ReneM’s Speech (Edited Version)

One Toastmaster's Journey

Two roads diverged in a roadAnd sorry I cannot travel bothAnd be one traveler lay I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it part in the undergrowth;

And took the other as just as fair,And hoping perhaps the better claim....    And took the road less traveled by... And it made all the difference…. By: Robert Frost

The Road Not TakenBy Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

The paths roads in the woods are metaphors for one’s pathways through life. When we choose one option, We are constantly making choices: what course and job to take, what education and which career to pursue; what which company to work for; which friends to keep; whom to marry; what activities to do engage in; and countless other decisions. In making decision after decision, we open up possibilities in our lives; however, we also shut off other possibilities. Every choice is both a gain and a loss. The poem is about choices and the choice of the poet is the road less traveled.

Madam Toastmaster, Fellow toastmasters, distinguished guests, good evening!

Have you ever wondered why we all take embrace the pain of coming here at 5:30 PM every other Thursday? Why don't we just go home and spend an early afternoon quality time with our family.families? Or why don't we just go to a bar, drink, relax and go with the flow? Who knows; anything might happen from there. We are all here because we are taking the route of choosing to take the road less traveled.

Now, let me share with you one of my experiences with the resources I have discovered within myself by following the toastmaster’s road; the road less traveled. my toastmaster's journey. Like any The ordinary traveler’s we need needs are simple: a flashlight, a sleeping bag, food and water to survive the journey.

But, with However, for the toastmaster's journey we need more sublime resources: 

A Passion to Achieve.Both Discipline and Hard Work.And a Commitment to Learning.

Enjoy the journey; have fun; and prepare for an attitude adjustment.

The first thing resource we need to bring along on the journey of to Toastmaster's success is a burning desire to achieve. Only when we have the passion to achieve that we can we move mountains and do the unbelievable. I delivered my 1st speech on November 11, 2011. On that day, I said to myself that I have to finish my tenth speech on in September 2012, as a birthday gift to myself. It is said that we should only compete with ourselves, because if we compete with others, we will only be frustrated to find out become frustrated in discovering that there are so many more people others who are better than we are. A great saying that supports this thesis is: "Some succeed because they are destined to; most succeed because they are determined to."

The next attitude second resource to bring along on the Toastmaster’s journey is discipline and hard work. The popular saying "No pain, no gain” is correct. We should set a schedule when both to deliver the speeches based on specified in the Competent Communicator manual, and to accomplish the tasks we would like to

complete for along the Competent Leadership track. Similar to project management, a plan is necessary to work towards our goal to accomplish our CC and CL goals. Give yourself time to yourself to research and develop the topic and body of your speech. Good speakers stick to what they know. Speak about something you know by which is close to your heart. Yes, it takes time and energy to prepare a speech, but believe me, once the audience claps, you rejoice in the feeling; everything else is gone. The higher the pain, the higher the gain. There is no substitute for hard work. I am giving up 4 hours of my hourly job to attend a TM meeting.

The third resource to bring along on the Toastmaster’s journey is that we should possess the mind of a child, so we can commit ourselves to learning. A child's mind is eager to learn many things and embraces anything new. Enhance your speaking skills by being open to learn learning from everyone. There will always be a room for improvement. Accept the constructive criticisms from the evaluators and take note of areas of for improvement.

Before joining Toastmasters, I had only a few experiences in public speaking. Once, I had spoken spoke to engineering graduates in one of the universities at a university back home to inspire them to take their licensure examination and start a career. However, I paid a speechwriter to prepare my speech. I had given On behalf of my department, at times I made presentations and facilitated training programs. as well. However, each time I spoke, I felt inadequate, and know that I am knowing that I lacked lacking in experience and confidence, and certain that the audience could tell. Upon arriving here on 2009, I enrolled in the Training and Development Course at U of T. I was hesitant to speak during discussion periods and never said a word for a few meetings because I was afraid to speak. I fear feared that my classmates will would laugh at me because of my diction, accent or wrong improper grammar.

Lastly, enjoy the journey and have fun! There is a wise saying that says that "Success is a journey, not the destination.” Climb slowly; steadily; and surely; enjoying each passing moment. People rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it. Take time to laugh. enjoy every opportunity you take part in the toastmasters meeting. 

Take time to enjoy the smiles painted at on the faces from of our fellow toastmasters after every speech.Take time to enjoy the generous claps applause, the special attention, and the inspiring messages written on the evaluation sheets.

Joining toastmaster is really having fun!  Aside from gaining friends that may have the potential to last a long time, it is a great opportunity as well to share our stories without fear of being ridiculed, laugh at or judged. It provides an environment of acceptance and a culture of mutual respect and appreciation.

I still have the accent, I still commit wrong grammar and wrong pronunciation of words, but I am now more confident to speak. I can prepare a speech now and not afraid to open

my mouth in a group conversation. My self esteem went up a few notches, my facilitation and project management knowledge enhanced as well.

My Fellow Toastmasters, may you be intoxicated with desire by the smiles coming from your fellow toastmasters after every speech you deliver,May you be addicted by the generous claps that will inspire you responses from your fellow toastmasters so that you are inspired to write the next speech, after your speech and write again the next speech and then the next speech after that.May you be hypnotized by the power of the words written on the evaluation sheets that will empower you to complete your CC and CL.?

I was! You can! There is no reason you can't. inspired by you, my fellow toastmasters, and thank you for the road that you have taken me along.

We all took the road less traveled. We all would like to make a difference in our lives!