CC - 3 Hollow And Empty

Are you coping with stress and Tension in life?

Would you like to have more Competence and Ability?

Is lack of self confidence holding you back?

Toastmaster of the day, fellow Toastmasters and most valued guests good evening you.

                                 Every day we are faced with stress: stress of different kinds. Relationship issues, other conflicts, personal & professional responsibilities, health problems the list goes on. However, continuing to live through stress will cause you to accumulate negative energy which can lead you to suffer memory problems, irritability, psychosomatic illnesses, headaches, depression and anxiety.

                                  If you are experiencing low self esteem, moderate stress level, having difficulty in sleeping and get easily upset or worry unnecessarily then this is a problem related to the mind.

What is mind? Has anyone seen the mind?  No…. Do you see the air?    We know this atmosphere is filled with air and we are feeling it. Has anyone seen Electricity?  But we know that Electricity is there, we can feel it, we know it is passing through the cables. We can control the Electricity and we can use it for our needs.

                                Our mind is like Electricity or air. W can’t see, but we can feel it. The mind is in our body. Mind is like a monkey. It runs here there and everywhere; it is going there, coming here and again going there.    The mind is every time going to the past, coming to the present and going to the future. If you live in the present moment it will sit here.  If we control this monkey, our problems should be solved. How to control our mind?  

We should know about his friend at the same time .Who is that? It is our thoughts. If we can control our thoughts, the mind becomes calm and quiet. Here we need one medicine or tool for that.

                               Meditation is the only tool that can aid the mind to return to a state of peace.   Meditation helps the individual over come emotions like anger, hate, fear and other negativities and facilitates a calm peaceful mind and stress free body.

                  How many persons have experienced Meditation?   

                Now I would like to share the experience of one sample meditation.  Please close your eyes and sit comfortably. Please keep your back bone straight and relax your body. Rest your hands in your lap. Please don’t try to do anything, listen to my words only. Now take a normal breath and breathe out slowly. Continue taking deep breaths and feel your breath going in and coming out through the nostrils. Going in breaths fill your cells with energy and coming out breaths bring rest to your body. 

                          Please don’t try to prevent any thoughts happening in your mind. Please bring your attention to your right leg, the left leg, abdomen, stomach, chest, neck and face. Bring your attention to your whole body. Now your body feels hollow and empty .Feel your body filled with love. Love your family, friends and enemies. Send love to the whole world. Please be aware about your breath and slowly open your eyes. 

  If you are meditating 30mts daily, the mind from the roaring sea becomes a lake.

  

CC - 2 Between Two Breaths

Close your eyes. Everybody slowly close your eyes.......

Take a normal breath.............Breathe out..............

Now take a deep breath and hold your breath, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Breathe out………… hold 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

Breath in

Open your eyes slowly.

 Did you feel your breath going in and coming out?

 Are you aware of your breath and its effect on your life?

                    Toastmaster of the day, fellow toastmasters and most valued guests good evening to you.

               Our life is related with our breath, with our breathing. An average person breathes 15 to 20 times a minute. A human life span is said to be 60 to 100 years in normal conditions.A tortoise on the other hand breathes once in a minute and the tortoise lives for about 250 years, while a rabbit breathes about 100 to 120 times a minute and lives for 8 to 10 years.

              Breath is related with the length of our life. We all suffer situations of fear and anger. At such times our breathing becomes faster. Even standing up and speaking before an audience increases our breathing rate.

          When a child is born, it cries and takes its first breath. Everyone laughs and celebrates the birth. When a person lets out the last breath and bids goodbye to life, everybody cries. Between these two breaths, a life is lived.

     
              How we live our life is in our hands. We decide the quality of our life.

             Before 1999, I was an angry person, always highly tense. This was due to my life experiences, my harsh life, having to work hard.At that time I was working with a fast moving consumer goods company.  My every moment was about targets and figures. I was not even able to get proper sleep.  I had to keep my mobile phone on at all times. I could not afford to switch it off at any time.

             I  had to reach my distributer point at 9’oclock every morning.

           Do you know two weeks continuously I travelled between Banglore and different district head quarters of Kerala state.One day attending training, at Bangalore office, on M.G road and then field work in Kerala the next day. During the training time I had to submit the previous day’s report. Sleeping and bathing had to be done on trains as I traveled back and forth.

          That year in the month of May I read a feature in Malayalam daily, about one breathing exercise.   I enquired about that, after that I attended the 6 days course. After that course I became a new man and increased my will power. I stopped my bad habits. I learned many things from there. 
         That course was conducted by an International foundation named "The Art of Living” 

              Let me conclude with these words “any kind of knowledge is precious to mankind” Please don’t ignore any thing and especially  your breath.

Breathe deep, breath well, live healthy, live long.

   

Speakeasy Toastmasters Club

SPEAKEASY TOASTMASTERS CLUB- BAHRAIN

About us:

                          We are a group of expat Indian ‘Blue Collar’ workers who came together to form the SPEAKEASY Toastmasters club in 2010-2011.We had a dream. We dared to dream of being able to communicate fluently in the English language and we were willing and ready to put in the effort to achieve it.This was actually born of the experience of a few of our charter members who had  the privilege of attending English communication classes with the ILA, the Indian Ladies Association, in 2010. This is an annual program, which they conduct as a part of their community outreach program.

                           Mr.Prashanth Shetty an Electrical Works Technician was one of the participants in that program. He wanted to take his learning further. He was driven by a dream and a desire to continue the learning, to polish his communication skills, to become better as a communicator. It is his tireless efforts that brought us together and with the help of Dr. Usha Devarajan a dedicated and committed Toastmaster, we dared to move forward, in our quest and found the path to the realization of our dream, as Toastmasters.

                            Our club was chartered on April 1^st. 2011. TM Prashanth Shetty took charge as the President of the newly chartered SPEAKEASY TOASTMASTERS CLUB on 1^st. July 2011 and he with the support of a group of senior Toastmasters, sponsors and mentors, and an enthusiastic team of club officers, armed with an open mind and eager heart, took the club through its first year, achieving success in every aspect of the Toastmasters Club program.

                            On the 24^th  June 2011 HE Dr. Mohan Kumar, the Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain was the chief guest at the ceremonial ‘CHARTERING’ of the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club, held at the Palace Hotel in Adliya.

That was a very inspiring and motivating moment for us to have our Ambassador with us on such a momentous occasion.

                          We are celebrating our journey of success on 13^th. July 2012. We have completed 50 successful meetings. This is a landmark achievement for us. Even more so as we believe that we are one of the first clubs in the history of Toastmasters Clubs in Bahrain to achieve the Presidents Distinguished club award with 10/10 DCP points in its very first year of chartering.

                            

We invite and welcome all those who dare to dream of becoming effective communicators and efficient leaders to our club. Come and join us and experience the difference.

We had dared to dream and we achieved it and now we are committed to excellence and sharing this amazing platform of TOASTMASTERS with you.To know more about the benefits of Toastmasters, please visit www.toastmasters.org

and check out for yourself.

Yours Sincerely,

TM GIREESH KUMAR B.S

PRESIDENT 2012-2013

SPEAKEASY TOASTMASTERS CLUB

MANAMA, BAHRAIN.

Mob No.: 39509915, 33983125

CC - 1 ICE BREAKER SPEECH

My life, my message

“Ours is the only organization , I know dedicated to the individual”.

 These words are from our International Founder Dr.Ralph C Smedley.

Tmod, Fellow Toastmasters and most valued guests good evening to you.

            I’m very much thank full to everybody for this wonderful opportunity given to me.I’m very happy to stand before you to make my Ice breaker speech.I’m TM Gireesh Kumar . I come from Kerala in India. From a small town called  Kavand in Kollam dist.I’m married and I have one daughter Sivananda. She is Two and half years old. My wife’s name is Renju. She is a very  humble lady .

 

            I have three sisters. Both my parents passed away. My school life was completed from St.John’s High school Eravipuram, Kollam dist. I studied for my Bcom. Degree from Sree Narayana College Kollam.

            I’m an accountant and working in Bahrain Int’l Hotel at Manama. I live in the central region of Manama. I have a lot of school memories in my life. The first among them is about my class teacher Sister Josella. Sadly she is no more.She was not only my teacher, but also my mother. She contributed a lot to mold my Character. She taught me a lot of moral stories. She was a very good gardener also. In her old age her convent people sent her to old age home in Chennai. When I went to Chennai to visit her, I was too late. She was no more. It was heart breaking news for me.

           In India I got better experience in sales field. I worked in Medimix Soaps in Tamilnadu and Parle Biscuits in Kerala. During my work in Kerala & Tamilnadu I got many opportunities to travel all over India.

             From my childhood I faced many challenges in my life. My family was very poor that time. When I was nineteen years old my father expired. After that I lost my two brothers- in law and my mother in between a short span of five years. I faced many difficulties during that time. Sometimes I used to think about suicide also. But I realized it was only for a coward. My ambition was to become a Charted Accountant .Unfortunately I had to stop my education with Bcom, to earn and help my family.

             I experimented with and experienced many kinds of work, because I needed money for my studies.  That is the reason with the help of my friends after that I found time to help poor people. From our part time works and service at marriage functions and reception parties we collected money for this purpose. We helped, by distributing Uniforms and study materials for poor pupils. When there was the death of a poor person, in a poor family we spent cash for their funeral functions.

              From these types of social activities my mind became very calm & quiet and I got a peculiar satisfaction. When you eat food Please remember how many persons are dying in this world without food. If you feel me rough and tough, it is from my hard life experiences.  I’m standing in front of you here today, only because of the  grace of God. I believe in him deeply.   

               Let me conclude with one quotation from Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.

Thank you …………. 

50th Meeting Celebrations and New Ex.com Installation Ceremony

A big Thank You

Fellow Toastmasters and Most Valued guests 

We thank you for attending and blessing us with your presence on our 50th. Meeting Celebration and Installation Ceremony, which because of you became a great success. 

We appreciate your taking time out on a Friday (13/07/12)evening to be with us. Our confidence has increased because of you and we will go ahead and dream more and achieve more as we commit ourselves to excellence.

We look forward to your support in all our future endeavor

W.Regards
TM Gireesh Kumar

Thanks

                    I’m very proud and thankful to each and every person, because you done a wonderful job last Friday evening.Our 50^th meeting celebration and Installation ceremony became a great success because it was TEAM work that showed your dedication, commitment and team spirit. TM Hussain made a huge contribution to make this celebration meeting a success. TM Prashanth Shetty once again proved that he is a leader. Master of Ceremonies, Speakers and Timers showed their ability in that meeting. One person was working behind the scene. She gave her motivation and creativity to us. Yes it is our sponsor, mentor and mother DTM Dr. Usha Devarajan .Together we made it happen.

        Let us move forward with confidence this year and achieve all our goals.