Innovative Planning, Level One: Ice Breaker. This foundational project is designed to introduce me to my club and the skills I need to continue my Toastmasters journey. All I need to do is write and deliver a speech about any topic to introduce me to the club. Good afternoon, fellow Toastmasters and guests. It feels…
Every Single Purchase I’ve Put On My Credit Card In 2019 So Far
Despite being raised to mind my manners, I’ve come to accept that I’m hugely nosy — especially when it comes to money. In most cases, I draw the line at asking people how much money they make, but I’m always interested in talking about how they budget, what they spend, and how they save and/or…
Minimalism, KonMari, and living the “ideal” organized life
I’ve written before about how I accidentally became a minimalist in college. It started out as a logistical necessity, but in the last few years it’s become kind of an obsession. In 2017 I read Marie Kondo’s hit book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. While I think some aspects of her method are a…
3 Specific Ways I Wish I’d Fixed My Money Fears & Issues Sooner
When it comes to money, I spent the first several years of my adult life behaving like the proverbial ostrich. I kept my head buried in the sand, hoping my money fears would pass me by. Once I finally drummed up the courage to pop my head out and look around, I learned that there…
It’s Only Fear After All
Speech 10: Inspire Your Audience. The last speech of the Toastmasters Competent Communicator program challenges me to draw all my skills together to deliver a powerful inspirational message. I gave my Ice Breaker speech for Toastmasters on July 25, 2017. I started off that speech by saying, “I’ve spent most of my life fighting with…