Saturday, November 3, 2007

How are you living right now?

Here is an inspirational video that will have you look at how you go about your life and experience the cards you are dealt with. In this video, the professor says: “I know how this movie is going to end, I can’t control the cards I’m dealt just how I’m going to play the end.”

Have a look at the video clip first and then ask yourself these questions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQtwEKlUutA


***What did you learn from this clip?
***How do you deal with a situation you don’t like?
***How can you ‘be’ in the face of situation you don’t like?

And remember, it’s about how you live your life!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

What about you?

I want you to have a close look at what you have done today? How many activities both in your business and in your personal life have you handled? Could you have delegated any of those activities to create greater balance in your life?

The message we are given as women is that we should be able to handle all the demands of our business and personal lives, and if we are stressed by it, something is wrong with us.
Being a woman entrepreneur doesn't mean you have to juggle it all. A good entrepreneur is one who has learned to delegate the activities that aren't her 'forte' or that she doesn't enjoy doing. Being an entrepreneur means being a leader.

One of the main reasons we don't delegate is that we don't feel entitled to. I want you to give yourself permission right now to NOT juggle it all. You don't need to do it all. I want you to ask yourself in this moment, what and who could you have delegated to today? What can you delegate tomorrow and follow through on it!

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Brazil


Wow! I just recently got back from Brazil where I backpacked with my two kids aged 19 and 22. Even though Rio de Janeiro is a dangerous city, the experience was magnificient.

One of my best memories is going up Sugar Loaf Mountain, where you take an aerial tram up to two sequential mountains and look down on Rio. We were told to go around 4:30 so that we could experience it in both the daylight and at night. I have to say it was an awesome experience! I felt like God had lifted us up in his hands up onto a cloud where we looked down on Rio nestled between the mountains.

After a week in Rio, we flew up to Salvador, where there is a great African influence. The kids and I watched a Capoeira which is an ancient martial arts brought in from the Congo with the slaves and each of us was picked to practice with one of the participants. We went to watch a Condomble which is a ritual of the African Religion where some of the participants go into a trance and are possessed by one of the Gods.

The beaches were awesome. I got my hair braided, bought lots of little trinkets and all three of us returned home with a sunburn. What a great vacation!

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Freedom Ride




I recently came back from a 12 day motorcycle trip through the Blue Ridge Parkway with my boyfriend. I thought. when I first started out that I had decent motorcycling skills. By the time we left Toronto, which is flat and straight, and got to Pennsylvania, my skills were being challenged. I almost missed a curve and hit a parked car. I, understandably, had a meltdown and wanted to return home. Thank goodness, my boyfriend is a motorcycle instructor and he kept reminding me of the skills I already possessed, but was not using. On the curves, you naturally look at the obstacle or edge of the cliff you want to miss and slow down if you are losing balance. Those two things are the worse thing you can do in a curve. You need to look where you are going and accelerate out of the curve. It took about a week of continual challenges and practice before I could take any curve naturally and with ease. I started this trip from a place of fear and despair, and through perseverance, ended up boosting my confidence and conquering a challenge I thought would do me in.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Speaking for Women

Last week I spoke to a group of professional women on keeping balance in their lives. It was a breakfast meeting, so in fact it was only a mini-seminar. I was able to share the foundation of what it means to be in balance and gave the participants one of the principles for both creating and maintaining balance. What I found as I was speaking, is that I really enjoy being up front and sharing my knowledge with women. The seminar was video taped and I loved what I saw on video. This is and will be a very important piece to how I contribute to people and transform their way of thinking; to find more balance and inner peace in their lives.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Today's rain

As I sat in my home office doing work at my laptop, I heard the rain pour outside in my backyard. I love the rain. I love thunderstorms. For about 3 minutes I argued with myself:
"Go to the kitchen, open the back door and enjoy the rain and thunder", the other voice said: "Hang on a second, I'm almost done here". The 'Go for It' voice and the 'Driven to Do' voice were having a conversation. Normally I would have let my 'Driven to Do' voice win, but today, I CHOSE to leave my work and laptop, called my boyfriend/partner to come to the kitchen and we both stood at the kitchen door and enjoyed the thunder and rain.

Which voice do you listen to most often?
What can you do today that allows your 'Go for It' voice to shine through?

Monday, May 28, 2007

Good girl gone B.A.D.




Yesterday I participated in the B.A.D. Ride. That is an acronym for Bikers against Despair. This is the 10th annual B.A.D. ride and my first one. The ride is aimed at raising money for the Distress Centre in Toronto which provides telephone access to anyone feeling depressed, anxious or suicidal. This year we raised $200,000 for the centre.

I donated a two CDs that I produced, the first called "Serenity Relaxation and visualization" and the second "The Sky's the Limit - the Power of Beliefs". In addition, I donated two hours of my coaching. The package was put together and auctioned off in the silent auction. I bid on a comedy show for 4 and dinner for 2 and won the package. I love being able to contribute and receive all in the same day.

I also took many pictures that you can have a look at : http://www.iris.smugmug.com/ and then pick the B.A.D. Ride 2007 highlights to have a look.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

What is holding you back?

Here is an audio where you can listen to this newsletter instead of reading it.

1. You can go to http://freeconferencing.liveoffice.com/free-conferencing-recording.html or simply click on the link
2. Enter your name and email address along with the bridge number (854424) and click 'Listen Now'.
3. Once you are logged in, click on Play button. to listen to it.

I watched an episode of Oprah this week. Oprah took her friend andeditor-at-large, Gayle, and 60 other women to a spa. At first Ithought that this would be some light entertainment; after all, howexciting could a visit to the spa be?

This, however, was not your usual spa. Located in Tucson Arizona,Beside the regular pampering activities, this spa provided somephysical obstacle courses that were aimed at helping the womenovercome some of their fears. Gayle who was afraid of heights wasput into a harness and with two wires was pulled up 40 feet intothe air. Her job when she was ready, was to release one of thewires and to swing on the remaining guy wire 40 feet up, back and forth, until the swinging subsided enough for them to put a ladder underneath her to help her down. Gayle was afraid. She screamed and shook while she looked down at the women below her. This 'release' of the wire was metaphorical for releasing what washolding her back in life. Finally she did release the wire,holding on tightly to the guy wire and screaming the whole time. Earlier Oprah took a turn at the wires. As soon as she releasedthe wire, Oprah was able to enjoy the ride, extended her arms andlegs letting go of the guy wire. She allowed herself the freedomto totally experience the wire.

If you were on a ride, would you experience it to its fullest orwould you resist it every step of the way?

What is the wire that is holding you back?

Take a chance today and let go of the wire that is holding you back and 'go' for it!

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Life keeps giving

It's awesome as the universe keeps providing. I had two occasions last week to simply receive. I went to the local office supply store where I asked them to fax one page. They said it would be one dollar for local. I said that this fax was being sent to South America. In that case, the employee said, it's $5. Then he said, but don't worry I'll only charge you $1. I was pleasantly surprised. He tried 6 times but the fax wouldn't go through so there was no charge. Later that evening, the recipient of the fax emailed me to say she received the fax. Imagine that! It got there without my having to pay for it.

The next day, I went back to the same store to get some copies made. The copy machine was giving me a tough time, but after a couple of minutes, I got the 7 copies I needed. The employee, a different one this time, punched it in and said: "That's 86 cents please". I gave her my American Express and after having punched it in she said "Oh don't worry about". I said "Really?". She said : "Yes, don't worry about it". Wow! I didn't even ask for anything and the universe is contributing to me

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

3 times Mr. Universe

This weekend I attended a seminar with Bijan. He was great. His smile lit up his whole face. He made us laugh with all his wonderful jokes and his lightness about life. Bijan is 63 and won his first Mr. Universe when he was 59. Wow. He is in great shape and he hasn't been sick a day in the last 18 years.

Bijan told us that our life purpose is joy. He believes that it is stress that causes us disease and when we can remember that JOY is our purpose, then we can live a great life. His take is that: if it doesn't feel good, it isn't the truth. If someone tells you you are stupid or not good enough, that will usually make you feel some negative emotion. If you feel anything negative like hurt, frustrated, insignificant, damaged, fat, ugly, too tall, too short......anything negative - then it's not the truth. The truth is that you are God's creation, a creation of the universe and that makes you whole and complete. You were born beautiful and great. Your mission .....if you choose to accept it is to get that you are great right now the way you are.

I beleive it is my life purpose to assist people to truly get that they are great the way they are right now. You don't need to fix, change or transform anything about yourself. You don't need to do anything at all. You might choose to make some changes and shift some things about yourself but you are GREAT RIGHT NOW.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

It's time!

After many years of being single.....6 to be exact, I met the love of my life. He is part of my motorcycle group and I had met him once for about 5 minutes at a bike rally with really no sparks for either one of us.

About a month later, he sent out an email to the group suggesting to anyone who wanted, to drop by after the ride for a dip and swim in his pool. I was about to go up to my sister's pool but never heard a final ok from her - although I knew it wouldn't be a problem. For no apparent reason, I called him and told him I'd drop by and drove over. We spent over 6 hours talking about anything and everything.

Over the next two weeks, we spent a few more evenings together and spent every moment sharing experiences and talking about 'stuff'. After that, knowing that he had been separated for 3 years without dating, I knew I had to take the the next step. I asked if he would consider exploring this relationship beyond friendship. He did! The rest is history.

Last week he moved in with me and my two young adult children. We have worked hard to get his placed packed up and making room in my place for his stuff. He is awesome. He adores me and would do anything for me. This week is my opportunity for me to do my part for him. He had a surgical procedure yesterday and it's my turn to do what I can to support him and take care him.

Our time together has been great. We challenge each other, we support each other and we energize one another. We both agree......we are so lucky to have found one another and have made the commitment to keep this relationship alive, nurtured and a priority in our lives!

Monday, April 9, 2007

The Start of a New Era

Wow! I second guess myself when dealing with technology, but here I am......in my own blog. If life could always be this easy. Wait a minute......maybe it is this easy. Maybe I'm the one making it difficult. What if I didn't hold back? What if I didn't second guess myself and went for it everytime a situation presented itself? Chances are that if I did do that, that I wouldn't suffer and I would feel a great sense of accomplishment and more confidence! That's what I'm taking on. Just go for it ..... like Nike says 'Just do it'!