I stopped work at 4 PM yesterday, opened a bottle of Pinot noir, parked my ass on the couch, and then watched RuPaul’s Drag Race. We ordered pizza for dinner, I made banana bread, and had a slice of that too. Ugh! This morning, I still feel stuffed from the pizza, and I’ve yet to have a workout this week. What do I need to change to make working out at home not only easier, but more frequent?
After writing the above in my journal, my coaching brain was activated. I realized I should create a new Personal Evolution Process (P.E.P.) for myself that would also be useful for others. While reading how this came about, consider something you know you want and need to do, but for whatever reason, you’re not doing it. …
So, 2020 happened. We all have a story to tell about a year that will be spoken about and analyzed by historians, sociologists, scientists, and political pundits for many years to come.
The usual refrain of, “This is going to be my best year ever,” was not unexpectedly absent, at least from the many article titles I’ve gleaned on Medium. …
I am pleased to share this intimate discussion with my cousin, Kelly Walker. If ever there were a person to speak with about the fragile but necessarily formative transitions that happen in our lives, that require both trust and love of the self and others, it is Kelly.
Kelly and I share a purpose in life; helping liberate people and transforming institutions. In our discussion, Kelly shares the wisdom of living life as a celebration. At 79, he is living as a happy elder who accepts himself as (his words) both ‘old’ and ‘older.’ …
This Personal Evolution Process is about reflecting on the most meaningful events and experiences that shaped you in 2020. You might want to book an hour or two to work your way through this process, and you might want to add to it over the next couple of days as you remember important milestones and insights.
Allow yourself to answer freely and without judgement. Don’t think of this as an assessment of your past year. Consider the facts of what happened, what really stands out, and how those experiences shaped you. Jot down recollections as they come to you and feel free to come back and add more colour. If you think you’re forgetting something, review your calendar and journals to discover forgotten highlights in your year. …
One of the biggest mistakes we make in human relationships is expecting others to act in a particular way.
We may expect them to accept and care for us in a way that will satisfy our needs, but that is not something we can control. We may get emotional, angry, or frustrated when people don’t do what we expect them to do.
In the second bonus part of this episode, “Personal Evolution Practice (PEP): Love and Respect,” you’ll discover how to create clear definitions about what the feelings of love and respect mean to you.
Recently, a friend of mine went through a very difficult experience. A couple of people that he cares about a great deal didn’t give him the same level of attention, care, and love — at a time when we really needed support — that he has consistently offered them.
He shared with me what he thought should be “normal human behaviour” and how people should act. …
“It’s hard to believe it’s one week till Christmas,” my friend told me over text. “What an odd year. It doesn’t feel Christmassy to me at all.”
It doesn’t have to feel Christmassy.” I replied. “There are no rules.”
“No, that’s true. But it has always made me happy before,” he wrote.
“We’re doing the best to make our Christmas feel festive,” I replied. “I bought some Prosecco. We ordered Christmas Eve dinner from our favourite restaurant, the House on Parliament. …
In the middle of March 2020, the province of Ontario (where I live) went into official lockdown responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We knew it was coming. Many businesses had already started closing down, going online, and so on. It was just a matter of how severe and what we would or wouldn’t be able to do as per Federal and Provincial guidelines.
Those first few weeks were an emotional rollercoaster for all of us, and not just for Ontario and the rest of Canada, but for the countries that were already in more severe lockdowns like Italy and Spain. …
If you are a creative, an entrepreneur, or a business owner, you wear many hats and do a variety of tasks in your work every day. If you’re pulled in too many directions but still need to show up in all parts of your business, the only way you can establish and keep boundaries is to make them known to others.
You will need to tell the people you work with and your customers when you are available. The same applies for keeping true to your personal commitments. …
Since my last update, I realize I’ve published three “How-to” type posts. I admit I’m always suspicious of ‘listicle-posts’ and ‘how-to’ posts on Medium.
From the classic, “How I got 11,345 new followers from one post,” to “How to earn $2,678.72 in on month publishing on Medium just like me,” these posts are always about how it worked for the person writing, and as they say as a disclaimer in most weight-loss or body-building supplement ads, “Result may vary.”
A ‘How-to’ will either be a template — like how to reassemble the camera in the picture above (if you don’t follow the instructions to the letter you won’t have a working camera) — or a more organic approach to potentiating some form of transformation. …