TOAST OF THE DAY - RENEWAL

By Anna Hausser

After three weeks of holidays, the word that comes to my mind is RENEWAL for I have experienced it in several of its forms.

Holidays are a time to replenish the batteries, by recovering if you feel tired of routine or physically tired and become new or as if new again. Refilled with a fresh supply of energy. Renewed my spirits in the country air.

Holidays can also be a time to renew yourself, by resting, by doing things we usually don't have the time to do, or doing new things, or doing nothing, or reading. This can be regenerating and rejuvenating.

Renewal is also about renovation. It is a time when we can renovate and refresh our house, as I did, with new painting and new thatch roof and refurbishing and transforming rooms with little changes that bring more space, and make a part of the house more enjoyable.

It can be about repairing, restoring, rebuilding something old and turning it into something renewed like a piece of furniture, or some clothes.

Renewal can be about replacement of things and people. It can also be about getting rid of old things we haven't used for ages and leaving space for new ones. Renewal can be the occasion to revive old friendships, to re-establish old relationships.

In fact, if we look around us, our physical universe and nature, there is only one underlying reality present everywhere: change. As Einstein said, matter is not created, nor destroyed, only transformed.

Cells in our body are constantly renewed, in fact there is nothing about the universe that isn't changing right now. Life flows in an ever changing succession of transformations, an eternal recommencement.

I'd like to end this toast with a couple of questions you may ask yourself if you are interested in bringing renewal into your life.

What is it that I've been holding on to that I need to let go of?

What is no longer serving me in my life that I need to release?

I invite you to join me for a toast to RENEWAL

Interviewing Preetah Bolaky

Financial Toastmasters has had the pleasure of welcoming new members lately, and among them is Preetah Bolaky, a gorgeous young lady, full of dreams and aspirations...I have decided to interview her to get a piece of her mindset and to get to know her a little more...

1. Who is Preetah Bolaky, what makes Preetah such a loving person?
I would describe myself as a very ambitious hardworking and sincere girl. I am enthusiastic about taking new challenges in life. Friendly, caring, and joyful is what my friends would describe me as.

A good friend of mine always tells me that I am a loving person because I always compromise my own position for the good of those around me.

2. Why to have chosen a career at Deutsche Bank?
Deutsche Bank being a leading global provider of financial solutions was among the banks I wanted to start my career at that time being a degree holder of Banking and International Finance and I got the opportunity to form part of the Passion to Perform Team.

3. Tell us about your feelings and experience of your first Financial Toastmasters meeting and how your expectations have grown or changed after having attended subsequent toastmasters gatherings?
The first time I went for the meeting I did not know what Toastmaster meeting was really about until I stood up and talk about the table topics on the day itself. This was the time I realised that it is the club I want to join to build my self confidence and communication skills. After having attended subsequent toastmaster gatherings, I started being more confident and comfortable in front of an audience.

4. Barack Obama said in his acceptance speech as President of the US "America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century, what change will they see?"...Preetah, tell us, what change would You want to see in the next 10 years in Mauritius and what change would You want your children to see?
I will definitely not want the next ten years to look like the last ten.
Technology gives Mauritius, an island described as being "In the middle of nowhere on the way to everywhere". So I hope to see Mauritian Economy to continue to prosper and to manage the transition from a high growth textile exporter to a successful high technology service industry country. Personally, in ten years I just want Mauritius to be well known around the world.
I want my children to shift in the mindset from "the world belongs to man" to "humanity belongs to the earth".

5. Preetah, we know you are a football fan, in the context of the world cup, what team are you supporting and what are your guesses of the 2 teams playing the finals?
France was the team I was supporting. I think Germany and Netherlands will be playing the Final but everything can happen as with the World Cup 2010, Expect the Unexpected.