February 20, 2009

YOU CAN TAKE THE BOY OUT OF A SMALL TOWN BUT...

you can't take the small town out of a boy

This week I have had the pleasure of interviewing several young hockey players for a project I am working on for this year's Legacy Tournament. By coincidence, both boys spent some of their formative years in small towns in Western Canada and you can tell. There is a difference with these kids, a certain "gee whiz, golly, aw shucks" innocence that pervades their speech and thought process. I must admit that I like it. It's not hard to see why team general managers and coaches look to the rural areas to supply so many players. The kids are respectful, willing to listen and in short, coachable.
I would guess that there is a lot less MTV and Wii and a lot more muckin' out stalls and fishin'. They are a little quieter about themselves and their accomplishments and the work ethic takes form on the ice. In interviews with rodeo contestants, the same sort of shy determination tends to come forward and has an instant appeal to most of us. By contrast, I listened to a radio interview of an ultimate fighting participant the other day who hails from LA. This kid, who has lost 4 of his last 6 fights was very full of himself and how good he was. He never missed an opportunity to put down his opponent and declare himself almost invincible.

Sure I am generalizing and we all know people who are the exception to the rule that I am trying to establish but in the long run, it's not hard to see why the NHL is populated by so many small town boys.

February 19, 2009

ANXIETY

I think everyone would agree that the level of stress these days is very high. We are witnessing banks in trouble, old line blue chip companies requiring bail-outs, our own retirement savings dwindling and everyday, another horror story about people losing everything. No wonder so many of us are trying to deal with panic and anxiety attacks that are destroying lives. If you, or someone important to you, is suffering from this very real condition, you might want to spend a few minutes looking at this Click Here!

Anxiety is something that we can deal with without the need of expensive and addictive drugs and the never ending cycle of psychoanalysis if we are open enough to consider looking at something new and I think this might represent a tested breakthrough in finding a permanent cure for panic and anxiety attacks. It will take about 10 minutes to read Click Here! and then you can make your own choice. Try it! Anyone who suffers from anxiety will do almost anything - now there is something completely natural without the typical 30 steps of attempting to cover it up and "think about something else."

I know that we are often skeptical (at least I sure am) about investigating internet claims that offer a cure to something the conventional medical community says is incurable or requires intensive drug treatment but in this case, the medical experts are beginning to take a serious look and there is some commentary from them on the page you click on. In addition, there is overwhelming evidence offered from people who suffer from anxiety and have found this program to be the answer. If nothing else, you will learn a lot about anxiety, its causes and the method of eliminating it forever Click Here! . Good luck!

February 16, 2009

Marilyn: Forever Blonde

"they'll give you a thousand dollars for a kiss
and fifty cents for your soul."
Marilyn Monroe

After Marilyn dropped the above quote, she apparently added, "I held out for the fifty cents."
We went to the highly acclaimed stage production Marilyn: Forever Blonde on Saturday and it was fabulous. If any of you get the chance to catch it - I urge you to go - it wasn't hard to see why the critics have been so generous in their praise. Marilyn was the object of many a young man's fantasy when I grew up and I still remember where I was when I heard of her tragic and lonely death that has been the subject of speculation ever since. Chatting with a couple in front of us prior to the show, we all agreed that she would have been the most surprised of all at the legacy of popularity that she left behind. Her life started and ended as a tragedy, beginning with 11 orphanages and ending alone with an empty jar of pills. Hollywood and politicians used and abused this beautiful girl whose only real fault was wanting to make something of herself. They laughed when she wanted to improve her acting skills and take on more serious roles. The loneliness was etched on her face in later years and the real tragedy seems to be the fact that she had no one looking out for her best interests. Hers is the story of powerful people interested only in themselves and caring little for who they hurt on the way to the top.

Cheers to you Marilyn, may your life provide hope and inspiration to the rest of us.

February 13, 2009

"LIFE"

I just had an interesting conversation with a friend this morning about something he had just recently posted on Facebook. He had been "tweaked" by another friend and apparently this required him to enter 25 things about himself that would reveal who he is. Needless to say, he found this very insightful, challenging and thought provoking. The process itself causes a person to think about their own life philosophy and what they believe in, what they want, where they have been and in addition, forces a person to set some priorities about their own personal action plan. We talked about the importance of actually writing these things down rather than just thinking about them - it adds a dimension of reality that only the physical act of writing can accomplish.

It takes a certain discipline and commitment to one's own life to follow through and consider and create their own philosophy and belief system. Writer's do this everyday as they continue to explore their own worlds to find the "meaning of life." Other artists are similar as they paint, act and speak from their own inner selves and consequently get in touch with an element too often ignored. I'm not so sure about revealing all in a Facebook or Blog posting, since it becomes part of a permanent digital record which can be misconstrued and taken out of context. I like the idea of handwriting it in a journal which allows a person to change, expand and be open to new thoughts without being hung out to dry by some youthful indiscretion.

Anyway, not wanting to get too "preachy" today but this seems like a worthwhile project for all of us to discover the who's, what's and why's of our own being. I'm currently about half way through a life changing program of changing old eating patterns and seeing in a very real sense, the absolute connection between our bodies and minds and the importance of journaling in that effort.

February 12, 2009

SOLAR POWER

Time spent over a cup of tea with a friend is time well spent it seems to me. My buddy from West Coast Trail fame and I took the time this morning to talk about all sorts of things - some important and some of it, just conversation. That's how the whole "Let's hike the WCT" thing started too. Anyway, we were chatting about healthy food and how easy or difficult it is to obtain when we started on about greenhouses and growing our own veggies. Somehow, and this seemed perfectly logical at the time, we got into solar power and creating a source of energy for our own uses.

I spent a bit of time on the internet and found a very interesting source of information with all of the do-it-yourself instructions from someone who has in fact, done it himself. Sounds tempting to give it a shot - take a look here Click Here! and see what you think. In any case, planting a few tomato plants this year would be a good idea - if the deer don't get them before I do. Should they be swiped by a four-legged vegetarian - perhaps a solar powered greenhouse next year.

February 9, 2009

BC Trail

tale of a BC Trail


Here we are in February and I must admit that with all of the time spent on the treadmill lately I am constantly reminded of the greatest BC Trail that I have ever experienced. It's the grand daddy of them all - the West Coast Trail - located on the western edge of Vancouver Island overlooking the Pacific Ocean. On most lists of the top 10 backpacking trips in North America, this is 7 days of heaven or hell, depending on your viewpoint and how much rain is coming down. I trained hard for that adventure and reached the bare minimum of physical prowess to successfully complete what was absolutely the experience of a lifetime. I was no backwoods backpacker before this trip but with the help and inspiration of my buddy Gord, I worked hard for about 6 months prior to the trip and then was able to absolutely revel in the sights, sounds and smells of a BC Trail that has inspired many books, including my own.

The West Coast Trail: One Step at a Time wrote itself in many ways as I relived and recounted all the training, excitement, challenge and satisfaction that a middle-aged heart could imagine. One of the keys to both experiences was the concept of middle age and wondering if I would be physically able to handle a back country hike on the rugged BC shoreline full of deep ravines, enormous trees, mud, rocks and roots. The feeling of success I experienced on this BC Trail while lugging a 55 pound backpack made everything possible, including the retelling of the tale in a book. One should not mistake this book for a trail guide but might find it more interesting as an inspiration to other men and women who have reached the age and stage in their lives when they need to test themselves.
I am often asked if I would hike this particular BC Trail again and I find it difficult to answer the question. I would love to recreate the feeling of euphoria and achievement that I felt at trail's end knowing that something very important had just transpired in my life. It was like walking through a door that opened on to a land of possibility. I have hiked and camped many a BC Trail over the years, but nothing compares to the West Coast Trail for accepting and completing a life changing challenge. Yes, I would!

OLD DOG LEARNING NEW TRIX

better late than never
What a couple of weeks it has been. Some of you may have noticed the lack of blogs recently but I have been on a pretty steep learning curve regarding some internet marketing education that I will have more to say about in the future. In addition to this business oriented program, I have embarked on what I can only say is a life altering eating program. The results, mentally and physically have been incredible, to say the least. Most of us have heard about the body/mind connection - I can report graphic and measurable evidence of this. I knew my days of eating too many snacks, rich desserts and that extra glass of wine were coming to an end but I held out over the holidays and reached the decision to make some changes as part of my New Year's changes. I truly had no idea how amazing and how fast those changes would come.
Anyway, I will have much more to say on both topics in the coming days and weeks. Until then, as most of you know, I live in this dichotomy, happy to have Diana Krall tickets for her April concert and somewhat disappointed at not having tix for the Cheech and Chong concert this week - and no one to go with who would "get it" anyway.