by Steven Timmons DTM

Do you find yourself embracing change or avoiding it at all costs, including Pathways?  In our crazy world, change occurs daily. Spencer Johnson wrote a simple book entitled, “Who Moved My Cheese?” that described how people deal with change.

The four characters Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw show how different people can deal with change. Sniff and Scurry are mice who deal with the missing cheese in a practical way by searching for new cheese.  Hem and Haw took a much less than direct route to handle the dilemma.

As I revisit the material, I realized the similarity to the implementation of Pathways.  Some people readily accepted and easily embraced the change.  Some people resisted the change at first but finally decided to accept the change and make it work for them.  Other people rejected the change then either begrudgingly accepted change or continue refuse to accept the change in our educational program.

When I came to Toastmasters, I realized past real opportunities that had presented themselves, but I failed to recognize them because of my lack of knowledge.  I recalled many situations where I could have improved my personal relationships had I handled them differently with my improved communication skills.  This realization causes me to see the opportunities that will open to you and I if we embrace the change created by the change in content in Pathways.  The changes are much more than just being an online curriculum.

The change to Pathways has created exciting, revitalized content that helps you develop and learn skills that go beyond being a better speaker.  No matter how you adjust to change in your life, change brings a world of opportunity as does the Pathways online curriculum.

Review the content in your Path and mine the projects for the knowledge they will provide you.  Creating a podcast, starting a blog, or delivering online content effectively will open doors of opportunity and can put you in demand.  Working through the projects, practicing leadership skills such as creating a vision, milestone development, creating effective messages, and many more soft skills can be developed.  Soft skills that have a much greater value and impact on others.

Imagine people wanting to be around you and considering you to be a problem solver rather than planning to avoid you when problems arise.  You want to be recognized for your contributions. You want to be that person with the answer and willingness to help others.  Practical relevant technical skills and soft skills related to communication reside throughout the Pathways program.  Embrace change with Pathways to help you achieve success at every opportunity you meet.