeed.  This mimics our early lives as we went from a bundle of joy to a mobile toddler.  Our desire to have more fulfilling lives, understand others, influence and be influenced with appropriate discourse, gives us the courage to cross thresholds towards transformation.

Through these actions we create the events that transform our lives and provide us the platform for success.  Within Toastmasters we are dedicated to create a nurturing experience for you that guides you to that success; we are supportive, encouraging, helpful, nourishing, playful, and invested in your successes.

When my childhood friends picked sides for baseball, I was often the last one to be chosen. They said that while they liked me as a friend, no one would like me to be on their team if I couldn't hit the ball. So they gave me the Toastmasters experience. They devoted many hours to allowing me to practice hitting the ball. Many switched being the pitcher, but I just batted. My friends gave me constant encouragement and advice. I learned to hit the ball much better. Years later I played in the city baseball league. Guess who had the highest batting average in the entire city league. The Toastmasters experience was delivered to me by a bunch of fifth graders, and it helped me the rest of my life.

We all want you to succeed in a Toastmasters club, but know you may stumble and fall.  We will encourage you and give advice to help you with every step of your journey. We will cheer you across all the thresholds to your transformations.