For many people birthdays are something that makes them cringe. They cower at the mention of another year gone by, refusing to acknowledge the milestone in hope of pretending that the day will never pass and their bodies will magically stay youthful and healthy. Personally, I love birthdays. Not only are they the perfect reason to open a few beers and sit by a bonfire with some friends, but birthdays represent the past year’s struggles which were over come, lessons learned, loves lived and lost, and remind us about the magic of life.
Today I turned 29. It’s the last year of my twenty’s and my 28th year was a great one. I have learned much, smiled often, laughed more, and have never felt better. It hasn’t always been easy and I’ve had to work hard; however, it’s been a great ride with many more to come. Listed below are my favourite things of year 28. They may not mean much to anyone else, but they sure mean alot to me.
Top 28 of 28 (in no particular order)
1. Became a Certified Coach Practitioner.
2. Got a new job as a Job Developer (and I love it).
3. Saw three of my best friends get married to their perfect match.
4. Learned that many men may never learn how to close a drawer or cupboard; however, in the end, it doesn’t really matter. Now, I just close the darn things and I’m much happier.
5. Began to study another certificate program at the College (and only have two classes left).
6. Learned that cutting the grass isn’t so scary after all (and it’s kind of fun to drive the John Deere).
7. Discovered that sometimes people are mean just because they are mean people, and there’s nothing you can do about it except accept it, smile, and move on.
8. Learned how to drive a snow machine (and even took a few jumps).
9. Cut my hair short for the first time since I was four.
10. Sprained my ankle for the first time ever and learned the proper way to double ride a snow machine (at the same time!)
11. For the first time I lost a friend because her life was taken at the hands of another human being.
12. Lived part-time in Elliot Lake for six weeks.
13. Took a photography course with Mike.
14. Relinquished ownership of camera to Mike (for good reason).
15. Learned a little bit about who my real friends are.
16. Was given the cutest Jack Russell Terrier named Bailey Girl, had her for 8 months and then she passed away unexpectedly for an unknown reason. We buried her in my backyard and now her grave has beautiful wild flowers growing on it which I didn’t plant and were never in the area before.
17. Caught the biggest Small Mouth Bass of my life while I was fishing alone and didn’t have a camera. I released her back into the lake so that she could have many more little babies for me to catch and release in the future.
18. Went to my first Nascar Race, drank too much beer, had my arm signed by a race car driver, was on Speed TV and saw way too many boobies (in turn, learned why men love the sport so much).
19. Had my car hit three times in random hit and runs. Learned that some people just suck and that it’s only a car, things could be worse.
20. Through Mike a surprise birthday party with full band set-up and 40 people. Because of that I had my first noise complaint made to the police ever. Luckily my sister was the 911 operator at the police station so she called me instead.
21. Planted my first vegetable garden.
22. Learned how to pickle. Everything.
23. Started writing a novel.
24. My sister Sandra got engaged (and is happier then I’ve ever seen her).
25. Tried Sushi for the first (and last) time.
26. Discovered my new favourite television show, “Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery Channel.
27. Wrote and produced my first television commercial.
28. Learned to drive a standard car.
Favourite Music of the Year
Viva La Vie – Cold Play
The Climb – Miley Cyrus
Chicken Fried – Zach Brown Band
Love – Sugarland
On a side note, it's my triplet sister's birthday's as well. Happy birthday to Heather and Sandra. I wouldn't trade birthday's with anybody in the world.
xo
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Setting Goals is Easy; Following Through? Not so much.
My goal this week was to wake up at 7:10am Monday through Friday, get right into the shower, eat a healthy breakfast and make it into work on time. It’s now Tuesday; I managed to roll out of bed by 7:34am and with my stomach rumbling, made it into work two minutes late. Yesterday was not much better. I also started writing this blog last week, but hey, who’s counting...
I’ll admit right now, I’m not the most motivated person in the morning. I love my bed. I love my pillows and blankets. I love how the sunshine streams through the windows and when my cat comes in for her early morning cuddle. Unlike my boyfriend who is able to annoyingly bounce out of bed at 6:30am on a Saturday so that he can spend the day chopping wood or building a deck, I’d much rather snooze for an additional few hours.
We are motivated to set goals for various reasons. I’d like to wake up earlier in the morning before work because I know that I always feel better when my brain has had time to adjust to the activities of the day. I’d also like to play guitar like Sheryl Crow, knit myself a bright yellow scarf and refinish my cupboards. However, my guitar is sitting in a corner collecting dust, my scarf looks more like a dish cloth and I’m hoping that if I wait long enough, my cupboards will come back into style.
Therefore, the question is this; how do we get from setting a goal to achieving that goal?
In order to achieve a goal, you must first have a purpose. Why is this goal important to you? Are you motivated by your own wants or are you attempting to be motivated by outside sources? We are brought up to not be selfish. Our parents have taught us to think about other people before we act. Although a nice thought, if we lived by this principle, nothing would get done. In order to achieve goals, you must be sure that you are doing it for yourself first and everyone else second. This is not to say that you don’t consider how the outcomes of you achieving such a goal will impact other people, but you must be the first beneficiary. It is human nature and the ego that has put this natural rule into place and there is no getting around it.
Therefore, I set myself a goal two weeks ago. I have always wanted to get into really good shape. The problem with getting into really good shape is that I’d have to exercise and eat healthier. This objective has been a topic of numerous New Year’s resolutions but with little success. I felt motivated the first few weeks but soon after I’d be tempted to head home after work rather then hit the gym.
This time I’ve decided to do something differently and broken this goal down into smaller steps so that it doesn’t seem so daunting. My final goal is to get into good shape which includes more then just exercise and healthy eating. I am talking about feeling good mentally and emotionally, as well as physically. In order to do that I must:
- Eat healthier (that is an obvious one)
- Work out 4 times a week
- Cut out caffeine
- Limit salt intake
- Limit sugar intake
- Take extra care to pamper myself daily
- Read more often
- Take up yoga
- Learn to meditate (and practice)
The best way to tackle this project is to split these steps into two different groups, one group being the more difficult tasks to achieve (work out 4 times a week, eat healthier, etc) and the other group not so difficult (limiting salt intake, take extra care to pamper myself daily, etc). I’m already two weeks into it and I’m doing pretty well. In my more difficult group I’ve been able to cut out caffeine (yay for me!) and I have also been to the gym 5 times a week for the past two weeks. Not a bad start. I’ve also been finding time to read more.
I’d like to encourage you to try this on your own. Keep in mind that if you expect perfection, you’re bound to be disappointed and as Yoda said, “Do or do not.... there is no try”. Which one will you be?
I’ll admit right now, I’m not the most motivated person in the morning. I love my bed. I love my pillows and blankets. I love how the sunshine streams through the windows and when my cat comes in for her early morning cuddle. Unlike my boyfriend who is able to annoyingly bounce out of bed at 6:30am on a Saturday so that he can spend the day chopping wood or building a deck, I’d much rather snooze for an additional few hours.
We are motivated to set goals for various reasons. I’d like to wake up earlier in the morning before work because I know that I always feel better when my brain has had time to adjust to the activities of the day. I’d also like to play guitar like Sheryl Crow, knit myself a bright yellow scarf and refinish my cupboards. However, my guitar is sitting in a corner collecting dust, my scarf looks more like a dish cloth and I’m hoping that if I wait long enough, my cupboards will come back into style.
Therefore, the question is this; how do we get from setting a goal to achieving that goal?
In order to achieve a goal, you must first have a purpose. Why is this goal important to you? Are you motivated by your own wants or are you attempting to be motivated by outside sources? We are brought up to not be selfish. Our parents have taught us to think about other people before we act. Although a nice thought, if we lived by this principle, nothing would get done. In order to achieve goals, you must be sure that you are doing it for yourself first and everyone else second. This is not to say that you don’t consider how the outcomes of you achieving such a goal will impact other people, but you must be the first beneficiary. It is human nature and the ego that has put this natural rule into place and there is no getting around it.
Therefore, I set myself a goal two weeks ago. I have always wanted to get into really good shape. The problem with getting into really good shape is that I’d have to exercise and eat healthier. This objective has been a topic of numerous New Year’s resolutions but with little success. I felt motivated the first few weeks but soon after I’d be tempted to head home after work rather then hit the gym.
This time I’ve decided to do something differently and broken this goal down into smaller steps so that it doesn’t seem so daunting. My final goal is to get into good shape which includes more then just exercise and healthy eating. I am talking about feeling good mentally and emotionally, as well as physically. In order to do that I must:
- Eat healthier (that is an obvious one)
- Work out 4 times a week
- Cut out caffeine
- Limit salt intake
- Limit sugar intake
- Take extra care to pamper myself daily
- Read more often
- Take up yoga
- Learn to meditate (and practice)
The best way to tackle this project is to split these steps into two different groups, one group being the more difficult tasks to achieve (work out 4 times a week, eat healthier, etc) and the other group not so difficult (limiting salt intake, take extra care to pamper myself daily, etc). I’m already two weeks into it and I’m doing pretty well. In my more difficult group I’ve been able to cut out caffeine (yay for me!) and I have also been to the gym 5 times a week for the past two weeks. Not a bad start. I’ve also been finding time to read more.
I’d like to encourage you to try this on your own. Keep in mind that if you expect perfection, you’re bound to be disappointed and as Yoda said, “Do or do not.... there is no try”. Which one will you be?
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Perspectives
She’s a young girl. She looks to be about 19 years old, although she’s now 23. Her dark hair is pulled tightly back into a low pony-tail, her chewed fingers nails pick nervously at a nonexistent piece of fluff on her worn out jacket. She clings to her half empty cup of coffee purchased from the corner store down the street. She wears no make-up, her cloths are clean but stained, and her smile reveals two graying front teeth. As I speak to her she laughs nervously and signs her papers, never making eye contact. She admits with slight reluctance that she’s being supported by welfare and has been for three years. Her resume is limited and does little to help her find a job in this employers market.
Daily this girl is judged by society. It is human nature to create opinion and come to a limited conclusion based upon what little evidence we have. Although we live in a country that promotes “Innocent until proven guilty”, we push our judgments onto other people as though it’s a right we have. A few years ago I would have seen her as a lazy youth, who didn’t want to work, living off the system and attending her job finding sessions in order to fill an obligation to her financial supporters. However I have learned that by limiting judgments, we are given information that drastically changes our perspectives of situations and people…
When she finally looks at me, her eyes reveal a life of pain and sorrow. My heart beats a little faster, my senses heighten and I am instantly aware that this is no ordinary girl. It is a deep knowing I have in my gut. I don’t know much about her, only what a few scattered pieces of paper say, but I believe that she has been sent to me for a reason and I am all ears.
We begin to discuss her employment history. Grace (as I call her) has limited experience; she was a cook in a fast food restaurant for three years but quit, before that she babysat for some neighbours. She has never had an interview. She is living with a friend until she can afford her own apartment.
As I get to know Grace a little better, she begins to open up. She has no Father or family. I discover that her mother became too sick to care for herself three years ago. It was at this time that Grace quit her job in order to care for her mother on a full-time basis. She cooked, cleaned, bathed, changed, and monitored her mother. There were times when she changed diapers, cleaned wounds and treated bed sores. Grace was required to track doctor’s appointments, update friends, and ensure that her mother’s symptoms did not get worse. For Grace, her life revolved around helping her mother live. What little time she had for herself was spent studying in order to get her high school equivalency. Then one night, three years into her mother’s battle, she passed away.
I could tell that sympathy would do no good. She had accepted what had happened and moved on. I offered what little I could; a bus pass to assist her with her job search (which she refused), a contact to help her find stable housing, and an open ear. We met several more times over the next few weeks. Grace came early to every appointment, delivered resumes to every place we discussed, and attended every workshop I suggested. However, her employment struggles still remained. She was not seen as the hard-working, loving, reliable, dependable and trustworthy person that she was. Instead, Grace was judged based upon a light handshake, eyes that did not make contact, clothing that was worn, and two graying front teeth (caused by what I’m sure was an unnatural and painful memory in itself).
There are people who come into our lives for a reason. Grace unexpectedly reminded me that despite my unpaid bills, a house that never seems to stay clean, and a few drafty windows, my problems aren’t really problems at all. When we begin to forget the beauty we and blessings we are given, life is always there to remind us to show compassion, love, and empathy. We are required to continually challenge ourselves to make a difference, be kind, and nonjudgmental. You must remember that although it may sometimes feel as though you’re living through your darkest night, love still exists, the sun will rise, and life is full of unexpected gifts if you open your mind and heart to them.
I am not going to tell you what happened to my young friend. What I will tell you is that I received a card from her congratulating me on my new job and stating that “I’ll never forget you”. I’m not sure what I did to help her. I like to think it was the fact that I saw who she really was, encouraged her where I could, and always had a smile for her.
Imagine what changes and what you can change when you gain a little perspective.
Daily this girl is judged by society. It is human nature to create opinion and come to a limited conclusion based upon what little evidence we have. Although we live in a country that promotes “Innocent until proven guilty”, we push our judgments onto other people as though it’s a right we have. A few years ago I would have seen her as a lazy youth, who didn’t want to work, living off the system and attending her job finding sessions in order to fill an obligation to her financial supporters. However I have learned that by limiting judgments, we are given information that drastically changes our perspectives of situations and people…
When she finally looks at me, her eyes reveal a life of pain and sorrow. My heart beats a little faster, my senses heighten and I am instantly aware that this is no ordinary girl. It is a deep knowing I have in my gut. I don’t know much about her, only what a few scattered pieces of paper say, but I believe that she has been sent to me for a reason and I am all ears.
We begin to discuss her employment history. Grace (as I call her) has limited experience; she was a cook in a fast food restaurant for three years but quit, before that she babysat for some neighbours. She has never had an interview. She is living with a friend until she can afford her own apartment.
As I get to know Grace a little better, she begins to open up. She has no Father or family. I discover that her mother became too sick to care for herself three years ago. It was at this time that Grace quit her job in order to care for her mother on a full-time basis. She cooked, cleaned, bathed, changed, and monitored her mother. There were times when she changed diapers, cleaned wounds and treated bed sores. Grace was required to track doctor’s appointments, update friends, and ensure that her mother’s symptoms did not get worse. For Grace, her life revolved around helping her mother live. What little time she had for herself was spent studying in order to get her high school equivalency. Then one night, three years into her mother’s battle, she passed away.
I could tell that sympathy would do no good. She had accepted what had happened and moved on. I offered what little I could; a bus pass to assist her with her job search (which she refused), a contact to help her find stable housing, and an open ear. We met several more times over the next few weeks. Grace came early to every appointment, delivered resumes to every place we discussed, and attended every workshop I suggested. However, her employment struggles still remained. She was not seen as the hard-working, loving, reliable, dependable and trustworthy person that she was. Instead, Grace was judged based upon a light handshake, eyes that did not make contact, clothing that was worn, and two graying front teeth (caused by what I’m sure was an unnatural and painful memory in itself).
There are people who come into our lives for a reason. Grace unexpectedly reminded me that despite my unpaid bills, a house that never seems to stay clean, and a few drafty windows, my problems aren’t really problems at all. When we begin to forget the beauty we and blessings we are given, life is always there to remind us to show compassion, love, and empathy. We are required to continually challenge ourselves to make a difference, be kind, and nonjudgmental. You must remember that although it may sometimes feel as though you’re living through your darkest night, love still exists, the sun will rise, and life is full of unexpected gifts if you open your mind and heart to them.
I am not going to tell you what happened to my young friend. What I will tell you is that I received a card from her congratulating me on my new job and stating that “I’ll never forget you”. I’m not sure what I did to help her. I like to think it was the fact that I saw who she really was, encouraged her where I could, and always had a smile for her.
Imagine what changes and what you can change when you gain a little perspective.
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