Believe it or not … back in 2010, when I first met Toastmasters, in meetings I was the quiet guy in the corner, who did not want to speak up. I was afraid to express myself. I realized and wanted to change this. Originally this was the reason why I joined Toastmasters. However, this reason changed soon. New challenges kept me going, like volunteering for the VP Membership role and learning what the Executive Committee does, building our own corporate TM Club, competing to experience bigger stages and audiences, participating in my first Corporate Summit in Brno, earning an educational awards, learning new leadership skills as Club President, Area Director and now as Division Director, exposing myself to situations and roles that I had not come across in other parts of my life, organizing competitions and conferences on Club, Area, Division and District levels. I am confident we all have different reasons why we have joined Toastmasters and why we have stayed here with this great community. Believe it or not, it will change as we all change!

The only constant is change. Since I joined Toastmasters many-many components of my life changed, too: I got different work assignments and learned new skills, I have been promoted, got married, got a beautiful baby girl, got divorced, got higher focus on sports, met great people from the Toastmasters world, some became friends, too, and definitely got more intertwined with Toastmasters.  I have learnt and grown a lot, enjoyed this journey regardless of how much effort it required, because ‘we learn in moments of enjoyment!’ (Ralph C. Smedley).

The only constant is change.

I have a confession to make: in the beginning of 2018 I had absolutely no intention to be Division Director. I thought that leading Toastmasters in 2 countries would be a tedious activity to perform and I did not want to put that much energy into Toastmasters. I did not feel the drive or, maybe, I was simply lazy. But then one day Daniel Kővári, the Division Director back then, approached me and asked me if I would consider to be the next Division Director for Hungary and Croatia. I talked with him, considered his request and said yes to it. The District elected me and I became the next Division Director. I boldly jumped into the role, and I encourage you to do the same, if the opportunity arises! Growth is on the other side of the fence called ‘comfort zone’.

The only constant is change. Serving our community and making an impact is something we all can enjoy and do. Have you ever experienced the joy of seeing somebody excel in a speech or outperform him/herself? Have you seen happy Toastmasters on the stage after a tough competition round or a wonderful workshop? Have you seen members develop friendships? Or enjoy being part of a club or our community? Maybe you are one of them? I am definitely one of those too, and it’s one of the most rewarding experiences to be part of our vibrant community, where we can experiment, learn and grow. I believe it is an extraordinary environment, where multiple aspects of business entrepreneurship, organizational skills, speech and stage presence development and personal growth can emerge. Sometimes we grow without noticing it, sometimes we work hard for it. One thing is certain: it is pushing us out of our comfort zone.

The only constant is change.

I experienced it first hand, when I organized the ‘Believe it or not…- The Unconventional Convention’ in less than third of the usual time available for putting together a convention. I said yes and took it as a challenge. The lowest point was definitely the moment 3 weeks later, when almost everybody of my organizing team quit. No blame on them, but it was a big virtual punch in my stomach for sure. There was one person who stayed with me: Denisa Haarova – and I am grateful to her! I had to learn fast that things will not remain as they are. I took action and soon things started to get better, as new volunteers joined the organizing team, and we progressed fast. I’m sure we all have ups and downs in your lives. Enjoy the best moments, and if you feel low, just remember:

The only constant is change.

A small group of PR enthusiasts have been working over the past few months to enhance our website. Our plan is to implement a more dynamic and sustainable newsletter format with articles, inspiring interviews on speech development, leadership skills and other interesting topics, and reports on our exciting events both in English and in Hungarian.
The first step is to kick-off Hello Toasties! Enjoy it, learn from it and maybe even write an article for it.
This Toastmaster year is in full swing, and we still have many exciting things to come. Therefore, be prepared, because:

The only constant is change.

Cover photo by Zoltán Takács