What a year this has been! There is really nothing left to say about the COVID-19 that hasn’t already been said by so many.

The pandemic has shown us that we are, indeed, living in a global village, interconnected and independent as never before.

The pandemic isn’t over yet, but it will end, as all bad things do, and we will come out ahead.

The future, in a phrase attributed to the late Howard Zinn, “is a succession of presents, and to live now as we think humans should live, in defiance in all that is bad around around us, is itself a marvellous victory.  

So, as the old year gradually begins to wind down, I’m offering my best wishes to you and all who you hold dear and all the best in the New Year.

2021? BRING IT ON!

Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay connected.

NOTE: This is the last post of 2020. Please join me again in January and watch for some exciting new developments when I return.

In today’s pressing times, it is so easy to become distracted and overwhelmed.

Constantly juggling time and tasks you can easily lose sight of what you are about and what you think is important.

Life isn’t about living up to other’s expectations or acquiring more stuff or meeting your goals and aspirations.

It’s about listening to your heart, holding true to yourself and staying tightly focused.

No matter what.

Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay connected. 

I look forward to seeing you back here again soon.

It’s not the light that we need, but fire; it’s not the gentle show, but the thunder. We need the storm. Frederick Douglas.

There is power in words. One of the most powerful is YES!

Yes. It’s OK to put your work out into the world.

Yes. You are capable of doing good work and making a difference.

Yes. What you are doing  is important.

Yes. You can ignore the doubting Thomases.

Yes. You can do even better.

There will always be a surplus of people eager to criticize, turn a blind eye, close off their hearts and say NO.

The ‘Yes’ crowd has always been in the minority but today, more than ever, there has never been a greater need for people to step up to the plate and say YES!

Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay connected.  

I hope to see you back here again soon.

Now is not the time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is. Ernest Hemingway.

Life has a way of slipping away so quickly. Never has that axiom rung so true.

Caught up as we in the current COVID – 19 maelstrom, there is hardly time to think, let alone turn our attention to POETRY. In truly dire times, though, the words in a well-considered poem can help you things in perspective.

I was reminded recently of the power of poetry when I came across a wonderful poem written by David Weatherford.

When time allows…catch your breath, STEP BACK for a few minutes and read it.  You’ll get it…

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You’d better slow down. Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short. The music won’t last.

Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask: How are you? Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
with the next hundred chores running through your head?

You’d better slow down. Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short. The music won’t last.

Ever told your child, we’ll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die?
Cause you never had time to call and say hi?

You’d better slow down. Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short. The music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere,
you miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurray through your day,
it is like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life is not a race, do take it slower.
Hear the music before the song is over.

Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay connected.  

I hope to see you back here soon.

Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart. Roy T. Bennett.

These are difficult, challenging times. That’s not a cliche. On almost every level, our lives have been completely turned upside down. COVID-19 has been with us for months and will be for many more to come. How many, we don’t really know, but what we do know is that, if ever there was a time for positive thinking, it is NOW.

We have to stay upbeat, working with what we have, and keep moving forward, each day doing our best to find practical, doable solutions that will lead us to success. Here are three success techniques you can use. You already know them. It is just that sometimes we all need to be reminded…

1. Sometimes in life, totally unexpectedly, bad things happen. Events we can’t control. Like the COVID. How we respond to it makes all the difference. Don’t make things worse by focusing on what you can’t control and focus instead on what you can to make it better.
2. Don’t let fear or worry overtake your life. Don’t let yourself be consumed by the constant drip, drip, of bad news. Doing that weakens your resolve. Shift, instead, to something for which you can be grateful and keep your eye only on what you can do.
3. Remember, every problem is temporary. Obviously, this one is like no other we have seen in our lives, but it, too, shall pass. Keep you eyes laser-focused on your future goals – and, most importantly, on your dream. Never sell yourself short.

Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay connected.

I hope to see you here again soon.