A Free Meal

I finally talked my son into volunteering, and lo and behold, he's eligible for a free meal at a volunteer appreciation luncheon Nov. 11! For someone who expects instant gratification, he now appreciates the rewards of volunteering.

Tomorrow I'm judging humorous speech contests, and there'll be snacks. I'm planning to take a bag of Sun chips and something healthy to eat so I won't completely undo my weight loss.

Another thing happened this week -- well actually last week -- I decided to go for a DTM designation in Toastmasters. DTM stands for Distinguished Toastmaster, and it's not the easiest level to earn. To be a DTM, you have to go through the other levels, then you have to go outside your club. You have to get active with another club, and the Area, Division, or District leadership -- sort of like being a district manager. You either have 5 or 6 clubs that you take care of for a year, or 5 or 6 areas. Today I missed an opportunity to give a speech. Speeches are still a big part of earning the DTM. You have to complete all the AC levels. I'm an ACB (Advanced Communicator Bronze) The other levels are ACS (Silver) and ACG (Gold).

I've already talked to my boss about this and how it can be equated to being involved in a leadership training program, and he agrees. He's behind me 100%. Or at least he is now. I'll be using lots of vacation time while I'm visiting the clubs. I'm actually getting started by being a mentor/sponsor for a new club that will meet once a month, so I'm on my way!

It's funny...in January, I decided to work on my health and my personal development. They are happening! December 22, I joined Weight Watchers to begin the health part. Then in April we started a year-long personal development program that has become derailed. But the lessons I learned have helped get me fired up to make changes and to set goals. I'm still trying some on for size and doing some research. But knowledge is useless unless it is knowledge in action. Sometimes I spend too much time fixing to get ready to get started.