Met over lunch with one of our new Toastmasters discussing his goals for the coming year. And during the discussion, I became particularly impressed with something he had done. 

Today I met with Roy, one of our newest Toastmasters, to discuss his goals for the upcoming year of Toastmasters. We had lunch al fresco on a beautiful Oregon afternoon with some darn good gyros.

Goals are those things we know we should do, but often find ways to avoid actually doing. Roy not only articulated his goals which was remarkable in itself, but he also wrote this:

“Over time, though, I plan on consciously (and probably unconsciously) applying the things I learn <about leadership> to my professional and personal life.  For example, volunteering for a leadership position in a professional society, or volunteering as a coach for one of my kids’ sports teams, etc. “

I was particularly impressed by this, because Roy showed a great way to build more volunteering into his life. He set a goal.

Knowing Roy, I believe he will follow through. That is the second part of setting a goal. Follow-through.

If you are having trouble doing the amount of volunteering you want, you can try a few things:

• Write down your goal to volunteer
• Put a specific place you want to volunteer
• Set a time frame that is reasonable
• Tell a good friend who will encourage you to follow-through
• Add a daily reminder on your Blackberry to remind you.

Set a goal. Follow-through. You and the people you are helping will be glad you did.