Posted at 21:09h
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It's about a week ago. My boyfriend, Brynley, and I are driving to the country. We pull into a random gas station about an hour away from home, and a guy approaches Brynley to ask him if he's looking for parts for his car. Well, yes, absolutely! Just earlier that day he'd had a long-overdue visit to the garage. He talked to the mechanic about what needed to be done to get his car ready for winter, and the first thing was finding an affordable pair of winter tires. Nothing could be done until he had the tires. Brynley left the mechanic with snow tires on his mind, and just a few hours later a guy is offering him a pair for his exact model and year of car at an affordable rate...
Posted at 13:36h
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Dreams,
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I didn't have a cellphone in high school. I didn't know how to Google search. I didn't have a Kindle or iPad. There was no video chatting or text messaging, and my siblings and I competed for the one desktop computer we had at home (to get on ICQ with our crushes).
The access to information just 15 years ago was far more scarce than it is today...
Posted at 12:45h
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If you've ever met me, you know I'm friendly, outgoing and even goofy. Once you get past that, you also see that I'm serious about how I live my life and what legacy I may leave behind.
Sometimes it feels like I'm too deep for people, though - like I'm scuba diving in the depths of philosophical thought, contemplating how I can live a more meaningful life, and they'd prefer I come back up to the surface where the super fun, inflatable swans are! I'm caught up in the mysteries of the ocean floor, and they're hollering at me to join their game of marco polo!!!
I'm exaggerating, of course, but the idea of it all got me thinking about needs this past weekend. Your needs and my needs.
For example, I feel I have a need for deep conversation on a regular basis.
In the past, talking about our needs was almost taboo. Even today, if it's not some...
Posted at 12:57h
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We all have principles.
A principle is defined as "a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning."
How diligently we all live by our principles is a different story. And I've been thinking about that a whole lot the past few days.
It was spurred on when I heard from a few people that they voted neither for Hillary nor for Trump to honour their principles. They voted for the candidate they knew had no chance of winning to stand by their principles. No, the idea of voting for the lesser of evils was not a strategy they were willing to employ.
Hmmm.
What do you think of that?
I see the good intentions behind the decision - yes, to live a principled life - yet I also think it's irresponsible not to consider the impact of your good intentions. In this case, voting...
Posted at 13:24h
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I've been thinking a bit lately about what it means to truly love the ones we're with.
In the past, I used to think my partner had to be a specific type of person. One day I'd meet him, he'd be exactly what I wanted, and we'd live happily ever after. Anyone who was cute but not exactly what I wanted was coerced to change if he wanted to be with me, or he didn't get a chance. By holding to this high standard, I thought I was dignified.
I laugh today (and maybe I should cry), as I realize how I wanted to be with a person who was willing to be a reflection of me, which is not love at all. I'm not fully recovered, but I'm aware, to say the the least.
Thomas Merton writes, "The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution...
Posted at 11:49h
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When life gets busy, which seems to be the norm for everyone, we can begin to operate on a surface level and not be connected to who we really are. It's almost like we're asleep or on auto-pilot.
Is this dangerous? Is it ok?
Socrates (and others) said, "Know Thyself."
But why? What's the point of digging deeper to understand and connect better with ourselves?
I've been reading The Road Back To You, by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanna Stabile, and they provide a pretty insightful answer:
"Most folks assume they understand who they are but they don't...
Posted at 10:08h
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I remember the morning my brother sent me a picture of a young girl in a cute little outfit on Groupon who was selling her life coaching services for a special deal of $15 a session.
I didn’t like how it made me feel.
Is that what people think I do?
From my background as a professional athlete, I have experienced all the difference great coaching makes. Now, in the corporate and organizational world, I have the opportunity to create some of that difference.
So, why did I experience those negative feelings?
The field of coaching is hot right now, and it’s growing at a very fast rate. World class leaders swear by it and businesses report a great return on investment from it. For example, "Coaching is now part of standard leadership development training for elite executives and talented up-and-comers at IBM, Motorola, JP Morgan, Chase and Hewlett Packard. These companies are discreetly giving their best prospects...
Posted at 18:27h
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Today my brother raced in the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon Series 5KM in Montreal, and I went to watch! As I saw him come around the corner for the final stretch, my heart filled with excitement. He had about 100 meters left. In my mind, there was no other option than to run with him from the spectator area and cheer my heart out. "Go Marcus, Gooo!!!" There were just a few guys ahead of him, and I knew those last efforts could be catalyzed by encouragement.
I ran after him, and my eyes welled with tears. I was surprised by my emotion. For an instant, I had a glimpse of what it might feel like to love your child. I had forgotten all about myself and only cared in that moment that my brother would have all his dreams come true. I was so proud.
After the race, we cheered with the Lululemon...
Posted at 11:04h
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Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!...
Posted at 04:19h
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You shouldn't spill it, right? If you tell your secret, everyone will know, and then they can become successful too - maybe even more successful than you.
I've felt that way before. It's not an uncommon train of thought. I just read the forward of a book on screenwriting by one of the best spec screenwriters of all time (Save The Cat, Blake Snyder), where the publisher jokes with the author, saying, "Are you sure you want publish this book? You're going to up the competition!"
But then I thought of all the people offering amazing advice on how to get to where they are. Like Von Wong, a photographer who does behind-the-scene videos of his photo shoots, so people can learn new techniques.
So, what to do. What to do! What's the best practice?
The other side of the coin is - when you offer your secrets, you become a helper of humanity. It's not the telling...
