Wednesday, January 1, 2025
What’s Up Wednesday!!
“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson
A few inspiring quotes as we begin again with the New Year!
- “Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.” — Robin Sharma
- “Celebrate endings—for they precede new beginnings.” — Jonathan Lockwood Huie
- “I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” — Thomas Jefferson
- “Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.” — Germany Kent
- “You are never too old to reinvent yourself.” — Steve Harvey
- “In our perfect ways, in the ways we are beautiful, in the ways we are human — we are here. Happy New Year’s. Let’s make it ours.” – Beyoncé
- Sometimes a year has been so disastrous and so terrible that entering a new year will automatically mean entering a wonderful year! – Mehmet Murat Ildan
- “This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.”
- “Each new day is a blank page in the story of your life.”
- “New Year, new feels, new chances, same dreams, fresh starts.”
- “This year, be stronger than your excuses.”
- “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
- “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” — Socrates
- “Make New Year’s goals. Dig within, and discover what you would like to have happen in your life this year. This helps you do your part. It is an affirmation that you’re interested in fully living life in the year to come.” — Melody Beattie
- “Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” — Helen Keller
Master Your Self-Talk
Filter out negative influences and talk to yourself compassionately. By Lauren Parsons, DTM, AS
Your thoughts are incredibly powerful. They determine your habits and ultimately, the direction of your life. As the American businessman Frank Outlaw famously said:
Watch your thoughts, for they become your words.
Watch your words, for they become your actions.
Watch your actions, for they become your habits.
Watch your habits, for they become your character.
1. Monitor Your Thoughts – Picture a Sieve
If you pay attention and monitor your thoughts, you will notice how external influences affect your emotional state. Everything you’re exposed to is a potential seed from which thoughts can grow. It’s vital you protect your thought life by filtering out the things you want to avoid.
Be selective about what you take in—the books and magazines you read, music you listen to, and programs you watch—and try to filter out the negative and unhelpful influences.
Even the conversations you engage in affect your thoughts. Research shows that you are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with. For instance, if you hang out with people who go to the gym, play badminton, or go hiking regularly, you’ll be more likely to do these activities too.
If you spend time with negative people, their words will seep into your thinking. Choose wisely and surround yourself with people who lift you up with interesting and inspiring conversations.
It may not be possible to avoid certain people altogether, of course, but you can control how much you allow them to affect you. When you start noticing the negative influences around you, you can decide how much weight you place on those words.
2. Feed Your Thoughts – Picture a Sponge
As well as filtering out and limiting the negative stimuli in your life, be intentional and feed your mind with positives. Your brain is like an incredible sponge, constantly soaking up everything around you. The problem is, if a sponge is sitting in a puddle of dirty water, it will be full of dirty water.
Instead, deliberately choose what you fill up your mind with. Maybe you want to plan time into your daily and weekly routines to read inspiring books or listen to informative podcasts or TED Talks. Perhaps you want to join a group that provides a supportive and positive atmosphere (hey, that’s Toastmasters!).
Imagine if you started every day with 20 minutes of learning time, soaking up new and positive information. Picture the positive ripple effect of that on your life.
3. Direct Your Thoughts – Picture a Remote Control
Understand that at any given moment you have the remote control to your thoughts in your hand. You can choose the thought channels you want to tune in to. Decide which ones to turn the volume up and down on. Be prepared to switch some channels off.
The best way to do this is to refocus your thinking. If you try not to think about something, you’ll only think about it more. Instead, switch your thinking over by focusing on what you’re grateful for right in this moment. Think about something you’re looking forward to or set a positive intention about how you want your day to be.
You can also interrupt unhelpful thoughts by being present in the moment. Become aware of how your body feels and pay attention to the sounds and sights around you to get grounded and get out of your own head.
Read more here in the December Toastmasters Magazine.
Happy New Year, District 50 Toastmasters!
As we step boldly into 2025, I want to give a HUGE shoutout to our amazing District Director, Kimberly Ross! Kimberly works tirelessly for all of us, so we’re giving her a well-deserved week off.
I thought I’d offer a little inspiration to start your year on a positive note:
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer
Now is the perfect time to reflect on your personal growth and club goals for the year ahead. One actionable step we can all take is to freshen up our club websites and post regularly on social media. Potential new members are out there right now, searching for a place to grow, connect, and thrive. Let’s make sure your club is easy to find and puts its best foot forward!
Here’s to a year of growth, success, and new opportunities for District 50 Toastmasters! Let’s make it one to remember.
Cheers and gratitude!
Tiffany Damskov, PI2, IP4
District 50, Public Relations Manager 2024-2025
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