Your Life, Unlimited

This week I had a lot of falls. 1) I spoke at a national nursing conference and instead of taking one of the two sets of stairs on either side of the stage, I decided to hop back onto the stagein the middle and splat. With the grace of a rhino, I fell. There was a wonderful gasp as 200 + nurses witnessed my daintiness. Interestingly, not one of them got up but we did have the greatest collective laugh. lol. 2) I tried unicycling for the first time and wow... was that ever interesting. I fell a lot during that adventure! 3) Randy (the hub) and I tried something new together and after 33 years together, I fell in love with him all over again. Some people think falling is a bad thing. I’m not so sure. If I hadn’t fallen on the stage, we would have missed that collective laugh - and it really was fun and funny!  If I hadn’t been willing to fall, I never would have tried a unicycle. And it was a really cool experience. If we hadn’t been willing to try something new and risk falling, Ra

Be patient.  If you are have been starting to eat healthier or exercise or work on a new project, you may get frustrated because you aren’t seeing changes or feeling as different as quickly as you had hoped. Be patient. Change takes time. Be patient. Positive change is worth waiting for. Be patient. It took you a lifetime to get into one state, it will take time to get into a renewed, healthier state. Be patient. Building good habits is an investment in you. Be patient. Slow, steady progress beats a short winded sprint any day. Be patient. You are being a great role model for someone else. Be patient. When you are patient, you are exercising your mind, as well as your body. When change doesn’t come as quickly as you’d like, don’t give up, be patient with yourself and with the process, it’s just one more way you can live Your Life, Unlimited! *** This week on Your Life, Unlimited radio I was joined by Dr. Gayle Carson author of How to Be an S.O.B. &nb

Be patient.  If you are have been starting to eat healthier or exercise or work on a new project, you may get frustrated because you aren’t seeing changes or feeling as different as quickly as you had hoped. Be patient. Change takes time. Be patient. Positive change is worth waiting for. Be patient. It took you a lifetime to get into one state, it will take time to get into a renewed, healthier state. Be patient. Building good habits is an investment in you. Be patient. Slow, steady progress beats a short winded sprint any day. Be patient. You are being a great role model for someone else. Be patient. When you are patient, you are exercising your mind, as well as your body. When change doesn’t come as quickly as you’d like, don’t give up, be patient with yourself and with the process, it’s just one more way you can live Your Life, Unlimited! *** This week on Your Life, Unlimited radio I was joined by Dr. Gayle Carson author of How to Be an S.O.B. &nb

Want to do something that matters? Donate something this week. Call Big Brother’s or The Diabetes Collection Crew or whatever charity in your town does donation pick up and arrange a date for them to stop by. Then: Dig around in the closet and fill up a box with things you haven’t worn in ages. In the bathroom collect all those little hotel soaps. You know who needs them more than you? The homeless shelters and women’s shelters. Gather them and give them away. Head to the kitchen and pull out the items that are just taking up space. Out they go. Head over the shed. What is that stuff anyway? Start tossing. And the garage, look up, look down, look sideways, how did you accumulate so much? Filling up a box should take mear moments of your time. Pick up doubles at the grocery store and drop them in the donation box at the door of the store. And... my favourite thing to donate, blood. Everyone has their own reasons to donate, but if I may try to inspire you - donate because you can. In a show o

You probably don't have to develop a hankering for chocolate, but perhaps you might need to develop a perspective for humour? Either way, we'd got something for you today with two delicious topics! Author of Chocotour, A Quest for the World's Best Chocolate, Doreen Pendgracs  shares everything you ever wanted to know about chocolate. Including some shocking effects on women (chocogasm anyone??). A-hem.  Anyway... Doreen pretty much guaranteed herself a return interview by bringing chocolate from India into the radio studio, complete with a lesson on how to eat it, err... rather  how to savour it! Take note... Let a piece of chocolate rest for a short time on your tongue and then stick it to your upper palate. Tickle the chocolate with your tongue so that it slowly begins to melt. Good chocolate has great staying power. This means you will feel the aromas for some time after you have eaten the chocolate. Wow, chocolate will never be the same again! As if that wasn't enou

Don’t underestimate the family meals. So many families, with the rush of scheduling, are not getting the full bang for their buck at mealtime. Eating together is about more than just eating together. Here are a few things that you can implement this week to make family mealtimes more meaningful and maybe even a little fun! Schedule days during the week that you will sit down together at the table to eat. You may have to adjust the times from your norm, but that’s ok. No phones at the table. Period. None - not even yours - and no getting up to answer the phone either, please and thank you. Plan conversation starters that allow for discussion and discourage yes or no answers. Can’t think of any? That’s ok, that’s why they invented google. Print out a bunch of ideas and start talking! You may be surprised what you learn, how much longer people linger at the table and you will wonder why you didn’t start this sooner. You may be started a legacy that passes down through the ge

Developing a strong character, generally we don’t think too much about our character, we just carry on our merry way. This week spend a bit of time reflecting… • Character traits do you currently possess that you are very proud of. Make of list of these traits and ask people you trust to help you add onto your list. • Who do you want to be? Begin by identifying one quality you would like to strengthen in yourself, a quality you possess but perhaps it’s in short supply! Uncover and discover what people with that characteristic do, how they behave and present themselves in the world. Emulate this behaviour; look for opportunities to behave that way yourself! You know what they say, fake it ‘til you make it. • Ditch the reruns in your head saying, “I can’t, I could never, I have never, no one in my family has any…” • Celebrate each small step, and when you have a firm handle on this character trait, go back to step one! Developing a strong cha

There are lots of different ways to put one foot in front of the other; a walk may sound boring but consider a few different types of walks you could go on. Maybe matching your movement to your mood might kick things up a notch or two. Are you feeling frustrated, angry, disappointed? Consider going for a stomp. A purposeful, powerful, fast walk that will help to ease your tension. Are you feeling pensive, stressed, preoccupied? Maybe a stroll is in order. Slow, meandering time to notice nature and/or people watch. Are you feeling happy, grateful, energetic? How about a going for a trek with a mission to notice something different, explore new territory and get inspired. A walk can be a walk or you can customize it; stroll, stomp, trek, sashay, skip - however you choose to move, just choose to move! AND... What a great chat I had with two gentlemen who have figured out a thing or two about successful living. Larry Pearson, CSP and Majeed Mogharreban author of Winning at Life - Your Personal Succ

Stephanie Staples, CSP* is the author of When Enlightening Strikes – Creating a Mindset for Uncommon Success, an internationally acclaimed motivational speaker, and the recipient of the 2014 Manitoba Woman Entrepreneur Award for Contributions to Community. Stephanie empowers audiences & clients across North America to bring their ‘A’ game to work and to life. Stephanie has a special interest in working with and empowering nurses and healthcare providers. She happily calls Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada home. You can get loads of complimentary resources to help with issues such as work/life balance, wellness, stress management and happiness in general, as well as find out more information about her coaching and speaking services at http://www.YourLifeUnlimited.ca. * Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), conferred by the National Speakers Association is the speaking profession’s international measure of professional platform proficiency. Less than 10 percent of speakers have earned this

Criticism anyone? No?? You don’t like to be criticized? Imagine that.  Well, like it or not, chances are good it’s going to be coming soon to a theatre near you (or maybe for you?). So… why not be a little bit prepared. Here are a few ideas that may help you handle criticism better:  Listen - Take a deep breath, resist the urge to interrupt. Hear what they are saying. Respond, don’t react - your response make take some time  - maybe even a day or two to come. Think about what they said. There may be some insight at hand whether you like the way they delivered the information or not. Take some time to absorb the information, and respond thoughtfully, not full of emotion.  Forgive - we don’t know other people’s story, why they do what they do or say what they say. Try not to hold a grudge. Take what information you can get out of the situation and move on.  Remember you get to choose whether situations will make you

If I asked what on this earth you value the most, I’ll bet you would say your family.  Nice. But, I’m going to push the envelop on this one, even though that would be my first go-to answer as well. Today, consider a shift of your mindset a bit. What if we made our health our number one priority?   If we truly did this, we would be making the ultimate commitment to our family - that we are doing everything we can to be here for them for as long as possible. Taking extremely good care of ourselves; getting proper rest, quitting smoking, modelling healthy choices, sharing fantastic family memories around active living - rather than just around food, getting rid of the toxins in our lives, be it people or food or bad habits are just some ways that we can begin to take even better care of ourselves. It’s actually showing our kids what a healthy lifestyle looks like (here’s more ways…moving every day, reducing sugar

You've seen them everywhere but have you ever wondered what to if you actually had to use one? I'm talking about the AED machines. An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable device that checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm. AEDs are used to treat sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). SCA is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. Longtime CPR instructor Todd Scott (@meToddScott) joined me in the studio to help take the fear factor away from the AED machine. Todd says if you can use a toaster, you can use this machine.  And...using it within the first minute of someone having an attack will mean they have a 95% chance of survival. Wow! So from this moment forward wherever you are in a public area, look around and make a mental note of where the machine is located. Know that you can do no harm with the machine, it talks you through the process, so no matter how scared you are - just

Writer Tracy Tjayden and change agent Maria Malayter, Ph.D. joined me in the studio today for this week Your Life, Unlimited radio show and wow our topics may have spanned the gamut  from encore careers to spirituality but one thing is for sure, they all were on target with our Your Life, Unlimited focus.  Navigating the R.I.D.E. of Change Change is hard. Change is exciting. Change is inevitable.   Change is hard because we are often afraid of the unknown and we then resist it.  Change is exciting because we often see it as a new opportunity and we embrace it.   In reality, change is inevitable.   We are always in a state of change.  Since change is the constant, there are many ways we can move through change. In 2010, I got into a car accident.  I was on my way back from a bible study so I didn’t think much of it beyond the car damage and a little whiplash.  On the outside, I was fine with some head

Create a yearly theme. Just say 'Yes!' Wake up curious. This was just some of the advise gleamed from our adventurous guests on Your Life, Unlimited this week. My mentor, Benita Stafford-Smith - the person that I credit with getting me on track 10 years ago join me on the radio show on her semi-annual return home from her cool (but warm!) life in the Middle East. She educated us on some surprising cultural differences (and similarities). Also Tony Esteeves share some of his adventures - like taking off to bike across Canada to only 2 days of notice. Yikes - now that is saying YES! Tony reminded us how everyone around us is resourceful and we can make such gains tapping into the unexpected connections that life brings our way if we just remain open. You can enjoy the whole show as well as Tony's guest blog post below... Tony' Tip - EAT Well   E.A.T. is an acronym that I use to teach people to take advantage of unexpected connections. Unexpected connections are the serendipitous en

Do you feel lucky? Well, You are lucky! it’s like you have horseshoes stacked around your neck, a rabbit’s foot in every pocket and a whole salad made of four leaf clovers! You are so lucky, so fortunate. How do I know this? Let me ask you a few questions: Do you have a comfortable, safe place to sleep tonight? Do you have a well stocked fridge and pantry? Do you have the ability to access to medical interventions? Are you clothed, fed and watered? Do you have people in your life who love you? Do you have a job to go to this week? Do you live in a country that is strong and free? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I was right - you (and I) are so lucky, so fortunate. But you know what? If you don’t feel lucky, there is no use being lucky. So this week, smarten up, wake up, lighten up. Remember how blessed you are.  Every time you start your car or your computer or your microwave let that be a cue a trigger for you to think about one or more of y

This week mull over the word sacrosanct.  Sacrosanct is something sacred, respected, something regarded as too important or too valuable to be interfered with. So many important acts these days get pushed to the background to make room for other non-essential tasks. What if you could decide what things are so important they are written in stone - they become sacrosanct. So important - you just don’t mess with them. What is sacrosanct in your world? Maybe it’s that… The bedtime story or familiar ritual that you have with your children. or The first 10 minutes of the morning that puts you in the right frame of mind to enjoy your day and contribute to the world in a positive fashion. or The drive home from work routine - what you consciously do that shifts your mindset from boss or work mode, to team player & loved-one mode. or Your monthly connection to a long-time friend to share your thoughts, create new memories and support each other. So this week I invite you to make a

Holy moly, when I ask my quest questions on the Your Life, Unlimited radio show, I admit I often know the answer to the question already. Not so during today's show when I asked these two Dad's some questions in relation to parenting.  Winnipeg Free Press humour columnist Doug Speirs and professional speaker Adrian Davis joined me this week and there is some great advice, some laughs and some shocking revelations in the show.  One of my favorite bits of advice was...If you ever have to choose between mental wellness and material wealth, always choose mental wellness. Amen to that! *** Stephanie Staples, CSP* is the author of When Enlightening Strikes – Creating a Mindset for Uncommon Success, an internationally acclaimed motivational speaker, and the recipient of the 2014 Manitoba Woman Entrepreneur Award for Contributions to Community. Stephanie empowers audiences & clients across North America to bring their ‘A’ game to work and to life. Stephanie has a sp

It could possibly be the best job ever - being a magician on the radio! How funny is that.  :) Magician extraordinaire, Anders Boulanger joined me this week to share some tricks of the trade that we can apply to our own life to increase success, one of the tools being the Triple A Traffic Triangle. Also, The Unity Guy Barry Lewis Green talked about the difference between confidence (I belong in this room) and arrogance ( I own this room) among other insights. You can enjoy Barry's blog post L.O.V.E.™ Your Work and Life! below: L.O.V.E.™ Your Work and Life! Several years back I wrote a book called Human Being Being Human© which explored virtues from A to Z that, in turn, can have a profound and constructive impact on leadership.  Reflecting on the work of this book today, and with its re-release this Summer, I thought to offer a simple but effective delivery system incorporating some 106 virtues and their potential for leadership. I call the sy

Excuse me while I rant. Twice this week, twice in a professional setting while in conversations, two different people used the word retarded in my presence.  I know they did not mean to offend, I know that they were good people talking about a circumstance not at person but both of them were oblivious to the fact that the 'r' word is just not ok to use anymore. It is hurtful and disrespectful, it's exclusive and offensive to people with intellectual disabilities and to the people who care about them.  I know that most people are not intentionally hurtful. It's maybe just a habit, or something they never thought of from another perspective. When I hear this word come from someone's mouth, I cease to hear anything else they say.  I simply have to open my mouth and gently let them know it's just not cool to use that word. This cool article has a great chart of when it is ok to use the 'r' word - basically the answer is never, please choose a different word. Thank you my rant is