Tag Archives: blog987

I talk to Smurfs – welcome the world to Vancouver!

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Well, it’s finally here!  After all the rhetoric, arguments, ups and downs, hypes and lows…..it’s here! We are going live in Vancouver, in February 2010, and the world is truly arriving on our doorsteps..

How do I know this for sure?  Well, I have this from the very best of sources.  You see, I talk to Smurfs! That is not my name for them; I am talking about the 25,000 volunteers who are now roaming our streets, riding our buses, taking our trains, and wearing their beautiful Olympic-colored suits, which one of them described to me as “making them look like Smurfs!”.  They are certainly a beautiful shade of not-quite-turquoise-blue, complete with those famous 5 intertwined rings, and they are outstanding as well as standing out in the crowd.

My newest passion in transit is to talk to a Smurf, and – so far, at least – that campaign has been successful.

I have met a banker on leave from his bank in Toronto, a teacher here from Calgary, and – just yesterday – an interesting fellow from the United States who, in his non-Smurf life, runs high-tech companies.  I know a few more of these generous souls personally – realtors, former Olympians, retirees – and they have several things in common.

They love people, they care a great deal, they share a true pride in their countries, and they want to be involved. They also deserve our smiles, our greetings and our grateful support for helping to get this remarkable job done!

Be a sport yourself, I’d say – find a Smurf and greet them today!  Just look for the folks in blue.

Train YOUR Perspective

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These days, with all the changes in street traffic and lane allocations for our upcoming Olympic guests, I have been enjoying the variety of people-watching opportunities on the Canada Line.

Sunday, on a train headed south to Richmond, I was in the front car.  The very front seats (with a great big window) were occupied by a family of four: two engaging young children and their parents.

The little boy was very observant, sharing his impressions of what he saw, first in the tunnel and then out in the clear as we bridged the river and had a view.

As the train ran south along Number 3 Road, his father added the observation that – having driven this route many times- it was odd to see it from this higher level,  from which many of his landmarks did not appear, or were not visible in their usual way. His perspective had shifted and with it, his sense of where he was, too.

Isn’t it interesting how often in life we change our positions, usually without realizing how that has changed our view?

How have you trained your perspective?  How has it trained you to respond?  What does it take for each of us to really change our view?  Have you trained your perspective, or has it just trained you?

New Year’s Decluttering – Done!

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j0409028 Welcome back and Happy New Year 2010!

In my New Year’s Eve blog I promised to keep you posted on my de-cluttering efforts over the holidays. So here it goes: I tackled my desk and the clutter consisting of business cards, file folders and notes that I had told you about. I took the file folders and put them in the appropriate places in my filing cabinet, which wasn’t very difficult. Lo and behold, there was actually some desk surface peeking through and encouraging me to keep going.

Now on to the business cards. As an interim solution – until I find a better way of storing them – I took a cardboard box, divided it up into four segments (one for each of my networking groups and one for ‘Other Contacts’) and put all my business cards into the appropriate slots. Oooh-kay! This now started to feel really good – I was motivated to do more! I felt in control again and got into that mode of operation, which, once you start it, becomes self-propelling. It felt great and I kept going.

Next were the notes and sheets of paper. I went through them one by one, threw out what was no longer needed and filed the rest. Done! I… Was… Done! My desk was cleared up; I had created space and room to breathe. That felt so awesome!

How long did it take me to do that? Less than two hours! Unbelievable, less than two hours to rid myself of a mess that had affected my mood and my efficiency for at least two months!

So, what did I learn from this exercise? It’s actually not that difficult to regain order and control if I set my mind to it. It all starts with my attitude, my mindset. It’s ME and nobody or nothing else that is in control of my mind, the conclusions I draw and the actions I take. No excuses, I’m responsible and I have the power to create my experience. Wow, that was a good realisation!

Now, what’s next? What will I do to keep things as tidy as they are now? Come back – I’ll tell you!

In the meantime, though, I’d be curious to hear from you: How do you keep your life uncluttered? What are your de-clutter strategies? How do you feel with a clean desk?

Monika is Owner at Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching and is located in Vancouver, BC.

What is Blog987?

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We’re a blog collaboration and we write about living in Vancouver.  Some of us have other blogs, but we are passionate about living on the West Coast of Canada. We won’t always agree, that’s what’s going to make this blog interesting.

A lot of things will be changing in Vancouver in the next few months. The Winter Olympics are being held here and there will be no normal for three months. The sheer number of people will increase, straining our infrastructure. Those of us who lived in Vancouver during Expo 86 know what an amazing experience it was. The world came to visit us. Our horizon was expanded.

Check back often. We have some talented original thinkers joining us in the next few weeks.