22Apr 2015 by CJ

Home is not a place, it’s a feeling in the heart

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
Last night, as the sun began it’s decent into the horizon, my wife and I positioned ourselves around our fire pit as the air became cool and the dark began to fall. All around us was the fragrant smell of nature – earth, mulch, freshly cut grass. A few late-night robins were out and about singing their tune and no doubt searching for a few morsels of food to fill their hunger. As the flames danced before our eyes, we both became lost in a sense of peace and tranquility. The world seemed far away from us as we basked in the warmth of the fire and the enjoyment of each other’s company. There are so few moments like that in life. Few opportunities to enjoy the here and now…
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20Apr 2015 by CJ

Decision making is tough, but it’s better than the unknown

Life & Living, Youth
“It doesn't matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions.” Jim Rohn Making choices in life is never easy. What often compounds our decision making ability is the uncertainty of those decisions and the incredible (often unpredictable) impact they will have on the course of our lives. The questions we undoubtedly ask ourselves during the decision making process can be crippling at times. They prevent us from making a firm commitment – leaving us in a constant state of limbo. While some believe living in that constant state prevents them from experiencing the negative repercussions of their decisions, all it really does is limit our opportunities. I think many of us fail to realize…
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13Apr 2015 by CJ

Keeping up appearances for the benefit of strangers

Life & Living, Youth
When I was in my 20’s, my physical appearance was very important to me. After all, we live in a society that often judges a person based more on what they look like, rather than who they are. With puberty plumping me up like the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man, rendering me incredibly insecure, I became self-conscious when it came to my appearance – even after I eventually trimmed down. But today, at the age of 40, my perspective on so many things in life has drastically changed. The other day was the first time I actually stopped myself and said, “I’m okay with the way I look now.” Yes my hair is greying (though I’m happy it’s still up there); yes I could stand to probably lose a few pounds…
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10Apr 2015 by CJ

Technology and anxiety – an unnecessary stress

Life & Living, Youth
In the April 2015 issue of Marketing News, there ran an article entitled Digital Disruption and the Death of Storytelling. Penned by Molly Soat, it featured professor and media theorist Douglas Rushkoff, and his thoughts on human connections in our personal lives, our businesses and our governments. One question asked of Rushkoff was: Q: What are the dangers of leading people into certain behaviors with digital technology? His response is an eye-opening revelation many of us probably never think about. “A: It’s dangerous for people, for companies and for governments alike. It’s dangerous for people in that they end up in an always-on, constantly pinged reality. They end up living to catch up with their Twitter feeds and their Facebook news, and all of the e-mails and phone calls, and…
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08Apr 2015 by CJ

Time means different things depending on age

Life & Living, Youth
There are 24 hours in a day; seven days in a week; 365 days in a year. Yet quite ironically, we still never seem to have enough time for everything life demands of us. The late Malcolm Forbes once comically quipped, “There is never enough time, unless you're serving it.” I remember as a young boy, time seemed infinite. Even when I was attending college, juggling my courses, extracurricular activities and an internship, I somehow managed to find time for everything. But today with each passing year, I find it more and more difficult to find the time required for not only the things we need to do but the things we want to do. I hear myself continuously saying, “I’ll make time tomorrow.” Sound familiar? My greatest fear however,…
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