Never get so busy that you forget to make a life.

We hear so much these days about the need to find some sort of balance in our work and personal lives.

The trouble is  there is hardly any time to find it, let alone actually live it. Unless, of course, you are (a) not actively employed at one or more jobs and/or (b) involved in a relationship that includes small children and aging parents.

But if you have checked off (a) and/or (b) you won’t want to miss this podcast on CBC radio The Current, Anne-Marie Slaughter on work-life balance without the struggle. 

It is a thoughtful, provocative look at the issues of equality in the workplace, caring for children and elders, the place of women and men in the family and the shifting values in today’s society.

It is only 20 minutes in length but after you listen, you may want to pass this along to any of your friends and family members, many of whom are probably dancing as fast as they can.

Want to unpack your dreams and live a meaningful, more contented life? Read more. To get started contact me today at drew@drewsimmie.com or call direct 1.416.450.8867.  Follow me on Facebook and  Twitter.

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When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed. Maya Angelou.

Gratitude is the inward feeling of a kindness received. Thankfulness is the action of expressing your feelings for the kindness shown you.

Living gratefully is an important link to those qualities of heart and mind which tend to lend themselves to simplicity and sustainable motivation in an ever-changing, fractious world.

Developing an attitude of gratitude for what you have rather than what you don’t can unlock the fullness of life, bringing with it a sense of peace and equanimity.

Simple acts of kindness such as lending a helping hand to someone less fortunate or aiding a group of people in distress, or even something as small as flashing a smile to a stranger can have a positive effect on our long term moods.

Developing an attitude of gratitude for everything that happens to you, knowing that everything in life is an experience to learn from and grow more, is a step forward to achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.

Something, indeed, for which to offer a heart felt thank you.

Want to unpack your dreams and live a meaningful, more contented life? Read more. To get started contact me today at drew@drewsimmie.com or call direct 1.416.450.8867.  Follow me on Facebook and  Twitter.

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Do you sometimes feel that, for whatever reason, time is no longer on your side? Do you occasionally find yourself wishing you could turn back the clock? No such luck.

In his famous I Have a Dream speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. eloquently reminded us that:

“We are faced with the fact, my friends, tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is no such thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at a flood – it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous  civilizations are written the pathetic words, “Too late.”

From time to time, many of us feel similar sentiments, especially today. These are uncommon times. Uncertainty and fear are creeping around the edges, sniffing at the centre.

We all face barriers, challenges and fears of one kind or another and have occasional setbacks. That’s how life goes. One step forward, two steps back, but it is never too late. Not if you don’t want it to be. Be strong.

Even as the clock keeps ticking, in the dance of life, the trick is to keep on dancing.

Want to unpack your dreams and live a meaningful, more contented life? Read more. To get started contact me today at drew@drewsimmie.com or call direct 1.416.450.8867.  Follow me on Facebook and  Twitter.

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Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons. Buckminster Fuller.

For many, life seems now to be happening on our phones. We take them with us everywhere and seem unable to untether from them.

Almost everyone knows that we need to switch them off more but hardly anyone knows how. I know I am guilty, so it was with great interest that I read Simon Kuper’s column in the FT.com this weekend, Log out, switch off, join in

I think he is right on the mark. I’m betting you, too, may agree with his view that we need to do something to get a handle on our phones and take back our lives.

He quotes from a new book, Reclaiming Conversation, by Sherry Turkle, the director of the Initiative of Technology and Self at MIT. Her findings reveal how smartphones are damaging human interaction, suggesting ways we can kick the habit and regain a semblance of sanity in an ever-evolving social media environment.

Multitasking, she suggests, contrary to popular wisdom, is unproductive and a waste of our time. Instead, she is positing a new approach, “unitasking,” she calls it, concentrating more on one thing at a time. She advocates that we need to develop a new set of rules, a social etiquette governing how and when we use our devices.

We talk continuously about the importance of communicating and building relationships even as we lean more heavily on our phones and the internet. The more we use them the faster we send out electronic messages, buying into the myth that in this era, technology is communication.

Contrary to popular opinion, though, we humans need and crave personal interaction, not a soulless smartphone connection delivered in 140 characters or in two or three short lines and pithy phrases.

Want to unpack your dreams and live a meaningful, more contented life? Read more. To get started contact me today at drew@drewsimmie.com or call direct 1.416.450.8867.  Follow me on Facebook and  Twitter.

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There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of becoming. Nelson Mandela.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. Passion inspires innovation and generates energy. It’s only when you’re fully engaged that you can pass along the great feeling to your clients, customers and those around you whom you love. If you can’t feel it, it’s a sure bet they won’t either.

If you’re just going through the motions, doing the same old things the same old way, you will only lose your spirit.

Get back to what you are and what you love.

Want to unpack your dreams and live a meaningful, more contented life? Read more. To get started contact me today at drew@drewsimmie.com or call direct 1.416.450.8867.  Follow me on Facebook and  Twitter.

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