7 Good Things About Tough Times

           

I drove by a flea market last weekend and cars were spilling out of the parking lot. It struck me that there might just be an upside to today’s post pandemic reboot. Flea markets, second-hand, and consignment stores seem to be doing well. It means we’re buying less, recycling more, and contributing to a greener environment. Good news, right?

So, because I’m a glass half full kind of person, I decided to spend some time mining the silver lining in what some might see as stormy clouds. Here’s… More Posted on 05-30-23

They Ran to Help

While not especially earth-shattering, two recent incidents got me thinking about trust and its importance. 

The first incident took place as my husband and I were running an errand and got stuck two cars behind a stalled pickup truck on a one-way bridge with no way to maneuver around.

As my husband and I watched, an adult male slowly struggled to get out of the passenger seat. We soon realized he was moving to the rear of the truck to try to push it out of traffic. It also became apparent… More Posted on 05-04-23

When Change Feels Too Hard….

Sigh. Change is hard, especially now. Transformative, innovative change is harder. Change is overwhelmingly hard when we’re not quite sure what to do and/or are pressed for time and resources. There are many in that same boat, paddling like mad, simply to stay afloat.

The result is often a tendency to stick with what we know and stay the course. Problem is we can’t always be sure that all our paddling is sending us in the right direction. Consequently, staying the course may end up being the greatest risk of all.

… More Posted on 04-22-23

Finally I have a Category

Over the years family and friends have often asked me, “Exactly what is it you do?”

For most people, it’s a relatively straightforward question. For me, not so much.

Although it took me far too long to figure out, I am an inherent systems-thinker who needs the picture on the top of the puzzle box in order to put the pieces together.

Being wired to view the big picture I assumed other people saw it as well. Unfortunately, most of them did not.

Typically, their emphasis instead was placed on just one or… More Posted on 03-28-23

Maybe Bigger Isn’t Better?

             

One of the best parts of getting older is that most of us do get to know ourselves better and find what we are passionate about. When we do figure it out, some of those disjointed, dancing dots do get connected. For me, this has resulted in knowing I find joy in learning more about community leadership and how we can better nurture the development of our communities as strong, healthy, and vibrant places to live, work and play.

Recently my work seems to have focused on the… More Posted on 03-06-23

IQ. EQ. Now XQ?

Don’t tell anyone, but as a community futurist, I might just have an advantage over others.

That advantage comes as the result of having worked with more rural than urban communities over the past 15 years and learning there is a great deal of strategic foresight to be gained by paying attention to what’s happening at the grassroots of Canada. 

One of the most interesting ‘edge’ or ‘weak’ signals we’re sensing in small, rural and remote communities is the increasing number of ‘empty-nest’ females who have chosen to become involved in local politics.… More Posted on 02-13-23

Legacy Lessons from a Wanna-be Tap Dancer

             

My Mom passed away a year ago. One would think I would have been clear about the exact date of such a significant anniversary, but the truth is I was caught up in the stress of delivering two workshops and a keynote at a conference and hadn’t kept track of the exact date.

After-dinner musical entertainment was part of the final evening at the conference and a very talented father and daughter duo played one of the daughter’s favourite songs. Turns out it was also one of… More Posted on 02-09-23

More than One Feather

             

It began, as many success stories do, with a small group of determined individuals sitting around a table.

As someone once told me, when you hit bottom, the best thing to do is stick out your legs and push. And push they did.

When a community is in trouble, the pushing off often begins with a small group of individuals coming together to talk. These conversations are the beginning of change and ultimately the solutions for a stronger, healthier, more vibrant community. 

In this case, the… More Posted on 01-13-23

It’s About More Than Lettuce

                   

                    No time to read? Here’s the link to the recording.

Not sure about others, but in our home we typically attempt to offset the impact of holiday indulgences by eating more salads than usual.

This year eating lighter and healthier has been tempered somewhat by the cost of produce. When a bag of three puny heads of tired California romaine lettuce hit $9.00, I kept walking and instead reached for a locally… More Posted on 01-03-23

What I Wanted for Christmas

             

I got exactly what I wanted for Christmas – collective joy.

Like many others, by the beginning of December I was tapped out. As a result, I was much too susceptible to the magpie syndrome and easily distracted by anything bright and shiny. Even more disturbing is that I found myself at risk for being drawn into what some are calling collective inertia.

To be fair, it wasn’t just Covid, work pressures, and interactions with a few too many rude people. It was also the first Christmas… More Posted on 12-28-22

What’s a Third Place and Why Pianos?

This week I heard a great CBC interview about the concept of ‘Third Places’. It twigged a memory so I went digging and found a newspaper column I had written in July 2009. Maybe a concept a little ahead of its time but today, some 13 years later, it seems even more relevant. You might be interested in knowing some of the pianos still exist and the street piano movement spread to communities around the world.
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A couple of weeks ago, 30 somewhat funky looking pianos were placed… More Posted on 12-15-22

Kindness Has Its Own Rewards

                       

I’m the first to admit I’m a big fan of retail therapy. On the other hand, I don’t consider shopping for groceries to be fun at all. For me grocery shopping is definitely a chore.

However, as I was buying groceries today, it seemed the clerk at my checkout was even less of a fan.

She just looked so miserable I felt compelled to find something positive to say.

Glancing at her I smiled and said, “You’re definitely a good… More Posted on 11-29-22

Ocean Freighter or Canoe?

While there are some who might envy those who are self-employed as social entrepreneurs, the reality is that it often comes with long hours and sleepless nights. On the flip side, it comes with many advantages.

For sure working for larger institutions or businesses comes with more security and a pension, but as I recently explained to a colleague, it’s akin to the difference between trying to steer a highly loaded ocean freighter and a nimble, flexible canoe.

The canoe is far easier to manage and better able to… More Posted on 11-21-22

It’s So Tempting To Play Ostrich

                 

Curiosity velocity is a positive attribute, but sometimes we may not like what we find.

I recently stumbled across a 2022 study by Lancet Planetary Health that surveyed 10,000 people between the ages of 16 to 25 from 10 different countries.

Here’s the sad part.

Three-quarters of those surveyed said, “the future is frightening” with more than half believing that “humanity is doomed.” Nearly 4 in 10 said that they were hesitant about having children.

Some 58 percent of those surveyed said their… More Posted on 11-15-22

The Soft Side of Innovation

                         

I have a brain that is constantly leapfrogging.

So while my thought processes may not be typical, I’ve learned over the years to roll with it and explore whenever I can. While it often makes for chaotic conversations in my head, it typically leads to learnings that are deep, meaningful, and informative.

As a result, when my brain recently landed on the topic of focus groups, it seemed important to pay attention.

Not as random as it might sound, the subject was… More Posted on 11-11-22

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