New year Resolutions - Motivational Speech
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(L1P2 –
Second Speech under Pathway ‘‘Visionary Communication ‘of Toastmasters
International)
Thank you
TMOD, My dear toastmasters and guests
Every year
I make a new year resolution that I will become a successful table topic
speaker known across all toastmaster clubs in Chennai.
But the
problem is that I have not even regularly attending Tamilootru toastmasters
club meeting. Then how could I become a successful
speaker across all toastmasters’ clubs in Chennai.
Yes, making
a resolution without having an action plan is the problem. Every year, I
realise this only on the first January of next year. That is what happened to
me yesterday, the first January of this year 2022.
I don’t
know how many of you are sailing in the same boat. But I know that many of my friends make the
resolution on 1st January and break the resolution on 2nd
day of January itself. And the serious part of it they don’t regret for this
mishap. They talk about it very jovially. Let me share their experience with
you so that we will not repeat that in our life.
This person,
a friend of mine is a very intelligent person, who studied with me in college.
He was very intelligent to that extent that he wanted to read the subjects
thoroughly without leaving any stones unturned or without leaving any lessons
unlearnt whatever it may be and so continued reading the subjects along with my
juniors and their juniors and completed his degree of three years only after
six years. He referred this as ‘double study’, ‘double study’ with lot of pride
as though it is a ‘double promotion’ for him.
His new
year resolution used to be to complete the subjects on the same year but as I
have already revealed, it became the same resolution year after year till he
completed the so-called double study, the reason being that there was no action
plan, rather only inaction plan until the date of exam. Then how could he
complete the resolution. Hence the first lesson learnt here is that we should
have an action plan for any resolution.
The second
person, another friend of mine was having an action plan. Then how does his
resolution become a lesson to be unlearnt, you would be wondering. Let me
explain. This person had an action plan to turn his skin color from black to
white. He bought bottles and bottles of ‘fair and lovely’, no, not ‘glow and
lovely’ as this resolution happened before 2020, before the name change happened
from ‘fair and lovely’ to ‘glow and lovely’. When we talk about some historic
incidents, we have to be very specific about the period, hence this explanation
at the cost of thirty seconds of my speech.
Well, then
how this action plan failed, though it was a grand success in the movie ‘Shivaji
‘where the actor Rajinikanth transformed himself from Shivaji to MGR by using
the paste. Here is the lesson for us.
All the results are not uniform across all human beings. The remedies which are
so successful with super stars may not be as successful with us. Why to use the
word ‘successful’, let me make it clear, they may be ‘failures’ with us. Blunt
truth. Let us accept the fact that all the action plans are not successful unless
they are realistic with adequate evidence.
For the
third lesson, again another friend. I am really very proud that many of my
friends are best known for their failures to teach us some bitter lessons. I
also reciprocate the same failures to these friends. That is why we are
mutually accepted and adored friends as in our toastmaster’s environment which
is mutually supportive as per our mission statement.
This person
had an action plan and that was realistic as well. Then how did it fail. Curious to know? I won’t
fail you; my friends also won’t fail you; I guarantee.
Marrying a
girl of your own choice. Is it difficult,
if you have an action plan and if it is realistic? He did not want to marry Cleopatra
who was no more at that time or Alia Bhatt
who was a child at that time. He just
wanted to marry a girl who was co-studying in the same college. We need not use
the word co-study as my friend was not good at studies. As you guys already know
that the mention of, ‘he being my friend’ vouched for the fact that studies are
little bit far off. Also, here, we are not talking about studies. Our focus is
on love and marriage. Let me emphatically remind that.
He was a good-looking
guy, having sufficient money in his father’s account. She was also beautiful
being the dream girl of that class. Then what, action plan was there and it was
realistic. They were in the same class. ‘Just meet her, propose and cut the
class and go to park together’. As simple as that. , but alas,
There was
something else which was very much required in this case. Can you guess. Yes,
you guessed it correctly. The acceptance by the other person. That is why the law journal defined the term ‘agreement’
with two parts, Offer and Acceptance. There was ‘offer’ of course by this boy,
you can spell it in bold letters, if possible, OFFER, but there was no
acceptance from that girl. Her ambition was to complete degree, post-graduation,
then doctorate etc., etc. It would go on till her death, who knows.
This boy,
of course, a friend of mine though with specific and realistic action plan
forgot the ‘Achievable ‘part. That was not achievable as that was not agreeable
for that girl.
Hence my
dear friends, let me not bring my other friends to prove the other areas for
consideration like measurable and timely for any action plan or any goal. Yes,
you got it. We should have smart goal as new year resolution. SMART in capital
letters as abbreviated form -S for r Specific M for Measurable A for Achievable
R for Realistic and T for Timely. Let us take that SMART resolution for this
year.
I want to
be a successful table topic speaker in Tamiloottru Toastmasters Club. Is it now
SMART resolution for me for this year TMOD? Over to you
