The President's Club

"The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway" Henry Boye

Well, one thing I can say about Toastmasters is that it is helping me learn how to TRAVEL and there is a LOT to know about TRAVELING!! Beginning with learning about my own little state of Massachusetts and finding cities and towns that I have never even heard of! But I am not only learning how to read a map or following connecting routes on the automobile road, in addition I am also learning how to travel on airplanes taking trips outside of my own state.

There are many things to consider when you are going to travel. Let’s begin with booking the flight. HMMM – so far I think the price is what I consider when flying. I had a flight booked with Continental Airlines leaving this morning August 8, 2008 at 7:00AM flight to Houston Texas and a connecting flight from Houston to Calgary for 11:00 am.

Now just because I have this flight booked and paid for does NOT absolutely guarantee that I will board the flight, land and connect at those times. OUCH ! not again – My flight to Houston was delayed an hour due to the rain. I left Logan International in Boston at about 8:45 AM landed in Houston at 11: 25 am and my connecting flight had already departed! GREAT - soooo the next connecting flight wasn;t leaving until 6:00PM which means I may (or may not depending on what happens) get into Calgary at about 10:00PM – west coast time.

What do YOU do when your flight is delayed for – in my case six hours? Or What if YOUR flight is cancelled?

Well this is what I did – I called the 2007 WCPS, Vikas Jhingran who now lives here in Houston on the chance that he would be able to show me the sites. Although he was at work – we spent a few minutes catching up – which was great – he shares he and Anjali are looking into buying a house and welcomed me to stay some time (SURE WILL). He said he created a CD of his three winning speeches and would like to bring them to the Toastmasters International Convention to SELL (WAY TO GO!!) and he asked me my advice about how to sell at the back of the room! (He asked me! Friends I haven’t sold any products yet – but this IS something I will be focusing on this year – just like completing my www.findyourplatform.com website). I suggested that he connect with Darren LaCroix and I also promised to ask his question at the Get Paid to Speak Champ Camp I am attending this weekend in Calgary.

The next thing I did was ask an airline staff about the “business center” so I could use the wireless and catch up on the MANY emails that I accumulate during the day. She was very pleasant and said – "OH that can be expensive – why don’t you do what I see many others do – go to the President’s Club". I said, "President’s Club? What is that" ? She said, "It is a private members only club – but that I could sit outside the area and connect onto the wireless for free". Perfect!

AND THAT is exactly what I did for the next few hours. BUT before I did that – I just had to see THE PRESIDENT’S CLUB and I got a tour – WOW – What an eye opener. If you have never been – you must at least visit it – If I were a frequent traveler – I would not hesitate to join THE PRESIDENT’S CLUB and maybe one day I will!! But please note that even though you may get a connection – there is no guarantee that you won’t get bumped off (like I did a few times!).


And for those of you who are like me and are new to traveling and never heard of The President’s Club Lounge - let me share this link

http://www.continental.com/web/en-us/content/Travel/airport/lounge/default.aspx

“Continental's Presidents Club offers the busy traveler personalized service and a relaxing oasis in 27 private airport clubrooms. The comfort and privacy of these clubrooms allow you to take care of business, conduct a meeting, make phone calls or just relax between flights in pleasant surroundings”.

“As a Presidents Club member, you may entertain two friends or business associates, or your immediate family (spouse and children under 21 years of age), any time you visit a Presidents Club. Members also have access to over 40 affiliated lounges worldwide”.

“BusinessFirst and International Business Class customers are also welcome to visit the Presidents Club*. A same-day BusinessFirst or International Business Class boarding pass is required for admission. BusinessFirst customers can also bring up to two guests, or a spouse and children under the age of 21. Domestic First Class customers do not qualify for admission”. * Must be at least 21 year of age.


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OH and timing was also on my side - I was able to listen to the Talking Toastmasters hosts Bo Bennett and Ryan Levesque as they interviewed Rich Hopkins about his journey to the International Speech Contest Stage. Have a live listen.

http://www.igroops.com/igroops/publicspeaking/blog/VIEW+00000012+00000195


I will post more about my trip – I am just getting started and I am not even in CALGARY YET!!

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FACTS –

Guarantee

http://www.answers.com/topic/guarantee
1. Something that assures a particular outcome or condition: Lack of interest is a guarantee of failure.
2.
a. A promise or an assurance, especially one given in writing, that attests to the quality or durability of a product or service.
b. A pledge that something will be performed in a specified manner.
3.
a. A guaranty by which one person assumes responsibility for paying another's debts or fulfilling another's responsibilities.
b. A guaranty for the execution, completion, or existence of something.
4. A guarantor.
tr.v., -teed, -tee•ing, -tees.

Just Getting Started

“To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage”
Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes (American Poet, Lecturer and Essayist, 1803-1882)

Here it is - my NEW Website - Launched Today! www.findyourplatform.com

I bought this domain name last year at the August 2007 Get Paid to Speak Champ Camp -it was one of my 10 goals that I wanted to complete.
http://www.worldchampslive.com/champcamp-getpaid.html

It didn;t take a YEAR to create it - it took a year to believe I COULD make it happen - so I may be slow - but at least when I go to Champ Camp this year on Saturday August 9th - Monday August 11th - I can feel great about KNOWING that I made a deadline - and I won;t be sitting there saying - "I WISH I..."

Well, at least I won;t be saying that about my website but I may be saying it about "asking for a fee"... (but that is another post!).

ANY and ALL feedback is welcomed - I need to work on the colors - I can finally say - "DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT"!!


Do YOU have a Website?
Do YOU want a Website?
What’s stopping YOU from following through on “Just Getting Started”?


http://build-website.com/guide/objectives.html
..”it would appear that many web page developers have not clearly defined their objectives!

“There are many good reasons for building a web page but it is important that your goals are clear. Your objectives should drive the content and the design. Many people build home pages as a hobby, purely for their own personal development. Others build them to promote business, social, cultural, humanitarian, or business objectives”

“Knowledge of web page development can help you in your career. Many businesses today have their own corporate Intranet sites, which are simply internal Internet systems used to share corporate information. The ability to communicate electronically is a valuable skill to employers”.

“There is also potential for generating income from the web pages you develop. This is done by publishing interesting pages that attract large numbers of visitors and then selling advertising space, goods or services from those pages”.

FACTS

http://build-website.com/guide/objectives.html

Web site

http://www.hometravelagency.com/dictionary/web-site.html

web site. Informational or commercial computer files posted on the Internet and viewable from remote computers.

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/web_site.htm

A site (location) on the World Wide Web. Each Web site contains a home page, which is the first document users see when they enter the site. The site might also contain additional documents and files. Each site is owned and managed by an individual, company or organization.

launching

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&defl=en&q=define:launching&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

• e act of moving a newly built vessel into the water for the first time
• introduction: the act of beginning something new; "they looked forward to the debut of their new product line"
• the act of propelling with force

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Done IS Better than Perfect!

"Done is Better than Perfect" !!
2001, WCPS, Darren LaCroix

OK here it is...about to be launched...and it may not be DONE....and it may not be PERFECT but as Darren says "DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT"!! It has taken me a year to launch my new website. I bought the domain name "Find Your Platform" at the Get Paid to Speak (GP2S)Champ Boot Camp in Phoenix - Aug 2007.

Next friday on August 8, 2008 I will board a plane headed for Calgary, Alberta, Canada to attend GP2S Champ Camp again and I will be able to announce that I completed one of the many committments that I wrote on paper. I am finally going to have a website to help me promote myself as a speaker!

I am seeking any and all feedback and I am sure the site will evolve but it can;t evolve unless I start somewhere. At least I can cross this "to do" task off my list!

To be launched any day now my new website address is

www.findyourplatform.com

Have YOU completed any tasks or committments during the past year?

If not are you getting closer to YOUR goal/s?

If not what is stopping YOU from "Done Is Better Than Perfect"?

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FACTS

DONE
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/done

1. Having been carried out or accomplished; finished: a done deed.
2. Cooked adequately.
3. Socially acceptable: Spitting on the street is just not done in polite society.
4. Informal Totally worn out; exhausted.

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PERFECT

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/perfect

1. Lacking nothing essential to the whole; complete of its nature or kind.
2. Being without defect or blemish: a perfect specimen.
3. Thoroughly skilled or talented in a certain field or area; proficient.
4. Completely suited for a particular purpose or situation: She was the perfect actress for the part.
5.
a. Completely corresponding to a description, standard, or type: a perfect circle; a perfect gentleman.
b. Accurately reproducing an original: a perfect copy of the painting.
6. Complete; thorough; utter: a perfect fool.
7. Pure; undiluted; unmixed: perfect red.
8. Excellent and delightful in all respects: a perfect day.
9. Botany Having both stamens and pistils in the same flower; monoclinous.
10. Grammar Of, relating to, or constituting a verb form expressing action completed prior to a fixed point of reference in time.
11. Music Designating the three basic intervals of the octave, fourth, and fifth.

My Mission Statement?

>...."whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth." ...."And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream, Page: 22, 23

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_statement

A mission statement is a brief statement of the purpose of a company, religious group or organization. Companies sometimes use their mission statement as an advertising slogan, but the intention of a mission statement is to keep members and users aware of the organization's purpose. In the case of public commercial companies, the primary purpose must always be to uphold the interests of shareholders, whatever the mission statement.

==============

I am on a MISSION to find my very own “MISSION STATEMENT” and usually I would post the meaning at the end of my BLOG but today I am posting it here thank you to my fellow Edge Member and E-friend and Michael Cortes, Michael Cortes, Presentation Coach & Speaker http://www.michaelcortes.com www.youcanpresent.com

I have been looking at other websites and trying to get ideas for my OWN MISSION Statement because I am about to launch my very own “FIND YOUR PLATFORM” website!! Yeah, I know, it’s about time (!) I bought the domain name a year ago in August when I was attending the “Get Paid to Speak” Champ Book Camp. One of my goals and accountability was to have the site up and running before now but I just may make the deadline before I head to Calgary on August 8, 2008. LUCKLY I found a VERY handy webmaster who has offered to help !!




My journey into finding my mission statement is a lot harder than I thought it would be – I need to reflect what it is I DO, what it is I WANT TO DO and what it is I will do with what I do.

So now I am asking the question that Darren LaCroix has asked me – WHY ME? Why would the meeting planners hire ME? What is it that I have to offer others and why would they want to listen to me?

Well Michael Cortes broke it down for me like this he writes - “I want to inspire others” I want to raise awareness by sharing setbacks” “ I want to raise awareness by sharing my ”. And you want to share your success

Ellen Witt Clark mentioned I should add my humor as a coping mechanism

Rich Hopkins said – “Mission statements can be overrated, and often limit our scope. Try a value statement instead, keeping every action in line with your core values”. “Kind of like a speech - rip away everything that doesn't push your message forward”.

Edge member, toastmaster and E-friend Bob (Mongo) Jensen writes -
"Enriching ordinary people's lives by helping them become extraordinary public speakers".

I will share more – but I have to go and pick Sabrina up from Camp Christopher and then we are gett’n our hair DID – yesterday we got our nails DID!!

"Swan Lake" - Chinese Style

“Dance is so joyous”. Graeme Murphy

Some times I see some performances and I become SPEECHLESS! I am not a trained dancer, but I have taken some dance courses including jazz, tap and ballet from Salem State College, Emerson College, Jeanette Neill in Boston, MA http://www.jndance.com/index.html and Joe Tremaine’s in North Hollywood, CA. http://www.tremainedance.com/

I want to share this link of “Swan Lake” by the Great Chinese Circus. So much beauty, rhythm, grace, creativity and incredible stamina that it left me SPEECHLESS!

http://www.sonnyradio.com/swanlake_0001.swf


“And dance is wonderful because dance is so immediate”.

Graeme Murphy


What types of performances make you become speechless?

FACTS

Swan Lake

http://www.answers.com/topic/swan-lake

Swan Lake

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Lake

Swan Lake (Russian: Лебединое Озеро, Lebedinoye Ozero) is a ballet, first presented in four acts, Opus 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The scenario was worked out by Vladimir Begichev and Vasiliy Geltser, fashioned from Russian folk tales[1] and an ancient German legend, which tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse.

The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (opus 20), composed 1875-1876. The ballet received its premiere on February 27, 1877 at the Bolshoy Theatre in Moscow as The Lake of the Swans. Although it is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies base their stagings both choreographically and musically on the 1895 revival of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, first staged for the Imperial Ballet on January 15, 1895 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. For this revival, Tchaikovsky's score was revised by the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre's chief conductor and composer Riccardo Drigo.

“PUNCH BUGGY”!! “NO PUNCH BACKS” !!

"It is good to have an end to journey towards,
but it is the journey that matters in the end."

Ursula K. LeGuin

Wow this is a game that brings back memories when the Old(er) Volkswagen Rabbit (VWR) was around when I was in High School a few decades ago. In fact, my dream was to buy one, drive it from Boston across the United States to the Hollywood Hills – YEAH RIGHT !

Although I would NEVER want to own an old VWR today - I do confess I REALLY like the new VW Rabbit!! It looks modern, roomy and the windows offer a great view. But I am NOT complaining. I love my little 2004 Cobalt Blue, Aveo Chevrolet especially since I drove Blue Berry (that’s what we call her) right off the lot when they first started selling them – now they are everywhere. It too is modern looking, roomy with great window view. It has a five door hatch back, came with a built in MP3 Player and as the dealer said the price was (not cheap) but “affordable”. ANd as we say here in Boston that is “WICKED KWEL” !!

OK back to the story - I am driving down different roads and approaching the highway in my Aveo (Blue Berry) enwrapped in my own thoughts and then suddenly I hear the words: “PUNCH BUGGY… BLUE… NO PUNCH BACKS” while I feel a light tap on my arm. It is my daughter Sabrina reminding me that she is beside me. Opps time for me to abandon my thoughts and keep alert and get my head in the game.

I am eagerly trying to find new VWR so that I can tap her arm back and say “PUNCH BUGGY… NO PUNCH BACKS” but I am quickly reminded in Sabrina's authoritative voice “you better say the COLOR with no punch backs or it doesn’t count! (!!)

Do YOU have any "Punch Buggy No Punch Back" memories? Or car games that keep you connected during your journey together?

Part of advertising is to take the same (old) product and change it to make it look new, different, more appealing. I enjoy having an old game with old memories of MY childhood become a new game with new memories that include MY daughter Sabrina’s childhood.

Friends I have decided to make this topic a new Toastmasters speech. I began my research on the VWR "Bug" or "Beetle" to get started. Here are some interesting facts.

New Beetle History - “The Volkswagen Beetle was not Adolph Hitler's idea. But he was involved”…“Hitler became chancellor in 1933 and at 1934's Berlin Motor Show made a speech promoting development of just the sort of car Porsche wanted to build, and afterwards arranged a meeting with Porsche. From that meeting came the general outline for the Beetle and a commitment to build it. Prototypes quickly took shape and in 1938 the cornerstone was laid for a new factory to build the car in the new town of "KdF-Stadt" (called Wolfsburg now).
Read more – – (to read more click on the link below).

http://www.edmunds.com/volkswagen/newbeetle/history.html


FACTS

Volkswagen

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:Volkswagen&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

Volkswagen AG , or VW AG, is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany. It forms the core of Volkswagen Group, which is the world's ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen
In German, its means "people's wagon",

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Type 1, more commonly known as the Beetle, is an economy car produced by the German automaker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003. Although the names "Beetle" and "Bug" were quickly adopted by the public, it was not until August of 1967 that VW itself began using the name Beetle in marketing materials. It had previously been known only as either the "Type I" or as the 1200 (twelve-hundred), 1300 (thirteen-hundred) or 1500 (fifteen-hundred), which had been the names under which the vehicle was marketed in Europe prior to 1967; the numbers denoted the vehicle's engine size in cubic centimeters.

In 1998, many years after the original model had been dropped from the lineup in most of the world (it continued in Mexico and a handful of other countries until 2003) VW introduced the "New Beetle" (built on a Volkswagen Golf platform), bearing a cosmetic resemblance to the original.

See more at Wikipedia.org...

This article uses material from Wikipedia® and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_Buggy

Punch buggy (also called punch bug or slug bug) is a car game generally played by young children in which participants hit each other upon sight of a Volkswagen Beetle.

“Effective Immediately”

“Acceptance of one's life has nothing to do with resignation; it does not mean running away from the struggle. On the contrary, it means accepting it as it comes, with all the handicaps of heredity, of suffering, of psychological complexes and injustices”. Paul Tournier

Friends what do you think when you read or hear these two words together?
…..“Effective Immediately”

I received this email notice on Monday July 14, 2008 at 8:21 PM – since it went out to all the current District Officers within the entire Toastmasters World I am sure the exact date and time may varied. http://www.toastmasters.org/

The e-mail sender was Diana Metcalfe, Executive Assistant of Toastmasters International to Donna Groh, who was the Executive Director written on behalf of 2007-2008, International President, Chris Ford, DTM

Dear District Officer:

It is my duty to inform you that today I have accepted the resignation of Ms. Donna Groh, Executive Director to Toastmasters International, effective immediately.

Mr. Daniel Rex is appointed Active Executive Director as of today July 14, 2008 until further notice.

On behalf of Toastmasters International, I have expressed our gratitude to Donna for her seven years of loyal and dedicated service to our organization.

Sincerely

Chris Ford, DTM,
International President 2007-2008

“Shaping Ourselves…Shaping Our World”

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/News/Announcements/ExecutiveDirector.aspx

Now this letter came as a complete surprise to me (and MANY of us) since we just completed our Region Vii “Top Three” District Officer Training during the Region Vii Conference in Rockville Maryland. The training was given by Donna Groh and Chris Ford, and our Region Vii International Directors, Val Albert and Kristin Nicholson.

But the even BIGGER shocker is that our Toastmasters International Convention begins on August 12, 2008 in Calgary Canada – this is just a few short weeks away when many toastmasters from around the world will unite to celebrate for about a week and Donna Groh was the Chief Executive Officer for our entire organization.

We are all shaking our heads and asking “WHAT HAPPENED”? Yet, we may never know the exact reasons – but friends right now this BIG BUZZ is probably equal to the BIG BUZZ about 2008 Calgary Convention itself…

http://www.toastmasters.org/search.aspx?SearchMode=1&SearchPhrase=conference&wt.oss=conference

Ever have a letter written “Effective Immediately” on YOUR behalf?

One of my favorite Table Topic (impromptu) questions is...

“Please share a time when your setback became your comeback”?

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Facts

Resignation

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:resignation&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

acceptance of despair the act of giving up (a claim or office or possession etc.)
a formal document giving notice of your intention to resign; "he submitted his resignation as of next month" wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player turning his king on its side. ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resignation
Resignation is the twenty-second episode

Convention
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:convention&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

a large formal assembly; "political convention"

something regarded as a normative example; "the convention of not naming the main character"; "violence is the rule not the exception"; "his formula for impressing visitors"
(diplomacy) an international agreement conventionality: orthodoxy as a consequence of being conventional the act of convening wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

A convention is a set of agreed, stipulated