The document provides three key tips for achieving awesomeness in personal and professional life: always be prepared, be part of an awesome team, and genuinely care about others. It highlights the author's recent experiences and initiatives, including launching a food drive and the importance of community support. The author, Mark McKenzie, engages with his network to inspire and motivate through shared experiences and ongoing efforts in leadership and service.

1. 3 Tips to be Awesome!
Hello friends thanks for your kind support and encouragement. I hope that you are having a great week
and that today will be an awesome day for you. I am having an awesome week. On Monday I
successfully launched my High Performance Leadership (HPL) project titled Holiday Season Food Drive
details of which are provided at the end of this blog. Today I will be the guest speaker at the City of
Mississauga Employees Toastmasters Club’s (COMET) Open House at the Civic Centre. I will be delivering
my Leaders Leave Legacy Workshop. Today I am also celebrating two consecutive months of daily
blogging. While I have learned a lot about the Internet by blogging daily I could not have done it without
your kind support and encouragement.
Yesterday a friend that I had not spoken with for almost a year called me about an opportunity in
Toronto. She told me she had seen all my activities on Linkedin and that she enjoyed reading my blog
because it was inspirational and motivational. For me that is awesome!
The truth is I could not have accomplished two straight months of blogging with you. You are awesome!
Today I would like to share with you three tips to be awesome in your career and personal life.
Always be Prepared
On Tuesday, the designated chair for my City Centre Toastmasters’ club meeting was late. Our club
meets are at noon every Tuesdays at the Mississauga Central Library for an hour. Time management is
crucial for us and as such we aim to start on time every time. On Tuesday just before our noon start time
I noticed that our designated chair was not present. It was clear that even if she arrived at that time we
would not be able to start on time. At that moment I asked another member, Shalini, to step in and
serve as our chair for the afternoon. Shalini agreed and she did an amazinglyawesome job!
At the end of the meeting I commended Shalinion her an outstanding performance. She told me she was
nervous but because she was prepared she felt comfortable taking on the role as chair at the last
minute. To be awesome you must always be prepared like Shalini. Preparation requires on -going
training and education. In order to be always prepared you must always seek out opportunities for
further training and education to improve your skills. Remember knowledge and training empowers you.
It builds your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Be Part of an Awesome Team
We all want to be independent. We all want to be successful. However, it is important to note that “no
man is an island” we must always see ourselves as part of an awesome team. On Tuesday after my
Toastmasters’ club meeting I sent an email to all the members telling them they were awesome. In my
email I highlighted the outstanding performances of some the participants. I noted that although Cora,
who was initially our designated chair, was unusually late she was prepared. Cora was able to successful
support Shaliniby providing her with useful materials to execute the role as chair. Later in the day Cora
sent me email. Cora never made any excuses for her lateness and thanked, Shalini for stepping right in
on her behalf. She went on to say that City Centre Toastmasters Club is fortunate to have an outstanding

2. team including members Anjula, Ingrid, Shalini, John and myself who are dedicated and are true leaders!
To be awesome you must be part of an awesome team.
Genuinely Care About Others
To be awesome you must genuinely care about others and your community. On Monday I called my
friend Henock whom I had not seen for a while. We chatted a little catching up on what he had being up
since we last saw each other during the summer. At the end of our call we committed to keeping in
touch with each other much better. Later in the day I received a wonderful email from Henock thanking
me for calling. In his email he told me that I inspired him and thanked me for calling just see how he was
doing. He told me he felt I genuinely cared about him. The truth is I do.
Throughout my life I have tried to live a purpose driven life one that embodies a genuine care for others
and people in my community. On Monday I successfully launched my High Performance Leadership
(HLP) project titled Holiday Season Food Drive. My goal is collect at least TEN 3.0 cubic feet (18 x 18 x
16) boxes of non-perishable food items to be delivered to the Salvation Army of Brampton on
Wednesday, December 18, 2013 at 2.00pm. This is just one way in which I show my care for others and
my community. A number of Toastmasters’ clubs in the Cities of Brampton or Mississauga are
participating in my project. Please visit a Toastmasters’ club near you to learn more about how the
programme works to develop your communication and leadership skills as well as to learn more about
my Holiday Season Food Drive. Alternatively, please email me at mastbmckenzie@gmail.com or call me
on 647-406-4622.
I would also like to appeal to you to support the people in the Philippines affected by Typhoon Haiyan.
The United Nations’ World Food Programme is mobilizing food supplies to reach thousands of people in
need. Donations to the UN WFP will not be matched by the federal government because they are not a
Canadian charity, but as part of the UN’s Flash Appeal launched on Tuesday, the WFP is seeking $83
million to provide food across the country and support the Philippines government. Donate at
www.wfp.org/typhoon or by texting RELIEF NOW to 45678 to donate $10 to families in need
To be awesome you must genuinely care about others as well as your community.
You are awesome because
1. You are always prepared
2. Be part of an awesome team
3. Genuinely care about others
Have a great day, you are awesome!

3. Mark McKenzie is a leading Subject Matter Expert in financial services regulation and supervision as well
as a professional motivational speaker, corporate trainer and youth mentor. He can be contacted by
email mastbmckenzie@gmail.com or by telephone 647-406-4622. Read my blog
http://mastbmckenzie.blogspot.ca/ and always write me a comment and share. Follow me on Twitter
@mackynacky. Connect with me on www.youtube.com, Google+, Facebook and Linkedin.