Lodge Leadership Tools - Hawthorne-Fortitude Masonic Lodge No ...

Lodge Leadership(Continued from page 34)'Effective smiles come from a smiling heart. By all of which it may be seen that the art of presiding successfullyhas its foundation in sympathy and understanding. and its cornerstone in good nature and tolerance. Withthese a Master can hardly fail to be a beloved presiding officer.NERVOUS!It is only three steps from the Lodge, floor to the Master's platform but what high steps! The brother presidingfor the first time in a Masonic Lodge who says he is not nervous is fooling himself, but no one else.But there is no need to continue to be nervous. In a traffic jam the motorist can always stop---the worst he willget is a lot of horns tooted at him and perhaps a "bawling out" by the policeman. In a parliamentary jam theMaster can always stop to look up the law or precedent, or call to refreshment while he consults some one; hewill hear neither horns nor bawling out. Go slowly, consult the agenda: depend on the Secretary to help; usethe gavel sparingly; smile . . . and presiding becomes a pleasure and a Master a joy to his brethren.The Following article was found on one of my favorite sites “The Masonic Trowel” . If your ever in need of a referenceor an article to use for your Tressleboard I would suggest looking here.“CREATIVE THINKING”What is Creative Thinking? If you played with a kaleidoscope, you can see creativity in action. In the end ofthe revolving drum, pieces of glass are mixed together to form a pattern. If you shake the cylinder, the piecesof glass will form a new pattern. This is what creativity is all about. A creative person is someone who mixestogether the information and experiences stored in his mind, and then generates new associations. A creativeperson also seeks new information and new experiences to help derive new associations, combining new andexisting information.Creativity will help you:1. Increase your sensitivity to problems, needs, and opportunities, and your power to observe and perceivewith more wide-awake attention.2. Look at situations from new and different perspectives.3. Break the habitual patterns and escape from the rut of old ideas.4. Rid yourself of old solutions, old attitudes, and old ways of doing things that are no longer appropriate orrelevant.5. Think beyond the safe, tired, and sure ways of doing things. (Known as “thinking outside the box.”)(Continued on page 36)35 ON THE WEB AT WWW.TWTMAG.COM 35