I do some of my best thinking while running.  With the open desert scenery, warm breezes, and a full belly of fuel it seems like I am 16 again, as if I could run for ever.  Yesterday was such a morning.

          As I run I often think of the values I was taught as a child.  Those values have ebbed and flowed over the years.  Since leaving corporate America in 1994 I have worked hard to incorporate those values taught to me in Talmud Torah as I prepared to become a man at age 13.  Today, they are a daily reminder as I read the entire Hebrew morning service to start my day.  The system created by a higher power works if you follow the system.  It is my belief that I am a better person because I follow the script.  I am healthier, have better relationships, and do superior business because of the system.  Yes, systems work.

          In 1995 Lynne bought me breakfast with Zig Ziglar for Christmas. That day Zig sold me a series, Courtship After Marriage.  The message I took from those six tapes was, “Do what you did when you were courting your girlfriend to make your marriage last.”  Sure, we have had our moments, as I am assured all marriages have had.  Yet we are still together and have been since 1971.  When we have those moments we often go back to what brought us together in the beginning.  Systems work when you work the system.

          My Toastmasters experience is the same.  I have worked the system and continue to work the system.  I have done so for nearly 20 years joining in late 1998.  In less than four years I acquired my Distinguished Toastmaster award, the highest honor bestowed on a member.  Toastmasters changed my life.  As many of you know I came to Toastmasters to get the thorns off the Rose.  Prior to becoming a member of Toastmasters, when I would walk into a room stomachs would turn sour.  I was so egregious that people would literally see me coming and go the other way.  I am sure some of you reading this might still feel that way when I walk into a room.  That is one of the reasons why I continue to be a member of three Toastmaster clubs in the Tucson area.  I need the constant reminder because the Toastmaster system works.  Toastmasters also gives me the opportunity to give back.  People coming to Toastmasters are in transition.  Every new member wants something more from Toastmasters than just learning to speak in front of an audience or to acquire leadership skills.  Many want to grow their business or advance in their job.  Some just want to interact better with their associates or spouse.  Here again, much like obtaining values from faith based systems, so too does Toastmasters’ systems work when you work the system.

          Finally, most of you know that, “When you say to your target market what they want to hear you get what you want and they get what they want,” is a quote you often hear me use.  It is the core of our process to attract the right prospects and generate more referrals.  This boils down to simple language with a focus on what our target markets need.  This concept stems from years of identifying our own job descriptions as self-employed coaches or consultants.  These days our language focuses on what our prospects desire.  When focusing on the prospects’ needs they will now ask the question, “How do you do that?”  Yes, here again the system works when you work the system.

          What systems do you need to employ to better your life, health, and wealth?  Is it more family time?  How about working on that relationship with your spouse?  I would love to hear your comments.