Being Normal doesn’t mean “fitting in” November 29, 2008

Over the years of working with people and with the recent events of my life I’ve realized a few things that for some reason stick out in my mind today.

One very simple but profound thing that kept running through my mind today after a conversation with a friend this morning is that being in the realm of what society calls “normal” doesnt mean that you have to fit in a mold of what society thinks is right or for some wrong.

Being normal is about being who you are and accepting that flaws and corks and a roller coaster life is all part of the game. The more knowledge you have about who you are and how you present yourself in the world is the important thing.

We often unconsciously try to be normal looking to outside avenues of self fulfillment rather than looking in.

Understanding our likes and dislikes our up and downs, trials and tribulations and accepting them as part of evolvement in age is what it is ALL about.

To me anyways, what I have discovered with some of the most integral, peaceful, and successful people I know is that true normalcy comes from self awareness and acceptable. Its about taking care of yourself in all aspects (mind, body, and spirit) and challenging yourself to your full potential. Being is about being normally you.. not changing for someone or something but embracing all aspects of your being and the body that carries you.  All of the most simply AMAZING and INSPIRING people I know are very self aware, very passionate about who they are and what they believe but to the world of normalcy are eccentric and perhaps to some crazy. But what they really are is truly connected to who they are in all its aspects… go figure… they arent cookie cutter!

I have recently put myself on a 14 day yoga challenge. Every day at my new yoga location which offers an array of yogi styles to get reconnected to who I am from the inside out. I’m am FAR from perfect and try to take on WAY too much but over the weeks maybe even months I have put an idea in my head that how much I do and how much I take on and am successful at determines how much people love being around me. What I realized when everything was temporary taken away from me is that people like how ambition I am and how I can create something great out of nothing BUTwhat they love is my friendship and my normal corky self. The one that makes them laugh or helps when they need it. It is my creativity, and passion when I am connected and even when I have an off day.

Limiting your dreams or your life and waiting for change or accepting that you are too different to do anything about how un-normal you are is something too many people do. “Why try when it just won’t happen? right?” Sure.. if that is where you are at that is where you are at.. and in that tone.. it is something that is far too normal in this world.

So my conclusion to this epiphany today bringing me to write this and ask any readers out there .. how normal are you really? How much do you know yourself? Your friends? Your family? Your life? Your dreams? How much are  you spending out of your busy worlds to evaluate how much you love your life and how you are in it? How much are you truly being YOU!

Becoming a Boardroom Toy to Pay Your Bills is Growing in Popularity November 26, 2008

I wrote this article for my monthly article in the Georgia Straight but its been a week and no response from the editor over there.. so here it is!

Truth or Trash:

Becoming a Boardroom Toy to Pay Your Bills is Growing in Popularity

Having been a busy woman working on my education and building my career of the last five years being in a relationship hasn’t been my top priority. Though over the last year, I’ve started to date with a little more energy.

From being set up by friends to meeting guys at local clubs to yes, online dating, I’ve tried it all with little long term success. After this last attempt at using a popular online site and meeting one guy after another with no chemistry I was fed up. If it wasn’t some pervert looking for a little action or a guy looking to play games then it was a great guy who would be great for a friend. Why waste time that I could use toward friends, family, and my work? I deleted my profile and left it in the hands of the universe for the time being.

One night a few weeks ago having finished up work late on a Friday night I decided to have a night in. After browsing craigslist for some Madonna tickets and a snowboard I began to wonder about who goes on the site for dating. My curiosity got the best of me and I started to search the posts and got an idea to do a little experiment.

That night I posted two ads on craigslist. One was genuine, sincere and titled “Why am I posting on craigslist?” The two paragraph ad described who I was and what I was looking for stating “I doubted I would find what I was looking for on here but who knows”. The second ad was flaky, unreal, and demanding titled, “I’m a Princess and I want it all NOW!” The title may have made readers think something perverse but the contents of the two paragraph message only indicated that the woman writing the ad was fed up with dating and she wanted a strong successful professional man to pamper her with shopping, spa days, dinners, and no games. The results blew my mind and my email inbox.

Over night I had 60 emails in my inbox and can you guess which ad got the most emails? That’s right, the princess ad. I have 52 emails from that ad from some very successful entrepreneurs, businessman, and the like. They had attached pictures and very descriptive financial and “other” information. The other 8 emails were sincere men looking for love. The ratio was unbelievable. After three days that ad drew the likes of over 100 men in Vancouver all apparently successful and all wanting to have a princess with no strings attached. The ages varied from 28-60 years of age, some married, some single, but all wanted a sugar babe. Two emails though stated I should look in the adults section to find exactly what I was looking for. Out of curiosity I headed over to the adult gig section and what I saw was appalling.

Although I know that prostitute is one of the oldest professions I could not believe the new twist. This section is bombarded with ads from business men looking to be some hot young poor college student’s sugar daddy. There are ads from single young mother’s looking for help with bills or young girls who didn’t budget well and willing to offer sex for “help”. When did boardroom sugar daddy’s become such a popular internet niche that a special section needs to be made just for it? And since when did so many young women decide that this was the way to pay the bills?

Could we blame it on lack of morals? On the economy? Or is it just the instant gratification of sex and power? Either way, I wonder what this world is coming to!

The Power of Good Deeds and its Inspiration to Others November 17, 2008

In world full of life shattering stories, tradegy, economic busts, oil prices rising and falling, people gainfully employed and then losing there jobs its hard to stay focused on all the amazing things life has to offer.

So many people walk along life not noticing all the remarkable beauty which is or can be created in a moment of passion….

Today I read a blog about a woman called Anna  I spoke with a few months ago on the phone regarding the work I did in Nairobi. Anna was heading to NAirobi to volunteer for AIDS education and wanted to take the same sustainable feminine pads I took with me with her and needed some advice.  Little did I know that the reason Anna was raising funds and bringing Goods 4 Girls with her was because of a blog I had posted on the Lunapds website after I returned home to Vancouver. As I was reading her blog about her adventures at the post office to get her package I stumbled across her blog that she started before she left. When I read that she had gone through all this trouble to raise  money and bring over 40 sustainable feminine kits for girls in schools because of something I wrote I smiled.

Forever I have been talking to people about the importance of good deeds and being inspiring; not to get fame or fortune but because you never know who is looking and how it might effect someone else’s life. Today I realized how important that really is and how much is really works. I did what I did because I felt the passion inside of me to make a different, not because someone was looking. I wrote the article so it might educate others on what is happening in other parts of the world, not to gloat about my charity. And because of this honesty and energy someone else was able to do the same. I think its such a remarkable turn of events when the world turns like that.

From teaching children about manners and generosity to holding the door for someone in need to smiling and saying hello to random people each act effects people in different ways

So what can you do to offer more? Is it visiting an aging grandparent? Maybe volunteering at the local SPCA? Or maybe its baking some delicious scones or muffins and sharing them with your neighbourhood.

Be brave and do something bold.. Be proud of who you are and what you have to share with others you never know how it will change the world!