Cultivating the kindness of strangers
Craving a change, we recently moved our family across town. Although in the same city, it might as well be a different country. The distance is great enough that we needed to recreate our lives: new schools, recreational activities, dentists, babysitters, routes to work and grocery stores.
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The dirt pile
My parents recently delighted our children with a new play set. Although thrilled with it, the kids spent more time digging in the sand below. They played for hours, reminding me of a favourite childhood hangout, an undeveloped lot called ‘the dirt pile,’ and how the simplest things can bring the most joy. As complicated as our lives can get, there’s a universal desire for simplicity, play, and a sense of possibility.
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Conscious choices
”You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”
This winter, in a small beach town in Costa Rica, I noticed that most of the local crowd seemed incredibly happy. Yoga teachers, surfers, ex-pats and Costa Ricans smiled easily, took time to chat, and quickly invited newcomers to join in. A friend jokingly said, “We’d all be happy if we lived down here!” I thought, we all could live there.
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Weeding your garden 
I am not a gardener. I don’t have a green thumb, finger or hair on my head. Every plant I’ve owned has died, however, I appreciate the countless metaphors that life in the dirt provides. Perhaps the most powerful: the concept of weeding.  
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Forgiving is NOT forgetting 
here are countless examples of people being hurt. What’s remarkable are the different choices people make in dealing with the pain.
Most people react in one of two ways: vengeance or avoidance. However, there is a third option, one of the most ancient and fundamental principles of humanity – forgiveness.
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Draw the line 
Have you ever found yourself staring at a pile of work, overwhelmed and unsure where to begin? You start a project; an email alert prompts you to check your inbox, only to be distracted by a phone call from a colleague with an urgent question. Soon you feel like a hamster running around on its wheel. If this feels familiar, it may be time to ‘draw the line’.
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Make your soul sing – today 
Summer is the time to step away from routines
to have some fun. As you break from your daily routine this summer, think about the outdated beliefs you’re clinging to. Ask yourself, “What makes my soul sing – today?”
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Drop out to tune in to the real you
“Turn on, tune in, drop out.”
Spring is in the air – the perfect time to reflect on what you want to bring alive. Does life feel tired or drab, like the dead leaves under the snow? As you search for perspective, ‘drop out’ to reemerge energized and in tune with your world. To paraphrase Timothy Leary, drop out, tune in, and turn on.
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The pursuit of excellence: going above and beyond 
With the 2010 winter Olympics happening in Vancouver, it’s the perfect opportunity to consider excellence. The Olympics showcase the world’s top athletes, but let’s broaden this topic and consider every individual’s quest for excellence. Whether in athletics, work-life, parenting, relationships, or the arts, every person has the capacity for greatness – the greatness that comes from giving all you have to give, in all that you do. 
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Authentic leadership: succeed by being real
More of an art than a science, the mysteries of leadership have challenged leading thinkers throughout history – whether to determine optimal military strategies or to squeeze the most productivity from an employee. From this leadership research chaos has emerged an exciting development, leading to increased engagement and performance of employees or ‘followers’: the authentic leadership1 model.
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Finding the bliss in the moment
Have you ever felt overwhelmed about the future? Or spent countless hours analyzing the past? The stress and anxiety caused by this over-analysis is unpleasant, and a waste of time and energy. The challenge: to get out of the past and the future to find the bliss in the moment.
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The variables of life: inputs vs outputs
As a new doctoral candidate in organizational behaviour, I had an ‘aha’ moment in an unusual place – statistics class. The professor explained the difference between ‘input variables’, factors that cause something to happen, and ‘output variables’, the results of the equation.
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The danger of going ‘green’
“Ask for 100% of what you want, 100% of the time and be available to negotiate the difference.” - author unknown
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WHY ask why?
Have you ever wanted to be one of those people that seem to have limitless energy? Who jumps out of bed every morning invigorated, ready to take on whatever life has in store? Who is eternally optimistic, rolling with whatever challenges arise? Maybe you are one of those people. If not, one way to tap into that kind of resilience is to have a clear sense of purpose and to live by it every day.
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From conflict to collaboration
You’ve seen the posters that read, “Everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten.” Conflict situations in the workplace are not far from the schoolyard spats of yesteryear. We don’t choose our co-workers, and it’s important to learn to work with each other. A few simple tools can transform perceived ‘destructive’ relationships into fruitful alliances.
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The Power of Vulnerability
When was your last first date? After 12 years, I’ve entered a new world of dating – ‘the mom dating scene.’ At the park, I peruse the sandbox in search of other women I might have something in common with. Although I am a confident, successful woman, I occasionally feel shy and awkward taking the first step to introduce myself to unknown neighbourhood moms.
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Shine on!
"And as we let our light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." - Marianne Williamson, Quoted by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural speech.
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