By Henry Miller, DTM
What happens when a Toastmaster completes a Path? The obvious answer is the member achieves an important educational goal. But if you look a little closer, that accomplishment creates a ripple that extends far beyond that member.
Your Pathways journey is personal, but your success has a ripple effect through the organization.
We all join Toastmasters for different reasons and with different goals and aspirations. For some, it’s to become a better communicator. For others, it’s to become a stronger leader. We all want to be more confident when facing an audience, mentoring kids, or presenting in our professional lives.
Pathways give us the opportunity to choose a learning experience that supports our goals. However, choosing a Path is only the first step. The real value comes from completing every Path you choose.
In Pathways, we don’t do it top-down; we build from the bottom up. One piece at a time. One project, one speech, one evaluation, one leadership experience, and one level at a time, following this simple formula I call the Four C’s:
Choose – Commit – Complete – Celebrate
That’s the very core of what is The Blueprint to Your Pathways Success. You don’t have to conquer the entire Path at once. Complete the next project. Then the next. Then the next. And before long, you’ve completed the Path.
When you complete a Path, you earn more than a certificate and recognition from your peers. Your accomplishment becomes an organizational accomplishment.
- You receive credit.
- Your Area receives credit.
- Your Division receives credit
- Your District receives credit.
Your success doesn’t stop at the doors of your club meeting room. It travels. By attending regularly, preparing your Pathways projects, and fulfilling your meeting roles, you honor the commitment you made when you became a Toastmaster. One completed Path. One achievement starts a ripple of success throughout the organization.
Pathways isn’t about statistics. It’s about personal growth. Every project you complete builds a skill you can use today; one you might not have used before. Maybe you found your voice. Maybe you discovered a new leadership approach. Maybe you finally gave that speech you once thought you could never deliver. Or maybe someone else watched you give that speech and thought, “If you can do that, I can too.”
My challenge to you is not just to begin a Path, but to see it through to the end! Make a personal commitment. As you finish every club meeting and meeting role, log in to Base Camp and check them off. Preferably the same evening or within a day or two. And before long, you’ll celebrate your Path completion.
Your success will motivate fellow members and generate a positive ripple effect through your club’s success plan, benefiting your area, division, and district as well.
Every great structure begins with a blueprint. Every successful club and member should also have a blueprint for their success. The Pathways blueprint is simple. You provide the commitment. Your fellow Toastmasters provide encouragement and support. Together you and your members can build something greater than any completed Path. You build confidence. Communication and leadership skills.
So, what’s your blueprint for success? Remember the Four C’s:
Choose – Commit – Complete – Celebrate
- Choose your Path.
- Commit to the journey
- Complete one project – One level – One Path at a time
- Celebrate what you have accomplished- and then watch the ripple begin.
Then watch with admiration as everyone celebrates – Your Path, Your Achievement, Your Ripple.
Because when you complete a Path, you haven’t succeeded alone. Your achievement strengthens your club, contributes to your Area, Division, and District, and perhaps most importantly, inspires another Toastmaster to believe, “If you can do it, so can I.”
So, what’s your blueprint for Pathways success?
Choose it. Commit to it. Complete it. Celebrate it.
Then stand back and watch the ripple.
About the Author
Henry Miller, DTM, is a long-time Toastmaster and valued member of the District 101 Public Relations team. He serves as the District Blog Editor, helping members share their stories, insights, and pathways to success. You can read more of his writing at henryomiller.com.