While I do come from a long line of women who’ve always done more than their share of what needed to be done, the truth is I like to work.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, I married a guy who likes work as much as I do. Our saving grace is that we’ve learned to pay attention to the signals that tell us when it’s time to stop working.

It happened last week when we both realized we were totally run down as the result of a summer that hadn’t included a lot of play, and a September that… More Posted on 09-11-11

The Pursuit of Happiness

Sometimes information just seems to land in our laps exactly when we need it. The trick, of course, is to pay attention. This week as I was speed walking through a store I was stopped dead in my tracks by a poster with these words, “There is more to life than increasing its speed.”

It seems to be a common refrain these days as the majority of us are dealing with more and more data and less and less time. According to a recent digital lifestyle survey by Magnify.net, consumers and web surfers are facing a deluge of data… More Posted on 08-28-11

Is Our Community Ready?

One would think that at this point in my life, there wouldn’t be much left for me to get to know about myself.  As a result, it came as a bit of a surprise this week when a conversation with someone who barely knows me was the catalyst for an insight that really made me think. 

While I know I am a big picture thinker who likes to connect the dots, he made me realize how much I was assuming others saw things the same way. I figured everyone views communities through a lens like mine and therefore understands… More Posted on 08-20-11

When Did I Get Old?

I like to think of myself as being somewhat in step. I read blogs, magazines and newspapers, utilize technology, and try to dress in a way that reflects an awareness of fashion trends.  Most importantly, I see the value, and invest time in, learning from the youngins.  I fight to stay young in my heart and in my head, even though happy hour is now more apt to mean a nap. 

As a result, it came as a bit of a surprise this week to learn I’ve been date stamped.

During a workshop I was delivering, I used the… More Posted on 08-14-11

The Guy in Orange Pants

By his own admission, he’s the guy likely to show up wearing orange pants.

He describes himself as curious, focused, and engaged.  Not only that, he loves learning, reads a lot, and enjoys teaching others.

When asked to describe his personal brand, he suggests it would need to incorporate being innovative and promoting alternative solutions and efficiencies. 

And, while these qualities are those we profess to need in order to respond to our changing world, an employment history within several colleges and universities has failed to capture the head and heart of this bright, well-educated, and engaging young… More Posted on 08-12-11

Teach Me But Make it Snappy

There are good days and there are bad days, and yesterday was one of them.

Having taught in a variety of settings, including a college classroom for a number of years, I’ve always been a believer in the value of face-to-face learning.  As a result, no one is more surprised than me to learn I’ve become a big fan of delivering training online. 

Technologies have improved significantly since I first taught on the web so I’m not referring to those one way webcasts where someone talks at you and then invites you to type in questions. Instead, it’s now… More Posted on 07-31-11

Five Reasons to Quit Your Job

A colleague, in a move that will surprise the many who know, respect, and admire her for her knowledge and for her kindness, submitted her resignation this week.

While many will question her decision to leave a secure, well-paid position after 20 years, I’m not one of them. Instead, I think she’s being remarkably courageous for recognizing a situation that is no longer tenable.

At the risk of sounding like someone with a sketchy employment history, it made me think about the jobs I’ve quit in the past, why I did it, and how I knew it was… More Posted on 07-18-11

The Family that Plays Together Stays Together

When I met my now husband, he was a single dad raising two sons. At the time, his boys were age ten and twelve, mine was three. We clicked, as did the kids, and so went on together to buy and renovate a house, get married, juggle careers, businesses and school, and raise our blended family of noisy, active, delightful children.

Regardless of how busy we were, we always made family vacations a priority. Skiing in the winter and camping in the summer became part of our agreed-upon rituals even when the money was tight. 

Ultimately those vacations… More Posted on 07-10-11

Five Ways to Fight for a Youthful Spirit

I’ve always been a fan of both the face and the physique of actor Rob Lowe. Sigh.  However, after his recent interview with Oprah, I must admit to becoming a fan of how he thinks.

Knowing he was 47 years old, Oprah asked Lowe if he was facing the same difficulties as actresses as they approached middle age working within an industry that was so youth-obsessed. Lowe replied that while he couldn’t say for sure; he did know that he wanted to remain young in spirit. He went on to explain that a youthful spirit meant approaching every day… More Posted on 06-27-11

A Cowboy Tips His Hat

While most Canadians are aware of the devastating impact of forest fires on Great Slave Lake, they perhaps aren’t as aware of the many acts of generosity and kindness it has inspired.

I learned about one this past week as I listened to CBC Radio and heard how singer, songwriter, actor, and activist Tom Jackson, somehow managed to pull off a sold out concert to benefit the town within two and a half weeks. Everyone involved with the production described getting it together on such short notice as an amazing act of community.

One of the biggest draws was Canadian… More Posted on 06-19-11

If We Knew Then What We Know Now About Parenting!

While I like to think my husband and I have been good parents to our collective brood, I’m boggled as to why our sons have had any struggles at all over the years. After all, from both a material and an opportunity perspective, they have had so much more than we did growing up.

Whereas both my husband and I grew up in blue collar, sometimes dysfunctional families who had to work hard to pay the bills, our kids had their material needs met, grew up in a stable loving home, experienced the role modeling of solid values, were… More Posted on 06-06-11

Kool-aid and Kids at Hope

I drank the Kool-aid.

While not a religion or anything at all like Jonestown, it is as good as it gets if one defines a cult as great devotion to an idea or movement. It also has a passionate guru in Rick Miller, the founder of a belief system known as “Kids at Hope”.

It began in 1993 as Miller’s reaction to concerns that too many kids were being labeled as “youth at risk”. Fighting back, Miller, the founder and now CEO of the non-profit movement known as “Kids at Hope”, made the decision to flip to the other side… More Posted on 05-25-11

Command without Control?

Now that we’ve survived another election, I’m going to apply my Pollyannaish thinking, click my heels three times, and hope that Ottawa can now focus on what really matters.

It seems the United States may already be heading in that direction with the release of a critical document that doesn’t seem to have garnered as much media as would be warranted, even though it makes the case for, and then provides, a new narrative for the entire country.

It is a narrative that answers the same kind of questions Canada should be asking in this time of rapid and… More Posted on 05-02-11

A One-Size-Fits-All Solution for Large Scale Change?

Sometimes it takes an outsider to hold up a mirror to bring clarity to your journey.

This week I received an email from one of our government funders that included a link to an article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

The article talked about creating collective impact for social change by working collaboratively across sectors. It pointed out that collaboration, partnerships, networks, and other joint efforts to address specific social challenges, are nothing new. However, as our funder pointed out, the project we’re working on together is a form of collective impact because it is focusing on… More Posted on 04-25-11

Speak Your Possibility

Have you ever been to a conference or presentation where the speaker wraps up by inviting questions from the audience?

Despite typically having a mitt-full of questions, I must admit I’ve rarely had the chutzpah to take any of them up on the invitation. 

However, last week at the Rural Alberta Development Fund’s Blue Sky Conference I made the leap and stood up to ask a question because of a number of points made by the speaker, Eric Saperston, as he shared his story. Eric, a critically acclaimed film director, producer, and writer, spoke about the importance of… More Posted on 04-10-11

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