Moments — dead and living

A short time ago I bumped into someone I had not seen for a while and he asked me what has been happening — it was one of those questions that invites the broadest of context. As I weaved a meandering reply I could not help but mention my sister's death, the death of two dear friends, the death of my mother, an uncle, a good friend's mother, and summed it all up with how an other uncle is coming to the end of his "fight with cancer".

There was an audible chuckle as I pointed out that I was a real ray of sunshine. I then went on to mention, "Life is for the livin'" — of late, it seems to be the season for this kind of conversation.

Life is for the livin'.

This has become my mantra when dealing with the dead — with great respect to the departed I find myself offering this up to anyone who will listen (including myself) and then move forward, sometimes (sadly) never to look back.

I am deliberate about dropping the "g" when I say it... not because I want to disguise a trite utterance of the obvious, but because I believe at these times the word needs to be used as a verb. A reminder that livin' is about action, progress, and embracing life to the fullest because it's so very finite — we will all know death soon enough.

And with that said, I need to trek Patagonia soon — after all, life is for the livin'. 

iamgpe

PS: I know I am taking some artistic liberty when I say "livin'" is not only an actual word, but is a verb. Why not though? Isn't that what life is for?

Questions to Help You Mind Your Business…

A Blog Series by Graham Edwards and Renée Cormier

Graham — We sat in a trendy bakery enjoying lunch, and as always our conversation turned to business, opportunities, and the dynamics of transitioning a business in the current business climate. This is always a fun exercise because it challenges our conventional thinking, offers insight into what we know (and don’t know), and reinforces how complicated (as well as satisfying) developing a business can be.

One of us, and I don’t remember who, asked, “Do you think people ask themselves the right questions to increase their chances of success?” This of course rallied the discussion and we could not help but list off questions.

By no means is the following a definitive list of questions because business is a rather broad discipline, but it did lead to an idea.

1. How can I create a fuller picture of the nature of my business?

2. Where should I spend my money?

3. Do I need a plan for my business?

4. Should I hire a sales person?

5. How can maximize the value of my employees?

6. Why can’t employees just do what I tell them?

7. How do I build a team?

8. How can I manage my business and still have a life?

9. How will I know if I am successful?

10. Do I need to be using social media and how much do I really need to do?

Renée  — So the idea here is to write a blog piece each week where we take on one of these questions using our unique perspectives and styles. Graham tends to be more philosophical in his approach to business discussions, and God knows I am a pragmatist of the highest order. We find our different ways of processing and relaying information inspires us to think differently about things and often spurs new ideas. It is our sincerest hope that you enjoy our next ten blogs and that you find the inspiration to contribute new ideas and help us all broaden our thinking around business. We invite you to provide your own ideas, questions and solutions in the comments section or email us directly.

Thanks to the social media platform beBee,  Renée Cormier & Graham Edwards developed a business relationship and friendship that typically involves regular meetings, goal setting sessions, etc. Our meetings often provide the fuel for plans around business strategy, blog ideas and more.

Moments — accomplishments

Without fail it occurs repeatedly.

I will be working away on my computer and a backup message will appear that indicates it's been 11 days since my last back up; I close the message knowing I just backed it up.

I will be working away and a backup message will appear that indicates it's been 92 says since my last back up; I close the message and ultimately backup my computer.

Deja vu washes over me as I wonder where the time has gone and ask myself what I've done over the past three months — it's a constant reminder that time tirelessly marches on. I take stock of my accomplishments, and although I don't always like the answer, at least I can take some comfort in knowing. I'm also reminded that if you want to look back on a life of accomplishment, it must be acknowledged that time is a finite consideration to be used wisely. This is about what you want to accomplish and the "Key Performance Indicators" you use to understand if you are on your way to achieving your goals.

It's been 29,200 days since you backed up your computer.

iamgpe