Toastmaster’s Speech #4 – Redefining the Daily Grind

Toastmaster’s Speech #4 – Redefining the Daily Grind
11/17/10, 5 minutes

Fellow Toastmasters and guests, I have a question for you:

What time did your day begin today? Did your day begin as the sun came up…
or did the alarm wake your before it even got light?

I got up at 4:30 a.m. and plunged into the daily grind. Squinting as I turned on the light, I searched the closet looking for something comfortable to wear. With my eyes barely opened, I rushed through my hair and makeup routine. I slipped on my shoes and jewelry then headed to the kitchen to start the coffee before taking the dogs for a walk.

[SPEAK FASTER HERE] Then it was cook breakfast, fight traffic, slow down in the parking garage, fire up the computer and work, work, work. This evening it will be slow down in the parking garage, fight traffic, cook dinner, walk the dogs, and run, run, run… to the store, to the bank, and to return DVDs to BlockBuster. After all that – I may treat myself to a little Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar ice cream before I collapse in front of the TV. Does this sound familiar? It seems fairly hectic from morning to night, doesn’t it?

What if I told you your day began last night as the sun set? Some cultures define “day” as the time between sunset and sunset, rather than sunrise to sunrise.

The day I just described is fairly typical in a sunrise culture: 1) we rise, 2) we work, and 3) then we end the day in rest. We rest to recover from our work … with whatever time is left over!

By contrast, in a sunset culture: 1) we rest, 2) then we rise, and 3) do our work. Do you see the subtle difference? Rest comes first. Rest serves to prepare us to work rather than just recover from it.

Defining the day beginning at sunrise makes work primary. Defining the day beginning at sunset makes rest primary.

Consider this for a moment: How might redefining day into a sunset to sunset rhythm affect our priorities? Would we think differently? Would we live differently? Here is one possibility:


[SLOW DOWN HERE] My day will begin at sunset as I arrive home to my family (around 5:00 p.m.). With rest as my primary focus I will move through my activities with the purpose of restoration in mind.
o I will still cook and eat dinner – because food is a necessary part of maintaining our bodies.
o I will still walk the dogs. But I will pause to notice the crisp weather and bright stars – because it calms my mind.
o I will still drive my daughter to the bank, pickup ice cream at the store and drop off DVDs – while we talk about teenage topics like concerts, movies (HP7), boys, chores and curfew along the way.
o I will sleep and I will arise refreshed to bring my best self to work.
o With my batteries fully charged, I will handle the daily grind of work with a more relaxed attitude.
o I’m not rushing to get to work, so driving slowly in the parking garage isn’t a bother.
o My pace is a little slower and less hectic, so I’m able to see problems more clearly. I can respond thoughtfully rather than react quickly.
o As the work day wears on, I may be challenged to the very end of my endurance…
o But as the day comes to an end at sunset, I can look forward to a new day just moments away.