Most of us, Toastmasters are proud of the fact that we have the opportunity to learn the nuances of Leadership as part of our Toastmasters training. Many of us even look at the Toastmasters Leadership training as an opportunity of a life time. True, it sure is!!

Where else could we have a system, where nobody teaches, nobody is taught and yet we learn through a spirit of sharing? Wonderful, isn’t it?

But let me share with you about yet another unique leadership opportunity - An opportunity which we all are bestowed with - An opportunity which we all sometimes tend to undermine or overlook.

Yes, it is the opportunity of being a leader at home!!

Leadership begins at home. Your family is an organization which needs to be managed, cherished and elevated, if you firmly believe to get that rare air life, that you truly deserve!! I, for one, firmly believe that the highest moments of life are the moments that we share with our loved ones!

But do we plan our leadership role at home? Do we strive to be the “ideal” leaders that we seek to be in our professions and our other roles outside our profession and home?

Now if you introspect, I am sure you will agree with our hackneyed phrase that we so often use in Toastmasters, “there is certainly room for improvement”

During a trip to England during the last summer vacation, I was driving through the picturesque county Hutton, Lancashire in Manchester, with my childhood friend (whom I was meeting after 10 years). We were sharing an old time joke and having a hearty laugh. Suddenly my eyes fell on the license plate of the car in front of us, it read, “RKIDSROC”. It made me smile.

Are we all not proud of our kids! Yes, indeed we are! Are they our primary priority! Yes they are!! To me they sure are!! I will leave anything that I am doing, regardless how important it is, if my kids need me!!

I have been a father for 15 years now and have realized that no matter whatever if I gave my kids - the latest toys or gizmos or gifts, nothing beats my time!! They do not enjoy anything more than the time that I spend with them. So I really strive to spend my time playing with them and pampering them….at times, much to the indignation of my wife! She always feels that I am being too lenient and spoiling them….which I feel most mothers believe, because my Mom used to have the same complaint on my Dad!!

Actually that is what the kids really want! They only want your quantity time and your quality time!!

During the course of life I have had the opportunity of meeting several extremely successful and rich entrepreneurs. But they all felt that they had it all but still had nothing because they travelled around so much for their success but missed their kids and their childhood!

So my dear friends, money is not the best form of wealth! It just isn’t!!

We, who are blessed with children and blessed to have them with us, are indeed truly Blessed!! So love your loved ones, celebrate every moment you spend with them.  Cherish them. Tell them all the things that you wanted to say but haven’t had the courage to.  You will never regret showing them, how proud you are of them…Ever.