Goals For The Upcoming Year

A week from now I will be celebrating another birthday.

What should I focus on for the next twelve months?

• To be a supportive, loving partner
• To be a positive role model / influence at every opportunity
• To honour my body with nutritious dietary choices
• To remain healthy, vibrant and active
• To be happy, positive, friendly and loving
• To be reliable, trustworthy and helpful
• To improve, learn, grow and explore
• To enjoy and appreciate the many good things in life
• To remain productive, prosperous and an asset to many
• To cultivate new friendships
• To strive for compassion, understanding and patience
• To seek out win - win situations

I believe that these goals are worthy and attainable

I look forward to the year to come ...
it will bring wonderful things

photographs and memories

Recently Janice and I created a "Friends and Family" photo gallery on a wall here at our place. We'ed been meaning to do it for a while, and finally rounded up the pictures and mounted them.

It's nice to have a gallery, in a prominent place where we can be reminded of people in our lives, past and present. Mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, my step daughters, nieces, nephews, close friends and even a few reminders of ourselves from years ago.

Snapshots of special moments, and celebrations ... now every time we go upstairs, or come downstairs, these pictures bring us warmth and smiles. As time passes these captured moments become more precious.

We will add to the gallery as time goes on ... there is always room for more happy moments.

attitude adjustment

Once in a while I find myself a little short of patience.

I don't like being cranky, and sometimes have to make a bit of an effort to escape from that mind set.

Let's face it ... if we don't get a decent night's sleep, feel pressured by challenges and responsibilities, or are in a bit of a rut, most of us can find ourselves feeling frustrated.

Often we can't control what comes our way,

but we can control how we react to it.

Strategies I use to try when I want to improve my attitude:

• Get a little more exercise
• Contemplate the GOOD things in your life
• Seek more sunshine
• Force yourself to do something you've been putting off
• Listen to music
• Take a St. John's Wort
• Focus on happy events you are looking forward to in the future
• Treat yourself to a treat that you can be proud of, is healthy, and honours yourself
• Get out and get some fresh air
• Escape, and go see a "feel good" movie
• Think about your accomplishments, and take pride in your good work
• Use positive affirmations to remind yourself of good things
• Meet a friend for a coffee or tea
• Give people around you a heads up and warn them of your state of mind

It can be a challenge at this time of year for some of us Canadians to stay positive ... we can feel like we've had enough of winter and are ready for spring ... there can be a lack of sunshine, and at times we can feel a little stir crazy ...

Fight the blues!

We deserve to be healthy and happy,

and the people around us don't deserve to be exposed to our crankiness.

The choice is ours ... we can selfishly dwell in despair, frustration and anger, or we can spend more time feeling good about life and who we are ...

my former self

It wouldn't surprise me to learn that many people can't relate to me anymore ... I am not the man I used to be.

There was a time when I was aggressive and demanding. I am far from perfect, and at times still probably a little demanding, but I am a work in progress. I am not perfect, and expect I never will be. I have come a long way, but know that it is a never ending journey.

I have spent much of my life like many people ... a little misguided. My idea of success was to dominate and win. Anyone can live this way, but there is a price that comes with the lifestyle. Stress and unhappiness were side effects of the world I lived in then. I remember the pressure of the destructive nature of my life back then. It was taking it's toll on my health ... I knew it was no way to live, and that changes needed to be made.

There was a point when I enjoyed arguments, and could win most ... but it produced a lot of negative energy. I could feel the toxic juices flowing throughout my body during the heat of battles ... it was ugly, and in the end, wrong.

I decided that my lifestyle, the way I thought, my goals and intentions had to re - tuned to be healthier and more loving. I set out on a mission to improve my world, my future, my spirit and my health. It would be an upward spiral that involved daily efforts to tap into the positive forces within us all, and focus on what is good in our world.

Adversity can often be a wonderful catalyst for change, and for me it was a battle with Crohn's Disease and a failed marriage. I remember not liking who I was back then and knowing my life needed to change.

Setbacks happen. They are part of life, and we all stumble from time to time. If we can learn from them, forgive and move on, we can be richer for it.

I continue to try to grow and improve. I focus on love, joy and positivity. Life has improved and my world is filled with many good things I am grateful for. The journey continues, day by day, and I keep heading for that man I want to be.

self image

How we think of ourselves is a funny thing. Things such as life experience and gender can make quite a difference in our perspective.

Women can often be very hard on themselves. The images shown in media certainly can contribute to the average female feeling inadequate. It's been my experience that far too many women struggle with self esteem, and unfortunately sell themselves short.

Kids, with their wonderful honesty, often struggle with who they are in the world. At the younger ages they can be like sponges ... soaking up all the bad things that might be said about them.

As I get older, I am more at peace with myself than I was long ago. I remember parts of the journey that brought me to where I am today, and am grateful for for the people I have been lucky enough to know. I remember feeling lost ... wondering who I was, and what was my place in the universe.

I've heard it said that there are three realities: How we see ourselves, how other people see us, and how we really are.

I don't have all the answers these days, but I do feel like I at least belong.

dealing with stress

Here are some top tips on how to effectively combat stress-


Stay Organized

Find ways to keep things where you can find them.
Scrambling to find things creates unnecessary, avoidable stress.
Investigate solutions to organizational challenges.


Seek Balance in Your Life

If you are overworked and run down, you can become sick.
If you are sick, you will be unable to rise the challenges in your life.
Do what you need to do to take time to rest and play along with all the work you do. How you manage your downtime will help you be at your best during up time. Take the time to recharge and rejuvenate.


Don't Focus on Negative Things

Life may present us with problems, but obsessing on them only makes them more of a burden.
Recognize them, acknowledge them and move on.
Look for positive things in your life that bring you happiness.
Be grateful for supportive friends and the wonderful things around you that bring you joy.
Contemplate sources of happiness in your world.


Surround Yourself With Support

Seek out people who are healthy for you.
Friends and loved ones who care for you want to help, enjoy the opportunity to help. Often talking with someone can go a long way in sharing the burden.
Avoid people who are negative and destructive or minimize contact with them if possible.


Take Good Care of Yourself

Eat properly ... nutritious, healthy foods are the fuel that will help keep you functioning at your best. look at the things you are putting in your body ... they affect your body chemistry and make a big difference in how you cope with stress and rise to the challenges of your world.
Exercise ... find activities you enjoy to help you stay active and perform at your best. Exercise helps us feel alive and rise to the expectations life will present us. Take the stairs instead of the elevator ... go for walks, or find some other outlet to increase your physical activity.
Invest in yourself ... make the time to do the things that you need to do for you, so you can be at your best ... healthy and strong.
Be your biggest supporter ... use positive affirmations to reinforce the good things in your life.


Stress is inevitable. Life presents us challenges daily ... some small, and some huge. How well we cope with stress depends on how well we’ve prepared ourselves for life’s bumps and bruises.
Investing in yourself empowers you to conquer the challenges and be at your best. Believe in yourself … you have what it takes to minimize and overcome stress.

Stay healthy and arm yourself with the necessary tools to thrive.

focus

Every day we are given several choices. Our lives are cluttered and busy, and we are constantly presented with challenges and opportunities.

We experience happiness, disappointments, frustrations, joy ... we discover, perceiver, observe and wind through the responsibilities of our day.

From the moment we get up to start our day until the moment we fall back asleep 17 or 18 hours later, we set the tone within us. Our attitude colours our reactions, and our intentions reverberate to those around us. Everywhere we go there is an opportunity to make the world a better place.

As we encounter our challenges throughout the day we can focus on the frustrations involved, or we can focus on the opportunity to improve some small aspect of the world. We have the choice to focus on the energy of a task, or the repercussions of our accomplishments.

What we focus on throughout our day makes things easier or harder for us, and those near us. If we carry with us intentions of caring, warmth and patience, those around us sense that, and are more receptive. When we focus on happiness and friendliness, all who we come in contact with see that within us.

Our realities are ultimately shaped by ourselves. If we live in a world of conflict and confrontation, the stress becomes a burden and life miserable. If we carry with us an air of smiles and joy, our world becomes a happy warm, place.

What we focus on throughout the day can make all the difference.

adjusting nicely, thank you

I arrived here in Ottawa five months ago. I remember driving into the city ... coming down Carling Avenue in rush hour and feeling exhilarated and a little lost. Ottawa is a little bigger than Winnipeg, and I did not know the city at all really.

Thank goodness for my GPS. It has come in handy many times. It's not perfect, but it is a valuable navigation tool that has helped me find my way around.

As I revisit various areas, I become more confident and comfortable with the city. Janice and I are fairly active, and this ends up taking us out and around often.

Ottawa has a lot to offer ... and we are out there exploring and discovering and playing.

Last night we enjoyed a play at The National Arts Centre downtown. After, we walked a few blocks to enjoy a beer at The Royal Oak. It was a beautiful summery evening.

My favourite beer in Winnipeg was Fort Garry Dark, and it has been a challenge to find anything comparable here so far ... but last night I enjoyed a Waterloo Dark. It was good : )

Earlier this week, I enjoyed an evening of beach volleyball at Britannia Beach ... the beautiful sunset and awesome weather were a wonderful treat.

I am so glad we came here ... the weather, volleyball, cycling, theatre, music, travel opportunities, and so much more. Ottawa is a vibrant city that promotes healthy active lifestyles ... and as the years have passed this has become more import to us.

I feel happy and alive ... and it is truly wonderful.

I am a wealthy man

On days like today, I can't help but count my blessings.

Th sun is shining, I'm healthy and things are great.

I feel like I'm a wealthy man ... not financially, but in other, more important ways.
The bills are paid, there's food in the kitchen and summer is around the corner.
I live in a nice house, in a great neighbourhood, in a fantastic city.

It's like my life is coming into balance.

But ... what really makes me truly wealthy is Janice.
Nothing can bring one peace, joy and happiness as a loving supportive partner.

I am a lucky, lucky man.

spring is around the corner

Winter in Canada can be harsh. The cold and wind can chill you to your bones. Often we can be tempted to hide indoors and avoid having to deal with outdoor activities until it gets nicer out.

We Canadians are pretty rugged, though. As a young prairie boy, I grew up playing hockey outside even on the ugliest of days. There have been many times when the howling wind and the extreme temperatures have made the wind chill dangerous to spend time with any skin exposed .

The cold winters help us truly appreciate the summers here. There is nothing like feeling the sunshine on a beautiful summer day after enduring another Canadian winter.

It's March now, and the worst of the Winter weather is behind us. Ahead lies bike rides, walks in the park and exploring Ottawa's outdoor concert scene.

Life is full of good times and happy memories. It can't all be sunshine and good times ... if it were we wouldn't appreciate it as much. Sometimes remembering that better times are ahead helps us get through the not so good times.