Make Your World As Big As You Can

“You are only playing a single note.
Find others who will teach you how to use the other holes in your intellectual flute.”
Kuai Tong, Western Han Dynasty
I call out to everyone to open the door, feel the fresh air on your face, begin now to map your strategy to enlarge your world, grow and showcase your skills and talents.
Last month I delivered a brief speech at an in-person meeting of the Los Angeles chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI). I recounted a time in my career when I had to command all my confidence to quit a job that I loved at an international entertainment company, but where I was experiencing a complete lack of support from my manager. I moved on to a position at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where I was gratified to remain for eight meaningful years.
A friend recently reminded me that we human beings need community of purpose, to bring what we each can offer. Why, then, do we underestimate our own potential impact? Why can we not delight in sharing our talents with others and seeing them flourish with our input? Maybe we think our role is small, but I ask…is the dump truck driver any less of an inspiration when we see the huge machine they have mastered driving, the roads that they must maneuver to complete their route each day? It isn’t our mundane daily role that reduces our contribution…it is our own small voice in our head that diminishes our potential.
I implore you to map your strategy now to make your world larger. Your growth will stimulate your reach, prepare you to talk to your child’s teacher, partner with your manager, and negotiate with the contractor doing work at your home. I ask us all to use the camaraderie of this time of year to make our world as big as we each can manage, and beyond. Thinking small inhibits growth, denies the reach of our talents and skills, and reduces the potential for positive influence.
Learning to speak with confidence will launch your best year yet in 2023. To stand and deliver may be daunting at first, but Toastmasters will help you through those feelings. Our Outliers Chapter of Toastmasters is a comfortable way for members to learn speech delivery, evaluation, and meeting management. We are inspired to bring success within reach of everyone, no matter the level of experience and confidence. Mentoring is available. For more information about attending a Toastmasters meeting as our guest, please contact our VP of Education Tom Iland on 661-313-3323 or tom@thomasiland.com.