Like a pair of giant needles, technology and globalization have knitted us together, like it or not.

Whether we are in Toronto, Toledo or Timbuktu, we are living in a giant global village – interconnected, interdependent and demanding we broaden our world view.

Broadly speaking, a view world is a set of expectations and biases we have formed that shapes how we see and feel about people in other nations and, indeed, even in our own cities and neighbourhoods – each with their own world view.

Accommodation isn’t always easy but as distances and time continue to shrink, it is good to remember that most of us, regardless of where we stand on the globe, are just trying to get through the day, striving to stay alive, better our conditions, to do the best by our families and those for whom we care.

We are not the same, of course. Our cultures, religions, educational backgrounds societal differences can make strangers of us – but only if we let them.

The songs we sing, the stories we tell, sounds and words that to others can sound foreign, even threatening. Still, as the world gets smaller, we need to make the effort to narrow the gap, remembering that a stranger is only a person whose story or song we have never heard – until we are willing to listen.

Need a good listener as you plan your future? Like me to speak to your group? I am easily reachable. Text/call 416.450.8867 or email drew@drewsimmie.com

Your premium brand had better be delivering something special or it’s not going to get the business. Warren Buffett.

Building a successful business takes imagination and hard work. There are always challenges, of course, and competitors snapping at your heels.

In today’s social media environment just having a new app or a good idea isn’t enough.

Creating a company or a brand is like creating a reputation for a person. You must earn it. By doing the right things well, rather than following the crowd and doing things right. Day after day, after day, after day.

For better or for worse, your brand is a reflection of your thinking, character and values.

Be authentic.

In our ever-changing society, authenticity is the most important component of a successful marketing strategy.

The most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart. They are real and sustainable.

Their foundations are stronger because they are built not only with a slick ad campaign but with the strength of the human spirit.

Need to do some strategic thinking? Like me to speak to your group? I am easily reachable. Text/call 416.450.8867 or email drew@drewsimmie.com

We choose what attitudes we have right now. And it’s a continuing choice. John Maxwell.

There’s a great mystery to life and magic in it, too. As much as we try to plan our direction and think we have it nailed, it’s never a straight line. Life doesn’t go like that.

In many respects, life comes down to the choices we make, some more important than others, as we walk along the road of our of individual journeys. At times, the road is smooth. Others are bumpy.

How we handle and smooth out the bumps has everything to do with our courage and our attitude.

Attitude is more important than the past or our education. It’s more important than what others think or say about we do.

It’s more important than money, appearances and societal convention.

It’s more important than giftedness or skills.

Attitude is about resilience, honesty and taking personal responsibility for our lives; doing the right things rather than doing things right, and making the best of our current circumstances.

When we’ve done all that, the rest will take care of itself.

Need some help smoothing out the bumps? Like me to speak to your group? I am easily reachable. Text/call 416.450.8867 or email drew@drewsimmie.com

Do you sometimes feel that, for whatever reason, time is no longer on your side? Do you wish you could turn back the clock? Sorry.

In his famous, I Have a Dream speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 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 may feel similar sentiments, especially today. The times are uncommon. 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.

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

Up on the dance floor but out of step? Need some help? Like me to speak to your group? I am easily reachable. Text/call 416.450.8867 or email drew@drewsimmie.com

When the wind changes direction, there are those who build walls and those who build windmills. Chinese proverb.

We’re living in interesting times. The era we are heading into is demanding, for sure, and not for the faint of heart.

The headwinds are strong but they portend new opportunities, new openings and new starts for those who will build windmills.

Building a windmill? Need some help? Like me to speak to your group? I am easily reachable. Text/call 416.450.8867 or email drew@drewsimmie.com