Pathways#Innovative Planning#Level1#1 - Ice breaker - Start to be great

 

Good evening Toastmasters of the evening & audience. Today I am going to introduce myself to the club. I am Thanigeaswara Anbarasu Kalappan. One of my early mentor DTM Sarovelrajan usually refer Zig Ziglar quotes “you need not be great to start but you have to start to be great”.

 I was born & brought up in south India from a place called Pondicherry. My father name is Anbarasu Kalappan who is a retired teacher & my mother is a house wife. I have one younger sister.

My father always says that Education is the true way of life. He ensured that that his kids got good education. I am an average student. I did Mathematics & Computer applications as my under graduation & post-graduation respectively. It took nearly 2 years for me to land into a moderate job & in the course of time have moved to major companies.

Still I remember one instance, during job search times, my father asked me to apply for a job advertised in the daily newspaper. I applied it & awaiting for acknowledgement from the recruiter. After 2 days, the postman knocked the door & I was very eager hoping some positive reply from the recruiter. When I opened the door I was shocked to see the postman having the same letter posted by me. He told me that I have to pay fine as the correct stamp was not pasted. I was still curious how the letter has bounced back. When I looked the letter, I have wrote From address in the place of To Address & vice versa. I was ashamed. My father came out of his room and understood what happened. He looked at me and said Son Now you know why no one is giving you job.

I am having 15+ years of experience in the IT industry. Currently my role is project/program management where I have to execute the projects. Out of which 6+ years is spent in japan. This 6 years is spared across decades where I have worked in Tokyo for couple of years & moved back to India. My latest stint is from 2019 & I am continuing now. My previous stint was in 2015 where I worked 1 year here where I was also a member of this club.

Currently I am working in a US based IT company Cognizant Technology solutions serving an Insurance client. Currently my goal is to learn Japanese, professional certification & pursue higher studies & role-up in my career. My hobbies are reading books, watching cricket. My favorite book is pushing to the front by Orisson Swet Marden. 

Toastmasters introduced me many mentors through I have gained immensely. Due to Procrastination, after 2-3 years I am giving this speech, thanks to my current mentor VPE Masako san who encouraged me to give the speech.  

Other than my Toastmasters mentors, I would like to thank my online mentor Jim Rohn whose words sculpted me a lot. From him I learned a lot like

1.       For things to change you have to change

2.       For things to be better you have to be better.

3.       What you are becoming is more important than what you are earning.

I am the incoming VPM for this club.  I have to promote the club & manage the process of bringing in guests and converting them into members.

 I am married & my wife name is Gomathi. We were blessed with two kids. My son name is Devaprasanna & he is 8 years old & my daughter name is Khavipriya & she is 6 years old. They are going to school in Tokyo.

I am juggling my life between the job/personal development/family. What I discovered in my career was the quote from Ben Franklin that “For the best return on your money, pour your purse into your head”.

 I know my mountain hill might be a mole hill to others but I will try to push myself to reach the hill. Because you need not be great to start but you have to start to be great.

Toastmaster of the evening!