On Oct 10, 2011, Oprah and Eckhart Tolle posted the Webcast - The False Power of Ego. 

Personally, I absolutely love Oprah's Life-classes and Eckard Tolle's lessons about the ego. Rita, an audience member, HUGELY inspired me. I hope these quotes from the show inspire you as well. 

Eckhart Tolle asserted:

• "We should strive to not be defined by what other people say."
  
• "Ego involves: using people for our own purposes, feeling threatened by other people or feeling envy when someone else gets something good."
  

Audience Member, Rita said:

• "I don't any longer think it is possible, that other people can hurt me, they are just giving me their observation and I am giving it meaning, so I get to choose what that meaning is."  
• "I am addicted to approval and appreciation!" OK, now who isn't?
• "If I think I need it, it is ego, because I already have everything I need." 
• "When I receive criticism I respond with, 'you could be right' - I know it is their story of me, not mine."
• "Love has conditions, 'I love you' equals 'I'll trade you' - is this a business contract?"
• "I am happier if I love you - you don't have to love me - you don't even have to participate!"

Great life lessons to live by… somehow it makes life easier and more enjoyable. 

Oct 10 Webcast: Oprah and Eckhart Tolle - The False Power of Ego. Go to link: http://www.oprah.com/oprahs-lifeclass/The-Complete-Webcast-of-Oprahs-Lifeclass-with-Eckhart-Tolle-Video#ixzz1h5zKRrs0

Never, Never, Never Give Up ~ Sir Winston Churchill

What are your dreams? How long will you keep going after them? Will you continue inspite of all kinds of set-backs? No matter how long it takes?

I have to say I am so inspired by and so proud of my hubby, Serge Houde for his perseverance in going after his dream of being an actor AND it's really paying off.  As Oprah said, "Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity." Kudos to Serge and now he is living his dream and is ready to harness the next opportunity.

What is so inspiring about it, is that Serge was an actor from the get-go. Even as a child, he was acting! There is a picture of him, when he was about 6 years old, playing an "Obnoxious Tourist" sporting a straw hat, sunglasses, a camera around his neck, head tilted back and his mouth wide open! At the age of 35, Serge got out of advertising and he pursued his dream full time.

Now, many years later, Serge landed this great role in the Kennedy's, playing the Chicago Crime mobster, Sam Giancana.  This fabulous role landed Serge his first red carpet premiere in Los Angeles. And he is getting critical acclaim, "...a terrific Sam Giancana (Serge Houde, and where has this formidable actor been all of Martin Scorsese's life?). ~ "GQ Magazine's Tom Carson reviewing THE KENNEDYS (on-line edition: April 2011).

To see Serge Houde as the Chicago Mafia Boss 'Sam Giancana' in Jon Cassar's mini-series THE KENNEDYS and to see his clip on the red carpet go to: http://web.me.com/sergehoude/SergeHoude/Kennedys_Promo_Photos.html
 

THE KENNEDYS, is an eight-hour four-part movie, which premieres on the History TV channel in Canada, on April 10, 9:00 ET/PT.

Serge's scene will be on April 17th. http://www.history.ca/thekennedys/series.aspx.

For US listings see: http://www.reelzchannel.com/kennedys/episodes.aspx

So what are your WILDEST DREAMS? "What are you going to do with your wild and precious life?" ~ Mary Oliver "Your playing small does not serve the world."~ Maryanne Williamson. 

Write it down... Make it public... Share what inspires you. Let us know what has worked and what your intentions are. We'd love to hear from you.

An Illuminating and Inspiring Event! 

What an honour it was for me to represent The Women In Leadership Foundation at the Crofton House School for their “Women in Leadership Forum” held on March 8th.  What a wonderful way to celebrate International Women’s Day! 

I was thoroughly impressed by the People, the Program and the Passion and I would like to thank all involved for their warm reception; including the three brilliant, talented and articulate Alumnae panelists: Tejinder Khalsa, Kate Saunders and Kim Scarrow.  Each of these women spoke passionately about their personal journey in their chosen field of “Health and Wellness”.  

At the Women In Leadership Foundation, President & Founder Maya Kanigan and her partner David Mossman promote the advancement of Women’s Leadership by offering innovative programming through various Speaker Series, Mentorship Programs and Fundraising Events. Through hands-on experience, personal mentorship and networking opportunities, they are helping leaders gain confidence in their areas of interest. Personally I have thoroughly enjoyed being a Mentor and Facilitator for Women in Leadership for approximately three years and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to enhance their skills and build community. 

Women In Leadership extends an open invitation to you to Volunteer, do an Internship, be Mentored or provide Mentorship. If you have any questions, please call Women in Leadership directly or give me a call. My commitment is that everyone be pro-active and raise themselves higher in the direction of their Professional Goals. 

Congratulations to both The Women In Leadership Foundation and Crofton House School for providing an educationally progressive environment, resources and mentorship for the young leaders of tomorrow. It’s a great marriage indeed.

http://www.womeninleadership.ca
http://www.croftonhouse.ca    

Have you heard the story about ten-year-old Maria Aragon from Winnipeg who loves to sing? She you-tubed her version of Lady Gaga's "Borne This Way." I never followed Lady Gaga before, but hearing Maria sing this song turned me into a real fan of hers and her message. What powerful lyrics! Take a listen...

It shows the power of "finding your voice, sharing it with others and being a huge contribution empowering others to find their voice as well." All this through song and never giving up on your dreams. It made an impact on audiences everywhere, including to Lady Gaga herself! Watch what happens next!

Don't you just LOVE how Lady Gaga was with Maria and wasn't it great what an impact Maria made on her? I love her message of "never giving up on your dreams." And don't you just love Maria's Mom in the background? Can't wait to see the show in Toronto!

Didn't Maria get stronger and stronger as she sang? I guess that is what fabulous mentorship and practice produces! Kudos to Mama Lady Gaga for teaching Lady Gaga this message... "we are all superstars..." so now Lady Gaga can mentor and inspire other young women with the same message.

And isn't this the icing on the cake? A Maria wanna-be! Maria inspired this next generation... It just goes to show how finding your voice and sharing it is what is Making a Difference - Coming Full Circle & a Little Spin Off... 

Let's celebrate, "baby you were born this way"! Who you are is making a difference! Let's remember our words and actions inspire others.

Do you have any stories of inspiration you would like to share? Who inspired you? How did you inspire others? Are there any incidences where you saw an inspiration come full circle and sprout off-shoots?  Any surprises you would like to share?

Here are some VALENTINE Ideas for you! 


Whether you are Single, Dating or in a Committed Relationship, here are some ideas to make your LOVE Life even better!

• Create a Relationship Vision Collage: This collage can include all the feelings, activities, quotes, pictures and visions that speak to you. Your collage can be only about your relationship alone or it can include other areas of your life such as dream career, hobbies, home, things that inspire you, etc. This is a very      powerful tool that will remind you of your intentions around relationships and life.
• Share your Relationship Vision with Your Partner, Family & Friends: If you are already in a relationship, you can do this together… if not, share this with your circle of friends. Put it out there into the world… who you are, what is important to you and what you are looking for in relationship. Remember to focus more on what you will do and experience together, rather than a shopping list of qualities. When I was looking for my perfect relationship, I included things like, "we are each other’s preferred company, we embrace each other’s families, we resolve our issues peacefully, we champion each other to win."
  

• Gratitude / Acknowledgements: Valentines Day & everyday is a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge others and it can make such a huge difference for them. Take this opportunity to practice the fine art of acknowledgement. Reach out to your significant other or potential partners what you love, admire and respect about them. Note: this automatically increases your likeability factor!
• More Valentines Suggestions (to make everyday Valentine's Day!):
• Send flowers (men love to receive flowers too)
• Send a note, “your place or mine?”
• Acknowledge, acknowledge, acknowledge, in person, letter or Valentine
• Send an old fashion Valentine
• Send an anonymous Valentine
• Tell somebody, “I love you”
• Tell somebody, “I’m available for a relationship with you” (it worked for me!)
• Tell someone how important they are to you
• Ask someone out: coffee, wine, lunch, dinner, hike, movie, event, etc.
• Send your parents a Valentine, make peace with them (this helps relationships)
• Go somewhere to meet potential Valentines
• Make a dinner, cookies, gifts
• Do something sexy!
• Ask friends to hook you up with someone
• Ask someone to dance
• Flirt!