ENCOURAGEMENTS Blog

Do you like amusement park rides? There are some pretty crazy rides out there.  For some people the crazier the better; for others the tamer the better. There are all kinds of tastes in rides.  Some people love the rides that are up and down, others side-to-side, others are round and round riders.  Personally I can’t handle the round and …

Have you noticed the number of people who have taken up cycling lately? It seems like armies of middle-aged, over-weight men have squeezed into spandex and hit the streets.  What a sight! I have seen all manner of shapes and sizes on high-end bikes, dressed like they’re on the Tour de France, with both feet firmly clamped into their high-tech …

Mohammed Ali was one of the greatest fighters of all time. Any boxing aficionado would not dispute that claim. Many loved him. Many hated him. No one could argue the fact that he was a great fighter. However, many would argue the claim that he was the greatest. He certainly would not argue that claim. He was the one who …

Four simple words.  The email contained four simple words – but what a profound statement: “I don’t have time.” There are two ways we don’t have time:  1. Time is our master.  2. Time is our servant.  And they are very different scenarios. Each of us is given the same amount of time in every day:  24 hours, or 1440 …

 When I was in New York City a couple years ago I had the pleasure of participating in a presentation given by a company that helped clean up after the 9/11 attacks. Maxon’s is a “restoration contractor” – the kind of company insurance companies call in to restore things after a disaster. The owner of the company told the conference …

My older brother is a great leader.  He has led the same organization for the last 30 years.  He has led them from very humble beginnings to become an organization of significant influence in their city.  He provides mentoring to other leaders across Canada and the US.  And, he speaks at numerous conferences and schools around the world. He has …

“Through train approaching, please stand clear”, announced the distinctly English-accented pre-recorded message. “What does that mean?”, I wondered, then moved closer to the edge of the platform to peer down the tracks to see what was coming. What met me was terrifyingly exhilarating.  It was ‘exhilifying’ to say the least.  Every other train that came to the Windsor platform stopped, …

I bought a new car recently. Well, new to me. It’s a 2010 Audi A5 Cabriolet. Black on black. Twenty inch rims with over-sized low profile tires. Two litre turbocharged engine. Premium plus package – the works. Only 44,000 kms. Wow. I have never had a car like this. And “no”, I am not having a mid-life crisis. My first …

“Hello!  Lovely to meet you!  My name is Jonathon.”, said my new friend. I replied cordially, a little taken aback by his enthusiastically gregarious introduction, complete with vigorous, prolonged hand shake.  He was certainly passionate…and loud. “Do you work here?”, I inquired. “Yes, I make all the dishes clean and shiny so the customers are happy.”, he replied with a …

My wife teaches teachers at a university.  For close to 30 years she has been passionate about teaching.  She currently works with teachers in training – she loves it.  She has a burden to help student teachers become the best teachers they can be. In light of my wife’s passion for teaching, we have watched a number of movies about …