DiamondJul’s Blog

You may live in Canada…

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from
September through May,

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance
and they don’t work there,

If you’ve worn shorts and a parka at the same time,

If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation
with someone who dialed a wrong number,

If ‘Vacation’ means going anywhere
South of Detroit for the weekend,

If you measure distance in hours,

If you know several people
who have hit a deer more than once,

If you have switched from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’
in the same day and back again,

If you can drive 90 km/hr through 2 feet of snow
during a raging blizzard without flinching,

If you install security lights on your house and garage,
but leave both unlocked,

If you carry jumper cables in your car
and your wife knows how to use them,

If you design your kid’s Halloween costume
to fit over a snowsuit,

If the speed limit on the highway is 80 km –
you’re going 90 and everybody is passing you,

If driving is better in the winter
because the potholes are filled with snow,

If you know all 4 seasons:
Almost winter, winter, still winter,
and road construction,

If you have more miles On your snow blower
than your car,

If you find 2 degrees ‘a little chilly’.

I’ve just been zipping about YouTube after receiving a beautiful music video from a friend at Facebook – thank you Velma!

As soon as I queued it up the goose-bumps started flowing up my body so I paid attention and waited for the expected message I knew I was about to receive.

What struck me about this beautiful gathering is that it represents what’s possible here and now, it is done from all around the world, musicians from diverse and distant cultures playing and singing the same song together, 20 years ago something like this just wouldn’t have been possible.

As one that builds my empire through the relationships I create mostly online, I invest a good deal of time promoting the benefits of “Being Online”. I’m always urging others to jump right into the Global melting pot, to get out of their small-boxed environments and out into the vast diversity of people and places that exist beyond the reach and vision of the mass media vehicles many are used to parking their brains in front of on a daily basis.Right beside the video I was watching was a link to the original studio recording of “We Are The World”, many of you boomers will remember this one, and this is where my message came through. I can’t imagine the amount of logistics, schedule re-planning, co-ordination and collaboration it must have taken to pull this many powerful people into one room to get it done.

We are in a time and place where small tribes of people can make a massive difference, their collective desires for change, peace and “no more trouble” ripple out and touch those that otherwise wouldn’t have access to the message or are open to hearing it.

I pretty sure I’m on this planet here and now to facilitate a transformation unlike we have ever experienced in our documented history!

Why are You here?

Celebrate life! It’s all good and gettin’ gooder!

Use The Power Of Online Social Media To Shine Your Light And Point The Way…

You don’t have to look far or listen too long before you see or hear something about “Web 2.0”, a newly evolved version of the Internet experience that includes the massive power of things like “Social Networking” and “Social Media Sites”. You know them as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube.

As a pioneer and surfer on the leading edge of technology and “online collaboration”, and an expert in “long-distance” relationships and team-building, I don’t really see “Social Networking” as anything new, in fact I consider “socializing” a lost art - long gone lost.

No matter what instrument one uses to get their thoughts and feelings across, they have to be willing to share them first and listen to those of others – first we sow, then we reap.

I am often complimented on my “writing skills”. From my side of that – and thank you - the ability to put my thoughts and feelings here on this web page is not because I’m a writer, it’s because I don’t particularly give a rip what people think about what I think, say or write…(wasn’t always so) and well that’s not entirely true, I care what SOME people think…and I am continually letting go of the “need to please everyone” mentality.

Doing anything to please another is a trap in itself, let alone trying to please them ALL, it’ll never happen and it’ll drive anyone to some form of private debauchery for trying!

I have learned how to tell a story, and I call this story-telling over the net, “talking in type”…proper spelling, grammar or punctuation is optional and, if you’re a texter, as you know – not recommended! I feel free to invent new words along the way if it helps to get a concept across or meld together ideas and we now have video and audio for those that aren’t comfy with their “thoughts-to-words” assembling skills.

I believe what we are seeing manifest here and now is another go-round of the “Mom & Pop” days, this time on a global level, with exponentially more leverage for each individual involved. Some newly coined words for this phenomenon as it is unfolding are popping up to define the direction we are headed, “brandividuality” or “brandividualism” are recent additions to the new dictionary.

“Your Name” is what you are building the credibility of, not the companies, partnerships and products that are part of your business or financial portfolio. There is only One “You” – that “individualism” you bring to the global marketplace is what’s irreplaceable and in-doable by any other individual in the Universe!

If you are good at offering value, anything behind you is good and others will want to know what you’ve got, what works for you will likely work for them too. 

The more value I bring to my marketplace, the more I know I will be rewarded in kind and beyond, my spreadsheet shows me that I’m beginning to understand the concept, the understanding shows up in real numbers called “positive results”, which equates to real dollars in my bank accounts.

Perhaps those too familiar with you or that have “history” with you are tired of hearing about or from you for one reason or another? Maybe you came from a place you want to forget about, start fresh and create a new environment or a new You altogether?

I’ll guarantee you there are an unlimited number of people just waiting to hear your stories, what you learned from your failures, they’ll cheer you on and help you to celebrate your successes, if you share them.

Share that which inspires you in your moments of inspiration and your voice will carry farther than you can imagine and land exactly where it needs to be heard. Your voice matters and you will be heard if you just show up and give a shout out!

I have an associate that calls herself, “The 10 Years Too Late Girl”, although “late” is, most definitely better than never with persistence, by comparison to my friend’s story, I then have to call myself, “The 10 Years Too Early Girl”. It seems I’ve been waiting for at least that long for my vision to come together and manifest into my physical reality, for others to “get it”, interesting thing is, 10 years later, my unique offering is still needed, my niche still exists! As much as I come and go, my “calling” remains the same.

I bill myself as an “Ambassador For Connection”. I notice the “connecting” part of the equation is still missing for a lot of people, I see them walking, I hear them talking, and still they stand alone and afraid to trust or move forward…

I have 100’s if not 1000’s of people in my organization that say, “I have run out of people to talk to”, the ones that are left on their list, they have reconsidered working with – and usually I cannot blame them! They want out of that existing circle, into something entirely new and are generally both the army and the General of their one-man army in the beginning of their venture. They lack the time and energy to “push ropes” and the financial resources to go out and meet a whole different crowd or even 1 or 2 good friends –

…relationships, no matter how you do them, take time and most importantly personal focus and energy, relationships are the true overhead of any of life’s endeavors. Nothing manifests in my world unless another shares my vision, I have accomplished nothing strictly “on my own”.

All I need to ask a person is “Are you on Facebook yet?” and I can instantly tell by their body language and response what they know about it, few know much – they are where I was 10 years ago, I am called to fill a need, to inspire others to dip their toes in the proverbial waters…

More than once I have been in high-powered marketing seminars and snicker when a speaker makes reference to “the greatest marketing plan ever launched” - in reference to the marketing behind “The Secret”. I snicker because I was in on that master plan from the beginning, and there really wasn’t one! The power of that “little film” was driven by a small handful of people with unstoppable passion and belief in something they absolutely knew worked and would make a difference on a massive scale! Tip the scale it did.

Those of us in charge of getting the word out about this new program all had a talent for “natural promotion”, for putting our excitement “out there”, we had big mouths, worked diligently and had a whole lot of fun along the way! We knew what we wanted “The Secret” to do (before it was even called that) and it did it! We gathered together 1000’s of people online months before there was ever a finished product…we did that on total faith, I invested at least 2 years sweat, energy and real dollars into that project once the dust all settled from it. I recall many times looking up and asking that this project please be a success…it was one of my life’s greatest learning experiences in business.

If a small handful of people can gather the attention and focus of 10’s of 1000’s of others from around the world over a few months, how many can you gather with your enthusiasm and appreciation for life over 1 to 2 years?

If you follow the stories of the successful it is easy to see that their successes were had because of a relationship with another. 1 or 2 great connections can change the course of life and business.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Get out there and start spreading your valuable insights, ideas, visions and dreams, you’ll be surprised at who shows up to join you for the ride!

Here’s some statistics that should make you sit up a little straighter!

• Facebook has 200 million members and climbing.
• YouTube visitors are viewing 13 billion videos a month.
• LinkedIn has over 15 million businesspeople networking.
• Twitter is growing at over 40% a month.
• Digg and Delicious are driving millions of visitors to websites every month.
• GoogleWave is on the way – it’ll likely capture the best features of the above list!

As an aside note, I noticed just the other day that the first ever Instant Message system I used extensively over a decade ago has almost 1 BILLION ID numbers registered if not more – that would be the legendary “ICQ”, short for “I Seek You”, for it’s time it was brilliant and changed the face of the Internet forever. I’ll never forget the space I was in the first night I fired up “ICQ”, it was one of those moments in life that fueled a vision I continue to chase today, in fact here I am a decade later and as quickly as some things change, other things just don’t change at all, it seems my unique offering is still in high demand…

As I type this, I hear an old friend’s voice in my head, she used to shout to her lingering little ones,

“hey kids get outta’ the house for a while and blow the stink off!”

Go find a couple of new friends that think like you do and dream like you do! These relationships might start on Facebook or Twitter or any of the other nooks or crannies where people hang out on the net, and I’ll guarantee you eventually you’ll be in each other’s arms if it’s a connection that’s meant to be…and who knows what wonderful things you will create for us all together!

I Am an Ambassador For Connection, I facilitate in the connection, awareness and transformation of those ready to take on the journey…and because of that there is always enough money to live the life I choose, to enjoy myself, contribute and invest!

MXI Canadian Ambassadors & Millionaire Members

Ian & Judy Murray from Uxbridge, Ontario
My angels in waiting…

I’m fairly certain by now that chocolate IS here on this planet to fix everything…well almost everything, as we heard this past weekend, and have come to know by our experiences with others over the years,

“Chocolate doesn’t fix stupid!!”
– Kerry Dean - Brand New MXI Ambassador Distributor & MXI Canada Rockstar

(You had to be there; that one-liner and its delivery brought the house down!)  And, as a side-note, no sooner were the words out of her mouth and a study was released to indicate chocolate may actually make you smarter after all!

No kiddin’ here’s the article:
“Cocoa’s ‘mind-altering’ experience…”

I’ve just returned from my company’s 4th annual general celebration at the Peppermill Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada. 2000 or so healthy chocolate eaters and sharers poured into the hotel for a weekend of learning, partying and the sharing and celebration of their year’s successes, I heard many inspiring stories and met people that otherwise I would not have the benefit of their valuable wisdom.

This month marks 2 ½ years since I made the decision to run with The Healthy Chocolate business, this is my second celebration and something has definitely “shifted”. It has evolved and continues to evolve into the icon I intuitively felt it would be since the very first time I heard the words “healthy chocolate”.

There’s just something magical about the cocoa bean from Mother Nature! There were folks in the room selling t-shirts with slogans like, “there’s nothing wrong with me that chocolate can’t fix.” We listened to new songs and poems were recited, there was a new 150 page cook-book, jewelry, buttons and even Fifth Avenue clutch purses a brilliant young Lady made out of the left-over wrappers the chocolate comes to us in!! The President of the company wants to run with that one!

Chocolate is the ultimate seduction, by consumption it masterfully and naturally seduces us into feeling better and doing better so that we may have better…and I cannot and shall not resist it!!!

This past weekend was all about “Family”. The business is family-value based and the torch is being passed down to the next generation to run with it and take it to the next level. We were given the opportunity to know life on the inside with the Founders of the company, they laid themselves open to us and thanked us for our support by treating us like Royalty. This one is their Baby and they are doing everything with excellence, the track record is solid, the resources are in place and all that’s left to do is “lift off”, I’ve got my seat on the rocket and I’m hangin’ on for dear sweet life!

Andrew Brooks’ 20-20-60 Rule
The success of this company comes down to 3 things,
20% is the product, 20% is the business management team,
60% is because of the loyalty of its distributors.

The focus was primarily on having fun and building relationships between the different teams that make up the 125,000 chocolate-eaters base. In previous network marketing models “cross-lining” or associating with others in other lines of business was a huge “no-no”. With the subtly new business model we have here it is in everyone’s best interest to co-mingle, swap ideas and even strategically partner for the purposes of assisting each other in this tremendous time of growth.

I haven’t seen so many people speak so much personal truth, it was a bubble I felt comfortable sharing and asking questions in, and in current times, I need to constantly hear more about what’s real and observe what is possible!

We danced the night away in our ball-gowns and tuxes, ate amazing meals and drank way too much, all for the purposes of letting loose, connecting with and getting to know others on the team. Short on sleep and never in our rooms, we played in the casino and danced around the gaming tables to some rockin’ bands late into the night and hung out at the pool sipping pina coladas and mojitos while sharing our stories and rewards of success and challenge!

With this particular opportunity we are re-inventing an industry and moving up the ranks within the compensation plan structure very quickly now, and quicker yet to come…

On Saturday night after the event concluded, several of our “top ‘o’ the pay plan” distributors and team leaders had the top floor of one of the resort’s towers and the suite parties began! The bars were well stocked and the food was plentiful! 100’s of people filed in and hopped from suite to suite to visit with, toast and thank the leaders that otherwise they will only hear and work with over the phone until next year’s event!

My sides are feeling it from the endless laughter, my hips from the dancing and my heart from the connecting. I received the clarity and support I desired to take my business to a level it’s never been to before!

Robert Allen said, “You will make 1000 times more money teaching what you know and love than actually doing what you know and love.“ I believe there’s a bunch of people that need to learn the art of freedom and ease in their lives and it is my intention to teach them by my example.

It’s tough to walk away from a time and space such as this event untouched on some level by the experience. It was “precedent-setting” in the industry in general, we haven’t seen an entity such as this for some years, nor have we needed something that represents the proverbial “hero” so much.

Recession you say? What recession? Some of us out here are choosing not to participate in that…

First I seek joy, and all else follows, sure as day follows night…

“Reward thyself.”
–Sandy Chambers - First MXI Canada Ambassador

“You are not here to fix anything,
because nothing is broken,
but everything is continually
changing and expanding.

Release your struggle, and seek
joy and fun, and in doing so,
you will align with the fantastic
expanding rhythm of this Universe.”

–Abraham-Hicks Well-Being card

Happy Anniversary To Me!!  Still hanging in there after 14 years…

“When you combine ignorance with leverage, you get some pretty interesting results.”
Warren Buffett

“When you are ready, the perfect thing for you to hear will come.”
12.12.08 - Abe in Australia

I’m just sticking my head back up after a couple of solid weeks of “retooling myself”, also known as “action-taking” or “doing the due diligence”, (action and diligence is the stuff behind the “deliberate” part of manifesting - after launching my clear intentions of course).

As I look at my calendar on the way up, I realize, “oh yeah, this is my anniversary week – number 14 this year!” And, at the same time, I am hauling the suitcase out of the closet to prepare to fly off to the 4th annual celebration of the company I am currently associated with. June 18th never goes by without me saying a few words to myself about how far this baby has come since that date in 1995.

For 14 years I have remained on (or close to) my “chosen” path, June 18th, 1995 is when I eagerly signed my first contract with a network marketing company, the Grand Daddy of them all – starts with “A” ends with “way”.

14 years later I am forever grateful for that foundation-forming experience and though that’s long behind me, “the business” and what it’s really all about is still embedded deeply in my heart and I have - since 1995 – CHOSEN over and over and over again to Be an excellent network marketing professional – despite - or in my case, more appropriately “to spite” - the odds against my chances for success!!

I operate on raw persistence, driven by blind faith and a passionate drive to break away from limitation of any kind. I have learned that when one tells me “I can’t do something…you can bet I’ll eventually make it happen.” The more I rise above my own emotional reaction to “stuff”, recognize my own ignore-ances and separate my wants and needs from those of all the others around me, the faster and easier the limitations melt away.

I am being called on from within to repurpose, retool and rejuvenate some old principles and ideas using some powerful new tools and resources…everything I could possibly need to create whatever I want is now at my fingertips, available for the asking.

The difference between now and 14 years ago is that now I ask for the sake of and in contribution to others instead of for myself. If I can Be, Do and Have all that I have dreamed for myself, so can anyone else, and dang, I need more friends to play with!

I brought home 3 significant quotes or points with me from my last educational adventure. They stand out repeatedly and have been a catalyst for my latest activities:

“You will make 1000 times more money teaching what you know how to do, than actually doing it.”
Robert Allen

“Jesus didn’t perform miracles in his own city.”
Marshall Sylver

“Integrity, Compassion, Compliance” and I’ve added “Connection”.
Back of a business card…

Here’s a little something that until now I’ve chosen to remain quiet about…and I tell this story not to brag, I tell it so that you reading this knows that there are many different realities, we just pick the one we really want and make it happen. One small choice leads to another and another and before we know it, what was once a dream is now a reality!

I put aside 10% of my entire net income each year into my “Financial Freedom Account”. This is something I set up years ago as a result of the teachings of Harv Eker’s “Jars System”. I have witnessed the magic the jars create since putting mine into place many times over. Dividing my income up and designating portions of it smoothes out the financial ups and downs of being a self-employed entrepreneur. It ensures the money is always available for taxes and makes sure I’m having the fun I’m supposed to be having as I expand my net worth and financial buckets…

I had my best year ever in 2008 and the spoils in the FFA account were significant enough to do something with, and, there are rules to what I’m allowed to use the FFA for. It has to be something that’s an investment, something that appreciates in value and that can be liquidated and turned into more later…houses (residences) and cars don’t count.

I also wanted to reward myself for my enduring and (somewhat) consistent focus and good work so I called my diamond broker to see what he had that I might wear as a ring. Well of course chocolate diamonds are all the rage this year! Perfect. After a brief conversation it was a done deal and I left him to create something for me I could wear as a symbol of my success.

As the day approached for me to take possession I learned some things about wearing valuable jewelry…it has a high price tag to it! It’s one thing to buy the item, it’s quite another to be able to wear it no strings attached! In order to truly be an investment it has to be insured and evaluated regularly to determine “return on investment” at the time of liquidation, there’s a lot of paperwork involved to “ensure” it’s replacement value if lost or stolen. Calling the insurance company to inquire as to whether I was covered for such a thing opened its own can of worms…er’ learning experience, and although it was a grueling process, we got some things sorted out around my policy.

I found out that insurance policies don’t cover jewelry over $5,000 in value…a separate rider has to be created for each item, and - here’s the bottom line - in order to wear this ring “around”, it costs me as much to insure it as it does to insure the condo that I live in!

If you know me and my practical nature you’d know this was a surprise, and I’ve landed at “oh well, the rest of my collection can remain in the safe, blanket insured by Lloyds Of London!”

It arrived just in time for Valentine’s day via courier from the West Coast, and when I showed it to my son he said, “Nice. Don’t tell Dad or he’ll want to know why you didn’t buy a car!” Out of the mouths of Babes…remember, cars don’t count!

Below is the talisman I’ve come to call my “Heretic Ring”. It sits (unintentionally and perfectly) on the middle finger of my left hand, it is a metaphor for many thoughts and emotions along my journey, and if one’s not particularly respectful, I’ll have no hesitation about displaying it promptly. It is perfect in every way! She’s 2.16 carats of chocolate diamond, she has some beautiful red sparkles to her richness, and is dressed up in white gold and surrounded by 20 (the date of my birthday – how’d he know?) white and cognac diamonds.

For me diamonds are a wonder of nature, a metaphor for persistence under pressure over time. They come out of the ground ragged and polish up to something extraordinary and beautiful. It takes perfect conditions to create a diamond, and it’s the “less than perfect” conditions that create the rare and sought after colored ones! It takes certain elements to be present and certain types of stress to create the various colors, and they come in all colors of the spectrum!

They are considered the most portable form of concentrated wealth, they always have been and always will be…diamonds are forever…and so am I…

InvestFest 2009 Slideshow

I have returned from beautiful Vancouver, B.C. and 5 days with some of the planet’s most benevolent and compassionate entrepreneurs and investors, about 900 of us in attendance.

InvestFest 2009 is the 3rd annual event for the Freedom Investment Club, one of North America’s largest private investing clubs who’s focus is on education. It takes a full year to put on the event and it is organized and hosted by its brilliant founder Michael Lathigee and his team. It is funded by the members of the club, and this year, because of the great results coming out of the events, a handful of philanthropically oriented sponsors came in to contribute and have some fun!

I call it “The Room They Didn’t Need To Be In” because those that were speaking, teaching and mentoring us were all multi-Millionaires and Billionaires, their integrity, compassion and generosity were apparent and heart-felt, clearly they were not there for their own gain, the entire event was all about - and for – us!

Last weekend is a place mark in my history I’ll be looking back on for a long, long time. My vision of our world - what is now and what is possible has just been expanded tremendously. I was made acutely aware of that fact yesterday as I sat signing in to Bill Bartmann’s “BillionaireU.com” while off to my right sits a copy of Success magazine with Richard Branson’s smiling face telling me to “Go For Bold” on the cover. I realize I actually now look forward to reading financial information and taking action on it, it has taken some time, and I think I’m starting to get it?

The loud and clear message is that we need to up the ante on our targets, we’re officially shooting for the “Billionaire” bulls-eye now, being a Millionaire is no longer “good enough”…at least for those of us with bigger visions. It’s certainly a healthy target for anyone that wants to go for it and get free quickly, there is more dollars and opportunity available to us than ever before in human history…if the Governments can print money…why can’t we?

We learned the long-term affects of “quantitative easing” - the good, bad and the ugly and it was pointed out that we are now accustomed to seeing the “T” word in the news a lot, we were encouraged to try to imagine what a Trillion of anything looks like – we were given lots of examples by analogy to keep our perspectives in check about the sheer magnitude of that kind of number. The financial sector are noticing the same thing as I have in my high-tech world…megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes…millions, billions, trillions…it’s all the same energy to me…and I get that once we’ve done 1 million, the other 999 of them are probably a lot easier to obtain, certainly my capacity for data storage has expanded over the years.

It was a surreal few moments as by a fluke, I sat in an invitation-only VIP meeting shoulder to shoulder with some of our most accomplished, benevolent and powerful people, crammed into a small restaurant around a narrow room, it had the energy of excitement and pure creation. I experienced similar vibes in the past when I was around the table that eventually manifested what came to be “The Secret”. I shut out any form of self-talk and listened and watched as they laid out a plan to transform the face of entrepreneurialism and small business going forward forever. As a plan was laid out, names like Warren Buffett, Donald Trump and Richard Branson were referenced. I understood their models because in the last 9 months or so I have read the biographies of all 3 of the above entrepreneurs…coincidence? I think not.

The days of the “Ol’ Boys Club” and their secrets are over, the time to share the wealth is here. Our modern leaders – people just like you and me with some different skills and a lot more resources available - are asking for our help, assembling a team of masters to gather and foster brilliant ideas. They don’t need our money, they have lots of that – more than enough to satisfy the existence of generations of their own, once one gets the hang of accumulating wealth, it’s difficult to spend it fast enough! They want to do great things with it, they are connecting their resources to those that otherwise would not have the opportunity to bring a dream to fruition.

We are being called upon to share our talents, skills and most of all our “caring”. We are being called upon to be “accountable” for what we own and to contribute what we inherently have to offer our world, and those around us in it.

In a room like that one, I was more than gently nudged to get up to speed right quick with why I was in the room in the first place. I knew I needed to be there and felt like I “belonged”, the question still remained, “What is MY unique offering here?”

I was all eyes and ears and missed very little of 4 power-packed days of world-class presenters and players in their fields. They did not throw us fish, they taught us how to masterfully catch fish of our own, there were however, some incredible giveaways, any one of them life-changing to the winner, and we still had to “work” for what we had won…

Once again I am convinced that the only thing I need to do is show up and be open to what I put myself there to experience. I now know with certainty, I will always receive EXACTLY what I am ready to experience. This time I showed up with a disorganized intellectual bag full of disconnected inspirations, ideas and questions, I was open to “reinventing myself”, whatever that would bring…bring it on!

That’s it, that’s all. That’s my rule for attending a personal education seminar of any kind. If I am to reinvent myself, there is no template for what the new me looks like, so I’ll let that unfold and take action on faith that my intentions are based in things that are good or gooder for me, the Universe has plenty in escrow to keep me excited and busy for 10 lifetimes at this point…

I’ve been attending financial and investment seminars since September 2005 when I attended T. Harv Eker’s world famous “Millionaire School” in Las Vegas (no longer in that form). It was fun and when it was all over, it left me quaking in my naïve, green booties. The perception of my financial future and what it was going to take to ensure the security of it was just about too much to take…just about…it was an experience that scared me “straight”. Until that time I had very little experience in managing my own finances, in fact I was still trying to keep my breakfast down anytime I had to log into my bank accounts.

I took the appropriate action steps (eventually and despite my fear) and enrolled in an investment club who’s mission was to educate those just like me that wanted to take control of their futures. Next to enrolling in Peak Potentials Quantum Program, enrolling in the Freedom Investment Club is on the top of the list of some of the better decisions I’ve ever made for myself!

I was able to spend some face time with some of my healthy chocolate team that, up ’til now, I had only met on the phone. It’s always good to finally connect eye-to-eye. The relationships may start online, and they don’t end there!

I visited the offices of Diamonds Direct and finally got to hold my beautiful pink Argyle diamond that I purchased 2 years ago. While I was there, I found out it has appreciated 30% since the last time it was valued, less than 6 months ago, my total return is almost 100%.  Recent reports are that the mine will close by 2018. I’ll be hanging onto it until at least then, the pink Argyles are the rarest in the world, they are pink because of a certain kind of stress they are subject to as they form and for every 1 Million carats of white diamonds mined, only 1 carat of colored diamond is found.

I met a bunch of new friends and have some interesting irons in the joint-venture fire. My ticket for next year’s event is already purchased and it promises to be even better than this year, word is out about the successes coming out of the events.  Any excuse to get back to that gorgeous city!

Believe it or not the statement that has stuck with me the most on my return came from Marshall Sylver when he said, “Jesus didn’t perform miracles in his own city.”

That stuck out for me and I appreciated getting out of my own city to experience something new and mind-bending, a place where my miracles are appreciated!

Thank You to Michael Lathigee, his amazing team and all those that showed up 100% for us! I got everything I needed and then some!

It is and you are appreciated, the world needs more leaders like you!

Technorati Profile

It’s baaaaack!!

And has been for a while now…right under my nose in my Google search box…

DoodleArt.ca

If you were a kid that could color in Canada in the 70s, (before the days of video games) chances are you had a DoodleArt hanging on one of your bedroom walls at some point…it was the fad behind one of Canada’s greatest business success stories!

You can read about it here, it’s a very cool story: DoodleArt.ca/history.htm

It’s a story that affected me huge, in my house, hours were spent coloring in DoodleArts, they were fascinating and provided immediate creative satisfaction – with an obsessive tint, my bedroom walls hung all of them! Over the last 30 years or so the fond memories have come up time and again.

I’ve been entertaining my 5 year-old niece a lot lately and her Dad mentioned last evening, she would love a DoodleArt if we could ever find one…we went off together down memory lane discussing our favorites…well, “ask Google and it is given”…

I do SO love Google, I now believe it’s the Universe incognito!

To my absolute surprise and kiddish delight, DoodleArt is indeed alive and well, in fact they have been since 2001 by mail-order from a website!

I couldn’t believe my luck and ordered 1 of everything they had on the website! I have no idea where I left the first batch I did 30 years ago, and I’m not forlorn anymore!!

Before I placed my order I picked up the phone to give them a call to see if they offered discounts on bulk orders, and the phone was answered by Jean Anderson herself! She and her husband Glenn created the original designs back in the 70s after selling 1,000,000 copies of their initial “Ecology” design in 1972!

I felt as though I were talking to one of my childhood heroes - a REAL celebrity!! I thanked her profusely for the hours of contentment and creative pleasure as a kid, I could instantly tell that she was used to getting this appreciation and she says it never gets old! I could hear in her voice that she fully understands the contribution and impact that she and her family have had on the wellness of others…

I’m heading out to Vancouver next Thursday, the birthplace of DoodleArt, and Jean and I are going to get together for a chat about some things…I can’t believe how excited that makes me, I bet she has some rich and powerful stories!

I’m off to find a set of markers with a Bazillion colors in it!!!

I’ll show you mine if you show me yours?

Go get one, 7 of the original designs are there, we can color together…

DoodleArt.ca

I don’t watch any TV with regularity and especially this week with everything I have going on, and yet, the Universe found it in its infinite bag ‘o’ tricks to make sure I was in front of a special airing of a new documentary titled Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.

Similar to (yet not close to) Star Trek, Michael J. Fox has been a constant character icon for good feelings and escape across the years and miles of my life. I was absolutely inspired to tears watching his companion program to his new book of the same title.

You have to watch it if only to see the few moments of kibitzing between Michael and Bill Murray as they make their way ‘round the golf course!! It was profound to see Bill Murray taking notes of Michael J. and the low-level giggles are endless, especially if you’ve seen Caddy Shack, now a 30-year classic movie!

The piece is dedicated to an empirical look “optimism”. Often I find myself warning others that, “I was born with the happy gene”. I am the eternal sunnier than most optimist, it is almost impossible for me not to see a solution or a brighter side, not just for myself, I see it clearly for others as well (hence the warning). The genetics show some of us are in fact more predisposed to happiness than others!

I’m off to find the book and I’m adding Bhutan as one of my intended destinations to visit! Sounds like my kind of place!

Ever heard of “Gross National Happiness” also known as “GNH”?

Typically I have a lot of resistance around making sense of things like “GDP” and “GPI”, “GDC”…yadda’, yadda’, yadda’…and…GNH I totally get!!

I’ve found a whole new metric for measuring the progress of my happiness – THE most important thing!!

Thank you for this contribution and inspiration Michael J.!

Now where is that next right thing…?

I’ve just tossed yet another tissue after watching an interview on Larry King Live with Britain – and now world - sensation Susan Boyle. She embodies and models “posture”, authenticity, the art of standing in one’s power and getting the job done regardless of the circumstances!! She has momentarily reminded a lot of people of their own cynicism and disrespect…

My old friend was right, “if this lady doesn’t move you, you’re dead”!

Be prepared to be humbled…

Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent At YouTube – Over 40 Million Views

Like a little kid watching a movie over and over again, this real-live modern day fairy tale sucks me in and makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over, my head leaks and my body vibrates with goose bumps every time!

The days of the underdog are at hand, and they have plenty of venues to show us all what they’ve got! I realize every day the benefits of following my own bliss and being myself while doing it…what I do for me, I do for the world. The only thing better than realizing my own manifestations is being there when another does!

I am picky where my focus goes and confident that what I really need to know in the big world out there will be brought to my attention…the story of Susan Boyle has unfolded for me this week and has provided more inspiration and hope in a few moments than I’ve had in years! It is very pleasing to me to see the media behind her in a positive way.

I am blessed that my chosen profession and position in it allows me to provide a venue where ANYONE can become an over-night sensation in their own world and realize their grandest dreams, Susan Boyle sings and shines like an angel…we don’t have to sing to be a star, I do believe we all have to shine though…

Susan Boyle On Larry King Live
Article: Commentary: Why we’re fascinated by Susan Boyle

Got the T-Shirt!

I had an absolutely fun and free-flowing day yesterday with old and new friends as I embarked on a unique challenge, the 19th Annual Canada Life CN Tower climb for the World Wildlife Federation!

Have you ever looked at that thing and wondered how much or how long it would take to climb the stairs to the top? I have and it serves me right…it’s particularly unnerving standing at the base of it!

Only 1 of 5 of us had done this challenge before, the rest of us went about the day’s travel, check in and registration with nervous anticipation of just how easy this was going to be.

Julie, Jennifer, Marty, Elaine, Melissa - Checkin’ In!

We headed into Toronto early enough to beat the rush, we were first to get ourselves registered, we were at the ribbon cutting and first up the stairs!

The trek up had to be one of the most rigorous tests I have ever put my cardio system through and I passed with flying colors, actually I impressed the hell out of myself! I loaded up with my secret weapon of raw chocolate over the day and held a mouthful of it on the way up, it alleviated any burn in my thighs and slight nausea from pushing my heart to its upper limits, every few flights we were met by a smiling and encouraging fully-equipped paramedic.

I would have loved to have my camera and it was a hands free journey for the safety of others. I felt well supported by my team-mates they really put the finishing touches on the day! Although this was a team event, it was a very individual challenge.

My mentor T. Harv Eker taught me, “How we do anything is how we do everything.” I heard that in my head more than once as I “observed” my body and thoughts on the way up. I can’t say the climb was “fun” and I can say it was “deeply satisfying” to complete. I believe this climb the perfect challenge for anyone, and heck it’s the world-famous CN Tower, I can check another one off my bucket list!

The emphasis was definitely on completion, it isn’t something that one does very “fast”, it’s more like a mountain climb where pacing and focus are extremely important. I have a personal time of 37 minutes 20 seconds to beat next time! We were equipped with timing chips that were scanned as we started our ascent and scanned at the finish.

Here’s an idea of the completion times – best time 11 minutes, average time 40 minutes. Some folks take well over an hour. Marty beat his last time of 17 minutes by a minute, just over 16, a new best time.  Melissa was the bravest of all with her height terrors she sucked it up like a Diva Princess and did it in 24 minutes – very inspiring!  Elaine came in without breaking a sweat at just over 21 minutes, Jennifer came in with Melissa just over 24 and I was greeted at the top by my cheering team with a much needed bottle of water at just over 37 minutes.

Why was I so impressed with myself? I don’t workout, I’ve never been on any equipment in a gym, I keep my lifestyle activities practical and simple and enjoy what I want to enjoy. I do consider myself aware, out of principle I go without owning a car to promote more walking, I always take the stairs over an elevator if it’s reasonable and I give my body a different source of nutrition than most. This was a test to gauge just how much I have brought my body back into balance over the last few years – something’s definitely working!

On the way up I passed others keeping a slower pace or resting in the landings, and at times others passed me as I watched them zip up 2 stairs at a time! There was lots of acknowledging smiles, winks and nods of encouragement as I met the eyes of others, along the way no one was talking though – except the paramedics - that would have been an extreme waste of energy, and one had to focus on maximum breathing.

At each landing there were colorful pictures and paintings with encouraging messages for the climbers from school children throughout Canada, they were thanking us for saving the animals and wishing us success on our climb! The pictures gave the dull and dreary concrete encased stairway a bright lift. The echoes of success rang out from above about ¾ of the way up and the nearness of the end caused renewed strength and will to get it over with, the last 20 flights or so go pretty fast!

Your Lifeline Fitness WWF.ca 2009 CN Tower Climbing Team
Elaine, Jennifer, Marty, Melissa, DiamondJul

After finding our way back to the ground - via elevator and a gorgeous view – we made it to the valet-parked tail gate and toasted our success with plastic cups and a few sips of brown pop. After a few moments of swapping experiences we hit the road home making plans to expand our entourage next year!

I pretty much hit my bed spent from the task that night…only after a contrasting and surprising end to an otherwise smooth-flowing day…

That story can wait ‘til the next blog post…

Eat chocolate get healthy…
Share chocolate get wealthy…