12 Dec 2017

Printed or not printed? My 1st or my 2nd path?

I used this picture I took a morning, when I lost my denture and had to go a few days without my three front teeth. I felt as if it was a major catastrophe. 

I made from it a huge problem, like the shadow that you see on the wall, projected by the sun on my living room. Projected in my head by the problem before me.

But today, I realized, one can be used also for "inverse". What is if we visualize something a lot bigger, fatter, better, and then get a small thin thing instead?

We did not know but were sure we will have a manual with all the Electives together, beautifully printed, send to us, as soon as we finish and prove we finished, the first two levels of the Printed Path. I had seen that beautiful fat manual in my head for many weeks. That was one of the cause I was so disappointed. Perhaps, I did interpret not well what I read, what will arrive. That bigger expectation result was huge disappointment.

This morning, I got a message from Singapore, from Poh Kim Siong, guide and great workshop leader of Pathways. "Hi Julie, just to confirm with you when you order the printed material, do you get all the electives manual or only those you selected to do?"

Answer alas is: Neither! 

In the Level 3 Printed you just get Storytelling and Social Events "elected" for you by the staff at TMI, and same for the other levels, only one by level. You can not select, nor view the other electives, nor request the ones you would like. You can even not see the electives mentioned in the printed text (as they did not alas yes edited it for those who get printed material) and as for some (for me mysterious) reason, once you did buy Printed, the Base Camp material path is forbidden for you to see.

Poh Kim Siong got inspiration from my blog but did not found the Search box: in fact I have at least 7 posts already about my disappointment with printed material in this blog. If I understand, when looked from iPhone, the side bar is not visible. Perhaps, have to find another way to put the Search. Possible, but it alters the beauty of the title. Or perhaps at the bottom? But then how to say there is something there?


Yesterday, I had a wonderful surprise. I got from TMI a beautiful certificate of proficiency. For my Presentation Mastery path. 

I call it "my second path" because it is the second I did complete. But thinking of it back to 26th March 2017, it was the first one I did chose. Get. 

Later, I changed it to Visionary Communication, my free path, and did buy Printed. 45 dollars. Did have to wait till end June to get the firsts two manuals. 

When I got the Level 3 and was so hugely disappointed, I stopped it. 20 more dollars to buy a Web based Presentation Mastery: this certificate shows I did finish that one. For only 65 dollars, I learned a lesson many should understand: DO NOT ASK for PRINTED Path! Avoid at any possible way. Some Districts and clubs, go to web and print material for the members and even clubs who can not go online for some reasons. That lets them chose, which electives they want. And even have access and read the electives they did not chose for this time, but where suggested as "useful" in the text. 

I did not give the "proper" Reflect on your path speech after I finished this bumpy special, path, not wanting to disappoint, I spoke combining my two paths. I will write a story full of humor of my adventures and misadventures, expectations and choices I made. 

Now, that I am towards the end of my 3rd path, which effectively IS the 3rd, Leadership Development, I begun even before finishing my elective, to write about my path. Not only my last path, but as asked all my Toastmasters Path. It will look a lot more rosy and glorious that the one I can now mock and for which I just received the beautiful Certificate that I will put in my entrance to show myself: I got it! Finally, I did get through. One learns a lot from what does not go smooth. 

Each path is different, and I will take time to reflect, to compare. 
Perhaps, most electives offered are the same, but my personal reaction so different!

1 comment:

Magda said...

Interesting post and photo. The photo symbolizes how we see problems. Great wisdom in that idea. Thank you for sharing.