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“In order vision the future, you must reflect on the past while standing on the crack that is the present.” This is a quote I have shared on the importance of, ‘reflect – vision – move’, so you are not dwelling on one area too long. New Year’s is upon us and one can’t just live in the past, nor can anyone just vision and not understand or realize where they are going and the present is a fleeting moment. You need to combine all three areas in order to fully embrace the direction one is to go. With the end of the year upon us there are some reflections I would like to share to help us vision where we will go. It is time to flip the hourglass. Some are concepts and some are quotes:

With the pandemic ever present, it has consumed us, it has changed the way we do things, it has impacted every single person on the face of the earth. No one has been exempt from the pathway of COVID. A realization I had is that there is a need for us to CARE now more than ever and CARE stands for – Collaboration, Adaptability, Resilience and Empathy – we need to CARE – CARE video
• Collaboration – We all have our strengths and a need to bring them together to collaborate with those around you. It is not only about sharing your strengths, but also being open to what others might be able to support you with.
• Adaptability – There is a need for us to adopt a mentality of change. Do not fear what we don’t know, embrace it and move forward. Adaptability is where the magic happens and you just have to be open to it.
• Resilience – We are in a marathon and not a 100m dash. This pandemic is going to be with us for a while so let’s look at this like a marathon. There will be difficult times but also times where we are in flow.
• Empathy – Let’s show care and compassion to those around us. We don’t know what people are going through and some people are managing better than others so let’s support each other.

“Obstacles are the necessary bricks on the road to my success.” We will encounter obstacles in our life and instead of fearing the obstacles, embrace them as life lessons. We may not appreciate why things are difficult but the idea is that the obstacles remove us from comfort so we may gain life lessons. Obstacles and challenges are opportunities masked as difficulties.

“I can not control what happens around me but what I can do is control how I will react to the situations around me.” All too often, something happens and it consumes us and we look at it from the eye of challenges that are difficult to face. What I have found is that I realize I can’t change what happens around me but what I can do is control and dictate how I will react to the situation. It is about taking control of your emotions and attitude and not letting the situation win.

“There are over 1 trillion stars out there…you have over 1 trillion cells within you…maybe you are the centre of the universe.” Never play insignificant. Realize what you bring to this world and that you have an important role to play. That role is to not be insignificant. You have experiences and stories that make up who you are. Look within to who you are…look outside of you to know what you are capable of doing.

“My life is an hourglass and every grain of sand represents a day of my life.” I know how many days I have lived. Today, it will be 21,734 days…or that many grains of sand lie below me but how many grains are above me? Is it 1 grain meaning my last day is tomorrow, 500, 5000, 10,000? No one knows how many grains are above them, just how many they have lived. What I can share is that every morning, a single grain enters that narrow chamber and throughout my day, I add stories, experiences and conversations that adds richness to the single grain. At the end of my day, that grain drops below. What I have said is that I will not waste a grain of sand (a day of my life) on things that are frivolous or I can’t control. What if this is my last grain of sand…I want it to be rich.

“Figure out what you want, put effort forward and keep going and you will make it…as long as you don’t put any limitations before you.” I am here to tell you that anything you want in life is there for you and you are going to achieve it…not today or tomorrow but through your persistent effort, you will accomplish what you set out to do. The moment you put a limitation, the thing that is so important starts to evaporate. There will be times where it may not look like it is going to happen, but before you know it, and through your persistent, you will accomplish what you set out to do. It is inevitable but just be patient.

“Stop watching the NEWS and make NEWS.” I share this because it is all doom and gloom what you are watching and you need to be the light in a sometimes dark world. You have the capacity to be the change that the world desperately needs. It is done through one on one interactions and being present to help someone else’s world. You have much to share…now use it! Be the NEWS!

“Share you time, experiences and knowledge, share what you have and there is an abundance of richness that happens.” I am not talking about money or wealth. I am talking about helping others out with your time, experiences and stories. You have been given these and you are not to hold on to them, but rather to share. The more you share, the more comes back to you. Do it with genuine intent and out of goodness. Don’t do it out of want for something more. You will have richness beyond measure but it is internal richness and a sense of purpose and feeling great that you make a difference.