Toastmasters CC6 'Vocal Variety': First Working Day in 2010

Yesterday, I was doing my competent communication manual project 6, Vocal Variety. Many presenter like to share story on this assignment. I am still on holiday mood. I can't think of any interesting story to share with my fellow toastmasters. Suddenly, I think of first working day. Why not I make up a story that unusually will happen on first working day that people will remember it. The story goes like this.

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4th of January is first working day in 2010. I was very excited. That day I woke up early and went to office before 8am. My boss wasn't there yet. I quickly opened up my laptop and printed a letter and signed on it. As I needed to pass it to him before she get busy with her own work. She was on a long holiday. I believed she will have tons of tasks waiting for her on the first working day.

I went through my email. Suddenly I saw her head from my cubicle as she's walking to her desk, I grabbed my letter and walked toward her and greeted her, "Happy New Year. How was your holiday trip?" She said, "Happy new year to you. The holiday was great but tiring." She was smiling when I was pointing to her new wallpaper and said, "Very nice Great Canyon picture." I guess she must be taken during her trip. Back to business. I handed over the letter to her. She saw it, without opening it and immediately said, "Wow, what a new year present! I roughly can guess what it is about. Let me go through my today schedule and schedule the time one to one with you." Then I said, "Okay".

I went to back my desk and continued with my email. Not very long, Suddenly, a meeting schedule dialog box popped up in the middle of my desktop screen that mentioned a meeting schedule on half and hour later with my boss. I clicked 'Accept' button and reply immediately. I tried to finished up my email before the meeting. After half and hour later, I entered a small meeting room. My boss was already there. I sat down and the conversation started.

"Are you sure you want to further your study at this point of time?" she asked. I said, "Yes." "Why?" she asked again. "All the while, I got plan to further my study. Now, I felt it is the time for me to achieve this goal." "Has to be in Australia? If we could be find a similar course that can be done as part time basic in Penang, will you consider?" She asked me in a generous way. "I did consider that, but I still felt that this is a better option for me," I said it in kind way.

"Although you are going to leave us soon, let me share with you my plan on you. You will be the next person that I am going to promote you. You deserve it. You are free to say anything. Now here is just two of us. Whatever you said will be only in this room," she said with open mind. "Yes, I was not happy with the 3 percents increment and wasn't promoted since I joined in this company in year 2006," that was what I think in my mind. But I am not going to say it since everything is history now. Now I am looking forward my future. I told her, "I am happy with my current job, although the increment wasn't that great. More important is that I want to move on and continue my journey in Australia. Now I am in a comfort zone. I want to move out from the comfort zone and facing the challenging out there. I believe if I don't doing it now, I will never have the courage to do it again in near future."

"Okay. I respect your decision. Anyway, I will still on hold your letter for a week before handing it over to human resource department. You still have time to think about it again. Just in case you change your mind a week later," she said. "Thank you for your support," I said to her. This ended my meeting with my boss. The rest of that day was normal. Most of my co worker still in holiday mood including me. So far, only my team mate knew about it. They need to know about it as I need to transfer my knowledge on the current project I working on to them in two months time.

First working day in 2010 meant a lot to me. I had the courage to change and moved my first step. I know the journey will be long and tough. It is just like walking a rotten bridge that going to break anytime. I will keep walking and walking till I reach the end as that is my future. I don't how and I don't when. But I know, where there's a will there's a way.

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