Possibility Thinking

Are you a glass half-full type of person or a glass half-empty?

I will admit that looking at the negative side of things first comes naturally to me, but with time and a bit of effort, I can come around to looking at the positive side.  Can you relate?

Our minds are powerful and what we think affects us physically, emotionally and mentally which is why possibility thinking is important.  This type of thinking is creative, helping us look for options, solutions or actions in a situation, rather than looking solely at the negative side and possibly shutting down any potential good ideas.

In 2022, I learned two specific principles regarding possibility thinking and they have stayed with me ever since.

Principle #1 – “Even though…I will…”

This principle comes from Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”

This is a principle that we can apply to our lives on a daily basis in almost any situation.

For example, “Even though I was hurt, I will forgive.”  “Even though I failed, I will try again.”  “Even though I made a mistake, I will correct it.”  “Even though it wasn’t my fault, I will do what I can to help the situation.”

“Even though…I will…” is possibility thinking that moves us forward.

Principle #2 – “Yes, A-N-D…”

This comes from Darren LaCroix, the 2001 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking.  He introduced me to the “Yes, A-N-D…” principle saying, “There’s a power to it when you can accept what happens in your life, accept that horrible thing, AND start doing something about it.  It’s empowering.  Train your brain to think, ‘Yes, A-N-D…’  When you have frustrations, it is empowering to respond with, ‘Yes, A-N-D…’”

For example, “Yes, I fell down, A-N-D I will get up.”  “Yes, I ran that stop sign A-N-D I will pay the ticket the officer gave me.”  “Yes, I am upset, A-N-D and I will take a walk around the block to calm myself.”

“Yes, A-N-D…” removes the negative word “but” from the equation and turns a negative into a positive encouraging possibility thinking and positive action.

How can you incorporate “Even though…I will…” and “Yes, A-N-D…” into your life, training your brain to think in terms of possibilities?”

Recommended Resources

-          Article by John Maxwell – “Possibility Thinking, Part One” - https://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/possibility-thinking-part-one/

-          Article by John Maxwell – “Possibility Thinking, Part Two” - https://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/possibility-thinking-part-two/

Monthly Challenge

-          Reflect with a piece of paper: how would you define possibility thinking?  What does it mean to you?

-          Reflect with a piece of paper or a journal: think about three different situations you have in your life right now.  Ask yourself, “Even though…I will…” and “Yes, A-N-D…” about each of them.  Come up with one or two possibilities for each situation.  What actions will you take? 

“Toastmasters International® and all other Toastmasters International trademarks and copyrights are the sole property of Toastmasters International. This newsletter is the opinion of the author and is independent of Toastmasters International. It is not authorized by, endorsed by, sponsored by, affiliated with, or otherwise approved by Toastmasters International.”

Does It Matter?

A few years ago, a former manager and I had a conversation about success and how a person treats others en route to their success.

The conversation centered around Elon Musk, his tremendous success with Tesla and SpaceX and we had both read Ashlee Vance’s book, Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future.

My manager and I found ourselves on opposite sides of the question: Does it matter how leaders treat people enroute to their success?  After having read Ashlee’s book, I understood that while Elon was undeniably successful, he did not treat his employees well.  My thinking was that, yes, it does matter how a leader treats their people and if Elon could be successful (when not treating his people well), how much more successful could he and his companies be, if he empowered his people, trusted them and worked well with them.  My manager was on the other side of the fence and his thinking was that it was permissible for a leader to not treat people well while achieving success.  It was one of those conversations where we very politely and respectfully agreed to disagree.

That conversation never left me and in 2020 I came across a CBC Sports article on Canadian figure skater, Keegan Messing, reflecting on Canadian and World Champion skater, Patrick Chan.  According to the article, Patrick “…was an even better person that he was a skater.”  Now that is saying something!

Keegan said, “I can definitely say that’s something I strive for every day….It doesn’t matter how I skate on the day of, but what I think matters every day in practice is how you treat your fellow skaters or how you approach any person on any day.  The person you are off the ice is much, much more important that the person you are on ice.  If you can better yourself every day off the ice, you know it’s got to do something on the ice.”

Keegan’s perspective resonated with me.  I copied that section of the article into MS Word, printed it off, and hung it on my cubicle wall at work. 

Keegan’s perspective was a lesson that was reinforced in 2022 from Darren LaCroix, the 2001 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking when he stated, “Who you are off the stage is more important than who you are on the stage.  What do people think of you offstage?  That is often more important.”

This reminded me of my previous competition history.  When Dave and I took our horses to Dressage shows, I always made sure to be polite and not grumpy in the barn.  How hollow a victory would have been if I was crabby to the people who supported me.  Rather, for me, it was a team effort.

When competing in speech contests, there were times of stress, but I never took it out on my coach or those who were helping me prepare.  While I was the one who had to “deliver on the day of,” I had a team behind me supporting me and I treated them accordingly.

How about you; who are you “off the ice/stage”?  What is people’s experience of you?  Are there some adjustments you would like to make?

Recommended Resources

-          Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance.

-          The Great Traits of Champions by Mark Tewksbury and Debbie Muir

Monthly Challenge

-          Reflect with a piece of paper: how do you treat the people around you enroute to any success you may be seeking?

-          Reflect: who are you “on the ice/stage,” and who are you “off the ice/stage?” 

-          Reflect: what are people’s experiences of you?  Are there some things you would like to change?  Share this with a trusted committed partner and ask them to hold you accountable for any changes you would like to make.

“Toastmasters International® and all other Toastmasters International trademarks and copyrights are the sole property of Toastmasters International. This newsletter is the opinion of the author and is independent of Toastmasters International. It is not authorized by, endorsed by, sponsored by, affiliated with, or otherwise approved by Toastmasters International.”

*Note: I was unable to locate the specific online CBC Sports article, but credit is due them for the quoted material.

Ready…Set…Goals!

I am a goal-oriented person.  I love the challenge of a goal being set before me; give me a goal and I will reach it. 

I actually thought I was doing really well in the “goals department.”  Then, in 2021, a friend of mine gave me a journal by Darren Hardy titled, “Living Your Best Year Ever,” after I had told her I was going to take a run at the Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking in 2022.  She thought it would help me on that journey. 

I began my “journal journey” in November 2021 and had 3 specific goals: win the World Championship of Public Speaking (or see how far I could get in the process), pay off my Line of Credit and read 30 books. 

The first half of the journal contains reading material along with associated exercises, including:

·         Reviewing the prior year for accomplishments, lessons learned, and decisions made.

·         Reviewing what you are grateful for.

·         Completing a personal assessment on eight areas of your life (for example, relationships and finances).

·         Deciding what your Top 10 “SMART” goals would be for the upcoming year.

·         Narrowing down the Top 10 to the Top 3.

It took me a month or two to get through those sections.

The second half of the journal is dedicated to making sure you achieve your Top 3 goals, by actively planning what you want to accomplish each week, along with reviewing what you want to accomplish that month and for the quarter.  You set your goals for the week, track your progress and at the end of the week you complete a review for the wins, losses, lessons and fixes.  There are also additional reviews every fourth week and every twelfth week.

This journal is “hands down” the very best goal-setting resource I have ever used, and it changed the way I pursued my goals.  This resource will help ensure you reach your goals! 

How did I do with my Top 3?  For the first time ever, I placed in the Top 3 at the District Level in the Toastmasters International Speech Contest, winning third place (May 2021).  I paid off my Line of Credit and I exceeded my goal of 30 books read (I read 35).  I accomplished all of these ahead of my deadlines, too.  What goals are you ready to set for yourself?

Recommended Resources

-          Living Your Best Year Ever journal by Darren Hardy - https://store.darrenhardy.com/products/living-your-best-year-ever

-          Darren Hardy produces daily (Monday to Friday) videos on a variety of topics to help people kick-start their day.  You can sign up for these for free at https://darrendaily.com/  I start each workday with these videos and have learned a ton!

Monthly Challenge

-          Purchase the journal and sign up for the Darren Hardy videos.

-          Spend this month working through the first half of the journal.

-          Commit yourself to the journal for one year and watch yourself reach your goals!

“Toastmasters International® and all other Toastmasters International trademarks and copyrights are the sole property of Toastmasters International. This newsletter is the opinion of the author and is independent of Toastmasters International. It is not authorized by, endorsed by, sponsored by, affiliated with, or otherwise approved by Toastmasters International.”

Back to Nature!

Now that summer is back, I had to share with you one of my passions! 

I love being outside.  Whether it’s walking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, canoeing or kayaking, for me, being outside in nature is where it is at.  When things are going well, when things are stressful or even when I am tired, I flee to the great outdoors to get refreshed and re-energized!  The fresh air, the trees, the lakes/rivers, the breeze, the birds are the best medicine in the world and when my cell phone says, “No Service,” that is even better!

In 2022, after two years of vacationing in Saskatchewan due to COVID, it was time for hubby Dave and I to return to one of our favorite places – Waterton National Park in southern Alberta. 

We booked our trip for July and off we went in eager anticipation.  We crossed the border into Alberta and from there it was to Medicine Hat and then Lethbridge.  As soon as you leave the city, you can see the mountains off in the distance, even though they are still one hundred kilometers away.  We inched closer, one mile at a time, until we arrived in, what I call, paradise!

Words cannot express how beautiful Waterton is!  We spent three days hiking - Bears Hump, Bertha Falls/Lake, Crandell Lake, Wall Lake (photo, page 2), Forum Falls/Lake, Blakiston Falls - and it was glorious!  We hiked 45 km’s in 3.5 days (yes, I bought hiking poles).  The Rocky Mountains are so majestic and hiking those trails has a way of putting things into perspective.  The world is big, we are not.  Our cares seem great, yet somehow, they shrink in the shadow of the mighty mountains!  Concerns ease away as one hikes step-by-step on the trails and life seems simpler.  I had no desire to leave and return home to duties and responsibilities.

Later that summer, while walking our dog Lacie, Dave and I were chatting and when I opened my mouth, out came the words: “Why don’t we go back to Waterton for Thanksgiving?”  I hadn’t even been thinking about doing that; the words just came out.  Have you ever found that sometimes those spontaneous moments lead to the greatest adventures?

Dave agreed and I booked a hotel room for another trip to paradise!  Since it would be in October, we didn’t know what the weather would be like, but we were going anyway to see what adventures awaited us.

Waterton didn’t disappoint.  It was sunny and an incredible twenty degrees the whole weekend!  Not a flake of snow on the ground.  We hiked part of the Carthew-Alderson trail (photo, page 1) and returned to Blakiston Falls, following the trail past the falls into a mountain pass.  We ate lunch on the patio at the Bayshore, did a bit of shopping and soaked in every single moment.  It was absolutely incredible!  Nature is where it’s at for me.

This year, where are you going and what adventures will you have?

Will you spend some time getting back to nature?

How do you get refreshed and re-energized?

Recommended Resources

-          Beyond The Trees by Adam Shoalts (available on Amazon, Indigo or Kobo); read about his solo journey across Canada’s Arctic.

-          Article by BankersLife - https://www.bankerslife.com/insights/life-events/9-ideas-for-outdoor-activities-for-adults/; fun ideas for outdoor activities.

-          Nature Ideas for Both Inside and Outside - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/nature-and-mental-health/ideas-to-try-in-nature/

Monthly Challenge

-          Plan an outdoor trip or hike to a favorite place or a new place.

-          Turn off your cell phone and be present in the moment.

-          Use a camera to take pictures and create an album of your trip.

The Dressage of Life

From 2013 – 2018 I competed in the sport of Dressage with my horse, Purdee Cute Fool (nicknamed “Fool” since he was born on April 1st, 2000; see photo, page 2).  If you are not familiar with Dressage, picture a rectangular arena 20 x 60 meters in size with white rails a foot above the ground and letters set around the perimeter of the ring.  In the photo above, the horse and rider are outside of the ring, having passed one of the letter markers, going down the long side of the arena.  When the horse and rider enter the ring, they complete a “dressage test,” which is written down on paper (like a list) and they complete different movements in the arena where the letters are.  For example, trot at “C” or pick up right-lead canter between “A” and “K” or halt at “X.”  A judge (or judges) score each movement of the test and the horse/rider combination receives a score at the end.  The highest score wins the class. 

During those competition years, for each class, invariably one of four things would happen:

1.      I rode well and the results reflected that.

2.      I thought I rode well, but the results didn’t reflect that.

3.      I didn’t ride that well, and the results reflected that.

4.      I didn’t think I rode well, but the results were higher than I expected.

Number 1 was always the best scenario.  Numbers 2 and 3 led to disappointment.  Number 4 was always a surprise and it was exciting when that happened!

The thing is, there were always things outside of my control.  While I had copies of the dressage tests, the sport is subjective, and each judge is different.  I couldn’t control that.  I also couldn’t control how my fellow competitors rode.  What I could do, was bring my best to the arena every time.

The word dressage means “training,” and it reminds me a lot of life.  We can think of life as a training ground, or even a test.  We enter the arena of life and there are different things we will need to do at different points in time.  How well do we perform?  Do we execute the right maneuvers at the right times?  Do we ride our test well?

At times, we may know we nailed something, and the results reflect that.  Other times, we may think we did well, but the results didn’t reflect that.  Other times, we know we didn’t do that great and other times we may be surprised at how well we did.  Gotta love it when that happens!

Like Dressage, life is subjective and there are things we cannot control.  We can’t always control the outcome and we certainly can’t control what other people are doing.  But we can control ourselves and what we bring to the arena of life.  When I competed, my mindset was that the only one I was competing against was myself – to be better than I was the last time.  That is what you can do as well; compete only against yourself, bringing your very best self to the arena of life.

What do you bring to compete in the arena of life?

Recommended Resources

-          “Life is Like A Dressage Test” You Tube video (3:48) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nRaYVM43Pc

-          Article by Olivia Towers – “Dressage Teaches Us So Many Good Life Lessons” - https://www.oliviatowersdressage.com/post/why-dressage-teaches-us-so-many-good-life-lessons

-          Article by Revital Salomon – “Life Lessons I Learned From My Horse” - https://dressagelady.info/life-lessons-i-learned-from-my-horse/

Monthly Challenge

-          Look up a diagram of a 20 x 60 Dressage arena and print it out.

-          Write out some key events of your life where the letters are located.

-          Inside the arena, write a list of what you bring to the arena of life.

The Current Experience

In June 2022, I went on a personal retreat for two days and did something I had been wanting to try for a while – I went kayaking on a river!  My husband, Dave, and I had canoed up the river before, but I wanted to try a kayak and challenge myself to see if I could make it up the river by myself. 

The river was long with lots of twists and turns – weave to the right, turn to the left, go straight ahead.  The kayak would move side-to-side a little, but as long as I kept still from the waist down, it was steady.  I held the paddle and dug into the water, moving forward stroke by stroke.  As I rounded a turn, the water was calm; the surface like glass and the going was easy.  There was no resistance.  Paddling was simple and as I paddled faster and faster, my confidence grew.  I imagined that I was in a race, cruising ahead of my fellow competitors.  I flew across the surface; it was so easy!  Isn’t it great when life is like that – you glide along with nothing in your way and no resistance?  The going is so easy that all you have to do is enjoy the ride and the view.  Wouldn’t it be great if life was always that way? 

Further down the river, the current changed.  I didn’t see much of a change on the surface, but I could feel drag on the bottom of the kayak.  There was a change in the current underneath me.  I couldn’t see it, but I could feel the resistance.  I had to dig my paddle deeper into the water and pull harder to keep moving forward.  I had to use more energy and I couldn’t tell by looking at the surface of the water how long the resistance would last.  Have you ever felt like something is holding you back and you don’t know what it is?  Is there something pulling at you – you can’t see it, but you know it is there because you can feel it?  Have you found yourself digging your paddle deeper into the water to keep yourself moving forward? 

Around another turn, the wind came up and blew across the surface of the river.  I had to work harder to keep the kayak straight and had to dig my paddle even deeper into the water.  This time I could see my troubles on the surface.  I faced forward and drove that kayak through the wind and across, stroke by stroke, “Yes, I can do this,” “Yes, I can do this.”  I pushed forward, the wind whipping my hair, but I pressed forward.  Isn’t life like that a lot of the time?  The winds blow and tries to knock you off course.  You can see your troubles and have to dig in deeper to keep moving forward.  You tell yourself, “Yes, I can do this.”  

After an hour-and-a-half, I reached the head of the river where I paused for a few moments to rest.  Then I turned around for the journey back.

I learned about the currents on the river – the currents of life.  Sometimes you glide along with ease; all is well.  Other times you encounter resistance that you can’t see, but can feel.  Other times you can see (and feel) the trouble on the surface and have to dig deeper.  Regardless, you keep sticking your paddle into the water; you keep moving forward, pause if you need to rest, and then continue on.  It’s the “current experience.”

Which current are you “currently” experiencing?

Recommended Resources

-          The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy is a fantastic book of encouragement.  A must read!

-          A book of quotes or a page-a-day calendar of quotes is a great thing to have on your desk; you never know which quote(s) will speak to you.  Read a quote a day and save your favorite ones!

-          Journalling is a great way to get your thoughts on paper.  Purchase a journal (dollar stores are great for that) and write down what you are experiencing and feeling.

Monthly Challenge

-          What is one thing you’ve been wanting to try?

-          Find a way to make it happen.

-          Write a story about your experience, what you learned, and share it with a friend.

Words Make a Difference!

As a kid, I had a number of “Pen Pals.”  Do you remember those?  I connected with them via a newsletter where we could put our names/addresses if we wanted to connect with other kids.  I got my name on that list, started receiving letters and I reached out to other kids, too.  I probably had ten to fifteen (maybe more) “Pen Pals”, and while I never met any of them in person, there was one girl who stood out to me above all the others.  To this day, I still remember her - Donna - from Kingston, Jamaica.  I don’t recall how long we were in touch, but I loved reading her letters!  She was my favorite “Pen Pal.”

As a youth, I remember writing letters to Grandma, handing out Valentine’s to my friends and writing cards for Birthday’s and at Christmas.  Writing was, back then, a “way of life,” so to speak, and was a meaningful way to communicate.   I remember receiving letters back from Grandma, with her scratchy cursive, sometimes having to decipher what she wrote, but I loved it!

With the arrival of the internet and email, writing letters took a swift kick to the back of the line.  After all, email was not only faster, it was free (no postage)!

However, being the “old school” gal that I am, I didn’t throw away writing altogether and as an adult I send cards to friends and family, and sometimes even complete strangers.  That may seem odd, but there was a reason each time I did it.

I am a horse racing fan and when the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro, died in 2007 due to complications from an injury, I wrote a letter to his owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, sharing with them what Barbaro meant to me and how his story inspired me.  Gretchen wrote me back, thanking me for my thoughtful letter!  I still have the card she sent me, carefully sealed in a plastic bag.

In 2009, I wrote a letter to a stranger that changed my life.  In addition to horse racing, I am also a horse show jumping fan and I live only a day’s drive from Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta.  It’s one of my favorite places on earth!  I wrote a letter to founder and co-chair, Ron Southern, thanking him for putting show jumping on the map in Western Canada.  He wrote me back inviting me and my guest to attend the North American Tournament in 2010 as VIP guests of Spruce Meadows!  To me, a little “nobody” in Regina, Saskatchewan, this was incredible!  I took my mom and we had a fabulous weekend together!  That trip became incredibly meaningful in 2011 when I unexpectedly lost my mom to cancer.  That trip to Spruce Meadows was our last vacation together, all because Ron Southern wrote me a letter inviting us to come.  Ron’s letter changed my life, and it began because I wrote him to say a simple, “thank you.”

My encouragement to you is to grab a pen, paper, or card and write a heartfelt letter or note to someone.  It may be to reconnect, say “thank you” or just to let them know that you appreciate them.  Trust me, words make a difference and you have the power to change someone’s life today.

Recommended Resources

-          Amazon and Chapters have card sets for reasonable prices.

-          For letters, search Amazon for “Vintage Lined Stationary Paper for Writing Letters”

Monthly Challenge

-          Choose five people to whom you will write to this month.

-          On your social media, post a message to your followers asking if they would like to receive a card from you, and then send them one.

Read On!

When I was in Elementary school (yes, I can remember back that far), my fellow students and I received monthly Scholastic newsprint flyers from “TAB” and “ARROW” advertising books we could buy.  I filled out an order form for the books I wanted, and mom would send a cheque (remember those?) with me to school to pay for my order.  I remember how exciting it was to see the piles of books sitting on the classroom counter waiting to be picked up!  I anticipated taking my books home and delving into them (even if it meant reading under the covers at night with a flashlight)!

In Junior High, my local public library held a reading program during the summer.  I could read any book I wanted, record my reading in a small “reading log” booklet and the library would review it and stamp it as “completed.”

As an adult, I continued to read, and a few years ago, I received the ultimate gift – a Kobo ereader.  That made reading cheaper (online books usually cost less than paper copies) and it was easy to carry around.

Last year, I set a goal to read thirty books.  Some books were easier to read than others (in fact, there was one that was really hard to get through), and I not only reached my goal, I exceeded it.  My love of reading, firmly established since my youth, aligns with one of my Core Values (continuous learning), and is a constant source of growth and encouragement.  I can’t tell you how many times, when I needed encouragement or direction, the words were right there!

Many successful people are avid readers.  Investor Warren Buffet is known to read 500 pages a day and Bill Gates read 50 books a year.  Their investment in reading was significant to their success!

In 2022, I purchased a “Reading Log” book to keep track of the books I read, and I included various genres in my reading (eg. Classic Literature, History, Extreme Adventure, True Story, Historical Fiction, Biography, Personal Development, Fiction and Spiritual Life).  The log book allowed me to capture key points in brief and I also typed my favorite quotes into MS Word, saving my notes in a file aptly named, “Book Notes.”  I also highlighted the most important quotes in bold or red text. 

Once I finished a book, I reviewed my notes, which helped reinforce my learning, and I printed my notes and kept them in a file (of course, named “Book Notes”) just in case my computer went down.

My encouragement to you is to read and read as often as you can.  If you are already an avid reader, great!  If not, now is a great time to start and it starts with choosing one book – Read On!

Recommended Resources

-          Indigo (online or in store); https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/

-          A Kobo ereader is great for downloading books from https://www.kobo.com/ and is a huge space saver!

-          A variety of log books are available on Amazon; search “Reading Log” to bring up a selection and choose one that works for you.

Monthly Challenge

-          Choose one or two books to read this month.

-          Highlight the sections that speak to you in a log book or in MS Word.

-          Review your notes at the end of the month to reinforce your learning.

Inspired, Reach Everyone!

In 2021, I took an online course titled, “How To Speak So That People Want to Listen” by speaker and author, Julian Treasure.  One of the exercises in the course was to write down my Core Values.  Core Values represent those qualities and characteristics we stand for and hold dear.

My Core Values are FIERCE:

F – faith

I – integrity

E – excellence

R – respect

C – continuous learning

E – efficient

Fast forward to July 2022.  While reading Darren Hardy’s book, The Compound Effect, I narrowed my Core Values down to the top three using the word IRE (no, I’m not angry): Integrity, Respect and Excellence. 

Taking it a step further, while reading Alison Levine’s book (yes, I read a lot), On the Edge, she shared the importance of having a personal mantra and challenged readers to create their own - in three words.  Again, using IRE, my mantra is: “Inspired, Reach Everyone!”

This newsletter, my first newsletter, is my way of leaning into and living my mantra.  It is a way for me to reach out and inspire others – to inspire you, on your personal journey.

As you think about what you stand for and what qualities and characteristics you hold dear, what do you value most?  Why don’t you take ten to fifteen minutes, right now, to think about your values and write them down?  Can you form a word or an acronym with them (trust me, it makes them easier to remember)?  Once you have done this, pick your top three values, the ones that are most important to you.  Can you form a word or acronym with them?  Then, from that word or acronym, can you come up with your own three-word mantra? 

Once you have completed this exercise, why not challenge yourself and decide how you are going to live into your mantra? 

What is one thing you can do today, even just a small thing, to get started? 

This newsletter is my first step; what is yours?

Recommended Resources

-          Course: “How to Speak So That People Want to Listen” by Julian Treasure; https://www.juliantreasure.com/courses/speak-listen-be

-          The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy (available on Amazon or Indigo); for personal growth and development.

-          On the Edge by Alison Levine (available on Amazon, Indigo or Kobo); leadership principles drawn from her experiences mountain climbing and skiing in extreme environments. 

Monthly Challenge

-          Pick one thing you can do to lean into your mantra. 

-          Track how many times you do that one thing in a month.

-          Review your tracking at the end of the month and celebrate your accomplishment!

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.