For 8 years in high school and university I worked part-time at a grocery store. Most of the job was spent working in the produce department but I spent time in pretty much every department in the store.

One of my jobs was as a cashier which happened when the store got busy. I have a vivid and rather odd memory of one particular experience on cash and I can <more>

We were doing a major renovation on our house about 10 years ago. When you start taking apart an old building, you inevitably find issues you were not anticipating. Subsequently, there were more delays and cost overruns than expected. As our move-in date approached, it was obvious <more>

I was facilitating a program for a leadership team last week and we begin the day using an exercise intended to strengthen trust within this 10 person team and to help them get to know each other better.

The exercise involves having each person <more>

Last month I was out of town for a few days. It’s 10pm and I get a text from my wife,

“Hi are you awake”

“Yes watching the game”

“I tried calling you”

After 38 years I know what this means, so I <more>

On September 22 there were 100 days left in 2023 and I felt compelled to make the commitment to stop drinking alcohol for the rest of 2023. 100 days alcohol-free. Don’t get me wrong, I love a glass of Pinot or Chianti but I have been noticing my sleep suffers terribly when I have a couple glasses of wine and I just don’t feel as well. I’m not a doctor but I think <more>

How do you have hope when all seems lost ?

Our 8-year old grandson Max has been playing little league baseball for 3 years now. This past summer he was in the league, where for the first time: they pitched, had balls and strikes and outs, and counted runs—although the kids always counted the runs from day one !

As we watched his last game of the regular season, we were amazed by how much fun the team had in spite of <more>

We had just returned home from a relaxing week of summer vacation and were looking forward to morning tea on the back deck. I slide open the patio door, take two steps, and I’m engulfed in a stench. I’m thinking, “I don’t know what that smell is, but we can’t have tea out here this morning.” So we have our tea on the front porch. 

We settle in and I say, “What do you think that smell is Hon ?” 

<more>

Last month I received a piece of insightful feedback on one of our foundational habit building courses. She said, “The simplest tasks can be the most difficult.” Referring to the simple practice of making a gratitude list, she is not alone. It is difficult for many people because life gets in the way. Whether it’s a project deadline at work, needing to clean things up before going on vacation, sick kids, whatever—life is going to happen and if you don’t have a system that ensures you maintain your Habitual Ritual (i.e. making your gratitude list), your simple gratitude practice will fall to the wayside.

The science behind behaviour change and building consistent habits that serve you is crystal clear—your success in building and maintaining a new habit is <more>

We all get knocked off our game at times.

While watching the US Open golf tournament a couple months back, an incident happened to one of the contenders who is normally calm cool and collected. Typically this guy saunters when he walks and he never looks like he’s in a hurry. As I turn on the TV, I see him storm off the green. I’m thinking, “I wonder what happened to him.”

It turns out <more>

If you recall from the post on April 19, Vantage Point Bias influences the way you experience gratitude. This bias is derived from your unique vantage point and is a reflection of the music you listen to, the type of work that brings you joy, the movies you watch, the food you eat, the people you hangout with, the leisure activities you enjoy—it is a reflection of <more>

Last month we went live with a new ERP operating system for my business. The new system has everything from CRM, finances, scheduling, email marketing, website engagement, document signing, file storage and more—it seems like it does it all ! There are still a few tweaks needed but I never imagined <more>

Recently, I was on a call with a client who was explaining all the reasons why they couldn’t do something their peers were doing because their situation was so different from that of their peers and they didn’t have the time like the others. As I listened, I realized <more>

We are just closing the chapter on a wildfire that ravaged the outskirts of the city. We used to live in one of the neighbourhoods affected by the fire and know many of the people evacuated and a few of the families who lost their homes.

On the day the fire started, I just happened to be <more>

Last week during a presentation, an audience participant asked me a question that comes up regularly.

“How do I deal with those 10% of people who are always negative and seem to consume 90% of my time ?”

First off—great question ! Secondly, because it’s a common issue, here’s my step-by-step approach to <more>

Last week during a presentation an audience participant asked me a critical thinking question. It turns out it’s a question I have never been asked nor a question I’ve asked myself.

So following a flurry of insightful questions, Craig steps up. He asks, <more>

Last week I was talking with Ashton who illustrates this blog and I said something like, “I’m doing pretty good on next week’s post—I’m about 90% there. I should have it to you by Wednesday or Thursday.” Friday morning I get an email from her, “Do you have the blog ready for next week ?”

The short answer—no. The long answer—<more>

After a 12 day vacation with a friend, Lyn gets home tonight. I’m excited to see her and even though we’ve been texting daily, I can’t wait to hear all about her trip. 

So for the past 12 days, it’s been Shangri-La for me—in our family that’s what we jokingly call <more>

Have you ever found yourself reliving old memories and longing for them again ? If so, be careful.

10 years into my career at Nova Scotia Power, it would still come up in casual conversations, “Yea, it’s just not the same here anymore—no Christmas turkey…” And the person would continue a romantic reflection on the past with a litany of things that had changed. Here’s the thing—the Christmas turkey was almost always the <more>

Have you ever noticed how entitlement and complacency can creep into a workplace and then just take over ? Complacency and entitlement are mindsets that destroy your culture, and yes, it’s leadership that prevents complacency and entitlement from ruining your culture, but what aspect of leadership ? <more>

In the first 2 or 3 years of school—primary through grade 2, right after we sang the national anthem, the school sold treats that you could take outside during morning recess. Every now and then, Mom and Dad gave us some change so my brother Pete and I could get our favourite—the Jos. Louis. If you’re not familiar, the Jos. Louis is <more>