Greetings, Fellow Toastmasters of District 77!
I have a question for you, what seeds are you planting, or what roots are you digging up? Maybe a combination of both, as I will explain. As I thought about my topic for July 2021, I thought about the seeds of grace and the miracles we have witnessed.
The month of July 2021 also starts a new calendar year for elected club officers. As I finish my term as President for my club, there are many seeds of grace that I planted and are blooming. I’m sure others who have held various positions in their club can relate to the seeds of grace that are also now blooming.
One of those seeds of grace is becoming better listeners and communicators, part of being a Toastmaster. I’ve also learned to recognize various patterns on how new experiences help shape or improve my intuitive decision-making skills.
In also asking what seeds are you digging up, I know that I’ve had to reach into my “Intuitive Decision Making” skills as well. So that you can understand, I love to read. In the book, The Power of Intuition, Gary Klein suggests that 90 percent of critical decisions are made using our intuition.
Although it was over ten years ago that I read the book “The Power of Intuition, by Gary Klein,” I had to dig for seeds/roots planted years ago. Many times, I would reflect on the various emotions or signals that were present throughout the year. As a 30-year veteran, I sometimes recalled an acronym that I used to refocus my intuitive decision-making skills, such as After-Action Reviews (AARs).
I want to leave you knowing that many of you have been planting or digging up seeds of grace or both. I’m so grateful for the seeds of grace and the miracles that I’ve witnessed even through the pandemic. To the newly elected Toastmasters Officers for 2021-2022, it’s my wish that each of you continue planting or digging up seeds of grace, or both.
Therefore, here are two quotes to ponder on.
“Your mind is a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. The harvest can either be flowers or weeds.”
— William Wordsworth
The second by Tom Brady,
“To me, football is so much about mental toughness, it’s digging deep, it’s doing whatever you need to do to help a team win, and that comes in a lot of shapes and forms.”
McKinley Curtis III
Vice President of Education, VA Voices 651363
