Page 40 - july 2019

PERSPECTIVES

It’s All about ME!

Paul Fanning, DTM

I’ve got a simple exercise for you—call it paper aside and continue reading.
homework if you like—to kick off the 2019-20 Television has been both praised and cursed
Toastmasters International Program Year. Are for the variety of programs that it presents to

you ready? us. One of these genres has been “dysfunctional
Okay, let’s begin. Take a piece of plain paper families” and I’m sure you’ve watched at least
and draw a circle on it-as big as you want. Add one sometime in the last twenty years. One of
two to three more circles. my favorites has been “The Middle” about a

Done? (Oh, you’re not done yet? I’ll wait. . . ). struggling mother-father and three children who
Now simply draw a big dot in the center of are all but resigned to their circumstances and
your circles. Set the fate. Sue, the only daughter has high hopes and
aspirations-yet never quite makes the grade or

is able to rise to that bar she has set for herself.
(Here’s where your homework comes in-and
you thought I’d wandered off once again.) She
sits down and comes up with a plan which she

calls “The Year of Sue”. Everything she does,
encourages her family to become involved in
as well as using her boyfriend as a sounding
board is all about “SUE”. She becomes the

center of her universe and she creates a
binder for her special year and puts together
a scrap book to record her triumphant
“me-first” year.

Put your paper on your desk or table
and begin to complete your homework.
Label the first big circle with “family”,
another with “friends”, and the third

with “employment”. Good job. Now that
huge dot in the center-label it “ME”.
CONGRATULATIONS! You have now
created your very own “YEAR OF ME”

40 ONE COMMUNITY