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The Woman in Purple
I love photos that tell a story. Still images often contain living, breathing stories that invite us to participate in their telling. Above is one of the favourite photos I’ve ever taken. Sitting on the steps of the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque in Sarajevo, a bright pop of colour between those great pillars, this woman in…
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Four Years
Four years ago I accidentally made a new year’s resolution. I decided to show up at least every week and write something. Over four years I’ve managed to ship 258 posts, 57,299 words and 2 ebooks. This platform has been an opportunity to share things I’m learning, while processing things I’m learning through the very…
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Christmas Reflections
I’m always amazed how quickly, after months of anticipation, Christmas comes and goes each year. November and December are a flurry of preparations and celebrations all pointing to Christmas Day. The Day itself is gone in a flash, after which we all wake up and carry on life as usual. Maybe early Christian traditions were…
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Just Marketing
These days our marketing radar is on high alert. We see straight through big ad campaigns that are all talk. We expect to be let down by loud promises. We don’t bother clicking on the banner ads. Like Ralphie, we’ve put our hopes in these promises, only to find out that it’s just a “crummy…
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How Often Should You Blog?
“Every day.” – Seth Godin “At least three times a week.” – Michael Hyatt “There’s no magic number. Blog as frequently as you can that generates quality.” – Scott Stratten The opinions are all over the place. If you followed everyone’s advice for blogging, tweeting, getting yourself out there, you’d be way busier and feeling…
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Be Prolific: What I’ve Learned From 10 Toastmaster Speeches
Last week I achieved Toastmaster’s “Competent Communicator” (CC) award (I know, I’m officially competent, hooray!). I’ve been working towards this since I started the Toastmasters program early this year, so it felt like a big accomplishment. To achieve a “CC”, Toastmasters need to complete 10 speeches, most being between 5-7 minutes long. Each of the…
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Leading from Second Fiddle
When the orchestra conductor, Leonard Bernstein, was asked what the most difficult instrument to play was, he answered without hesitation: “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm.” Few of us aspire to take a supporting role, to work in the…
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Love the Process
I have a friend who loves fishing. Even after years of pulling fish out of the water – long after most of us would have gotten bored with the sport – he still gets excited about every fish. He loves getting out on the water every day, whether the fishing is good or bad. He…
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Remember
I’m currently reading Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, which offers his perspective, as a psychiatrist and prisoner, of being in a concentration camp during World War II. His stories of the incredible evils inflicted on millions of people are astonishing, as are the stories of survival and courage. The distance of time and…
