He did what? She said that? Who would do such a thing?

Today I had a realization.

Life is as amazing now as it was when I was 2, maybe more so.

Examine the relationships, actions and decisions made by people as if you're seeing them for the first time. Do they make sense? Do they seem thoughtful? Are they GOOD decisions? What constitutes a good decision?

Take this opportunity to examine your decisions and give some thought to why you do the things you do. Are you stuck in a rut or heading towards a dead end?

Let's bring meaning back!

Wedding Speeches

This past weekend I was a part of 2 amazing weddings. On Saturday, Margaret and Dmitry tied the kn0t in a small and intimate affair. On Sunday, Jon and Maria got married. There were a number of interesting aspects to both these weddings. For one, they both took place at The Old Mill. This is a beautiful venue and the people there are very nice and helpful. It was a little surreal to be heading to the same place both nights. and recognize the bar tenders.

Having two weddings in a single weekend is a challenge. Talking in two weddings in a single weekend is an even bigger challenge. It reminds me of my school days and working on multiple assignments for different courses. I believe it's harder than school since writing speeches is a very open ended process. This past weekend I had the honour to be the MC on Saturday and was one oft the best men on the Sunday.

Since I'm sure I'm going to have to speak at other events, I've decided to write this blog to give me some tips for the future.

1. Always be prepared, this means making time the day of to spit out that last version
2. Don't say anything you're not comfortable saying - if you don't like a joke or story, don't say it. It won't come out right
3. point form is better than paragraphs. Some key sentences can be written down. This is way easier to read and allows you to interact with the audience.
4. Practice the speech out loud a few times. This will help iron out the kinks
5. When printing the speech notes, print landscape, double lined and with a large font.
6. I'm a big fan of warming up. If I can introduce someone else or announce something, I feel a lot more comfortable talking to the group.
7. Don't be afraid to shush the audience. Some people can have too good a time at a wedding. If people are talking, it makes it a huge challenge to engage people and can be very distracting. if a regular shush doesn't work, point out the offending person or section in a positive way.
   

Both events went off extremely well. I was nervous as hell but the second I had to be on, I was on and pulled it off. It's good to have some energy.

As Stuart Smalley used to say, I'm good enough, I'm strong enough and Doggone it, people like me.