Posts
Dear Inspirers and Seekers of More Inspiration,
With so so so much good going on all around us and in our midst, I was thinking about some of the people I know who never cease to amaze me with what they do to be helpful to others.
www.goodnewstoronto.ca
Enjoy!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
International Children's Day -- Bilaal Rajan's Barefoot Challenge
Thank you Bilaal for giving us something to think about. I took your suggestion to try the Barefoot Challenge to observe International Children's Day, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORB0AFWeQ4Y).
Walking around barefoot on in my own home and yard on a beatiful day isn't quite something I can pretend was any kind of sacrifice. What this experiment did do was it made me very aware of how much difference there is between "when" and "if ever." It was easy for me to put off until tomorrow what I need to wear shoes for, like going into a bank or government office or even a department store. I decided to wait until tomorrow also to do some transplanting in the garden that I had been thinking about, rather than trying to force a spade intot the ground with my unprotected sole. I did notice when I walked on the street that the asphalt was almost unbearably hot so I jumped back into the car - because I had one to jump back into.
This experience today helped me to think about what I couldn't do today, but will do tomorrow "when" I can wear shoes. It helped me to realize what I might not get to do if I had to wonder "if ever" I would have shoes.
Thank you Bilaal Rajan for this simple challenge to help us realize how lucky we are and to help us think of others who are less fortunate and especially for helping us think of ways to get shoes to children who will love to have them.
Congratulations and thank you for the inspiration to others too who have met the challenge and learned from it also. Baring our soles today has hopefully helped us take steps toward finding ourselves. We will be better prepared in days to come, with or without shoes of our own, to choose which is the right way to go when we come to a fork in the road, or to blaze a new trail if there isn't already a path that leading to a better world for everyone.
Thank you so much Bilaal on International Children's Day for helping us find our way to what really matters.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Walking around barefoot on in my own home and yard on a beatiful day isn't quite something I can pretend was any kind of sacrifice. What this experiment did do was it made me very aware of how much difference there is between "when" and "if ever." It was easy for me to put off until tomorrow what I need to wear shoes for, like going into a bank or government office or even a department store. I decided to wait until tomorrow also to do some transplanting in the garden that I had been thinking about, rather than trying to force a spade intot the ground with my unprotected sole. I did notice when I walked on the street that the asphalt was almost unbearably hot so I jumped back into the car - because I had one to jump back into.
This experience today helped me to think about what I couldn't do today, but will do tomorrow "when" I can wear shoes. It helped me to realize what I might not get to do if I had to wonder "if ever" I would have shoes.
Thank you Bilaal Rajan for this simple challenge to help us realize how lucky we are and to help us think of others who are less fortunate and especially for helping us think of ways to get shoes to children who will love to have them.
Congratulations and thank you for the inspiration to others too who have met the challenge and learned from it also. Baring our soles today has hopefully helped us take steps toward finding ourselves. We will be better prepared in days to come, with or without shoes of our own, to choose which is the right way to go when we come to a fork in the road, or to blaze a new trail if there isn't already a path that leading to a better world for everyone.
Thank you so much Bilaal on International Children's Day for helping us find our way to what really matters.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
"The Path to Riches" by Judith Williamson & Contributing Authors
Dear Readers Seeking Inspiration and Success,
Sometimes we get to ourightly marvel in the chance to share something that is what I like to call "over-the-top." I got the term from my husband when he said to me one day that I was a little over the top. Whether he intended the compliment or not, I was grateful for it.
Today, with gratitude for every challenge and triumph that has patterned my being, my spirits are lifted a little beyond over the top. I am thankful to Judith Williamson and the Napoleon Hill Foundation and all my fellow contributing authors. I am beyond delighted and honoured to share here my chapter in the recently published book, The Path to Riches in Think and Grow Rich, as follows:
The Secret for Everyone
By Kathleen Betts
Toronto, Canada
“It is one of the most beautiful compensations in life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
As seekers of success and happiness, many of us have had the good fortune to stumble on Dr. Napoleon Hill’s lifework or to have it shared with us by someone we knew who learned and profited from the philosophy and instructions he outlined in his flagship book, Think and Grow Rich. Dr. Hill invitingly scattered clues throughout the chapters and assured us that, “Somewhere, as you read, the secret to which I refer will jump from the page and stand boldly before you, IF YOU ARE READY FOR IT! When it appears, you will recognize it. Whether you receive the sign in the first or the last chapter, stop for a moment when it presents itself, and turn down a glass, for that occasion will mark the most important turning-point of your life.” If this eye-opening moment is so momentous as to justly cause pause for thought as the life-altering revelation Dr. Hill touts it to be, how can some of us read all the way through the book, possibly more than once, and still not have it jump out at us?
As an enthusiast of Dr. Hill’s lifework, this writer is honored to contribute to these testimonials with ardent hope of helping readers find their answer. Having thought I saw the secret first on page 40 of my copy, in the words, “by giving before you try to get,” I finally pronounced a celebratory “Aha!” and I turned down my glass at page 115, when I read “giving in return an equivalent value of one form or another.” What I had been looking for appeared to jump off the page. If uncovering the secret could be done by simply referring others to the pages where we found it, there would be no purpose or substance for the book you have in hand. Dr. Hill’s instructions helped me clarify my objective and espouse the principles vital to achieving it. It was when my own idea of what exactly I wanted to have and to do became clear to me that I was able to understand and see what Dr. Hill’s secret was.
As cosmic habit force, I begin any discussion on success with my primary achievement of being the luckiest mother in the world to my four precious children and hoping that all other parents share the same sense for themselves. Another extraordinary achievement I wouldn’t miss incorporating in this discussion is that of having this chance and honor to hopefully inspire others who are on their journey to succeed. It has become one of my greatest passions to share Dr. Hill’s philosophy, especially with those who are ready to Think and Grow Rich, or are preparing to be ready, as is presumably the case with readers of this very material. I am ever grateful for your interest and hopeful that what you’re reading will permit you to turn down your glass soon too in recognition of marking the most important turning point in your life.
Piquing our eager curiosity, in his introductory pages, Dr. Hill stated “The secret to which I refer has been mentioned no fewer than a hundred times throughout this book.” With the answer before us no fewer than one hundred times, surely finding it should be easier than the needle-in-the-haystack search it feels like as we pore over every word with anticipation. Dr. Hill further counseled: “It has not been directly named, for it seems to work more successfully when it is merely uncovered and left in sight, where those who are ready, and searching for it, may pick it up.” Through the course of our read-to-reap-fortune venture, at times, we suppose we have cracked the mystery only to find it either zaps or fades slowly from the catch of our mind’s eye. The “secret” can seem to be an enigma-wrapped-in-a-puzzle conundrum. Maybe what’s happening is a subconscious lost-in-the-woods feeling is leaving us unable to see the trees for the forest.
Ironically, the secret is so obvious, our grasp of it can be tenuous because of a that-can’t-really-be-all-there-is-to-it skepticism we summon when we have flickering thoughts of “maybe that’s it.”
Some of the perplexity is attributable to the term “secret.” If instead of calling it a secret, we called it “what is blatantly obvious,” we may find it easier to understand. Our very thoughts create the shroud we think up in our minds by calling it a secret. One of the clues that Dr. Hill offered in the “Imagination” chapter was that, “Strange and paradoxical as it may seem, the ‘secret’ is not a secret.” He further counseled in his next paragraph: “Above all, do not stop, nor hesitate in your study of these principles until you have read the book at least three times, for then, you will not want to stop.”
Paradoxically or intrinsically, our challenge in conclusively seizing the secret is conjoined to the constantly changing ideas, thoughts and beliefs that pass through our minds. Adding to the complexity is the combined element of our personal experiences, burning desires, goals, objectives, dreams, and temporary defeats all being inextricably linked to what we believe qualifies as or defines success. These constantly changing factors create a moving target effect with the result of our stronghold on the “secret” waxing and waning. This morphing in our minds, as it turns out, is a robust clue. Once we have a clear picture in our minds of a static objective and a lucid personal definition of success, we are more likely ready to see the secret jump from the pages.
It’s helpful to consider tips from other greats who either influenced or were influenced by Dr. Hill. One of particular note and unmatched in his eloquence, was Ralph Waldo Emerson who penned countless insightful and inspiring essays and poems on the subject.
What is Success?
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better,
whether by a child,
a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Earl Nightingale told us "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal. Or in some cases the pursuit of a worthy ideal." His definition leads us to understand that anyone who's on course toward the fulfillment of a goal is already enjoying success, if they will allow themselves the liberty to accept the concept. Reinforcing his definition, Mr. Nightingale elaborated, “Now, success doesn't lie in the achievement of a goal, although that's what the world considers success; it lies in the journey toward the goal. We're successful as long as we're working toward something we want to bring about in our lives. That's when the human being is at his or her best. That's what Cervantes meant when he wrote, ‘The road is better than the inn.’ We're at our best when we're climbing, thinking, planning, working. When we're on the road toward something we want to bring about.”
More recently, Jack Canfield tells us that “Life is not about achievement, it's about learning and growth, and developing qualities like compassion, patience, perseverance, love, and joy, and so forth.” Consider that "learning and growth, and developing qualities like compassion, patience, perseverance, love, and joy" are at once achievements in and of themselves while also being the means to other ends of more tangible or measurable goals. What a wonderful world to live in if in years to come, we could all make that stretch.
Recalling that success is subjective wherein what one considers meager, another considers opulent, what we’re really after here is the secret to what most of us consider to be extraordinary success. It’s worth noting nonetheless that giving ourselves credit for these salt-of-the-earth simpler successes puts us in good stead to be ready for extraordinary success. The secret to success of any magnitude is what one believes it to be. The complexity stems from the simplicity. It only seems difficult to grasp because we think there must be more to it. I would suggest that the evasiveness of what we think we should easily see emanates from within each one of us. It’s personal and subjective to a much greater degree than it is objective. What the secret is may differ as much for each of us as the point in time of reading at which our “aha moment of thought” might occur to us. Steadying one of the targets, by clarifying in our minds what success means to us and accepting that it is a process and not a destination, makes it easier to think our way through what the secret is. Burning desire was a key that Dr. Hill repeated emphatically. In setting the goals we will use to measure our success, we have to think in terms of our true burning desires.
As a point to ponder on burning desire, I recall a day about twenty years ago when I was visiting with friends and ogling over luxurious boats at a yacht club in British Columbia. One had a particular allure for me and I snapped a shot of it, thinking when I’m ready for a boat, that’s the one I want. I’ve often thought about that boat over the years and felt a little twinge of disappointment in myself over not having met my goal to acquire it. It dawned on me one day that mingled in with that sense of disappointment were some other stronger sentiments like “What would I do with it? Where would we keep it? How often would we get a chance to use it? How much does a boat like that pollute the environment?”
I still love boats and anything that gets me closer to the water and don’t begrudge anyone else the enjoyment they get from theirs. What a relief it was though one day when I realized my sense of disappointment at not having the boat was so irrational. I had never had a true burning desire to have that boat. It was more of a mixture of emotions wherein the doubtful thoughts I had actually outweighed my desire to have the boat. I relate this experience now as the realization serves as a useful tool for me and I hope it will for others too in differentiating between true burning desires with associated goals and whims of fancy based on what might popularly be considered a symbol of success.
There's no measure of failure in not owning a yacht for anyone who doesn’t have a burning desire to own a yacht. Does that make sense? It works with anything you can think of. It doesn't have to be a yacht. It can be a career or professional objective, a financial goal, a relationship, material possessions, etc… It’s likely we have less trouble figuring out what the secret is and more trouble figuring out what our goals are and what metrics to use to measure our success.
Dr. Hill instructed us to attune ourselves to our truest desires and to rigorously incorporate the principles he developed to help us find ways to turn our thoughts into reality. All of the elements of the philosophy are entwined to each other and end up having an inter-dependence or reinforcing effect on each other. While it may be far-fetched to expect that commonly they can all be mastered, it is evident in the analysis of those who have achieved remarkable success, omitting any one of them even temporarily will weaken our endeavors. Focusing on some more than others is not the same as omitting any. It’s natural and advisable to gravitate to the principles that come more easily to us. There is a trick though to not letting those that require more effort go by the wayside entirely. Dr. Hill provided us examples of how the individuals he researched over the years had different strengths and adhered more strictly to some principles than others.
The principles that resonate most with me are those in the category of personal integrity, including the golden rule. Part of the secret to success is to figure out which elements of the principles resonate most with individual characters and goals. One of the examples of extraordinary successes that Dr. Hill referenced was the story of Arthur Nash, a tailor from Cincinnati who used his nearly bankrupt business to test the success formula. Having researched Mr. Nash myself in preparing this chapter, I was astonished to find how salient the message was of his clear understanding of the secret as I see it. Anyone looking for ideas or inspiration to help them uncover the secret might find it useful to study his story.
Once we have our clear idea of what our goals are, we must pursue them relentlessly without compromising our morals or integrity, always with consideration to the impact our actions and decisions will have on others affected by our words and our thoughts or by what we do or what we fail to do. By weighing our decisions on a scale of “What’s in it for everyone?” we find the guidance we need to stay the course of integrity in all our transactions. When we meet goals resulting in net gains for all who are effected, our success is multiplied exponentially. It makes perfect sense by business and or humanitarian standards. The more people are served by our goals, the more likely we are to succeed.
If we compromise integrity or ideals or if the adverse effects of any steps one takes to achieve his or her goals outweigh the overall benefits, then failure rather than success is what the attainment of those riches amounts to. When we predicate our actions and decisions on the inspiration and driving force of the fifth element of Napoleon Hill’s Self-Confidence Formula, we are guided to progress toward our goals in manners that are reflective of the composite of principles Dr. Hill promoted as necessary constituents to the secret of success. The powerful message enveloped in his words can be used as a personal barometer, compass, map, communicator and propeller all wrapped up in one handy implement more versatile than the most recent electronic gadgetry of the day.
For those who don’t have it committed to memory, the wording is as follows:
“I fully realize that no wealth or position will long endure, unless built upon truth and justice; therefore, I will engage in no transaction that does not benefit all whom it affects. I will succeed by attracting to myself the forces I wish to use and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me because of my willingness to serve others. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism, by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success.”
Following Dr. Hill’s prescription for success does not mean that we will not encounter obstacles along the way. Having challenges and adversities in our life of course does not equate to failure. In his book entitled Set Yourself on Fire, Phil Taylor who is my dear friend and an emerging force in the field of self-development, included a chapter on “The Gift of Adversity.” In his words, “I look back and delight in my difficulties, for they have been my teachers, and have been the very motivation that spurs me forward in the pursuit of these two life-enhancing principles.” If we are looking for seeds of opportunity in our challenges, our prospects for success are enhanced. Considering every adversity carries with it a seed of equal or greater opportunity, instead of lamenting we should be clicking our heels to the count of our blessings when we react to our challenges. What goes wrong is the kick-start to almost all the products and services that have turned lucrative dividends for those who react by seizing the opportunity to find a solution through a “what’s-in-it-for-everyone?” mentality.
That’s not to say either that it’s easy to overcome every challenge we’ll meet. As early readers, we may have learned from Dr. Seuss in Oh the Places You’ll Go, that there will be slumps we’ll have to go through. We then have to find the courage and conviction to do what Dr. Seuss brilliantly termed “unslumping ourselves.” As an aside, that might well be the most useful information the good fortune of contributing to this book will allow me to share with readers, Dr. Seuss is an exceptional motivator who clearly must have grasped Dr. Hill’s secret. The tremendous collection of children’s stories he created reminds me of the lessons from Malcolm Hillgartner and Robert Fulghum who both have inspired us to think about how all and everything we need to know, we learned in Kindergarten. Not to slight the value of commitment to lifelong learning, those early years set the foundation for our success.
Thinking back to how to get “unslumped,” when you take everything you have in life and put it on a scale, if what you love and wouldn’t change for the world outweighs what needs improvement, count those blessings as successes and draw from that powerful place the strength to get out of the rut and back on the path to achieving goals. If the scale tips the other way, it will require even greater effort and would be a good idea to draw strength from the examples of others. An element of the secret is that we are all successful until we quit. We are learning from our adversities and finding in them the opportunities that exist to make the world a better place for ourselves and for others.
We can still live the dreams we envisioned even when some days don’t go the way we would like them to. We’re exactly where we are as a result of the complement of decisions we’ve made along the way. By choosing to surround ourselves with people we admire and who inspire us to want to improve ourselves, we fortify our means to progress toward our goals. We have surround ourselves with sufficient positive influence to make a greater impact on us that whatever negative influences might be in our midst. By dosing ourselves with a daily fortifier of inspiration, we can find the strength we need to propel ourselves toward our goals and not only ward off negative influences but equip ourselves to instead have a positive influence on others who will likely appreciate the leadership. If in good conscience we can look in the mirror and smile at that person with pride, we’re on the right path to finding the secret and to whatever extraordinary success we truly believe we can achieve.
Truth be known, the secret might appear before us on any page in the book because it resides in our own thoughts and ideas, to be projected onto something before our eyes. There is definitely an increased likelihood that the realization will “jump out” at us while we’re reading Think and Grow Rich because Dr. Hill’s systematized principles are an excellent tool to evoke whatsoever we believe to be the secret and howsoever we define success, both of which come from within each one of us. Once the idea crystallizes in our minds, success is inevitable when we adhere to the principles. The secret is in keeping the idea crystal clear and maintaining the personal rigor and constitution it requires to consistently adhere to the principles.
Reading Think and Grow Rich at least three times, as suggested by the author, helps us to the open our minds sufficiently and establish or instill in ourselves the habits and strength of conviction we need to relentlessly pursue success. By immersing our mental attitude in positive influences, adhering to the credo that “A quitter never wins and a winner never quits” and committing ourselves to lifelong engagement to transactions that benefit all whom they affect, the so-called secret to success will become so naturally unshrouded, we’ll be left wondering instead how we could ever have thought there were any obstacles that were not in fact stepping stones to the extraordinary successes we see in the achievements of others we admire. In what we do to try to make the world better for everyone, we can’t help but to make it better for ourselves too.
The very essence of success is the relentless pursuit of it. So to speak, we have to let success go to our heads, although not in the figurative sense. Perhaps more accurately, we have to let it come from our heads in the form of ideas we believe will be helpful to the world we live in. After all, as Dr. Hill mentioned in some words or another in every chapter of Think and Grow Rich, “Whatever the mind can conceive, and believe, it can achieve.” It’s beautiful. Shall we turn down a glass?
This excerpt is reprinted with permission from the The Path to Riches in Think and Grow Rich, published by the
Napoleon Hill Foundation, March 2011, pp 141-49. The book is available through Amazon at: www.amazon.com/Path-Riches-Think-Grow-Rich/dp/0983000816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305654144&sr=8-1
Sometimes we get to ourightly marvel in the chance to share something that is what I like to call "over-the-top." I got the term from my husband when he said to me one day that I was a little over the top. Whether he intended the compliment or not, I was grateful for it.
Today, with gratitude for every challenge and triumph that has patterned my being, my spirits are lifted a little beyond over the top. I am thankful to Judith Williamson and the Napoleon Hill Foundation and all my fellow contributing authors. I am beyond delighted and honoured to share here my chapter in the recently published book, The Path to Riches in Think and Grow Rich, as follows:
The Secret for Everyone
By Kathleen Betts
Toronto, Canada
“It is one of the most beautiful compensations in life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
As seekers of success and happiness, many of us have had the good fortune to stumble on Dr. Napoleon Hill’s lifework or to have it shared with us by someone we knew who learned and profited from the philosophy and instructions he outlined in his flagship book, Think and Grow Rich. Dr. Hill invitingly scattered clues throughout the chapters and assured us that, “Somewhere, as you read, the secret to which I refer will jump from the page and stand boldly before you, IF YOU ARE READY FOR IT! When it appears, you will recognize it. Whether you receive the sign in the first or the last chapter, stop for a moment when it presents itself, and turn down a glass, for that occasion will mark the most important turning-point of your life.” If this eye-opening moment is so momentous as to justly cause pause for thought as the life-altering revelation Dr. Hill touts it to be, how can some of us read all the way through the book, possibly more than once, and still not have it jump out at us?
As an enthusiast of Dr. Hill’s lifework, this writer is honored to contribute to these testimonials with ardent hope of helping readers find their answer. Having thought I saw the secret first on page 40 of my copy, in the words, “by giving before you try to get,” I finally pronounced a celebratory “Aha!” and I turned down my glass at page 115, when I read “giving in return an equivalent value of one form or another.” What I had been looking for appeared to jump off the page. If uncovering the secret could be done by simply referring others to the pages where we found it, there would be no purpose or substance for the book you have in hand. Dr. Hill’s instructions helped me clarify my objective and espouse the principles vital to achieving it. It was when my own idea of what exactly I wanted to have and to do became clear to me that I was able to understand and see what Dr. Hill’s secret was.
As cosmic habit force, I begin any discussion on success with my primary achievement of being the luckiest mother in the world to my four precious children and hoping that all other parents share the same sense for themselves. Another extraordinary achievement I wouldn’t miss incorporating in this discussion is that of having this chance and honor to hopefully inspire others who are on their journey to succeed. It has become one of my greatest passions to share Dr. Hill’s philosophy, especially with those who are ready to Think and Grow Rich, or are preparing to be ready, as is presumably the case with readers of this very material. I am ever grateful for your interest and hopeful that what you’re reading will permit you to turn down your glass soon too in recognition of marking the most important turning point in your life.
Piquing our eager curiosity, in his introductory pages, Dr. Hill stated “The secret to which I refer has been mentioned no fewer than a hundred times throughout this book.” With the answer before us no fewer than one hundred times, surely finding it should be easier than the needle-in-the-haystack search it feels like as we pore over every word with anticipation. Dr. Hill further counseled: “It has not been directly named, for it seems to work more successfully when it is merely uncovered and left in sight, where those who are ready, and searching for it, may pick it up.” Through the course of our read-to-reap-fortune venture, at times, we suppose we have cracked the mystery only to find it either zaps or fades slowly from the catch of our mind’s eye. The “secret” can seem to be an enigma-wrapped-in-a-puzzle conundrum. Maybe what’s happening is a subconscious lost-in-the-woods feeling is leaving us unable to see the trees for the forest.
Ironically, the secret is so obvious, our grasp of it can be tenuous because of a that-can’t-really-be-all-there-is-to-it skepticism we summon when we have flickering thoughts of “maybe that’s it.”
Some of the perplexity is attributable to the term “secret.” If instead of calling it a secret, we called it “what is blatantly obvious,” we may find it easier to understand. Our very thoughts create the shroud we think up in our minds by calling it a secret. One of the clues that Dr. Hill offered in the “Imagination” chapter was that, “Strange and paradoxical as it may seem, the ‘secret’ is not a secret.” He further counseled in his next paragraph: “Above all, do not stop, nor hesitate in your study of these principles until you have read the book at least three times, for then, you will not want to stop.”
Paradoxically or intrinsically, our challenge in conclusively seizing the secret is conjoined to the constantly changing ideas, thoughts and beliefs that pass through our minds. Adding to the complexity is the combined element of our personal experiences, burning desires, goals, objectives, dreams, and temporary defeats all being inextricably linked to what we believe qualifies as or defines success. These constantly changing factors create a moving target effect with the result of our stronghold on the “secret” waxing and waning. This morphing in our minds, as it turns out, is a robust clue. Once we have a clear picture in our minds of a static objective and a lucid personal definition of success, we are more likely ready to see the secret jump from the pages.
It’s helpful to consider tips from other greats who either influenced or were influenced by Dr. Hill. One of particular note and unmatched in his eloquence, was Ralph Waldo Emerson who penned countless insightful and inspiring essays and poems on the subject.
What is Success?
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better,
whether by a child,
a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Earl Nightingale told us "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal. Or in some cases the pursuit of a worthy ideal." His definition leads us to understand that anyone who's on course toward the fulfillment of a goal is already enjoying success, if they will allow themselves the liberty to accept the concept. Reinforcing his definition, Mr. Nightingale elaborated, “Now, success doesn't lie in the achievement of a goal, although that's what the world considers success; it lies in the journey toward the goal. We're successful as long as we're working toward something we want to bring about in our lives. That's when the human being is at his or her best. That's what Cervantes meant when he wrote, ‘The road is better than the inn.’ We're at our best when we're climbing, thinking, planning, working. When we're on the road toward something we want to bring about.”
More recently, Jack Canfield tells us that “Life is not about achievement, it's about learning and growth, and developing qualities like compassion, patience, perseverance, love, and joy, and so forth.” Consider that "learning and growth, and developing qualities like compassion, patience, perseverance, love, and joy" are at once achievements in and of themselves while also being the means to other ends of more tangible or measurable goals. What a wonderful world to live in if in years to come, we could all make that stretch.
Recalling that success is subjective wherein what one considers meager, another considers opulent, what we’re really after here is the secret to what most of us consider to be extraordinary success. It’s worth noting nonetheless that giving ourselves credit for these salt-of-the-earth simpler successes puts us in good stead to be ready for extraordinary success. The secret to success of any magnitude is what one believes it to be. The complexity stems from the simplicity. It only seems difficult to grasp because we think there must be more to it. I would suggest that the evasiveness of what we think we should easily see emanates from within each one of us. It’s personal and subjective to a much greater degree than it is objective. What the secret is may differ as much for each of us as the point in time of reading at which our “aha moment of thought” might occur to us. Steadying one of the targets, by clarifying in our minds what success means to us and accepting that it is a process and not a destination, makes it easier to think our way through what the secret is. Burning desire was a key that Dr. Hill repeated emphatically. In setting the goals we will use to measure our success, we have to think in terms of our true burning desires.
As a point to ponder on burning desire, I recall a day about twenty years ago when I was visiting with friends and ogling over luxurious boats at a yacht club in British Columbia. One had a particular allure for me and I snapped a shot of it, thinking when I’m ready for a boat, that’s the one I want. I’ve often thought about that boat over the years and felt a little twinge of disappointment in myself over not having met my goal to acquire it. It dawned on me one day that mingled in with that sense of disappointment were some other stronger sentiments like “What would I do with it? Where would we keep it? How often would we get a chance to use it? How much does a boat like that pollute the environment?”
I still love boats and anything that gets me closer to the water and don’t begrudge anyone else the enjoyment they get from theirs. What a relief it was though one day when I realized my sense of disappointment at not having the boat was so irrational. I had never had a true burning desire to have that boat. It was more of a mixture of emotions wherein the doubtful thoughts I had actually outweighed my desire to have the boat. I relate this experience now as the realization serves as a useful tool for me and I hope it will for others too in differentiating between true burning desires with associated goals and whims of fancy based on what might popularly be considered a symbol of success.
There's no measure of failure in not owning a yacht for anyone who doesn’t have a burning desire to own a yacht. Does that make sense? It works with anything you can think of. It doesn't have to be a yacht. It can be a career or professional objective, a financial goal, a relationship, material possessions, etc… It’s likely we have less trouble figuring out what the secret is and more trouble figuring out what our goals are and what metrics to use to measure our success.
Dr. Hill instructed us to attune ourselves to our truest desires and to rigorously incorporate the principles he developed to help us find ways to turn our thoughts into reality. All of the elements of the philosophy are entwined to each other and end up having an inter-dependence or reinforcing effect on each other. While it may be far-fetched to expect that commonly they can all be mastered, it is evident in the analysis of those who have achieved remarkable success, omitting any one of them even temporarily will weaken our endeavors. Focusing on some more than others is not the same as omitting any. It’s natural and advisable to gravitate to the principles that come more easily to us. There is a trick though to not letting those that require more effort go by the wayside entirely. Dr. Hill provided us examples of how the individuals he researched over the years had different strengths and adhered more strictly to some principles than others.
The principles that resonate most with me are those in the category of personal integrity, including the golden rule. Part of the secret to success is to figure out which elements of the principles resonate most with individual characters and goals. One of the examples of extraordinary successes that Dr. Hill referenced was the story of Arthur Nash, a tailor from Cincinnati who used his nearly bankrupt business to test the success formula. Having researched Mr. Nash myself in preparing this chapter, I was astonished to find how salient the message was of his clear understanding of the secret as I see it. Anyone looking for ideas or inspiration to help them uncover the secret might find it useful to study his story.
Once we have our clear idea of what our goals are, we must pursue them relentlessly without compromising our morals or integrity, always with consideration to the impact our actions and decisions will have on others affected by our words and our thoughts or by what we do or what we fail to do. By weighing our decisions on a scale of “What’s in it for everyone?” we find the guidance we need to stay the course of integrity in all our transactions. When we meet goals resulting in net gains for all who are effected, our success is multiplied exponentially. It makes perfect sense by business and or humanitarian standards. The more people are served by our goals, the more likely we are to succeed.
If we compromise integrity or ideals or if the adverse effects of any steps one takes to achieve his or her goals outweigh the overall benefits, then failure rather than success is what the attainment of those riches amounts to. When we predicate our actions and decisions on the inspiration and driving force of the fifth element of Napoleon Hill’s Self-Confidence Formula, we are guided to progress toward our goals in manners that are reflective of the composite of principles Dr. Hill promoted as necessary constituents to the secret of success. The powerful message enveloped in his words can be used as a personal barometer, compass, map, communicator and propeller all wrapped up in one handy implement more versatile than the most recent electronic gadgetry of the day.
For those who don’t have it committed to memory, the wording is as follows:
“I fully realize that no wealth or position will long endure, unless built upon truth and justice; therefore, I will engage in no transaction that does not benefit all whom it affects. I will succeed by attracting to myself the forces I wish to use and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me because of my willingness to serve others. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism, by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success.”
Following Dr. Hill’s prescription for success does not mean that we will not encounter obstacles along the way. Having challenges and adversities in our life of course does not equate to failure. In his book entitled Set Yourself on Fire, Phil Taylor who is my dear friend and an emerging force in the field of self-development, included a chapter on “The Gift of Adversity.” In his words, “I look back and delight in my difficulties, for they have been my teachers, and have been the very motivation that spurs me forward in the pursuit of these two life-enhancing principles.” If we are looking for seeds of opportunity in our challenges, our prospects for success are enhanced. Considering every adversity carries with it a seed of equal or greater opportunity, instead of lamenting we should be clicking our heels to the count of our blessings when we react to our challenges. What goes wrong is the kick-start to almost all the products and services that have turned lucrative dividends for those who react by seizing the opportunity to find a solution through a “what’s-in-it-for-everyone?” mentality.
That’s not to say either that it’s easy to overcome every challenge we’ll meet. As early readers, we may have learned from Dr. Seuss in Oh the Places You’ll Go, that there will be slumps we’ll have to go through. We then have to find the courage and conviction to do what Dr. Seuss brilliantly termed “unslumping ourselves.” As an aside, that might well be the most useful information the good fortune of contributing to this book will allow me to share with readers, Dr. Seuss is an exceptional motivator who clearly must have grasped Dr. Hill’s secret. The tremendous collection of children’s stories he created reminds me of the lessons from Malcolm Hillgartner and Robert Fulghum who both have inspired us to think about how all and everything we need to know, we learned in Kindergarten. Not to slight the value of commitment to lifelong learning, those early years set the foundation for our success.
Thinking back to how to get “unslumped,” when you take everything you have in life and put it on a scale, if what you love and wouldn’t change for the world outweighs what needs improvement, count those blessings as successes and draw from that powerful place the strength to get out of the rut and back on the path to achieving goals. If the scale tips the other way, it will require even greater effort and would be a good idea to draw strength from the examples of others. An element of the secret is that we are all successful until we quit. We are learning from our adversities and finding in them the opportunities that exist to make the world a better place for ourselves and for others.
We can still live the dreams we envisioned even when some days don’t go the way we would like them to. We’re exactly where we are as a result of the complement of decisions we’ve made along the way. By choosing to surround ourselves with people we admire and who inspire us to want to improve ourselves, we fortify our means to progress toward our goals. We have surround ourselves with sufficient positive influence to make a greater impact on us that whatever negative influences might be in our midst. By dosing ourselves with a daily fortifier of inspiration, we can find the strength we need to propel ourselves toward our goals and not only ward off negative influences but equip ourselves to instead have a positive influence on others who will likely appreciate the leadership. If in good conscience we can look in the mirror and smile at that person with pride, we’re on the right path to finding the secret and to whatever extraordinary success we truly believe we can achieve.
Truth be known, the secret might appear before us on any page in the book because it resides in our own thoughts and ideas, to be projected onto something before our eyes. There is definitely an increased likelihood that the realization will “jump out” at us while we’re reading Think and Grow Rich because Dr. Hill’s systematized principles are an excellent tool to evoke whatsoever we believe to be the secret and howsoever we define success, both of which come from within each one of us. Once the idea crystallizes in our minds, success is inevitable when we adhere to the principles. The secret is in keeping the idea crystal clear and maintaining the personal rigor and constitution it requires to consistently adhere to the principles.
Reading Think and Grow Rich at least three times, as suggested by the author, helps us to the open our minds sufficiently and establish or instill in ourselves the habits and strength of conviction we need to relentlessly pursue success. By immersing our mental attitude in positive influences, adhering to the credo that “A quitter never wins and a winner never quits” and committing ourselves to lifelong engagement to transactions that benefit all whom they affect, the so-called secret to success will become so naturally unshrouded, we’ll be left wondering instead how we could ever have thought there were any obstacles that were not in fact stepping stones to the extraordinary successes we see in the achievements of others we admire. In what we do to try to make the world better for everyone, we can’t help but to make it better for ourselves too.
The very essence of success is the relentless pursuit of it. So to speak, we have to let success go to our heads, although not in the figurative sense. Perhaps more accurately, we have to let it come from our heads in the form of ideas we believe will be helpful to the world we live in. After all, as Dr. Hill mentioned in some words or another in every chapter of Think and Grow Rich, “Whatever the mind can conceive, and believe, it can achieve.” It’s beautiful. Shall we turn down a glass?
This excerpt is reprinted with permission from the The Path to Riches in Think and Grow Rich, published by the
Napoleon Hill Foundation, March 2011, pp 141-49. The book is available through Amazon at: www.amazon.com/Path-Riches-Think-Grow-Rich/dp/0983000816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305654144&sr=8-1
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Developing a Lifelong Positive Mental Attitude — Now That’s Entertainment
Dear Readers and Lovers of All Things Inspiring,
As an avid reader, admirer, contributor and Board Member for Good News Toronto, I had the very good fortune to have a recent submission published in the May 2011 edition as a Letter to Editor, at http://www.goodnewstoronto.ca/2011/05/may-2011-editors-message/.
I'm sharing these words here too as it is my passion to promote Good News Toronto and to have the hope of inspiring anyone else who might marvel in the positive influence of the stories of the everyday heroes featured in its pages. I'm dually delighted with this entry as it graced me the pleasure of praising an everyday hero not from Toronto but who has had significant positive influence on Torontonians as well as others from all over the globe, Dr. Napoleon Hill.
As printed in Good News Toronto May 5, 2011:
Entertaining readers with stories of everyday heroes who live in our midst, Good News Toronto aims to foster the beautiful benefits of saturating souls with inspiration through the strength we draw from the achievements of others who reach their benevolent goals. The purpose of our affectionately termed Little Paper with a Big Heart was to complement mainstream media with real good news stories of the heroes among us who might otherwise have gone unsung. For readers, contributors, and heroes whose stories and charitable or not-for-profit organizations have been featured, the potential collateral gains are exponential.
For us who are on the lifelong journey to achieve success, inspiration is an indispensable means of fuelling the energy needed to reach our lofty goals. Daily doses of inspiration to keep us moving forward are as essential as routine stops at the gas station are to keep our vehicles going. Like eating, sleeping, bathing, and all the other to-dos we repeat daily to keep ourselves well, inspiration sharing can be engrained in our psyche as part of our Positive Mental Attitude (PMA.)
When where we are might feel like a struggle at times, a PMA can be the single most significant factor in determining what our destiny will be. A most salient benefit of PMA is that it helps us actualize the power of our potential to capitalize on challenges. Respectably noting the achievements of one of the greatest forces ever in the realm of PMA, an all-time most significant influence comes from Napoleon Hill. To kick-start a lifelong commitment, the greatest favour a neophyte to PMA can do for themselves is to read his flagship book, Think and Grow Rich. In the book, Hill recommends readers recite out loud daily a confidence formula he developed. An excerpt from the fifth component is most compelling:
“I realize that no wealth or position can long endure unless built upon truth and justice; therefore I will engage in no transaction that does not benefit all whom it affects. I will attract to myself the forces I wish to use and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me because of my willingness to serve others. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness and cynicism by developing love for all humanity because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me because I will believe in them and in myself.”
These few lines capture the essence of the values of integrity, respect, and leadership to empower us with what we need to make all things possible. By simply asking ourselves, “What’s in it for everyone?” we can find the illumination and the clarity we need to stay on the right path in the lifelong journey toward success and happiness through service to others.
It is the honour of Good News Toronto to serve those who are looking for the inspirational fodder they need to fuel belief in their abilities to get to exactly where they want to be. Sweet success is when our own achievements serve in turn to propel others who bear witness and become inspired to recognize and accept invitations to succeed, especially when they’re cloaked in life’s challenges. This GNT contributor and beneficiary is thankful to the everyday heroes who have graced the pages and motivated a goal to respectably rival the monumental impact of Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen’s Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Celebrating the everyday heroes among us is the best live entertainment you can get. We hope you’re enjoying the show. Please stay tuned.
Kathleen Betts, mother of four, freelance writer, and blogger
As an avid reader, admirer, contributor and Board Member for Good News Toronto, I had the very good fortune to have a recent submission published in the May 2011 edition as a Letter to Editor, at http://www.goodnewstoronto.ca/2011/05/may-2011-editors-message/.
I'm sharing these words here too as it is my passion to promote Good News Toronto and to have the hope of inspiring anyone else who might marvel in the positive influence of the stories of the everyday heroes featured in its pages. I'm dually delighted with this entry as it graced me the pleasure of praising an everyday hero not from Toronto but who has had significant positive influence on Torontonians as well as others from all over the globe, Dr. Napoleon Hill.
As printed in Good News Toronto May 5, 2011:
Entertaining readers with stories of everyday heroes who live in our midst, Good News Toronto aims to foster the beautiful benefits of saturating souls with inspiration through the strength we draw from the achievements of others who reach their benevolent goals. The purpose of our affectionately termed Little Paper with a Big Heart was to complement mainstream media with real good news stories of the heroes among us who might otherwise have gone unsung. For readers, contributors, and heroes whose stories and charitable or not-for-profit organizations have been featured, the potential collateral gains are exponential.
For us who are on the lifelong journey to achieve success, inspiration is an indispensable means of fuelling the energy needed to reach our lofty goals. Daily doses of inspiration to keep us moving forward are as essential as routine stops at the gas station are to keep our vehicles going. Like eating, sleeping, bathing, and all the other to-dos we repeat daily to keep ourselves well, inspiration sharing can be engrained in our psyche as part of our Positive Mental Attitude (PMA.)
When where we are might feel like a struggle at times, a PMA can be the single most significant factor in determining what our destiny will be. A most salient benefit of PMA is that it helps us actualize the power of our potential to capitalize on challenges. Respectably noting the achievements of one of the greatest forces ever in the realm of PMA, an all-time most significant influence comes from Napoleon Hill. To kick-start a lifelong commitment, the greatest favour a neophyte to PMA can do for themselves is to read his flagship book, Think and Grow Rich. In the book, Hill recommends readers recite out loud daily a confidence formula he developed. An excerpt from the fifth component is most compelling:
“I realize that no wealth or position can long endure unless built upon truth and justice; therefore I will engage in no transaction that does not benefit all whom it affects. I will attract to myself the forces I wish to use and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me because of my willingness to serve others. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness and cynicism by developing love for all humanity because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me because I will believe in them and in myself.”
These few lines capture the essence of the values of integrity, respect, and leadership to empower us with what we need to make all things possible. By simply asking ourselves, “What’s in it for everyone?” we can find the illumination and the clarity we need to stay on the right path in the lifelong journey toward success and happiness through service to others.
It is the honour of Good News Toronto to serve those who are looking for the inspirational fodder they need to fuel belief in their abilities to get to exactly where they want to be. Sweet success is when our own achievements serve in turn to propel others who bear witness and become inspired to recognize and accept invitations to succeed, especially when they’re cloaked in life’s challenges. This GNT contributor and beneficiary is thankful to the everyday heroes who have graced the pages and motivated a goal to respectably rival the monumental impact of Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen’s Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Celebrating the everyday heroes among us is the best live entertainment you can get. We hope you’re enjoying the show. Please stay tuned.
Kathleen Betts, mother of four, freelance writer, and blogger
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Tending My Garden
Dear Fellow Lovers of All Things Inspiring,
Spring is sprung!!! It's beautiful. My Commuteducation blog has been in hibernation. I'm digging deep and finding the time of day I need to do what I love on this Commuteducation garden path from where I am to where I want to be with everyone else too who is hyped to move onward and upward...
I was inspired today by so many of my inspirers, one of my faves of all time being Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said, "When I go into my garden and dig deep with my shovel, I feel such an exhilaration and health that I discover that I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I should do with my own hands."
I love words that make me go "Wow!" Hope others will find these words will help you dig deep too and maybe even go "Wow!"
Digging up a little dirt can sure help us find our ways to the aesthetic and fragrant treats our backyard and spiritual gardens grow when we're looking for what's good about others and what we can do to be better ourselves.
Happy rainy day Monday!!!
Wow,
Kathleen
Spring is sprung!!! It's beautiful. My Commuteducation blog has been in hibernation. I'm digging deep and finding the time of day I need to do what I love on this Commuteducation garden path from where I am to where I want to be with everyone else too who is hyped to move onward and upward...
I was inspired today by so many of my inspirers, one of my faves of all time being Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said, "When I go into my garden and dig deep with my shovel, I feel such an exhilaration and health that I discover that I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I should do with my own hands."
I love words that make me go "Wow!" Hope others will find these words will help you dig deep too and maybe even go "Wow!"
Digging up a little dirt can sure help us find our ways to the aesthetic and fragrant treats our backyard and spiritual gardens grow when we're looking for what's good about others and what we can do to be better ourselves.
Happy rainy day Monday!!!
Wow,
Kathleen
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Back to Good News
Dear Readers Searching for Inspiration in September,
With the "busyness" that is inherent to "back-to-school" in a family with four grade-school kids, we've been bustling. It's hectic for sure and helps me appreciate all the more the inspiring stories of the everyday hereos featured in the September issue of Good News Toronto at www.goodnewstoronto.ca.
Amid all the bustle, I've been meaning to post this link since the first week. The good news is, these inspiring stories never seem to stale. It's always delightful to read about what's wonderful in our community. Sharon Hampson from Sharon, Lois and Bram is the September cover hero.
Hope readers will enjoy this issue as much as I have. The October issue is going to be one of the most exciting ever with a chance to nominate your favourite GTA everyday hero. The details will be available on the site and in the good old hard copy issue. Please contact info@goodnewstoronto if you would like to know more about it. The most popular nominee will be featured on the cover of a future issue. If you have a hero in mind, this is a great opportunit to give that special someone the recognition they deserve and to promote the noble causes of these inspiring individuals. Sometimes when something looks too good to be true, it's worth looking into.
Ardently,
Kathleen Betts
With the "busyness" that is inherent to "back-to-school" in a family with four grade-school kids, we've been bustling. It's hectic for sure and helps me appreciate all the more the inspiring stories of the everyday hereos featured in the September issue of Good News Toronto at www.goodnewstoronto.ca.
Amid all the bustle, I've been meaning to post this link since the first week. The good news is, these inspiring stories never seem to stale. It's always delightful to read about what's wonderful in our community. Sharon Hampson from Sharon, Lois and Bram is the September cover hero.
Hope readers will enjoy this issue as much as I have. The October issue is going to be one of the most exciting ever with a chance to nominate your favourite GTA everyday hero. The details will be available on the site and in the good old hard copy issue. Please contact info@goodnewstoronto if you would like to know more about it. The most popular nominee will be featured on the cover of a future issue. If you have a hero in mind, this is a great opportunit to give that special someone the recognition they deserve and to promote the noble causes of these inspiring individuals. Sometimes when something looks too good to be true, it's worth looking into.
Ardently,
Kathleen Betts
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Adversity versus Opportunity
Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit. -- Napoleon Hill
If you've had a challenge that you transformed into an opportunity to help yourself and others, I would be honoured if you would report it here as a comment or write to me at commuteducation@lycos.com.
I'm collecting stories of inspiration that I hope will help anyone facing challenges to find the strength and encouragement to grow and to make the world even better than it already is. Thank you thank you thank you thank you!
Ardently,
Kathleen
If you've had a challenge that you transformed into an opportunity to help yourself and others, I would be honoured if you would report it here as a comment or write to me at commuteducation@lycos.com.
I'm collecting stories of inspiration that I hope will help anyone facing challenges to find the strength and encouragement to grow and to make the world even better than it already is. Thank you thank you thank you thank you!
Ardently,
Kathleen
The Power of Apology -- Blog Entry by Chris Brogan dated March 18,2009
Earlier this evening while I was browsing for a quote I needed for a piece I was drafting, I stumbled on a blog entry by Chris Brogan in March of 2009. The title of the blog entry was "The Power of Apology." With a sense of the deep-rooted value of the philosophy and practice of the power of apology, I was compelled to read the entry that can be found at this link: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/the-power-of-apology/.
Incited by the simple and compelling message of the entry, I was inspired to post the following as a reply. I'm pasting it as is into my own blog now in hopes that this recount of an experience I've long been meaning to share will also be of value to anyone who may stumble upon the link to Chris' blog or to the reply comments that I and others were inspired to post.
Thank you Chris for prompting me to finally write about and share this profound learning experience.
Stymied by apology... Thank you for this inspiring reminder of the power of apology. Your message has inspired me to share an experience that was profoundly telling. I hope by sharing it here it will help others who might stumble upon it to gain a better understanding and appreciation of just how powerful an apology can be.
I was doing an impromptu role play with a fellow Toastmaster on the theme of conflict management. My direction in the role play was to act as a co-worker whose idea had been stolen, with the other character having accepted full credit and accolades from superiors. As we became embroiled in the passion of our role-play exercise, my emotions were quite truly stirred, as though I was really feeling the hurt and betrayal one would sense in a similar real-lief situation. I felt myself taking ownership of the role and of the feelings of resent and anger and hurt that were brewing in me. It became easier and easier for me to strengthen my debate, as I vehemently listed my points in a verbal attack on my opponent.
I wondered how we were ever going to wrap up the impromptu role-play as my resolve and my voice and my anxiety were all mounting in a crescendo toward crisis, as was hers with each attempt she made to refute my retributional verbal assaults on her integrity and moral character having inflicted incalculable torment on the instantly vanished value of our friendship (or at least the value of the friendship of the characters we were role playing.)
As our time was almost up, I wondered really how we were possibly going to have any success with the exercise in which the objective was to manage our conflict and to develop a resolution. Although we were only role playing, our emotions were running high and the fast-approaching deadline by which we had to resolve the matter was adding to our sense of stress. Suddenly, my fellow Toastmaster's character had a stroke of genius. She simply said, "It sounds like I've really upset you and that wasn't what I had set out to do. I apologize for hurting you. Maybe we could go together to our boss and explain this situation so that you can get the credit you deserve."
Honestly, I was dumb-founded. I was utterly speechless. My character's anger melted and my resentment was now vanishing at a rate proportionally inverse to which my respect and hope for fulll recovery of our friendship was now mounting. It was beautiful.
We wrapped up our conflict management impromptu role play with a successful resolution before the deadline. It seemed strikingly easy. It makes me wonder if in real life there were such deadlines by which one or the other of the parties involved in a dispute would have to come up with the stroke of genius to apologize when they have offended somone, there might be alot less mounting of tension and hostility that often results from the snowball effect of what may have begun as a relatively trivial slight. The detrimental and compound negative affects of trivial slights or wounds that are allowed to fester without the treatment they need; i.e. apology, run the risk of becoming incurable with the passage of time.
Ideally, heartfelt apologies expressed at early onset of the hurt that others may be feeling as a result of our actions can readily stave off ailing relations. Under less than ideal circumstances nonetheless, where the ailment of a relationship may have advanced to a terminal diagnosis, there is of course always hope for a miracle cure that could result from a heartfelt apology at any time before whatever the dealine may be.
With apologies for what turned about to be a much lengthier entry than originally intended, I thank you for your interest.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Incited by the simple and compelling message of the entry, I was inspired to post the following as a reply. I'm pasting it as is into my own blog now in hopes that this recount of an experience I've long been meaning to share will also be of value to anyone who may stumble upon the link to Chris' blog or to the reply comments that I and others were inspired to post.
Thank you Chris for prompting me to finally write about and share this profound learning experience.
Stymied by apology... Thank you for this inspiring reminder of the power of apology. Your message has inspired me to share an experience that was profoundly telling. I hope by sharing it here it will help others who might stumble upon it to gain a better understanding and appreciation of just how powerful an apology can be.
I was doing an impromptu role play with a fellow Toastmaster on the theme of conflict management. My direction in the role play was to act as a co-worker whose idea had been stolen, with the other character having accepted full credit and accolades from superiors. As we became embroiled in the passion of our role-play exercise, my emotions were quite truly stirred, as though I was really feeling the hurt and betrayal one would sense in a similar real-lief situation. I felt myself taking ownership of the role and of the feelings of resent and anger and hurt that were brewing in me. It became easier and easier for me to strengthen my debate, as I vehemently listed my points in a verbal attack on my opponent.
I wondered how we were ever going to wrap up the impromptu role-play as my resolve and my voice and my anxiety were all mounting in a crescendo toward crisis, as was hers with each attempt she made to refute my retributional verbal assaults on her integrity and moral character having inflicted incalculable torment on the instantly vanished value of our friendship (or at least the value of the friendship of the characters we were role playing.)
As our time was almost up, I wondered really how we were possibly going to have any success with the exercise in which the objective was to manage our conflict and to develop a resolution. Although we were only role playing, our emotions were running high and the fast-approaching deadline by which we had to resolve the matter was adding to our sense of stress. Suddenly, my fellow Toastmaster's character had a stroke of genius. She simply said, "It sounds like I've really upset you and that wasn't what I had set out to do. I apologize for hurting you. Maybe we could go together to our boss and explain this situation so that you can get the credit you deserve."
Honestly, I was dumb-founded. I was utterly speechless. My character's anger melted and my resentment was now vanishing at a rate proportionally inverse to which my respect and hope for fulll recovery of our friendship was now mounting. It was beautiful.
We wrapped up our conflict management impromptu role play with a successful resolution before the deadline. It seemed strikingly easy. It makes me wonder if in real life there were such deadlines by which one or the other of the parties involved in a dispute would have to come up with the stroke of genius to apologize when they have offended somone, there might be alot less mounting of tension and hostility that often results from the snowball effect of what may have begun as a relatively trivial slight. The detrimental and compound negative affects of trivial slights or wounds that are allowed to fester without the treatment they need; i.e. apology, run the risk of becoming incurable with the passage of time.
Ideally, heartfelt apologies expressed at early onset of the hurt that others may be feeling as a result of our actions can readily stave off ailing relations. Under less than ideal circumstances nonetheless, where the ailment of a relationship may have advanced to a terminal diagnosis, there is of course always hope for a miracle cure that could result from a heartfelt apology at any time before whatever the dealine may be.
With apologies for what turned about to be a much lengthier entry than originally intended, I thank you for your interest.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today, Issue 182, July 16, 2010
What's In It For Everyone?
The positive mental attitude promoters who inspired Napoleon Hill and then those who have been inspired by him, incline many of us in turn to find the pathway from who we are and where we are to where we strive to end up, as happier people in happier places. When who we are and where we are can feel like a struggle at times, one of the most salient benefits of a positive mental attitude is that it helps us to realize and actualize the powerful truth of our potential to capitalize on our challenges.
A quote I read recently from Mike Dooley strikes a chord in this vein. "What if the word victim could be redefined into something closer to hero, recognizing that the paths some have tread will spare others from the same?" With a turning-adversity-into-triumph mindset, we can be on the lookout for opportunities to contribute to the greater good for all. We enrich our own lives through offering our help and services to others, as much as our lives are enriched by those who offer us their help and services. It's beautiful.
As a visionary of the beautiful benefits to all that can be derived through recognition and admiration of heroes, Eva Karpati, the founding editor and publisher of Good News Toronto (www.goodnewstoronto.ca) was so impressed by the notion of the strength that readers could draw from benevolent achievers, that she started her little paper with big heart to celebrate the multitude of inspirational people who live in our midst, with "the goal of motivating all of us to keep our city rich." Good News Toronto has been helping readers "think and grow rich" by celebrating our everyday heroes and inspiring readers since February of 2008, when Eva saw an opportunity to complement mainstream media gloom and doom stories with the very real good news stories that might otherwise regrettably be going unreported. To Good News Toronto readers, contributors and heroes whose stories and charitable or not-for-profit organizations have been featured, Eva herself, humble as she is, has become one of our everyday heroes worthy of bravura celebration.
Perhaps, with others of like mind in cities and communities around the globe, similar "Good News" publications all over the world could have a dream-come-true-style monumental impact of the likes of Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen's Chicken Soup for the Soul series. In June of 2010, I was elated to meet in person and learn from Jack Canfield when the owner of Cosmyc Vybes, my friend Nancy Allen, who is a yoga and zumba instructor and fitness and nutrition guru extraordinaire, invited me along as her guest to attend Steve and Bill Harrison's Quantum Leap conference in Philadelphia. It was fabulous to be in the company of so many exceptionally inspiring and highly-motivated individuals. Not surprisingly, like so many other self-development industry leaders we admire today, Jack Canfield too was influenced and inspired by the teachings of Napoleon Hill and Clement Stone.
For we who are on the lifelong journey to achieve success, inspiration is an indispensable means of energizing us to reach our definite objectives. Daily doses of inspiration to keep us moving toward our goals are as essential and need to be as routine as stops at the gas station are to keep our vehicles going. The beauty lies in that unlike the residual toxic gas fumes that pollute the environment when we fill our gas tanks, the enduring second-hand effects of everyday heroics, and acts of kindness and courage are that we all can learn and be inspired by the goals and achievements of others. Our own achievements serve in turn as the inspirational refueling that will serve as motivation to the witnesses of our actions. Like eating, sleeping, bathing, and all the other to-dos we repeat daily to keep ourselves as well as we can be, inspiration sharing needs to be engrained in our routines, as "cosmic habit force."
One of my all-time favourite motivational messages from Napoleon Hill comes from the fifth component of his confidence formula. "I realize that no wealth or position can long endure unless built upon truth and justice; therefore I will engage in no transaction that does not benefit all whom it affects. I will attract to myself the forces I wish to use and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me because of my willingness to serve others. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness and cynicism by developing love for all humanity because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me because I will believe in them and in myself." These few lines capture well the values of integrity and respect, to empower us with what we need to make all things possible.
My six-year-old son brilliantly blurted in proud revelation recently, "The only thing that's impossible is that there's anything that's impossible." On another occasion, one of my children once told me he knew he was safe when his father had to go away for a few days on business trips without the family, because Daddy always put up a "horse field" around our house when he was leaving on one of his trips. Fortunately, in his innocent belief, it didn't matter to my young son that what Daddy had said was "force field" and it didn't matter that there wasn't a horse field or a force field around our house. What mattered was just that he believed there was and that made him feel safe, secure and confident. What mattered was that to him, his father was an everyday hero who could do anything and from that he drew the strength he needed to overcome his fear. While my children's decrees made me smile, and may have been overstatements, they serve as excellent emotional, mental and even physical kinesthetic fortifiers. We can choose to believe that something can be real, even before it is. "Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, you can achieve." While some believe that's hogwash, it's a concept familiar and inspiring to long-time Napoleon Hill enthusiasts and neophytes alike all around the world.
For die-hard skeptics who remain positive that the whole world of personal development through a positive mental attitude is nothing more than hogwash, there is the risk they likely will find they're right too. Having had the wondrous adventure of making the leap from skeptic to rhapsodic about the virtues of the personal development industry and the benefits of immersion in positive influences, it's my dear hope and honour to serve others who will accept my encouragement and belief in their abilities to get from where they are to exactly where they want to be too. By simply asking ourselves, "What's in it for everyone?" we can find the illumination and the clarity we need to stay on the right path in the lifelong journey toward success and happiness, always with integrity. That's good news for all of us everywhere.
When Judy Williamson, Director of Education at the Napoleon Hill World Learning Center at Purdue University Calumet, gave me the good news that this guest submission would be published on July 16, in the e-zine, "Napoleon Hill -- Yesterday and Today", I was delighted as the date is always a special day in our family and gives me one more excellent opportunity to wish a happy birthday to two of my everyday heroes, my Dad, Chris on his 65th and my son Garrett, on his 9th, and to wish everyone a wonderful and inspiring day, filled with good news.
For a subscription to "Napoleon Hill -- Yesterday and Today", go to www.naphill.org. For a subscription to Good News Toronto, go to www.goodnewstoronto.ca.
Best wishes dear readers for all good news and inspiration.
Ardently,
Kathleen
The positive mental attitude promoters who inspired Napoleon Hill and then those who have been inspired by him, incline many of us in turn to find the pathway from who we are and where we are to where we strive to end up, as happier people in happier places. When who we are and where we are can feel like a struggle at times, one of the most salient benefits of a positive mental attitude is that it helps us to realize and actualize the powerful truth of our potential to capitalize on our challenges.
A quote I read recently from Mike Dooley strikes a chord in this vein. "What if the word victim could be redefined into something closer to hero, recognizing that the paths some have tread will spare others from the same?" With a turning-adversity-into-triumph mindset, we can be on the lookout for opportunities to contribute to the greater good for all. We enrich our own lives through offering our help and services to others, as much as our lives are enriched by those who offer us their help and services. It's beautiful.
As a visionary of the beautiful benefits to all that can be derived through recognition and admiration of heroes, Eva Karpati, the founding editor and publisher of Good News Toronto (www.goodnewstoronto.ca) was so impressed by the notion of the strength that readers could draw from benevolent achievers, that she started her little paper with big heart to celebrate the multitude of inspirational people who live in our midst, with "the goal of motivating all of us to keep our city rich." Good News Toronto has been helping readers "think and grow rich" by celebrating our everyday heroes and inspiring readers since February of 2008, when Eva saw an opportunity to complement mainstream media gloom and doom stories with the very real good news stories that might otherwise regrettably be going unreported. To Good News Toronto readers, contributors and heroes whose stories and charitable or not-for-profit organizations have been featured, Eva herself, humble as she is, has become one of our everyday heroes worthy of bravura celebration.
Perhaps, with others of like mind in cities and communities around the globe, similar "Good News" publications all over the world could have a dream-come-true-style monumental impact of the likes of Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen's Chicken Soup for the Soul series. In June of 2010, I was elated to meet in person and learn from Jack Canfield when the owner of Cosmyc Vybes, my friend Nancy Allen, who is a yoga and zumba instructor and fitness and nutrition guru extraordinaire, invited me along as her guest to attend Steve and Bill Harrison's Quantum Leap conference in Philadelphia. It was fabulous to be in the company of so many exceptionally inspiring and highly-motivated individuals. Not surprisingly, like so many other self-development industry leaders we admire today, Jack Canfield too was influenced and inspired by the teachings of Napoleon Hill and Clement Stone.
For we who are on the lifelong journey to achieve success, inspiration is an indispensable means of energizing us to reach our definite objectives. Daily doses of inspiration to keep us moving toward our goals are as essential and need to be as routine as stops at the gas station are to keep our vehicles going. The beauty lies in that unlike the residual toxic gas fumes that pollute the environment when we fill our gas tanks, the enduring second-hand effects of everyday heroics, and acts of kindness and courage are that we all can learn and be inspired by the goals and achievements of others. Our own achievements serve in turn as the inspirational refueling that will serve as motivation to the witnesses of our actions. Like eating, sleeping, bathing, and all the other to-dos we repeat daily to keep ourselves as well as we can be, inspiration sharing needs to be engrained in our routines, as "cosmic habit force."
One of my all-time favourite motivational messages from Napoleon Hill comes from the fifth component of his confidence formula. "I realize that no wealth or position can long endure unless built upon truth and justice; therefore I will engage in no transaction that does not benefit all whom it affects. I will attract to myself the forces I wish to use and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me because of my willingness to serve others. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness and cynicism by developing love for all humanity because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me because I will believe in them and in myself." These few lines capture well the values of integrity and respect, to empower us with what we need to make all things possible.
My six-year-old son brilliantly blurted in proud revelation recently, "The only thing that's impossible is that there's anything that's impossible." On another occasion, one of my children once told me he knew he was safe when his father had to go away for a few days on business trips without the family, because Daddy always put up a "horse field" around our house when he was leaving on one of his trips. Fortunately, in his innocent belief, it didn't matter to my young son that what Daddy had said was "force field" and it didn't matter that there wasn't a horse field or a force field around our house. What mattered was just that he believed there was and that made him feel safe, secure and confident. What mattered was that to him, his father was an everyday hero who could do anything and from that he drew the strength he needed to overcome his fear. While my children's decrees made me smile, and may have been overstatements, they serve as excellent emotional, mental and even physical kinesthetic fortifiers. We can choose to believe that something can be real, even before it is. "Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, you can achieve." While some believe that's hogwash, it's a concept familiar and inspiring to long-time Napoleon Hill enthusiasts and neophytes alike all around the world.
For die-hard skeptics who remain positive that the whole world of personal development through a positive mental attitude is nothing more than hogwash, there is the risk they likely will find they're right too. Having had the wondrous adventure of making the leap from skeptic to rhapsodic about the virtues of the personal development industry and the benefits of immersion in positive influences, it's my dear hope and honour to serve others who will accept my encouragement and belief in their abilities to get from where they are to exactly where they want to be too. By simply asking ourselves, "What's in it for everyone?" we can find the illumination and the clarity we need to stay on the right path in the lifelong journey toward success and happiness, always with integrity. That's good news for all of us everywhere.
When Judy Williamson, Director of Education at the Napoleon Hill World Learning Center at Purdue University Calumet, gave me the good news that this guest submission would be published on July 16, in the e-zine, "Napoleon Hill -- Yesterday and Today", I was delighted as the date is always a special day in our family and gives me one more excellent opportunity to wish a happy birthday to two of my everyday heroes, my Dad, Chris on his 65th and my son Garrett, on his 9th, and to wish everyone a wonderful and inspiring day, filled with good news.
For a subscription to "Napoleon Hill -- Yesterday and Today", go to www.naphill.org. For a subscription to Good News Toronto, go to www.goodnewstoronto.ca.
Best wishes dear readers for all good news and inspiration.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Good News in July
"Live in each season as it passes: breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit." – Henry David Thoreau
Ah summertime. It's a great time to kick back with a refreshing smoothie and to be delighted and inspired by reading the stories of the everyday heroes in Good News Toronto at www.goodnewstoronto.ca. If you prefer to have and to hold a hard copy in the hamac while you swing and relax under the shade listening to your favourite tunes of the lazy hazy days, please get in touch at info@goodnewstoronto.ca, so your delivery can be arranged.
Enjoy!
Ardently,
Kathleen
Ah summertime. It's a great time to kick back with a refreshing smoothie and to be delighted and inspired by reading the stories of the everyday heroes in Good News Toronto at www.goodnewstoronto.ca. If you prefer to have and to hold a hard copy in the hamac while you swing and relax under the shade listening to your favourite tunes of the lazy hazy days, please get in touch at info@goodnewstoronto.ca, so your delivery can be arranged.
Enjoy!
Ardently,
Kathleen
Sunday, June 6, 2010
More Good News -- June 2010
“And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days.” - James Russell Lowell
These perfect June days, no matter how perfect they may be, are perfect for reading Good News Toronto and getting ourselves inspired by the stories of the everyday heroes who live in our midst.
Read it on-line at www.goodnewstoronto.ca or let me know if you would like a hard copy to have and to hold for your reading pleasure.
Good News Toronto invites readers to submit stories of your own everyday heroes and to report random acts of kindness. It's a great way to pay tribute to someone you know and admire for what they do to make our world as good as it is.
Please write to info@goodnewstoronto.ca to share your stories.
Ardently,
Kathleen
These perfect June days, no matter how perfect they may be, are perfect for reading Good News Toronto and getting ourselves inspired by the stories of the everyday heroes who live in our midst.
Read it on-line at www.goodnewstoronto.ca or let me know if you would like a hard copy to have and to hold for your reading pleasure.
Good News Toronto invites readers to submit stories of your own everyday heroes and to report random acts of kindness. It's a great way to pay tribute to someone you know and admire for what they do to make our world as good as it is.
Please write to info@goodnewstoronto.ca to share your stories.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Saturday, May 15, 2010
In the Merry Merry Month of May
Hello Dear Seekers of Inspiration.
It's the merry merry month of May and what could be merrier than reading the new issue of Good News Toronto?!!!
Hope you'll enjoy. This month is dededicated to moms and women who are everyday heroes living in our midsts.
Please visit Good News Toronto online at www.goodnewstoronto.ca or get in touch if you would like to receive your very own hard copy to have and to hold. It's free : )
For Seekers of Inspiration who are looking for something fun to do in Toronto on the afternoon of Sunday May 16, please join us for the Good News Toronto Nia Jam and Silent Auction.
You can find out more and register online at http://www.goodnewstoronto.ca/community.shtml.
What a wonderful way to spend a day, being good to ourselves to benefit others around us as well. It's beautiful! Hope to see you there.
Ardently,
Kathleen
It's the merry merry month of May and what could be merrier than reading the new issue of Good News Toronto?!!!
Hope you'll enjoy. This month is dededicated to moms and women who are everyday heroes living in our midsts.
Please visit Good News Toronto online at www.goodnewstoronto.ca or get in touch if you would like to receive your very own hard copy to have and to hold. It's free : )
For Seekers of Inspiration who are looking for something fun to do in Toronto on the afternoon of Sunday May 16, please join us for the Good News Toronto Nia Jam and Silent Auction.
You can find out more and register online at http://www.goodnewstoronto.ca/community.shtml.
What a wonderful way to spend a day, being good to ourselves to benefit others around us as well. It's beautiful! Hope to see you there.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Monday, April 12, 2010
Good News Toronto -- Our Everyday Heroes, April 2010
Hello to All Who Are Looking For Inspiration:
Good News!!! The April 2010 issue of Good News Toronto is available in hard copy and on-line at www.goodnewstoronto.ca.
Hope you'll enjoy all the inspiration and motivation GNT offers with its feature stories of the everyday heroes who live among us in the GTA.
If you enjoy on-line reading, please click on the link:www.goodnewstoronto.ca, or paste it into your browser. If you prefer a hard copy, we can get one to you. Please let us know where you would like to receive your free copy. Contact me at commuteducation@lycos.com or contact the founding editor, Eva Karpati at info@goodnewstoronto.ca.
Pppssssst! If you notice the photo of the incredible kid sipping the smoothie along side the recipe, this brimming with pride Mummy would like to note, "That's my kid."
Enjoy every heaping helping of inspiration and motivation Good News Toronto has for you and for others around you.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Good News!!! The April 2010 issue of Good News Toronto is available in hard copy and on-line at www.goodnewstoronto.ca.
Hope you'll enjoy all the inspiration and motivation GNT offers with its feature stories of the everyday heroes who live among us in the GTA.
If you enjoy on-line reading, please click on the link:www.goodnewstoronto.ca, or paste it into your browser. If you prefer a hard copy, we can get one to you. Please let us know where you would like to receive your free copy. Contact me at commuteducation@lycos.com or contact the founding editor, Eva Karpati at info@goodnewstoronto.ca.
Pppssssst! If you notice the photo of the incredible kid sipping the smoothie along side the recipe, this brimming with pride Mummy would like to note, "That's my kid."
Enjoy every heaping helping of inspiration and motivation Good News Toronto has for you and for others around you.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
"Start a ripple of giving right now" -- Judith Williamson
Hello dear readers who are looking for inspiration.
After reading this week's lesson from my "Fifty-Two Lessons For Life" by Judith Williamson, I was so touched and inspired, I thought I would just have to share the excerpt, in hopes others will draw strength and inspiration from it too. For your reading delight, here it is:
In order to adapt ourselves to life’s many changes we must first learn to get along with others. Things can’t always go our way, benefit us the most, put us in the limelight, or only advance our careers. The “me-first” attitude does not serve a person well for very long. Looking to what we can get rather than to what we can give seems to be a national pastime. I suspect that individuals believe they are holding on to their identity when they refuse to compromise, however, in most of these daily circumstances they are the real losers.
Negotiation takes patience and expertise, and can be elevated to an art form. When done correctly, our long term success depends on it as much as we depend upon water to drink and air to breath. Dr. Hill reminds us multiple times that teamwork is a step on the ladder to success. An even higher step is the formation of a mastermind alliance. In order to reach the summit, you must let go of the desire to be right and autonomous every step of the way.
Being right means little unless you are truly happy. In pursuing success, it is wise to remember that a very real ingredient of success is the ability to get along with and to be liked by others. Without this component any success would be very hollow indeed.
The Universe rewards a giver. When you give without the expectation of return, you create a cycle that revolves around back to you. Ultimately, you are the recipient of the good you put out there. Start a ripple of giving right now, and watch out for the wave of goodness you will have soon created! Remember “what goes around comes around.” Make what comes around to you only good by starting the ripple that creates the wave! - Judith Williamson from Fifty-Two Lessons for Life
While all of the Fifty-Two Lessons are insightful, delightful, inspiring and meaningful to our everyday living, this one particularly struck a chord with me. I hope you like it too.
Take care all!
Ardently,
Kathleen
After reading this week's lesson from my "Fifty-Two Lessons For Life" by Judith Williamson, I was so touched and inspired, I thought I would just have to share the excerpt, in hopes others will draw strength and inspiration from it too. For your reading delight, here it is:
In order to adapt ourselves to life’s many changes we must first learn to get along with others. Things can’t always go our way, benefit us the most, put us in the limelight, or only advance our careers. The “me-first” attitude does not serve a person well for very long. Looking to what we can get rather than to what we can give seems to be a national pastime. I suspect that individuals believe they are holding on to their identity when they refuse to compromise, however, in most of these daily circumstances they are the real losers.
Negotiation takes patience and expertise, and can be elevated to an art form. When done correctly, our long term success depends on it as much as we depend upon water to drink and air to breath. Dr. Hill reminds us multiple times that teamwork is a step on the ladder to success. An even higher step is the formation of a mastermind alliance. In order to reach the summit, you must let go of the desire to be right and autonomous every step of the way.
Being right means little unless you are truly happy. In pursuing success, it is wise to remember that a very real ingredient of success is the ability to get along with and to be liked by others. Without this component any success would be very hollow indeed.
The Universe rewards a giver. When you give without the expectation of return, you create a cycle that revolves around back to you. Ultimately, you are the recipient of the good you put out there. Start a ripple of giving right now, and watch out for the wave of goodness you will have soon created! Remember “what goes around comes around.” Make what comes around to you only good by starting the ripple that creates the wave! - Judith Williamson from Fifty-Two Lessons for Life
While all of the Fifty-Two Lessons are insightful, delightful, inspiring and meaningful to our everyday living, this one particularly struck a chord with me. I hope you like it too.
Take care all!
Ardently,
Kathleen
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Good news Toronto - Our Everyday Heroes, February 2010
Hey everybody!!! Happy Heart Month and happy stories of more and more everyday heroes in the GTA. It's a heaping helping of inspiration. That's good for the heart!
Check it out: www.goodnewstoronto.ca.
It's so loaded with good stuff for your heart and soul, it does a body good! You'll feel inspired from head to toe and the world will be a better place one reader at a time.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Check it out: www.goodnewstoronto.ca.
It's so loaded with good stuff for your heart and soul, it does a body good! You'll feel inspired from head to toe and the world will be a better place one reader at a time.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Happy New Year and Happy Good News
Dear Readers:
Welcome to the new year and welcome to the warmth of the January issue of Good News Toronto! As cold as it gets outside, there's always something in Good News Toronto to warm your heart through and through.
As I do love to say, "Which would you like first, the good news or the good? At Good News Toronto, that's all there is.
Enjoy the Good News at www.goodnewstoronto.ca.
If you would like a hard copy, please let me know. We'd love to make that happen.
Happy New Year!
Post with you again soon,
Kathleen
Welcome to the new year and welcome to the warmth of the January issue of Good News Toronto! As cold as it gets outside, there's always something in Good News Toronto to warm your heart through and through.
As I do love to say, "Which would you like first, the good news or the good? At Good News Toronto, that's all there is.
Enjoy the Good News at www.goodnewstoronto.ca.
If you would like a hard copy, please let me know. We'd love to make that happen.
Happy New Year!
Post with you again soon,
Kathleen
Monday, December 14, 2009
Just Because It Isn't Wrong Doesn't Make It Right
Dear Blog Readers:
The title says it all.
In her book by this so-blatantly-obvious-but-often-overlooked title, Barbara Coloroso's compelling anecdotes serve as excellent reminders to us to engage in transactions with an aim to benefit all whom they affect.
Ralph Waldo Emerson brilliantly expressed the never ending circularity of benefits we can all enjoy when he said: "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
"Just Because It Isnt Wrong Doesnt Make It Right" brings to life the values of human decency and respect for one another. Isn't it wonderful how merrily we can all roll along together when we endeavour to selfishly indulge in the blissful satisfaction of having acted with integrity for the greater good of all?
That reminds me of another title -- "What a Wonderful World." Oh yeah!
Ardently,
Kathleen
The title says it all.
In her book by this so-blatantly-obvious-but-often-overlooked title, Barbara Coloroso's compelling anecdotes serve as excellent reminders to us to engage in transactions with an aim to benefit all whom they affect.
Ralph Waldo Emerson brilliantly expressed the never ending circularity of benefits we can all enjoy when he said: "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
"Just Because It Isnt Wrong Doesnt Make It Right" brings to life the values of human decency and respect for one another. Isn't it wonderful how merrily we can all roll along together when we endeavour to selfishly indulge in the blissful satisfaction of having acted with integrity for the greater good of all?
That reminds me of another title -- "What a Wonderful World." Oh yeah!
Ardently,
Kathleen
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Integrity Dividend
Dear Blog Reader:
One of my all-time very favorite leadership skills development works is without a doubt "The Integrity Dividend" by Tony Simons.
It's about the exponential benefits of leadership founded on integrity. It certainly struck a chord with me when I read it. By systematically reviewing concepts of common decency and professionalism in leadership, Tony Simons brilliantly confirms what is so blatantly obvious about behavioural integrity that it is too often sadly overlooked with a detrimental effect that will percolate down through an entire organization. Essentially, if the people in your organization matter to you or if you care about your bottom line, there are some valuable lessons in this gem that will help you to become a leader of sound integrity.
I was reading some of the reviews on Amazon today by fellow admirers of The Integrity Dividend. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Integrity-Dividend-Leading-Power-Your/product-reviews/047018566X/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Hope you'll enjoy the reviews, the book, and most ulitimately, the integrity dividends you and your organization will experience as a result of your interest and efforts to incorporate the leadership style Tony Simons professes.
Ardently,
Kathleen Betts
One of my all-time very favorite leadership skills development works is without a doubt "The Integrity Dividend" by Tony Simons.
It's about the exponential benefits of leadership founded on integrity. It certainly struck a chord with me when I read it. By systematically reviewing concepts of common decency and professionalism in leadership, Tony Simons brilliantly confirms what is so blatantly obvious about behavioural integrity that it is too often sadly overlooked with a detrimental effect that will percolate down through an entire organization. Essentially, if the people in your organization matter to you or if you care about your bottom line, there are some valuable lessons in this gem that will help you to become a leader of sound integrity.
I was reading some of the reviews on Amazon today by fellow admirers of The Integrity Dividend. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Integrity-Dividend-Leading-Power-Your/product-reviews/047018566X/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Hope you'll enjoy the reviews, the book, and most ulitimately, the integrity dividends you and your organization will experience as a result of your interest and efforts to incorporate the leadership style Tony Simons professes.
Ardently,
Kathleen Betts
Friday, December 4, 2009
Toronto Observer Article November 26, 2009 - Local Scarborough Writer : )
Hello Dear Blog Reader:
Kareen Awadalla, a writer from the Toronto Observer and a wonderful person to have met, found me on Facebook when she was looking for an arts and literature story for Scarborough.
I was so honoured that she wanted to share my story and I hope you don't mind that I'd like to share her article with you too.
http://www.torontoobserver.ca/2009/11/26/local-author-receives-first-book-publication/
For friends from Microskills, please note my gratitude to Nancy (as mentioned in the article to my delight) for alerting me to the chance to get published and also my gratitude to Katherine Young for daring me to try. The article mentions Nancy's name and I dearly wish it named Katherine as well. I didn't see the draft before it went to print. If I had, I would have asked to give credit specifically to Katherine Young as I doubt I would have tried if I had not had the good fortune of being dared by Katherine. Hope others among you are also finding happiness and success from Katherine's very positive influence.
Thank you again and again to Katherine and Nancy and to all of you from Microskills, Dale Carnegie, Toastmasters, Keep Any Promise, Napoleon Hill, Canadian Voices, Good News Toronto, and especially my family and friends, who have encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and to hope for something wonderful.
Thank you again and again to Lou Holtz for reminding us that we're in a good place when we have "Something to do, someone to love and something to hope for."
Ardently,
Kathleen
Kareen Awadalla, a writer from the Toronto Observer and a wonderful person to have met, found me on Facebook when she was looking for an arts and literature story for Scarborough.
I was so honoured that she wanted to share my story and I hope you don't mind that I'd like to share her article with you too.
http://www.torontoobserver.ca/2009/11/26/local-author-receives-first-book-publication/
For friends from Microskills, please note my gratitude to Nancy (as mentioned in the article to my delight) for alerting me to the chance to get published and also my gratitude to Katherine Young for daring me to try. The article mentions Nancy's name and I dearly wish it named Katherine as well. I didn't see the draft before it went to print. If I had, I would have asked to give credit specifically to Katherine Young as I doubt I would have tried if I had not had the good fortune of being dared by Katherine. Hope others among you are also finding happiness and success from Katherine's very positive influence.
Thank you again and again to Katherine and Nancy and to all of you from Microskills, Dale Carnegie, Toastmasters, Keep Any Promise, Napoleon Hill, Canadian Voices, Good News Toronto, and especially my family and friends, who have encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and to hope for something wonderful.
Thank you again and again to Lou Holtz for reminding us that we're in a good place when we have "Something to do, someone to love and something to hope for."
Ardently,
Kathleen
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Good News Toronto - Our Everyday Heroes, December
Hope you'll enjoy the December issue at: www.goodnewstoronto.ca.
If you would like to receive a hard copy, please let me know or contact Eva Karpati, publisher and editor, at info@goodnewstoronto.ca.
Patricia's class did the "Children's Heroes" page!
Ardently,
Kathleen
If you would like to receive a hard copy, please let me know or contact Eva Karpati, publisher and editor, at info@goodnewstoronto.ca.
Patricia's class did the "Children's Heroes" page!
Ardently,
Kathleen
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Luckyone
“We should dig the well before we’re too thirsty.” That was the Chinese proverb Jack would spout to inspire his son Franky and his pet donkey, Luckyone, along with the other dedicated workers on his farm, to get on with it lickety-split when flavour-of-the-month notions flooded his head. Outfitted with an untamed imagination and a cream-of-the-crop view of himself, Jack had a uncanny ability to charm the people around him into getting his dirty work done like dinner. To say the least, his Atilla the Hun leadership style was remarkably noteworthy.
Jack loved his farm. Above all he adored flaunting the fruits of the toil of labourers who marched to the beat of his drum. His mind tripped into high gear one day, over a conversation he had with a crony. Showing off the precision-straight furrows Franky and Luckyone had ploughed, Jack conceived an idea to streamline his operations.
To keep his farm running as tickety-boo as it did in his head, it tickled his fancy to sneak some new blood into the midst of his workers. He made up his mind to hire himself a high-falootin right-hand man. In fact, Jack rhapsodized in his vision of modern farmers like himself all across the land, each having their very own patronage-appointed right-hand man.
Sure, the change would be a kick in the gut to Franky who had grown up devoting his most cherished years to the farm, with the faithful help of Luckyone -- but times they were a changin’. “It is what it is,” Jack exclaimed as he bamboozled Franky and others into an upheaval in his attempt to usher in new blood and shed what may. Feeling like he'd fallen into a bewildered haze of disbelief, hoping it was all just a nightmare he's soon awake from, Franky truly believed his father would soon flip-flop to a new flavour-of-the-month plan for the future. He purposely and vividly imagined his dad would abandon this notional structure he was threatening to impose, without any regard to the mass confusion, and the crushing blow to morale it would inflict on the loyal crew.
“It’s going to be okay,” Franky said, thinking out loud and meaning to reassure himself and the others. “Soon my dad will introduce a new flavour of the month and we’ll get ready to dig that well instead.” With his relentless arrogance though, Jack, forged onward in oblivion to the devastation of his relationship with his son Franky, who for whatever reason still wished so to admire his father -- and with equal and apalling disregard for all the others who had toiled with pride and integrity for the good of the farm. Jack audaciously introduced his new wonder, Charlie, who fit perfectly into the devilish image concocted in his more and more evidently half-lame brain. As the new right-hand man Charlie was no stranger to dirty work, Jack knew he was just the right guy to step into it on the farm. In unison, Jack and Charlie chimed a banal, “We should dig the well before we’re too thirsty.”
Ominously, soon after Charlie’s arrival on the farm, Luckyone awoke in horror one day, to find herself in a dark, dank, and lonely place, just like deep situational depression. She cried out heartbreakingly to get the assistance she expected would come naturally from anyone who could see through the tainted scheme of the wrongdoers. When Jack himself heard the commotion, he went running with Charlie right at his side, to see what it was all about. Reeking of irony even more than she did of the bilge she was in, there was Luckyone looking up to them from the depth of a derelict well she and Franky had dutifully helped to dig for a gung ho flavour-of-the-month plan that Jack had sampled years earlier. He and Charlie had to think quickly of a way out of this particular pickle they'd unwittingly put themselves into when they discovered it was going to be so easy to get Luckyone and the othersw to go quietly along with their devious plan to clean house. In their blue funk, with total disregard for common sense and humane decency, Jack decided to just fill the neglected well with all the dirt that was piling up since he'd undertaken his baneful initiative. It felt like way too much trouble to think of a way to lift Luckyone out of what he'd dumped her into. She didn’t fit in well anyway with Jack's plan for his new streamlined operation.
Jack decided he'd better send Franky out on a proverbial wild goose chase to distract him while Charlie recruited help to fill the pit, with the more and more woeful Luckyone still at the bottom. Unbeknownst to the members of the ad-hoc committee struck to help with the shovelling, it was Charlie who had deviously led Luckyone to the depression she was in and willfully tipped her over the edge to hit rock bottom. The devil is always hidden in the details.
Some of the shovellers did wonder fleetingly if there might be something more humane that could be done. All the same, regarding the farmer as a leader among them, most of them simply resigned to go with the flow. They didn’t all actually shovel of course. Some just stood by and watched the others aiding and abetting in the atrocity. After all, Jack said he wanted the well filled. ”What can you do?” they mused. "It's his farm after all." To get the whole nasty deed over and done with as quickly as possible, some of them actually did grab their shovels to help Jack and Charlie mudslinging and filth-flinging over the once loved Luckyone.
At first Luckyone screeched in terror, unable to believe what was happening. Hardening their souls to avert each and every own consciencious feeling they each had, the mob of shovellers had to be strong in their resolve to continue what they had started. With their collective integrity dangling by just a thread, some were feeling an annoying sense of remorse about the obvious fate they were inflicting on the faithful old donkey. To the hard-headed relief though, Luckyone eventually calmed down as though in acquiescence to the morose destiny in store. She was presumably too exhausted to fight any further -- just as they had all hoped. Not having to hear her pleas to their principles made it easier for the mob to continue without having to endure the annoyance of niggling pinches of guilt.
When When Jack mustered the gall to peer down into the well that the mob was dutifully transforming into a grave, he was astounded. With each shovel load that the band of followers dumped onto her, the sanguine burro was doing something Jack could never have imagined was possible. There stood Luckyone, strong and calm, shaking off the dirt as it landed on her head and back. To what would turn out to be the good fortune of all, Luckyone sensed the quiet support and encouragement from her friends on the farm as well as the unbearable longing that Franky would suffer if she were to succumb to the wicked plan of the sheepish ones. She was able to draw the strength and resolve she needed to fight for what was right. While the throng of adherents continued to shovel, Luckyone kept shaking it off and taking a step up. When she finally stepped firmly up onto level ground she trotted off immediately and exultantly to find Franky.
Wouldn't you know the shovellers circled around the old well were in perfect formation for a congratulatory round of pats on the back for the achievement of having “helped out.” Jack and Charlie even gave each other a big ol’ high five for masterminding Luckyone's rescue. Some among them must have struggled you would think, with the sense of evil and betrayal in which they had been willing to partake. Those ones made up their minds to join more honourable circles so that when what goes around comes around, they could hope to be the better for it.
In the years that followed, Franky marveled at how different the outcome would have been for everyone if Luckyone had just laid down to accept the sinister fate the accomplices had drummed up. What finally happened with faithful old Luckyone was that she vengefully gnawed off her rightful pound of flesh from Jack and Charlie for trying to bury her alive, along with the hopes and dreams of Franky and the other workers. They learned a valuable lesson when the festering wounds from their bites got infected and they both became so sick they had to take an early off-ramp and retire early from the farm they had professed to love so much. It all goes to show -- "If you try to cover your, er uhm -- Luckyone, it will come back to bite you.
Luckyone was a donkey and did what she felt she had to do to strike a chord for justice. As real-life good fortune has it, we don't all have to be asses and seek revenge. We can just decide to be Luckyones and to take each challenge we face as an opportunity to shake it off and take a step up!
Ardently,
Kathleen Betts
Jack loved his farm. Above all he adored flaunting the fruits of the toil of labourers who marched to the beat of his drum. His mind tripped into high gear one day, over a conversation he had with a crony. Showing off the precision-straight furrows Franky and Luckyone had ploughed, Jack conceived an idea to streamline his operations.
To keep his farm running as tickety-boo as it did in his head, it tickled his fancy to sneak some new blood into the midst of his workers. He made up his mind to hire himself a high-falootin right-hand man. In fact, Jack rhapsodized in his vision of modern farmers like himself all across the land, each having their very own patronage-appointed right-hand man.
Sure, the change would be a kick in the gut to Franky who had grown up devoting his most cherished years to the farm, with the faithful help of Luckyone -- but times they were a changin’. “It is what it is,” Jack exclaimed as he bamboozled Franky and others into an upheaval in his attempt to usher in new blood and shed what may. Feeling like he'd fallen into a bewildered haze of disbelief, hoping it was all just a nightmare he's soon awake from, Franky truly believed his father would soon flip-flop to a new flavour-of-the-month plan for the future. He purposely and vividly imagined his dad would abandon this notional structure he was threatening to impose, without any regard to the mass confusion, and the crushing blow to morale it would inflict on the loyal crew.
“It’s going to be okay,” Franky said, thinking out loud and meaning to reassure himself and the others. “Soon my dad will introduce a new flavour of the month and we’ll get ready to dig that well instead.” With his relentless arrogance though, Jack, forged onward in oblivion to the devastation of his relationship with his son Franky, who for whatever reason still wished so to admire his father -- and with equal and apalling disregard for all the others who had toiled with pride and integrity for the good of the farm. Jack audaciously introduced his new wonder, Charlie, who fit perfectly into the devilish image concocted in his more and more evidently half-lame brain. As the new right-hand man Charlie was no stranger to dirty work, Jack knew he was just the right guy to step into it on the farm. In unison, Jack and Charlie chimed a banal, “We should dig the well before we’re too thirsty.”
Ominously, soon after Charlie’s arrival on the farm, Luckyone awoke in horror one day, to find herself in a dark, dank, and lonely place, just like deep situational depression. She cried out heartbreakingly to get the assistance she expected would come naturally from anyone who could see through the tainted scheme of the wrongdoers. When Jack himself heard the commotion, he went running with Charlie right at his side, to see what it was all about. Reeking of irony even more than she did of the bilge she was in, there was Luckyone looking up to them from the depth of a derelict well she and Franky had dutifully helped to dig for a gung ho flavour-of-the-month plan that Jack had sampled years earlier. He and Charlie had to think quickly of a way out of this particular pickle they'd unwittingly put themselves into when they discovered it was going to be so easy to get Luckyone and the othersw to go quietly along with their devious plan to clean house. In their blue funk, with total disregard for common sense and humane decency, Jack decided to just fill the neglected well with all the dirt that was piling up since he'd undertaken his baneful initiative. It felt like way too much trouble to think of a way to lift Luckyone out of what he'd dumped her into. She didn’t fit in well anyway with Jack's plan for his new streamlined operation.
Jack decided he'd better send Franky out on a proverbial wild goose chase to distract him while Charlie recruited help to fill the pit, with the more and more woeful Luckyone still at the bottom. Unbeknownst to the members of the ad-hoc committee struck to help with the shovelling, it was Charlie who had deviously led Luckyone to the depression she was in and willfully tipped her over the edge to hit rock bottom. The devil is always hidden in the details.
Some of the shovellers did wonder fleetingly if there might be something more humane that could be done. All the same, regarding the farmer as a leader among them, most of them simply resigned to go with the flow. They didn’t all actually shovel of course. Some just stood by and watched the others aiding and abetting in the atrocity. After all, Jack said he wanted the well filled. ”What can you do?” they mused. "It's his farm after all." To get the whole nasty deed over and done with as quickly as possible, some of them actually did grab their shovels to help Jack and Charlie mudslinging and filth-flinging over the once loved Luckyone.
At first Luckyone screeched in terror, unable to believe what was happening. Hardening their souls to avert each and every own consciencious feeling they each had, the mob of shovellers had to be strong in their resolve to continue what they had started. With their collective integrity dangling by just a thread, some were feeling an annoying sense of remorse about the obvious fate they were inflicting on the faithful old donkey. To the hard-headed relief though, Luckyone eventually calmed down as though in acquiescence to the morose destiny in store. She was presumably too exhausted to fight any further -- just as they had all hoped. Not having to hear her pleas to their principles made it easier for the mob to continue without having to endure the annoyance of niggling pinches of guilt.
When When Jack mustered the gall to peer down into the well that the mob was dutifully transforming into a grave, he was astounded. With each shovel load that the band of followers dumped onto her, the sanguine burro was doing something Jack could never have imagined was possible. There stood Luckyone, strong and calm, shaking off the dirt as it landed on her head and back. To what would turn out to be the good fortune of all, Luckyone sensed the quiet support and encouragement from her friends on the farm as well as the unbearable longing that Franky would suffer if she were to succumb to the wicked plan of the sheepish ones. She was able to draw the strength and resolve she needed to fight for what was right. While the throng of adherents continued to shovel, Luckyone kept shaking it off and taking a step up. When she finally stepped firmly up onto level ground she trotted off immediately and exultantly to find Franky.
Wouldn't you know the shovellers circled around the old well were in perfect formation for a congratulatory round of pats on the back for the achievement of having “helped out.” Jack and Charlie even gave each other a big ol’ high five for masterminding Luckyone's rescue. Some among them must have struggled you would think, with the sense of evil and betrayal in which they had been willing to partake. Those ones made up their minds to join more honourable circles so that when what goes around comes around, they could hope to be the better for it.
In the years that followed, Franky marveled at how different the outcome would have been for everyone if Luckyone had just laid down to accept the sinister fate the accomplices had drummed up. What finally happened with faithful old Luckyone was that she vengefully gnawed off her rightful pound of flesh from Jack and Charlie for trying to bury her alive, along with the hopes and dreams of Franky and the other workers. They learned a valuable lesson when the festering wounds from their bites got infected and they both became so sick they had to take an early off-ramp and retire early from the farm they had professed to love so much. It all goes to show -- "If you try to cover your, er uhm -- Luckyone, it will come back to bite you.
Luckyone was a donkey and did what she felt she had to do to strike a chord for justice. As real-life good fortune has it, we don't all have to be asses and seek revenge. We can just decide to be Luckyones and to take each challenge we face as an opportunity to shake it off and take a step up!
Ardently,
Kathleen Betts
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
So Much To Do!!!
Hello dear Blog Readers:
According to the legendary and inspiring football coach, Lou Holtz, the definition of success and happiness goes more or less like “Something to do, someone to love and something to hope for.” By that measure, working moms and working dads and teachers and kids and neighbours and friends and grandparents and colleagues and just about everybody I know is a resounding success, basking in the glories of elatedness.
Some of us just mix things up a little thinking we’ve met with some degree of failure because we have lots to do, many people who rely and depend on us, and great dreams we have yet to achieve. Mr. Holtz’ quote can help us put things back in perspective when we remember how very much more fortunate we are to be in our situation than what we would be if we had nothing to do, nobody to care for, and no goals to strive for.
Here's to our success!!
Ardently,
Kathleen
According to the legendary and inspiring football coach, Lou Holtz, the definition of success and happiness goes more or less like “Something to do, someone to love and something to hope for.” By that measure, working moms and working dads and teachers and kids and neighbours and friends and grandparents and colleagues and just about everybody I know is a resounding success, basking in the glories of elatedness.
Some of us just mix things up a little thinking we’ve met with some degree of failure because we have lots to do, many people who rely and depend on us, and great dreams we have yet to achieve. Mr. Holtz’ quote can help us put things back in perspective when we remember how very much more fortunate we are to be in our situation than what we would be if we had nothing to do, nobody to care for, and no goals to strive for.
Here's to our success!!
Ardently,
Kathleen
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Canadian Voices
Book Launch November 10, 2009
from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
at the SUPERMARKET ART BAR
268 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2L9
Canadian Voices is a powerful and moving collection of prose and poetry, which stretches across the boundaries of age, skin color, language, ethnicity, and religion
to give voice to the lives and experiences of ordinary Canadians.
This vibrant, varied sampler of the Canadian literary scene captures timely personal and cultural challenges, and ultimately shares subtle insight and compassion written by a wide spectrum of stylistically and culturally diverse authors. Canadian Voices is more than simply an anthology — it is a celebration of wonderful writing by some of today's finest emerging Canadian writers.
This book is an ambitious, lasting, and meaningful work of literature that will not soon fade away. It is an exceptional reading experience to be enjoyed and savoured.
Participating Authors:
John Ambury
N. Patricia Armstrong
Elizabeth Barnes
Dahn Batchelor
Kathleen Betts
Yvonne Blackwood
Karim Bondrey
Alison E. Bruce
Altug Cakmakci
Mauro Cappa
Joan Chisholm
Christina Clapperton
Nancy Kay Clark
R.G. Condie
Juliet Davy
Jasmine D’Costa
Susan Desveaux
Sally Dillon
Josie Di Sciascio-Andrews
Graham Ducker
Mary Craig Gardner
Zita Hinson
Sherry Isaac
Manny Johal
Nancy Jonah
Fatmatta Kanu
Perparim Kapllani
David Kimel
Sharon Knauer
Bianca Lakoseljac
Karen Lam
John Maar
Maria Pia Marchelletta
Cassie McDaniel
Gemma Meharchand
Braz Menezes
Jatin Naik
Lisabeth Neuman
Judy Powell
Sylvia Price
Elana Rae
Maheen A. Rashdi
Pratap Reddy
Larry Rodness
Philomena Saldanha
Mel Sarnese
Andrew Scott
Marian Scott
Reva Stern
Sandor Stern
Steven H. Stern
Anna Stitski
Hailun Tang
Linda Torney
Edwin Vasan
Herb Ware
Karol Zelazny
Zohra Zoberi
Hope you'll be able to join us for the event!
Proudly promoting my cohorts and shamelessly self-promoting : )
Ardently,
Kathleen
from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
at the SUPERMARKET ART BAR
268 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2L9
Canadian Voices is a powerful and moving collection of prose and poetry, which stretches across the boundaries of age, skin color, language, ethnicity, and religion
to give voice to the lives and experiences of ordinary Canadians.
This vibrant, varied sampler of the Canadian literary scene captures timely personal and cultural challenges, and ultimately shares subtle insight and compassion written by a wide spectrum of stylistically and culturally diverse authors. Canadian Voices is more than simply an anthology — it is a celebration of wonderful writing by some of today's finest emerging Canadian writers.
This book is an ambitious, lasting, and meaningful work of literature that will not soon fade away. It is an exceptional reading experience to be enjoyed and savoured.
Participating Authors:
John Ambury
N. Patricia Armstrong
Elizabeth Barnes
Dahn Batchelor
Kathleen Betts
Yvonne Blackwood
Karim Bondrey
Alison E. Bruce
Altug Cakmakci
Mauro Cappa
Joan Chisholm
Christina Clapperton
Nancy Kay Clark
R.G. Condie
Juliet Davy
Jasmine D’Costa
Susan Desveaux
Sally Dillon
Josie Di Sciascio-Andrews
Graham Ducker
Mary Craig Gardner
Zita Hinson
Sherry Isaac
Manny Johal
Nancy Jonah
Fatmatta Kanu
Perparim Kapllani
David Kimel
Sharon Knauer
Bianca Lakoseljac
Karen Lam
John Maar
Maria Pia Marchelletta
Cassie McDaniel
Gemma Meharchand
Braz Menezes
Jatin Naik
Lisabeth Neuman
Judy Powell
Sylvia Price
Elana Rae
Maheen A. Rashdi
Pratap Reddy
Larry Rodness
Philomena Saldanha
Mel Sarnese
Andrew Scott
Marian Scott
Reva Stern
Sandor Stern
Steven H. Stern
Anna Stitski
Hailun Tang
Linda Torney
Edwin Vasan
Herb Ware
Karol Zelazny
Zohra Zoberi
Hope you'll be able to join us for the event!
Proudly promoting my cohorts and shamelessly self-promoting : )
Ardently,
Kathleen
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The 333 Story by Bob Proctor from Chicken Soup for the Soul
Hello Dear Readers led here from Good News Toronto Fundraisers or from other places of inspiration,
As we embark on our fundraising adventure, I can hardly think there can be more compelling story to help us grasp how very very realistic our target is.
The 333 Story by Bob Proctor, Chicken Soup for the Soul
I was doing a weekend seminar at the Deerhurst Lodge, north of Toronto. On Friday night a tornado swept through a town north of us called Barrie, killing dozens of people and doing millions of dollars worth of damage. Sunday night, as I was coming home, I stopped the car when I got to Barrie. I got out on the side of the highway and looked around. It was a mess. Everywhere I looked there were smashed houses and cars turned upside down.
That same night Bob Templeton was driving down the same highway. He stopped to look at the disaster just as I had, only his thoughts were different than my own. Bob was the vice-president of Telemedia Communications, which owns a string of radio stations in Ontario and Quebec. He thought there must be something we could do for these people with the radio stations they had.
The following night I was doing another seminar in Toronto. Bob Templeton and Bob Johnson, another vice-president from Telemedia, came in and stood in the back of the room. They shared their conviction that there had to be something they could do for the people in Barrie. After the seminar we went back to Bob's office. He was now committed to the idea of helping the people who had been caught in the tornado.
The following Friday he called all the executives at Telemedia into his office. At the top of a flip chart he wrote three 3s. He said to his executives "How would you like to raise 3 million dollars 3 days from now in just 3 hours and give the money to the people in Barrie?" There was nothing but silence in the room.
Finally someone said, "Templeton, you're crazy. There is no way we could do that." Bob said, "Wait a minute. I didn't ask you if we could or even if we should. I just asked you if you'd like to." They all said, "Sure we'd like to." He then drew a large T underneath the 333. On one side he wrote, "Why we can't." On the other side he wrote, "How we can." "I'm going to put a big X on the 'Why we can't side.' We're not going to spend any time on the ideas of why we can't. That's of no value. On the other wide we're going to write down every idea that we can come up with on how we can. We're not going to leave the room until we figure it out." There was silence again.
Finally, someone said, "We could do a radio show across Canada." Bob said, "That's a great idea," and wrote it down. Before he had it written, someone said, "You can't do a radio show across Canada. We don't have radio stations across Canada." That was a pretty valid objection. They only had stations in Ontario and Quebec. Templeton replied, "That's why we can. That stays." But this was a real strong objection because radio stations are not very compatible. They usually don't work together. They are very cutthroat. They fight each other. To get them to work together would be virtually impossible according to the standard way of thinking.
All of a sudden someone said, "You could get Harvey Kirk and Lloyd Robertson, the biggest names in Canadian broadcasting, to anchor the show." (That would be like getting Tom Brokaw and Sam Donaldson to anchor the show. They are anchors on national TV. They are not going to go on radio.) At that point, it was absolutely amazing how fast and furious the creative ideas began to flow.
That was on a Friday. The following Tuesday they had a radiothon. They had fifty radio stations all across the country that agreed to broadcast it. It didn't matter who got the credit as long as the people in Barrie got the money. Harvey Kirk and Lloyd Robertson anchored the show and they succeeded in raising three million dollars in three hours within three business days!
Hope you enjoyed Bob's story. It reminds me: That's why we can raise $60,000 to keep Good News Toronto alive and well and inspiring all of us and our neighbours too. We'll have our own 60K in 60 Days Story to tell by the end of August. Really, if you go by the math, I suppose we have even more than 60 days, but 60K in Seventy some days doesn't have the same zeal and appeal. Let's roll.
Ardently,
Kathleen
As we embark on our fundraising adventure, I can hardly think there can be more compelling story to help us grasp how very very realistic our target is.
The 333 Story by Bob Proctor, Chicken Soup for the Soul
I was doing a weekend seminar at the Deerhurst Lodge, north of Toronto. On Friday night a tornado swept through a town north of us called Barrie, killing dozens of people and doing millions of dollars worth of damage. Sunday night, as I was coming home, I stopped the car when I got to Barrie. I got out on the side of the highway and looked around. It was a mess. Everywhere I looked there were smashed houses and cars turned upside down.
That same night Bob Templeton was driving down the same highway. He stopped to look at the disaster just as I had, only his thoughts were different than my own. Bob was the vice-president of Telemedia Communications, which owns a string of radio stations in Ontario and Quebec. He thought there must be something we could do for these people with the radio stations they had.
The following night I was doing another seminar in Toronto. Bob Templeton and Bob Johnson, another vice-president from Telemedia, came in and stood in the back of the room. They shared their conviction that there had to be something they could do for the people in Barrie. After the seminar we went back to Bob's office. He was now committed to the idea of helping the people who had been caught in the tornado.
The following Friday he called all the executives at Telemedia into his office. At the top of a flip chart he wrote three 3s. He said to his executives "How would you like to raise 3 million dollars 3 days from now in just 3 hours and give the money to the people in Barrie?" There was nothing but silence in the room.
Finally someone said, "Templeton, you're crazy. There is no way we could do that." Bob said, "Wait a minute. I didn't ask you if we could or even if we should. I just asked you if you'd like to." They all said, "Sure we'd like to." He then drew a large T underneath the 333. On one side he wrote, "Why we can't." On the other side he wrote, "How we can." "I'm going to put a big X on the 'Why we can't side.' We're not going to spend any time on the ideas of why we can't. That's of no value. On the other wide we're going to write down every idea that we can come up with on how we can. We're not going to leave the room until we figure it out." There was silence again.
Finally, someone said, "We could do a radio show across Canada." Bob said, "That's a great idea," and wrote it down. Before he had it written, someone said, "You can't do a radio show across Canada. We don't have radio stations across Canada." That was a pretty valid objection. They only had stations in Ontario and Quebec. Templeton replied, "That's why we can. That stays." But this was a real strong objection because radio stations are not very compatible. They usually don't work together. They are very cutthroat. They fight each other. To get them to work together would be virtually impossible according to the standard way of thinking.
All of a sudden someone said, "You could get Harvey Kirk and Lloyd Robertson, the biggest names in Canadian broadcasting, to anchor the show." (That would be like getting Tom Brokaw and Sam Donaldson to anchor the show. They are anchors on national TV. They are not going to go on radio.) At that point, it was absolutely amazing how fast and furious the creative ideas began to flow.
That was on a Friday. The following Tuesday they had a radiothon. They had fifty radio stations all across the country that agreed to broadcast it. It didn't matter who got the credit as long as the people in Barrie got the money. Harvey Kirk and Lloyd Robertson anchored the show and they succeeded in raising three million dollars in three hours within three business days!
Hope you enjoyed Bob's story. It reminds me: That's why we can raise $60,000 to keep Good News Toronto alive and well and inspiring all of us and our neighbours too. We'll have our own 60K in 60 Days Story to tell by the end of August. Really, if you go by the math, I suppose we have even more than 60 days, but 60K in Seventy some days doesn't have the same zeal and appeal. Let's roll.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Extra Extra Read All About Good News Toronto On-Line for June 2009
Extra Extra Read All About It! The June issue of Good News Toronto is ready for reading. Good News Toronto (GNT) is a not-for-profit newspaper distributed on the first Tuesday of the month in the TTC and throughout the GTA. As the Editor, Eva Karpati tells us, Good News Toronto celebrates the multitude of inspirational people who live in Toronto, with the goal of inspiring each other and motivating all of us to continue to make this city rich in everyday heroes.”
GNT is a monthly gazette of all good news and only good news and comes to you completely free of charge. Talk about good news! Because we are all concerned about the environment and about spreading the good news as far and wide as we can, GNT is vamping up its on-line presence. Please check it out at http://www.goodnewstoronto.ca/. Keep an eye out too for the next issue in September, when the site will be all the more enhanced. Any feedback you can offer is greatly appreciated.
If you do like to have a traditional hard copy of the paper to sit and read with your coffee, or while you’re doing whatever you do, wherever you read the paper, you might prefer to subscribe to ensure you always get your copy every month for the rest of the year. It costs only $18.00 per year (to cover delivery cost of postage.) You can get more details by visiting the site or writing to info@goodnewstoronto.ca ,or calling 416-661-2556.
We hope you’ll enjoy the good news. When you savour every delightful morsel of inspiration to be gleaned from the pages of GNT, you'll feel empowered to handle all the news that comes your way for this day, any day, and everyday. Last but not least, if you have good news you would like to share, please report it to Good News Toronto at: info@goodnewstoronto.ca. Sharing your “good news” of an everyday hero among us will inspire others to do more good for the world around them as well and gladness will come full circle. Happy Reading!
Ardently,
Kathleen
GNT is a monthly gazette of all good news and only good news and comes to you completely free of charge. Talk about good news! Because we are all concerned about the environment and about spreading the good news as far and wide as we can, GNT is vamping up its on-line presence. Please check it out at http://www.goodnewstoronto.ca/. Keep an eye out too for the next issue in September, when the site will be all the more enhanced. Any feedback you can offer is greatly appreciated.
If you do like to have a traditional hard copy of the paper to sit and read with your coffee, or while you’re doing whatever you do, wherever you read the paper, you might prefer to subscribe to ensure you always get your copy every month for the rest of the year. It costs only $18.00 per year (to cover delivery cost of postage.) You can get more details by visiting the site or writing to info@goodnewstoronto.ca ,or calling 416-661-2556.
We hope you’ll enjoy the good news. When you savour every delightful morsel of inspiration to be gleaned from the pages of GNT, you'll feel empowered to handle all the news that comes your way for this day, any day, and everyday. Last but not least, if you have good news you would like to share, please report it to Good News Toronto at: info@goodnewstoronto.ca. Sharing your “good news” of an everyday hero among us will inspire others to do more good for the world around them as well and gladness will come full circle. Happy Reading!
Ardently,
Kathleen
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Talk about good news!
Extra Extra Read All About It! The April issue of Good News Toronto is ready for reading. This monthly gazette is all good news and only good news and comes to you completely free of charge. Talk about good news!
Good News Toronto (GNT) is a not-for-profit newspaper distributed on the first Tuesday of the month in the TTC and throughout the GTA. As the Editor, Eva Karpati tells us, Good News Toronto celebrates the multitude of inspirational people who live in Toronto, with the goal of inspiring each other and motivating all of us to continue to make this city rich in everyday heroes.”
Because we are all concerned about the environment and about spreading the good news as far and wide as we can, you can check out the latest issue on-line. Please visit http://www.goodnewstoronto.ca/. If you do like to have a traditional hard copy of the paper to sit and read with your coffee, or while you’re doing whatever you do, wherever you read the paper, you might prefer to subscribe to ensure you always get your copy every month for the rest of the year. It costs only $18.00 per year (to cover delivery cost of postage.)
For more information, you can visit the site or write to info@goodnewstoronto.ca or call 416-661-2556. We hope you’ll enjoy the good news. When you savour every delightful morsel of inspiration to be gleaned from the pages of GNT, you'll feel empowered to handle all the news that comes your way for this day, any day, and everyday.
Last but not least, if you have good news you would like to share, please report it to Good News Toronto at: info@goodnewstoronto.ca. Sharing your “good news” of an everyday hero among us will inspire others to do more good for the world around them as well and gladness will come full circle.
Happy Reading!
Ardently,
Kathleen
Good News Toronto (GNT) is a not-for-profit newspaper distributed on the first Tuesday of the month in the TTC and throughout the GTA. As the Editor, Eva Karpati tells us, Good News Toronto celebrates the multitude of inspirational people who live in Toronto, with the goal of inspiring each other and motivating all of us to continue to make this city rich in everyday heroes.”
Because we are all concerned about the environment and about spreading the good news as far and wide as we can, you can check out the latest issue on-line. Please visit http://www.goodnewstoronto.ca/. If you do like to have a traditional hard copy of the paper to sit and read with your coffee, or while you’re doing whatever you do, wherever you read the paper, you might prefer to subscribe to ensure you always get your copy every month for the rest of the year. It costs only $18.00 per year (to cover delivery cost of postage.)
For more information, you can visit the site or write to info@goodnewstoronto.ca or call 416-661-2556. We hope you’ll enjoy the good news. When you savour every delightful morsel of inspiration to be gleaned from the pages of GNT, you'll feel empowered to handle all the news that comes your way for this day, any day, and everyday.
Last but not least, if you have good news you would like to share, please report it to Good News Toronto at: info@goodnewstoronto.ca. Sharing your “good news” of an everyday hero among us will inspire others to do more good for the world around them as well and gladness will come full circle.
Happy Reading!
Ardently,
Kathleen
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Over-The-Top -- It's Not Bragging. It's Inspiring.
Welcome Dear Readers led here from Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today, Dale Carnegie, Microskills, and other places of inspiration:
I'm inviting everyone to write in the most over-the-top thing that has happened to you or to someone you know. Even better, write about the most over-the-top thing you dream of doing. We can all aim together to inspire and motivate each other to strike the abundance we deserve. It's gotta feel better to be over-the-top than to be toned down. Let's all step out of our comfort zones together and feel how it feels. It will be exhilarating. My husband called me over-the-top one time. I need to thank him for setting a high standard to live up to when he laid down that challenge. One last word of caution for us all to share. Be careful not to protect yourself and others from the opportunity to do greater things!
While I was doing the dishes with my Mum one day after a family dinner, she said she had one recommendation for this blog she dutifully reads from time to time. Mum thought I should tone it down a bit. With the greatest of intention to offer helpful advice, Mum said, "It's a little hard to read much of it for too long." We talked about it for a bit, trying to pinpoint what exactly she was recommending, while treading carefully to avoid hurting any feelings. "Maybe it's a little too optimistic could be what you mean" I offered, or maybe even "A little Pollyanna’ish?" "No," we decided that was not quite it and we got sidetracked before we finished our discussion.
I think I figured it out as I thought about it more afterward. I think we were looking for "over-the-top." Maybe it's all a little too over-the-top. Thinking more about my mother's advice, I agreed that maybe I should tone it down a bit to strike a balance that might make it a little easier to read more of it. That was right before the thought burst to mind that what would be even better than toning it down a bit would be taking it up a notch.
There’s plenty going on out there in the world to tone it down and strike a balance so that we can maintain our middle-of-the-packth place or maybe even finish in also-ranth. Mum’s caution to me serves as a great example of the well-intended advice that we give as parents to protect our children from doing something where there is a risk of getting hurt or of being criticized. Those of us who are lucky enough to have parents who say and do things to protect us are secure in the sense that our mothers and fathers care so much about us they cannot bear to see or feel our hurt.
Fortunately, from this sense of security, we can decide to draw the strength of self-confidence. We can listen to what our parents say and do to help us feel secure and loved and we can watch what they and others who influence us positively do to set a good example for us to follow, at any age, to develop the confidence we need to lead the way and then invite others from the middle of the pack to join us as we go over the top. Come to think of it, my mother’s a little over-the–top.
Thank you Mum for your made-with-love words of caution that give me a sense of security and thank you too for showing me how to stay grounded while going over the top! With a healthy sense of security bestowed upon us with love from our parents, and the confidence we need to take the risk to step out of our comfort zone in the middle of the pack, we can aim for and achieve success to the nth degree and strike abundance instead of striking the status quo balance we’ve worked so hard to maintain for as long we have.
In the human race, keeping up with the middle of the pack has its merit. Just imagine though how you can rejoice and be glad in it when you make your breakaway or make your splash. Instead of striking a balance, we could strive, along side our parents and our children, to strike abundance. With all the toning it down that's already going on out there, we're well equipped to keep the balance we've all been living and to keep ourselves at the same level or lower, without me or anybody else jumping onto that band wagon. To strike abundance, to make our dreams come true, exactly what we need to do is to take it up a notch from where we are toward where we want to be.
Over The Top To You,
Kathleen
I'm inviting everyone to write in the most over-the-top thing that has happened to you or to someone you know. Even better, write about the most over-the-top thing you dream of doing. We can all aim together to inspire and motivate each other to strike the abundance we deserve. It's gotta feel better to be over-the-top than to be toned down. Let's all step out of our comfort zones together and feel how it feels. It will be exhilarating. My husband called me over-the-top one time. I need to thank him for setting a high standard to live up to when he laid down that challenge. One last word of caution for us all to share. Be careful not to protect yourself and others from the opportunity to do greater things!
While I was doing the dishes with my Mum one day after a family dinner, she said she had one recommendation for this blog she dutifully reads from time to time. Mum thought I should tone it down a bit. With the greatest of intention to offer helpful advice, Mum said, "It's a little hard to read much of it for too long." We talked about it for a bit, trying to pinpoint what exactly she was recommending, while treading carefully to avoid hurting any feelings. "Maybe it's a little too optimistic could be what you mean" I offered, or maybe even "A little Pollyanna’ish?" "No," we decided that was not quite it and we got sidetracked before we finished our discussion.
I think I figured it out as I thought about it more afterward. I think we were looking for "over-the-top." Maybe it's all a little too over-the-top. Thinking more about my mother's advice, I agreed that maybe I should tone it down a bit to strike a balance that might make it a little easier to read more of it. That was right before the thought burst to mind that what would be even better than toning it down a bit would be taking it up a notch.
There’s plenty going on out there in the world to tone it down and strike a balance so that we can maintain our middle-of-the-packth place or maybe even finish in also-ranth. Mum’s caution to me serves as a great example of the well-intended advice that we give as parents to protect our children from doing something where there is a risk of getting hurt or of being criticized. Those of us who are lucky enough to have parents who say and do things to protect us are secure in the sense that our mothers and fathers care so much about us they cannot bear to see or feel our hurt.
Fortunately, from this sense of security, we can decide to draw the strength of self-confidence. We can listen to what our parents say and do to help us feel secure and loved and we can watch what they and others who influence us positively do to set a good example for us to follow, at any age, to develop the confidence we need to lead the way and then invite others from the middle of the pack to join us as we go over the top. Come to think of it, my mother’s a little over-the–top.
Thank you Mum for your made-with-love words of caution that give me a sense of security and thank you too for showing me how to stay grounded while going over the top! With a healthy sense of security bestowed upon us with love from our parents, and the confidence we need to take the risk to step out of our comfort zone in the middle of the pack, we can aim for and achieve success to the nth degree and strike abundance instead of striking the status quo balance we’ve worked so hard to maintain for as long we have.
In the human race, keeping up with the middle of the pack has its merit. Just imagine though how you can rejoice and be glad in it when you make your breakaway or make your splash. Instead of striking a balance, we could strive, along side our parents and our children, to strike abundance. With all the toning it down that's already going on out there, we're well equipped to keep the balance we've all been living and to keep ourselves at the same level or lower, without me or anybody else jumping onto that band wagon. To strike abundance, to make our dreams come true, exactly what we need to do is to take it up a notch from where we are toward where we want to be.
Over The Top To You,
Kathleen
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Keep Any Promise in 2009
Dear Readers,
What would it feel like to keep all your new year's resolutions, and every promise you make? Yes—fantastic! Imagine how it would feel. Create a mental picture of yourself living a life where you are doing what you want most for yourself and for others. While many of us have been living a life of broken promises—to ourselves, our families, the world— the good news is we can change. At any age, the cost of not keeping our promises is staggering: in failed relationships, stalled careers, lack of connection, and poor physical and mental health. Are you living life to its fullest every day, or are you ambling through life to see what happens?
I recently came across a wonderful resource by author and inspirational speaker Karim H. Ismail called Keep Any Promise: a blueprint for designing your future. I found the material to be both inspiring and very practical! With the wonderful blueprint this book offers, I know this book can help us find our way to financial abundance, great health, wonderful relationships, a strong spiritual connection, and a positive world impact. How would you like a step-by-step blueprint to keeping your promises—and building and achieving the future of your dreams?
Karim shares the inspiring stories of twelve “ordinary” people who do extraordinary things. You will learn how they embrace their fears, change their thinking, reach for the seemingly-impossible, achieve great goals, and keep their promises. These dramatic stories will help you learn how to build and transform your own unique life. I hope you will click here: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=853142 to learn more and to take the first step along the path from where you are, to where you want to be. One small click for you here --one giant leap toward reaching your true potential.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Psst! The e-book is only $24.95. You could be on your way for that little, that soon. The 3 CD audio set, or instant download audiobook are also very affordable, for those of you who would like to take advantage of your commute time to learn the stories of the extraordinary accomplishments of ordinary people. There is also the traditional hardcover book option for those of you who would like to hold it in your own hands and flip back and forth through your pages and highlight as you go along. Best of all, the 120 page Keep Any Promise Life Blueprint workbook, a $149 value, is a free download once you purchase the book in any format.
What would it feel like to keep all your new year's resolutions, and every promise you make? Yes—fantastic! Imagine how it would feel. Create a mental picture of yourself living a life where you are doing what you want most for yourself and for others. While many of us have been living a life of broken promises—to ourselves, our families, the world— the good news is we can change. At any age, the cost of not keeping our promises is staggering: in failed relationships, stalled careers, lack of connection, and poor physical and mental health. Are you living life to its fullest every day, or are you ambling through life to see what happens?
I recently came across a wonderful resource by author and inspirational speaker Karim H. Ismail called Keep Any Promise: a blueprint for designing your future. I found the material to be both inspiring and very practical! With the wonderful blueprint this book offers, I know this book can help us find our way to financial abundance, great health, wonderful relationships, a strong spiritual connection, and a positive world impact. How would you like a step-by-step blueprint to keeping your promises—and building and achieving the future of your dreams?
Karim shares the inspiring stories of twelve “ordinary” people who do extraordinary things. You will learn how they embrace their fears, change their thinking, reach for the seemingly-impossible, achieve great goals, and keep their promises. These dramatic stories will help you learn how to build and transform your own unique life. I hope you will click here: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=853142 to learn more and to take the first step along the path from where you are, to where you want to be. One small click for you here --one giant leap toward reaching your true potential.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Psst! The e-book is only $24.95. You could be on your way for that little, that soon. The 3 CD audio set, or instant download audiobook are also very affordable, for those of you who would like to take advantage of your commute time to learn the stories of the extraordinary accomplishments of ordinary people. There is also the traditional hardcover book option for those of you who would like to hold it in your own hands and flip back and forth through your pages and highlight as you go along. Best of all, the 120 page Keep Any Promise Life Blueprint workbook, a $149 value, is a free download once you purchase the book in any format.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Teach Your Parents Well
Dear Readers,
We learn so much from our children. What I have had the good fortune to learn is that my children give me strength and confidence I didn't know I had. I have realized over the years and through experience that I can do things I didn't think I could, simply because I need to for my children. Through their innocence, needs and dependence on parents or others who influence them, our children help us realize we can do things, that without them we would be unable to do.
We can be masters at manufacturing in our minds, a barrage of excuses to ourselves to rationalize our deficiencies. We think we are too fearful, too uneducated, too weak, too shy, too technically challenged, etc... etc... etc... When our children need our help, we can find ourselves effortlessly doing what we had supposed we were incapable of for whatever excuse we had fabricated to keep us from ever even trying. We can come to this realization through routine interactions.
From as far back as I can recall, jumping off that dock into Chandos Lake was one of the most absolutely gleeful activities throughout my childhood and still is to today. With my brother, Sean, and my cousins, Margaret and Karen, I could spend hours every day of the blessed time we spent together at Chandos, jumping off the dock, splashing into the lake and swimming around to the ladder to do it all over again and again and again. I just had to be sure to never let my feet touch the sandy bottom of the lake in the shallows as I made my way around to the ladder. That would have been too scary. When, heaven forbid, I did accidentally touch that murkiness, I would shudder in horror and let out a screech of terror, fearing that whatever was lurking in the soft soggy sand would surely swallow my vulnerable appendage. I carried the fear with me into adulthood. It was no trouble at all for me to uphold my belief, until something changed my perspective that is...
My epiphany occurred when I was at my grandmother's cottage on Chandos Lake. In all the years I had been jumping off my grandmother's dock into Chandos Lake I had painstakingly ensured my feet did not touch the bottom of the lake. With parenthood comes challenges. To coax my toddler to gleefully jump off the dock, I quickly realized it would be a tricky endeavour, unless I could stand on my own two feet to be there for my child. When children were depending on me to be there for them while they were learning to jump off the dock and make their own splash into the lake, it became more and more difficult to keep my own feet safe from the danger that was lurking in the murky bottom. It was difficult to tread water and dog paddle while coaxing my little treasures that there was "nothing" to be afraid of. "Just jump in," I would say. "I'll be here to catch you."
What I would catch occasionally was myself stoically asserting, "There's nothing to be afraid of," while I was madly treading away to keep my feet up and safe from whatever it was I was so afraid of. When our own children need us to be able to do something that had previously seemed impossible, we find we suddenly are quite capable. I just had to finally put my foot down. That is, I just put both feet down on the bottom with a quick little grimace and decided if others had been able to touch down without losing an appendage, I could too.
The benefits were manifold to say the least, although I didn’t immediately realize the magnitude of the leap forward I made with one small step down. Although the lake bottom was a little squishier than I would have liked it to have been, the secure foothold to step up to my responsibilities was quite firm. I am so grateful to my children for helping me plant my feet firmly on the ground to discover with full confidence that the benefits outweigh the risk of harm.
The gift of confidence we receive through parenthood is ours to give back and instill in our own children so that they too can have their feet planted firmly on the ground to stand tall and march proudly from where they are to where they want to be. As children teach their parents well, we have the glory of teaching our children well. It’s beautiful.
Ardently,
Kathleen
We learn so much from our children. What I have had the good fortune to learn is that my children give me strength and confidence I didn't know I had. I have realized over the years and through experience that I can do things I didn't think I could, simply because I need to for my children. Through their innocence, needs and dependence on parents or others who influence them, our children help us realize we can do things, that without them we would be unable to do.
We can be masters at manufacturing in our minds, a barrage of excuses to ourselves to rationalize our deficiencies. We think we are too fearful, too uneducated, too weak, too shy, too technically challenged, etc... etc... etc... When our children need our help, we can find ourselves effortlessly doing what we had supposed we were incapable of for whatever excuse we had fabricated to keep us from ever even trying. We can come to this realization through routine interactions.
From as far back as I can recall, jumping off that dock into Chandos Lake was one of the most absolutely gleeful activities throughout my childhood and still is to today. With my brother, Sean, and my cousins, Margaret and Karen, I could spend hours every day of the blessed time we spent together at Chandos, jumping off the dock, splashing into the lake and swimming around to the ladder to do it all over again and again and again. I just had to be sure to never let my feet touch the sandy bottom of the lake in the shallows as I made my way around to the ladder. That would have been too scary. When, heaven forbid, I did accidentally touch that murkiness, I would shudder in horror and let out a screech of terror, fearing that whatever was lurking in the soft soggy sand would surely swallow my vulnerable appendage. I carried the fear with me into adulthood. It was no trouble at all for me to uphold my belief, until something changed my perspective that is...
My epiphany occurred when I was at my grandmother's cottage on Chandos Lake. In all the years I had been jumping off my grandmother's dock into Chandos Lake I had painstakingly ensured my feet did not touch the bottom of the lake. With parenthood comes challenges. To coax my toddler to gleefully jump off the dock, I quickly realized it would be a tricky endeavour, unless I could stand on my own two feet to be there for my child. When children were depending on me to be there for them while they were learning to jump off the dock and make their own splash into the lake, it became more and more difficult to keep my own feet safe from the danger that was lurking in the murky bottom. It was difficult to tread water and dog paddle while coaxing my little treasures that there was "nothing" to be afraid of. "Just jump in," I would say. "I'll be here to catch you."
What I would catch occasionally was myself stoically asserting, "There's nothing to be afraid of," while I was madly treading away to keep my feet up and safe from whatever it was I was so afraid of. When our own children need us to be able to do something that had previously seemed impossible, we find we suddenly are quite capable. I just had to finally put my foot down. That is, I just put both feet down on the bottom with a quick little grimace and decided if others had been able to touch down without losing an appendage, I could too.
The benefits were manifold to say the least, although I didn’t immediately realize the magnitude of the leap forward I made with one small step down. Although the lake bottom was a little squishier than I would have liked it to have been, the secure foothold to step up to my responsibilities was quite firm. I am so grateful to my children for helping me plant my feet firmly on the ground to discover with full confidence that the benefits outweigh the risk of harm.
The gift of confidence we receive through parenthood is ours to give back and instill in our own children so that they too can have their feet planted firmly on the ground to stand tall and march proudly from where they are to where they want to be. As children teach their parents well, we have the glory of teaching our children well. It’s beautiful.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Good News Toronto -- Good News Everywhere
Hello Dear Readers,
Just a quick note today to remind all that the December edition of Good News Toronto came out on December 2. You can see it on-line at http://www.goodnewstoronto.ca/.
There are some awesome articles and inspiring stories that you don't want to miss. When you savour every delightful morsel of inspiration to be gleaned from its pages, you'll feel empowered to handle all the news that comes your way for this day and any day.
In reality, there is a lot of great news and good stuff happening in our city and in our lives every day. Sometimes we just have to pay more attention to it to appreciate it and to resist the temptation to get bogged down in the negativity, that given its due is just as much in our reality.
The editor of Good News Toronto, Eva Karpati, aims to level the lopsided playing field where all forms of media meet in a an all out competition of one-up-manship for the most sensationalistic story they can present. While it's true that the gory details of the sensationalism are based mostly in fact, we can choose to simply accept that there are some bad things happening while we focus our attention on the glory of the good things that are also happening. Then we can engage in the one-up-manship of recounting a tale of "something even more wonderful" that happened or even better, we can actually contribute our efforts on making something even more wonderful happen for ourselves or for others.
Good News Toronto includes a regular feature called Random Acts of Kindness. When you have the good fortune to witness such an act, please do report it to info@goodnewstoronto.ca, and share the exhiliration with others who would love to know about it.
The October issue of Good News Toronto featured an article on a charitable organization called Basketeers. Please visit their website to learn more about the great things they are doing: http://www.basketeers.ca/region_basketeers.php. The December issue of Good News Toronto includes a short update to applaud the organization on their achievement of providing 912 baskets overflowing with useful items for women leaving shelters to set up on their own. Wow!!! When you think about it, there really are so many great people out there doing great things. When you read about it in Good News Toronto, you want to become a part of it and share in the good will toward others and the sense of accomplishment and gratification you get from helping others. One of my favorite inspiring thoughts comes from the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson in his quote: "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
When I Googled a few words to find the exact wording of that quote, I stumbled on this site: http://www.helpothers.org/index.php. When something looks too good to be true, it's worth looking at. Hope you'll enjoy the inspiration. There's so much good stuff, it's overwhelming. Share the good news. Let us all know about something even better that happened to you or to someone you know or someone you know of. The playing field is levelling. Game on!!!
Ardently,
Kathleen
Just a quick note today to remind all that the December edition of Good News Toronto came out on December 2. You can see it on-line at http://www.goodnewstoronto.ca/.
There are some awesome articles and inspiring stories that you don't want to miss. When you savour every delightful morsel of inspiration to be gleaned from its pages, you'll feel empowered to handle all the news that comes your way for this day and any day.
In reality, there is a lot of great news and good stuff happening in our city and in our lives every day. Sometimes we just have to pay more attention to it to appreciate it and to resist the temptation to get bogged down in the negativity, that given its due is just as much in our reality.
The editor of Good News Toronto, Eva Karpati, aims to level the lopsided playing field where all forms of media meet in a an all out competition of one-up-manship for the most sensationalistic story they can present. While it's true that the gory details of the sensationalism are based mostly in fact, we can choose to simply accept that there are some bad things happening while we focus our attention on the glory of the good things that are also happening. Then we can engage in the one-up-manship of recounting a tale of "something even more wonderful" that happened or even better, we can actually contribute our efforts on making something even more wonderful happen for ourselves or for others.
Good News Toronto includes a regular feature called Random Acts of Kindness. When you have the good fortune to witness such an act, please do report it to info@goodnewstoronto.ca, and share the exhiliration with others who would love to know about it.
The October issue of Good News Toronto featured an article on a charitable organization called Basketeers. Please visit their website to learn more about the great things they are doing: http://www.basketeers.ca/region_basketeers.php. The December issue of Good News Toronto includes a short update to applaud the organization on their achievement of providing 912 baskets overflowing with useful items for women leaving shelters to set up on their own. Wow!!! When you think about it, there really are so many great people out there doing great things. When you read about it in Good News Toronto, you want to become a part of it and share in the good will toward others and the sense of accomplishment and gratification you get from helping others. One of my favorite inspiring thoughts comes from the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson in his quote: "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
When I Googled a few words to find the exact wording of that quote, I stumbled on this site: http://www.helpothers.org/index.php. When something looks too good to be true, it's worth looking at. Hope you'll enjoy the inspiration. There's so much good stuff, it's overwhelming. Share the good news. Let us all know about something even better that happened to you or to someone you know or someone you know of. The playing field is levelling. Game on!!!
Ardently,
Kathleen
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Formula for Self Confidence Simplified for Early Learners
Welcome again Dear Readers led here from Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today, Dale Carnegie, Microskills, and other places of inspiration:
As I have had the good fortune of many verbal requests, I am posting this version of the formula again today for easy retrieval. Hope this is helpful...
As promised in the guest column you may have read in the November 21 edition of the e-zine, Napoleon Hill, Yesterday and Today, the "Simplified Formula for Self-Confidence for Early Learners" follows immediately below.
“Simplified” Confidence Formula for Children (by Kathleen Betts, October 2008)
Adapted from the Formula for Self–Confidence in Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, 1937
1. I promise to practice doing things that will help me to get better at doing the special things I want to do most in my life.
2. I can close my eyes and make a picture that I can see clearly in my imagination, of myself doing the special things I want to do most.
3. Each morning when I wake up and each night before I sleep, I will say out loud “I know I can” while I think about what I want most to do and to have.
4. I have written down the words and drawn a picture of myself, to show clearly what I want to do most and what I want to have most.
5. I know that being the person I want to be and having what I want most, will last a long time if I am sure to always be honest and fair with others.
Others will be fair to me and helpful to me, because I am fair and helpful to others.
Others will believe in me, because I will believe in others and in myself.
I will read this page out loud every day until I can remember it and I will keep repeating it out loud every day so that I get ideas and choose to do things that will help me to achieve what I want most so that I can be the person I made in the pictures on paper and in my imagination.
Name: _____________________ Signature: __________________________
The “Simplified” Children’s Formula for Self-Confidence by Kathleen Betts has been adapted from Napoleon Hill’s Formula for Self Confidence with the consent and approval of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.
Kids may like to customize the formula even more to name a particular goal they are working toward instead of saying generics like "thing(s) I want most" and "special thing(s)." I hope this is a helpful tool to parents who are working together with their children to optimize potential and opportunity.
For more information on the work of Napoleon Hill, please visit the website at http://www.naphill.org/
If you are not already a subscriber to the inspirational weekly e-zine, Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today, please click on this link if you are interested: http://mailer.napoleon-hill-news.com/common/SignMeUp.html?customerId=3.
Ardently,
Kathleen
As I have had the good fortune of many verbal requests, I am posting this version of the formula again today for easy retrieval. Hope this is helpful...
As promised in the guest column you may have read in the November 21 edition of the e-zine, Napoleon Hill, Yesterday and Today, the "Simplified Formula for Self-Confidence for Early Learners" follows immediately below.
“Simplified” Confidence Formula for Children (by Kathleen Betts, October 2008)
Adapted from the Formula for Self–Confidence in Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, 1937
1. I promise to practice doing things that will help me to get better at doing the special things I want to do most in my life.
2. I can close my eyes and make a picture that I can see clearly in my imagination, of myself doing the special things I want to do most.
3. Each morning when I wake up and each night before I sleep, I will say out loud “I know I can” while I think about what I want most to do and to have.
4. I have written down the words and drawn a picture of myself, to show clearly what I want to do most and what I want to have most.
5. I know that being the person I want to be and having what I want most, will last a long time if I am sure to always be honest and fair with others.
Others will be fair to me and helpful to me, because I am fair and helpful to others.
Others will believe in me, because I will believe in others and in myself.
I will read this page out loud every day until I can remember it and I will keep repeating it out loud every day so that I get ideas and choose to do things that will help me to achieve what I want most so that I can be the person I made in the pictures on paper and in my imagination.
Name: _____________________ Signature: __________________________
The “Simplified” Children’s Formula for Self-Confidence by Kathleen Betts has been adapted from Napoleon Hill’s Formula for Self Confidence with the consent and approval of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.
Kids may like to customize the formula even more to name a particular goal they are working toward instead of saying generics like "thing(s) I want most" and "special thing(s)." I hope this is a helpful tool to parents who are working together with their children to optimize potential and opportunity.
For more information on the work of Napoleon Hill, please visit the website at http://www.naphill.org/
If you are not already a subscriber to the inspirational weekly e-zine, Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today, please click on this link if you are interested: http://mailer.napoleon-hill-news.com/common/SignMeUp.html?customerId=3.
Ardently,
Kathleen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
