The late American financier, Bernard Baruch, was reported to have replied, when asked how old he was, that “old was fifteen years older than I am”.

I thought about that the other day as I was standing in a line up at the cash, buying a bottle of wine for dinner. There was an attractive young woman ahead of me, buying a bottle as well.

As she was about to pay for her purchase, the cashier politely asked her for some identification; In Ontario you have to be at least 19 years old to purchase wine or liquor.

Now, I’m not good about guessing ages but she didn’t look anymore than 35 to me. From my vantage point she’s just getting started!

“I hope you don’t think I’m being personal” he said. “It’s the law.”

Her face lit up. Laughing, as she handed over her ID, she replied, “Mind? Are you kidding? I’m flattered. The way the week’s going I feel like I’m 40!”

She’s not alone. At some point, we all reach an invisible – or not so invisible wall, where we begin to feel we are getting old or think we are.

Some of us start resisting change, struggling with the new technologies, new attitudes and ways of doing things, complaining about how things aren’t like they used be… a sure sign that the clock is ticking.

The truth is, though, particularly today, aging doesn’t happen at any given hour or day. The process is not biologically set in stone.

We all have a choice. It’s a personal decision. As the days and weeks fly by, we can’t stop the clock. We can remain young in spirit, getting older, yes, but not old.

Note: If you’re in the Toronto area and this is resonating with you, I encourage you to come out to The Idea Lab tonight. If you can’t attend but would like carry on the conversation personally, message me at drew@drewsimmie.com

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Be yourself. Everybody Else Is taken. Oscar Wilde.

If you knew that today was the last day of your life, would you be OK with that? Or is there something else that deep inside you know you would rather be doing?

Each of us has an all consuming interest, a talent we do better than anyone else. Something, that when we are doing it, both our hearts and minds are totally engaged. The trick is to find it.

It’s not easy. It takes the willingness to explore, to make changes, sacrifices and do the difficult inner work. All easy to say, but hard to do.

It takes courage and bold action.

But here’s the thing. You must take the first step. You will be scared to death, but your courage will enable you to walk through your fear.

Determine today that you are going to do whatever you have to to step out of your old life and start walking down the path to the new you.

A note: If you’re in the Toronto area and this is resonating with you, I encourage you to come out to The Idea Lab this Thursday. And if you can’t attend but would like carry on the conversation personally, message me at drew@drewsimmie.com

Want to sharpen you personal leadership skills or reboot your life?
Interested in working with me? Contact me at drew@drewsimmie.com
or call direct 416.450.8867.  Follow me on Facebook and  Twitter.

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The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed. Mahatma Gandhi.

Whether we are in Toronto, Toledo or Timbutu, we truly are living in a huge, global village – interconnected, interdependent and demanding that we broaden our world view.

Our smart phones and You Tube have knitted us together like a pair of giant knitting needles. There is no escaping, no averting of eyes.

A world view is a set of expectations and biases we form that shapes how we see and feel about people in other countries and, indeed, even in our own cities and neighbourhoods, each with their own world views.

We are not the same, of course. Our cultures, religions, educational backgrounds and societal differences can and all too easily easily make strangers of us if we let them.

Still, as the world continues to shrink, times get tougher and borders become more porous, more than ever we need to open our hearts, broaden our world view and make room for others.

Want to sharpen you personal leadership skills or reboot your life?
Interested in working with me? Contact me at drew@drewsimmie.com
or call direct 416.450.8867.  Follow me on Facebook and  Twitter.

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If we did all the things we are capable of doing we would literally astound ourselves. Thomas Edison.

The month of September signals that the fall season is here. Fall is a time for advancement; a time to refocus and refresh an existing business or start a new one, begin a career or launch a big dream.

Whatever you’re doing, a great way to start is by attending the The Idea Lab. It launches Thursday, September 10th. Please take a few minutes and check it out.

It’s expressly designed to help you think creatively, sharpen your personal brand and set yourself on fire (again).

We are all bigger than we see ourselves. If you need to be inspired, accelerate your progress and show the world the real you, let me know you are  coming so we can save you a seat.

If you know someone else who might like to come along my hope is that you will share this.

In spite of the naysayers and all the evidence to the contrary, new opportunities abound. If you want to step up your game, are looking for fresh thinking but are not in the Toronto area, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I would love to hear from you.

Want to sharpen you personal leadership skills or reboot your life?
Interested in working with me? Contact me at drew@drewsimmie.com
or call direct 416.450.8867.  Follow me on Facebook and  Twitter.

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Be faithful to that which exists within yourself. Andre Guide

From the time as a young boy, staring at the television screen on that magical July night in 1969, watching spellbound as Neil Armstrong stepped down from his spacecraft and placed his foot on the lunar surface, Chris Hadfield was determined to be a astronaut.

It was a long, arduous journey from then to the time Commander Hadfield, perched high in the heavens in the space station in 2012 sang his famous rendition of David Bowie’s Space Odyessy to countless millions of people down on earth.

Only after reading his book, a gift from a special friend who herself knows how long the journey can be, was I able to even begin to comprehend and appreciate the number of years, study, personal sacrifice, countless hours of hard work and devotion that resulted in his amazing achievement..

No overnight success story. It wasn’t easy. There was nothing ‘instant’ about his journey. Getting to space was about so many human qualities and values, among them  competency. It’s a word we hear little about this days. Describing the effort it took he wrote:

  “……. The upshot of all this is that we become competent, which is the most  important quality to have if you are to be an astronaut – or, frankly, anyone, anywhere, who is striving to succeed at anything at all. Competence means keeping your head in a crisis, sticking with a task even when it seems hopeless and improvising good solutions to tough problems when every second counts. It encompasses ingenuity, determination and being prepared for anything. 

Astronauts have these qualities not because we’re smarter than everyone else…. it’s because we are taught to view the world  – and ourselves – differently. My shorthand for it is ‘thinking like an astronaut.’ But you don’t have to go to space to learn to do that.  

It’s mostly a matter of changing your perspective.”

                                                                                                                       Page 36.  An Astronaut’s Guide to Life. Chris Hadfield.

Want to sharpen you personal leadership skills or reboot your life?
Interested in working with me? Contact me at drew@drewsimmie.com
or call direct 416.450.8867.  Follow me on Twitter

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