Too busy?

“How are you?”  she asked.

“Good” he replied, “busy, but good.”

How many times a day does this exchange occur?  How often do each of us utter such phrases, qualifying our mood, our day, by bemoaning the busyness of our own lives?  Of course, almost simultaneously, we look to take on more projects, make more commitments, say yes to doing more.

Allow me to suggest something radical here: you are only as busy as you choose to be, and you are NEVER too busy.  Each of us has 24 hours each day to eat, sleep, travel, work, plan, laugh and love.

We can choose to spend those 24 hours however we want.  Yes, there are basic requirements – at some point you may fall over if you don’t sleep for a few hours – but for the most part, you control your own time.

When we use busy this way, it too often equals stress, tired, not real busy.  Perhaps, this kind of busy means that you are choosing priorities – you are not too busy to do something, you are choosing not to make it a priority.  That’s not something to apologize for, as priorities are important – but admitting that it’s just not a priority can bring great clarity of thinking.

In my own life, I’ve discovered that “busy” is relative – sure, I have a full schedule, but who doesn't?  What's important is that I choose to allocate my day in areas of passion and love.

A challenge: spend as much of your 24 hours as you can in ways that you are passionate about.  See how busy you feel then.

The Best Version of Me

I read a lot - books, blogs, magazines, ads... you get the point.  The best are the ones that inspire me to do better, think better and be better.

One of my favourite hard-core, super-tough fitness girl blogs is The Clothes Make the Girl by Melissa Joulwan.  Melissa inspires me because she's tough, but totally real - and she shares some fantastic, very vegetably, recipes!

Also, Melissa wrote my possibly all time favourite blog post the other day - Best Versions of Us.  As someone who doesn't make new year's resolutions per-se, but does set goals all year round, this was a great way to kick-start some rethinking.

So what, you might ask, is the Best Version of me?

Well, the Best Version of me has friends & family over, and makes the time to sit and talk and laugh with them instead of worrying about the dishes.  The Best Version of me sleeps enough, eats lots of veggies & some chocolate, and bakes a lot.  The Best Version of me laughs out loud, blogs regularly, and hits the gym or yoga every morning.  The Best Version of me is surrounded by kids, doesn't worry if the house is cluttered, and is so organized it's a little painful.  The Best Version of me asks hard questions, sets goals like running 1/2 marathons (1st one is this spring!!), and travels lots.

Perhaps most importantly, the Best Version of me isn't perfect, but realizes that mistakes happen & rolls with them.

I'm going to work really hard at making 2011 the year where I refine, add to, and focus on the Best Version of me, so that I can give and love and share with every bit of energy.

What does the Best Version of you look like?

2 Blogs... 1 Personality

Today, I'm excited to start a new blog - The Joy of Giving.

Every day, I am fortunate enough to work with people who want to make the world a better place for kids and families.  As a fundraiser, I talk to people who are making investments that make individuals and the whole community stronger.  And, as someone of the Millennial generation, I have a unique and different perspective on this fundraising.  This new blog will be a space to talk about working to build community, being a nonprofit professional who is also a Millennial, and the fundraising and nonprofit community in Calgary.

Meanwhile, I intend to re-commit to blogging in this space about life in general - books I've read, inspiration from other sources, and my own personal life - training for a 1/2 marathon, family, friends, and everything else that makes life wonderful.

I look forward to talking with you in these, and so many other, ways!

Losing

You will lose.  Everyone does at some point.


Read that again, and sit with it a minute.


No matter how amazing, how perfect, how many times you've done something before.  At some point, you will lose.  The question is, what do you do then?


Do you focus on loss, on how bad or evil or wrong it was?  Do you spend time creating animosity and plotting revenge against some outside evil (real or imagined)?  Or, perhaps worse, do you internalize how awful you are?


Or, on losing, do you focus on your strengths, seek to discover what went wrong, learn from it and move on?  If you can find a way to do that, you will emerge stronger, better and healthier.  You will be future-focused, looking to what you can do better and how you can adjust to win next time.


So, what will you do next time you lose?




PS: This is part of a series of blogs about Seth Godin's Linchpin that I'm doing in conjunction with a Twitter-friend, Chett.  Check our her blog for more insights!

Lunch with the Mayor

If you live in Calgary, or possibly a great number of other places where the Calgary municipal election has been a big story, you may have noticed that our city recently elected a new Mayor, Naheed Nenshi.

You may have read any one of a number of articles about Nenshi, examining and dissecting every part of his campaign, religious beliefs, social media use and even family traditions.

It seems to me that a great deal of hope and optimism has been placed on Mayor Nenshi.  He's got big expectations to live up to, and a lot of work to do to implement the ideas he campaigned on.  So, on the one month anniversary of Mayor Nenshi's election, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce hosted a lunch with the Mayor event, providing an opportunity for the Mayor to address guests in what would certainly be one of the first of many such events.

The event sold out, over 300 tickets, in just a few short days.  I was fortunate enough that a good friend, Bob McInnis, had a ticket he couldn't use and generously offered it to me.  And so, off I went to have lunch with the Mayor (well, and 300 others).

So, what did His Worship have to say?

Lots.

He talked a lot about getting used to the new role - did you know that the Mayor gets 125 requests to speak each day?!?

Here are some of the other highlights of Nenshi's speech:

• emphasized a desire to fundamentally transform the way City Hall operates
• declared a focus on making Calgary the best place to do business by making our city a great place to live - thus attracting new businesses and encouraging growth
• spoke about the upcoming budget, and the cuts being recommended to ensure a 6.5% property tax hike, as well as further potential cuts and cost savings to reduce that increase
• spoke about a desire to change the municipal tax structure to one no longer based on property values
• talked about legalizing secondary suites throughout Calgary (with stipulations)
• in answer to a question, emphasized focusing on "getting Southwest Calgary moving" whether by way of the southwest ring road or some other means

In the end, Nenshi left guests with a couple of calls to action, which I would paraphrase as this: get engaged and involved in your community and city, and stay that way.  Volunteer with a local nonprofit, get to know your neighbours, participate in your community association, vote at every opportunity.  Offer your opinions on the current budget recommendations (seriously, do it now - the City of Calgary has set up lots of ways for all of us to take part, and they are inviting comments).  Become part of the conversation about the issues happening around you, and about the city you want to live in.

So, those are the facts (at least, my version of the facts!).

Now on to my opinions...

Mayor Nenshi is brilliant.  He's spent lots of time developing theories, ideas and strategies for improving cities in general, and Calgary in particular; ideas to make it a better place to live and do business.  It may be tough to turn all these good ideas in to reality, though - and there will no doubt be some mis-steps along the way.  And, as already mentioned, there's lots of hope and pressure riding on this Mayor... as citizens, we have a responsibility to not abandon him at the first sign of trouble.

Overall, I believe Mayor Nenshi will be good for our city, bringing positive change, new energy and a wealth of new ideas and strategies.  Our job, as Calgarians, is to do our part in helping build the city we want to live in.

Bob, thanks for the ticket - I appreciate the opportunity to be part of building our city, and to report back on the event!

Now... where can I get a title as awesome as His Worship?

Full disclosure: I was a student of Naheed Nenshi's at Mount Royal College (when it was still a College) fora few classes.  I also chose to vote for him in this election.

National Philanthropy Day

Today, November 15th 2010, marks National Philanthropy Day - a day when, throughout North America, celebrations take place in honour of all the amazing people who give of themselves to make the world better.

Philanthropy may conjure up for you images of really wealthy people giving away tons of money - perhaps the challenge many billionaires have taken up alongside Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.

However, the actual meaning of philanthropy - according to The Free Dictionary - is simply "Love of humankind in general".

It sounds so simple, really - love.  Everyone can love.  Of course, it's not always that easy, but we can all choose it.  And, at some point, we have all offered love - a hug for a friend, a favour offered without expectation of return, smiling at a stranger.  These little acts of love - of philanthropy - are ones we can choose every day.

In celebration of National Philanthropy Day, celebrate the love in your life.  Celebrate your moments of philanthropy - the big ones and little ones, the times you can offer love and those you receive it.

What is your favourite story of philanthropy?

Defining Art

Confession: I am a terrible artist.  All the colours blend together, lines are never straight and everything looks "modern" and "free-style"... to put it nicely.  : )  I don't even know if my Mom could name a piece of art that I did of which she may have been proud (beyond the "my child is perfect in every way" sort of proud).

But in Linchpin, Seth Godin has redefined art for me, in a way that makes me see myself as an artist.

Art, says Godin, is a unique expression of each person; something one individual can do that can not be replicated by anyone else.

There are traditional arts, yes - sculpting, painting, acting, dancing.

But there are other kinds of art as well.  The art of caring, of giving, of interacting.  The art of writing a letter, serving coffee, talking with a customer.  Interviewing an employee, meeting someone for the first time, working with a team - each of us performs art, in our own way, each day.

Art involves labour, and it equals change - change in the person who is creating it as much as the change in the environment or what is being created.

No matter what our art is, we will almost certainly be happiest, most fulfilled, when we are using it often - including at work, home and wherever else we spend time.

The process of figuring out what you are uniquely talented to do is a life-long one, but it's worth searching out and putting in to practice.

What's your art?

~Bethany

PS: This is part of a series of blogs about Seth Godin's Linchpin that I'm doing in conjunction with a Twitter-friend, Chett.  Check our her blog for more insights!