ENCOURAGEMENTS Blog

After a while it all starts to look the same.  One hotel looks like another.  One complimentary breakfast buffet looks like another. Blurry eyed after a late night and an early morning I quickly scanned the breakfast buffet for something to eat that I wouldn’t later regret.  Typically it’s a banana, strawberry yogurt, and some scrambled eggs. Hmm, there are …

Do you ever go into those ‘motivational stores’?  Do you know what I’m talking about?  You know, those home décor stores that have motivational art all over the place? Or, you could find the same kind of décor in coffee shops.  Coffee shops are great places to discover and soak in some great motivation. I’ve discovered some great truisms: If …

“Who’s the f’n new guy?” Ah, that would be me. Do you remember Sesame Street?  They had a feature on the show where they would show 3 items/objects.  Two of the objects would be similar or related somehow and one of them would be totally out of place.  For example: a bed, a chaise lounge and a carrot. The song …

Do you like dogs?  Do you have a dog? We don’t have a dog, though, we had 3 dogs over the course of my childhood. Our first dog was Spooky.  My dad said he was a cross between a weasel and a pine tree stump.  Truth be told we didn’t quite know what kind of dog he was, except that …

Ah, yes.  Do you remember? There are a number of you who read the title to this article and knew exactly what I was referring to.  And, there are a number of you, who are of a younger demographic cohort, who have no idea what the title is all about. Way back in late 1970’s the first VCR was introduced …

“Dave, there’s something I’ve been meaning to share with you…” And so began a rich, meaningful and difficult conversation with a friend and client. We’d been enjoying a great dinner together talking about the work that I do, and that we do together.  We have known each other for over 10 years and have been working closely together for the …

“Put aside the ranger and become who you were born to be.” One of the most iconic lines in the movie, The Return of the King – the final installment of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Do you remember the situation? The evil forces of Mordor, under the leadership of Sauron and Saruman, were attacking middle earth: the home …

Did you play competitive team sports when you were younger? Maybe you still do. My years in competitive team sports ended over 3 decades ago.  My team sports “career” ended rather abruptly during university when I shattered my leg playing soccer.  It was a nasty experience that took 3 years to heal. Prior to that I played football in high …

Recently I met with an out-of-province business owner.  I was learning he came from a rich family heritage including a close senior relative who had served as a beloved Premier of their province.  As he relayed his recollection of his famous relative he made this statement that immediately captured my attention, “Even into his old age he remained very curious.  …

Suzanne Ciani is a pioneer.  She’s an innovator.  She’s a musical genius.  She helped create a whole new musical genre in the late 1970s and early 1980’s.  She is, arguably, an icon. She was the first female electronic musician.  Her instrument of choice was the Buchla Analog Modular Synthesizer.  She created sounds no one had ever heard before. I had …