Gary's blog

Busy is the new happy. Somewhere along the way we started to equate being busy doing things with having a fulfilling life. We work more and more hours, we have a gym membership, are involved in clubs and organizations and are gone every weekend.

And it starts young. Parents sign their kids up for every extracurricular activity out there because they think if they’re busy they’ll be happy. And all these activities are more beneficial to kids than if they were left to their own devices right?

Norman Cousins said "The tragedy of life is not death but what we let die inside us while we live." I believe this is the true cost of living a false life and not being true to ourselves.

What have you let die in your endeavours to fit in and meet others' expectations? Did you tame your curiosity? Silence your opinions? Shelve your dreams? Table your ambitions? Tuck away your feelings?

Each day you wake up and pretend to be what you aren't, a little piece of you dies. The question then becomes, can you revive these pieces later or are they gone forever?

Our society fears aging. Age is dispersed while youth is celebrated. Due to our fear of our own mortality and the siren song of advertisements everywhere, the quest for the fountain of youth is hard to ignore.

Are you caught up in the "gimmies"? Do you believe if you can get just the right things in your life (house, car, clothes, electronics) than you'll be happy. I bet you're always adding one more thing to that list. It seems like we are always reaching for "more."

We look around us and see what someone else has that we don't and we forget what we do. Theodore Roosevelt said "Comparison is the thief of joy."

While the path to your dreams can seem long and overwhelming, and filled with obstacles and hardships, most things worth wanting don't come without a little work. However, there is danger in getting in the habit of delaying and stalling due to fear of failure and the unknown. A year from now you'll wish you'd started today.

Remember that progress is progress no matter how small. Start slow, but start.

Today.

If you talked to your friends like most of us talk to ourselves, you probably wouldn't have very many friends. When you make a mistake or do something embarrassing, what do you say to yourself?

Maybe:

• "I'm so stupid!"
• "I'm such an idiot."
• "How could I have done that?"

However, if a friend were to do the same things, we would never think of calling them stupid or an idiot. We'd tell them it was okay, everyone makes mistakes.

Here's a challenge for you today (or try it for a week for better results. When someone asks you how your day (or night was, only answer with the positives. No complaining about bosess, co-workers, traffic, the line at the coffee shop, the housework you had to do or the fight you had with a friend.

Try answering with only the good parts of your day: seeing a friend at the store you haven't talked to in ages, the nice walk with your spouse after dinner, the invitation to the much anticipated wedding you received.

Sleeping in new bed sheets. The feeling of scrunching sand in your feet. Laughing so hard you make no sound at all. When the socks from the dryer all line up perfectly. What do all these have in common? They are all awesome! My wife bought me The Book of Awesome to read. It's all about those little things that happen to each of us that when you sit back and think about it....are pretty awesome. Popping the bubble wrap from a new purchase. The smell and sound of a campfire. It’s all these little things that help us appreciate the great wonders.

It’s been a busy week both at work and packing for my daughter’s new journey in life. My wife and I move her into residence at University this Monday. It has been a little hectic checking off her list of ‘must haves’ for moving out. Thinking back, I don’t ever remember having a list as long as hers, whether that was going off to University or buying my first home. But she is my baby and we have to make sure she has what she needs to succeed.

I was out with my daughter grabbing a sandwich for lunch when I ran into my financial investor Heather and my company lawyer Mary Jean. MJ quickly teased me about when I was going to write about her in my blog. After all, I did promise. As upbeat and positive these two professionals are, there is a reason that I do want to write about MJ in my blog......well because she is upbeat and positive. In fact they both are, that’s why I choose to work with them. MJ runs a thriving practice, is on multiple committees, has a busy home life and is a city councillor.