CAKE IT FORWARD.....

CAKE IT FORWARD....

The cold weather this year in my neck of the woods has been long and unyielding. Even spring seems to be reluctance to fill its promise of warmer weather and patios filled with those hoping to imbibe not only in their favourite drink but the in the warmth of the beautiful sun.  So this morning, a particularly cold day, I awoke somewhat grumpy and, it almost seemed,looking for ways to feel annoyed on my morning commute.

The day went fairly smoothly although it had a pale of the "why isn't it spring, yet?" settling over the hours as it went by.  In the afternoon, I walked out to reception to find that a friend had delivered a piece of delicious chocolate cake that was waiting for me in the refrigerator. Wow. A disrupter!  An act that disrupted my mood and totally changed by attitude. Nothing like spontaneous kindness to make my day.

So, now I must pay or, rather, cake it forward. I guess it really doesn't have to be cake. Could be a smile, could be a hand, could be a compliment, could be lasagna.


Today, think of how you could cake it forward....you'll change someone's whole day and likely yours.

Let's Turn our Why's into How's...

No one is immune to negative things happening in one's life. The first thing that we often do, is ask ourselves why this happened, why someone would do that. And then we get stuck in "whysville".  When our minds are totally preoccupied with figuring out why something has happened, we continually jab ourselves with the pain of the event---it throws us into the past.  If we can move to asking "how", "how" will I deal with this, "how" will I turn this into a positive, "how" can I make this better--then we are talking.  We suddenly start moving into the present and thinking about a more positive future.

Yes, it is important to problem identify, but even more important to problem solve. Turn your "why's" into "hows".

Dance as if Everybody is Watching!

We\ve all heard the expression, dance as if no one is watching--the phrase that encourages us to move without self-consciousness, to express ourselves with great abandon. And this, my friends, is a truly wonderful thing.

And, today, I was at an Aboriginal First Nation PowWow where centre stage dancing was the main event! Beautiful headressess and regalia streamed past in a whirl of kinetic magic. Everybody was watchhng and the dancers knew it. They embraced the audience and danced for them.

They danced proudly. They danced to heal. They danced to honour the group and their heritage. They danced to honour the Great Spirit and the greatness within themselves and all others.

It seems that when we can truly dance with abandon while not afrad to be seen, we are gifting those who witness us.

Stefan Sagmeister shares happy design | Video on TED.com

Stefan Sagmeister shares happy design Video on TED.com

RUN YOUR RACE: Reflections on Race Weekend

Today was race weekend in Ottawa. It moved me to tears and observation.

For it seems that everyone has a race to run.  In may not be in a marathon, but in life itself. We all, at some point in our lives, face a journey of adversity and struggle and , ultimately, experiencing the joy of victory. We all have come through things, experiencing  "hitting the wall|" moments where we didn't think we would make the finish. 

But we did.

We did it because something inside us told us to go on. To take another step.  That it was worth it.

We did it because there was someone cheering us on from the sidelines. Just like this race weekend. Someone shouting "you are almost there", "keep going", "looking good".  Just when we are feeling at our peak of exhaustion, a smile of encouragement infuses our spirt and body with energy.

Race weekend is about all of this. About how amazing we are and can be. About how amazing the difference that support from even strangers, makes.

We all have a race to run. A journey to find out what we are capable of and to know the glory of achieving far more than we ever could ,with the help and clapping hands of others.

Congrats to all the runners out there. You inspire me. Thank you.

The Quest for Security--the Journey of Illusion

I heard a quote the other day that went to the effect of  "he lived securely until he died". Interesting thought, indeed.......

WHY LIFE ON A STICKY NOTE?

I thought it was fitting for this first blog entry to explain why "life on a sticky note". Well, a colleague had mentioned that his boss had asked him to come up with a corporate policy that would fit on a sticky note. In other words, words of truth and profound wisdom that could be distilled enought to fit on one small piece of paper. It does seem that truths are simple and can, indeed, be boiled down to a few words.

Sometimes, in fact, truth is found in one word. Like,  love.

We recognize truth or a great idea when we hear it and it doesn't have to be window dressed with explanation. So, hence, the title. Life on a sticky note,

I hope you share with me your own life on a sticky note.. I look forward exploring the world of life and career wisdom and status-quo challenging ideas with you.