Wednesday, May 28, 2008

The Queen

A few months ago, my coach dubbed me the 'Queen of not Leaving myself enough Time'. She was right. I was always finding myself rushing from one thing to the next. Trying to get one more thing done on my to do list before leaving for the next activity or appointment.

Since coming back from my vacation in Israel, I have really been relaxed. Fortunately or unfortunately, I have been waking up at 5:30 - 6:00 am and that has left me lots of time to get my work done in the morning before starting with clients. I find that I am relaxed, have enough time to get everything done that I intend to and am really enjoying this easy-going time. I am committed to making this a full-time experience!

Monday, May 26, 2008

Raising Money for Charity

Yesterday I rode my motorcycle in B.A.D. Ride - Bikers Against Despair. This is the 11th year the ride has been run. It is a 160 km ride to raise money for the Distress Centre which provides free counseling and phone support to people who are in crisis.

There were over 1300 bikers participating and we raised over $200,000. One of the best things at this ride is the sense of community. If anyone has a problem or runs off the road, the next 10 people behind pull over and help. I was one of those yesterday. I bee got into my helmet. After desperately trying to ignore the bee I pulled over quickly on some gravel and fell over. Luckily I wear full gear and a full face helmet. Had I not been fully geared, I am clear that I would have broken my nose and maybe some teeth because I landed prone on the ground after the motorcycle slid from under me. The worse injury was my pride :-) and besides that was the bruised tendon in my hand.

At the end they raffled off a Harley Davidson Motorcycle. I put off going home or going to have it x-rayed just to see if I won the motorcycle. I didn't win in - and my hand ended up being only bruised or sprained........all for a good cause!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Perspective


When I was in Israel, I was surprised that when they referred to the year something happened in history, they used 'Before the Counting' to refer to 'Before Christ' and 'After the Counting' to refer to 'After Death'.

Up until this moment, I assumed that the entire world was using B.C and A.D.. When I spent a moment and thought about it, I realized that it all has to do with perspective. In Judaism, Christ is neither the son of God, nor is the 'immaculate conception' a concept that they accept. He is considered a man and is therefore not a pivotal figure in their history. Therefore to use a term that revolves around Christ's life (A.D) would be incongurent with their beliefs.

The Israelis have a different perspective than most of the rest of the world that uses AD and B.C. I assumed that everyone has the same perspective that I do.
Which one is right? 'Before the Counting' or 'Before Christ'? Actually, they're both right. Each perspective is right for the person using the expression.

This is a great example and reminder for us all that when we meet someone with a different and often opposing perspective, that we are both right. We are right for ourselves and there is no one right answer.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

The Value of Money

Yesterday I gave my son 8 Israeli coins to go buy himself a snack. Not being familiar with the coins here in Israel, they seemed to me like 8 canadian nickels. After giving him the coins, I began to figure out in my head the value of what I had just given him. I realized then that I had not given him 40 cents but had just given him $8!!!!!.

It was really interesting to me to see that when I didn't realize the value of the coins, I had no emotional reaction to giving him the money. But when I made money 'mean' something, I right away felt a tension inside of me that reflected the thought: "That wasn't 40 cents he's going to spend, but rather $8....and that's a lot of money!!!"

This further validates what Ekhart Tolle said in his book "The New Earth", on the Oprah show, about the impact of labelling things in our lives. When I didn't label the value of the coins, I felt relaxed and peaceful, yet once I labeled the value of the coins I felt tense. The coins never changed nor did it's value....only my perception of the coins changed.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Spring in Paris


On May 6th, I left Toronto with my two kids aged 19 and 23 to Israel. Im turning 50 this year and thought that I should celebrate this year and return to the country I was born in and haven't been back to for over 29 years. As an added bonus, I decided to add a stop over in Paris France to reconnect to the city I grew up in when I was betweenthe ages of 8-12.

On the way to Israel, we had a stop over in Paris of just over 5 hours. Wanting to take advantage of this opportunity, I decided to jump on the train for the 45 minute ride into Paris. When we found out that the cost was 49 Euros return ($75), my children questioned whether it was really worth it. I said, sure - we only live once and that's what money is for.

It was 12 am Toronto time. We jumped on the train and stopped at the Arc de Triomphe. We walked around and decided to walk over to the Eiffel Tower where we came across an open air market. My kids each bought a crepe made fresh and continued on to the Eiffel Tower. They were smiling from ear to ear. They were besides themselves with joy about being in Francing, tasting delicacies and taking advantage of every moment. We were exhausted by the time we had to hop on the train to return home (3:00 am) but that wasn't going to stop us from the satisifaction and inner joy of eating a crepe at the Eiffel Tower.

I am so glad I decided to take advantage of this stopover, teach my kids to enjoy each moment and experience the glow and satisfaction of the moment.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Effortless Prosperity


This weekend I took a course with Bijan, 3 times Mr. Universe, author and motivational speaker. In his course, Clear to Create, I learned a lot of what we are attached to in our lives.

When we are 'attached' we are in a 'do or die' mode. Things must work out the way we plan them. We try to control the situation or person and along the way suffer as we try to manipulate, control or walk on eggshells.

Bijan suggests that it is our purpose in life to be in joy. When we can let go of how situations need to be, then we can be happy, connected and excited about our life.

I was able to identify some areas in my life where I too am attached to an outcome. In this course I was able to release that belief and experienced joy that evening.

Where are you attached in your life?
What issues must turn out just the way you want them to?
Where can you let go of control?