Wait! We're Just Getting Started!

Euphoric is the word I would describe the state of our city a week ago. I was downtown the day after elections and I couldn't help but notice the glowing faces and upbeat mood I encountered from others everywhere I went. The air was electric and my steps couldn't have been lighter.

One week later, we are all coming down from the high that notable victories are known for, but one thing we must not do is return to business as usual– of course, old habits die hard.

For the majority of us, it's important to remember we've been conditioned to stand back and let the politicians do their job, while we take our spot on the sidelines to kick up our feet and complain. It's easy, it's comfortable and it's what everyone else does, but this time around it won't work.

We've asked for council members that will open their doors to us and now we've got them... a lot of them. We need to show up. Just as our new council will be seeking to answer the question "How can we work together to make our city and her citizens thrive?" we, as citizens, need to collectively seek to answer "How can we work together to make our city, each other and her council thrive?" In enters the art of respectful and supportive language, the wisdom of seeking to understand opposing views and the knowledge from asking questions and doing our homework. It's important to know what is going on in our city, the issues we face as a community and the impactful decisions that need to be made. Let our council to know we're in this together.

If we all make a commitment to be even a little bit more engaged with City Hall, I have a feeling it will transform our city. It could very well make London a model community for other cities to follow. Isn't that an experiment worth conducting?

Here's your first opportunity to engage with your new City Council in a casual and fun setting: http://bit.ly/1tXFlMV I hope to see you there!

More Than A Dance

This past weekend both of my daughters performed in their end-of-year dance recital at The Grand Theatre. Of course, like all parents, my husband and I were bubbling over with pride as we watched our girls dance on stage, admiring how confident they are becoming. What's interesting is every year I have this overwhelming feeling of my heart opening up and spilling everywhere as I watch dance act, after dance act hit the stage. What is it about watching these young people dance on stage that makes me want to sob? I asked myself as I watched the sequins and ruffles twirl across the stage. My Truth answered.

On that stage is innocence wrapped in joy, the way the human spirit is meant to show up in the world.  These beautiful children on stage are knocking on a door to something that is locked deep within us: cooperation, collaboration, shared vision. With every synchronized movement they remind us of how much we human beings thrive in harmony. Even the dancer who struggles to keep up is still working in collaboration with the rest of the group and that's why the performance never falls apart. In harmony there is bravery, beauty and focus. When I see this in action on the stage, it makes me long for humanity to "just get along". It gives me hope that we can get it right. It's a complicated dance, but with practice, anything is possible.

It seems when we lost our tribes and clans, we also lost our harmony. Materialism has inhibited our ability to create visions for the higher and greater good, which makes hearing one song difficult, let alone attempting to dance together. Without a big, single vision and without taking the time to learn how to dance together, we end up looking like a bunch of drunken college kids dancing at a bar. It seems like fun in the moment, but its not taking us any where constructive and the morning after always hurts. All we can do is start from where we are: find a song to dance to that elevates our lives and the lives of others and never take our attention off of that tune. Make up our dance, practice and persevere, but whatever we do, we mustn't stop dancing. We need to build our strength, endurance and confidence so when our dance is complete, we can show our families, our friends, our neighbours, our community; bringing harmony where ever we go through love, compassion, patience and understanding.

I guess a dance isn't just a dance. Hopefully I won't embarrass my children by sobbing at next year's recital.

Reflection on Year One of Entrepreneurship (Part 1)

ACHOOOO!!! *SNIFF*  Woah... I guess that's what happens when you blow the dust off a blog you haven't posted to in several months! I can't say I've ever taken this long of a hiatus from writing before. The truth is after I returned from India in January, my relatively new life as an entrepreneur welcomed me back with such vigour that I've had great difficulty finding the time to write... but, I'm back!

I think it would be most fitting for my first post of 2014 be about my first year as an entrepreneur, where the first nine months saw zero income.

So what did I do during that time?

I dreamed, imagined and dreamed some more.
For days I wrote and rewrote my mission and vision statements, scribbled business models on my whiteboard, and dressed and undressed it all in various styles of branding.
I hashed my ideas out with a graphic designer and web developer.
I met with marketing gurus.
I sought the advice of lawyers, accountants, bookkeepers and bankers.
I identified mentors and picked the brains of wise business leaders.
I attended leadership for social change workshops.

For weeks I experimented and played with all of the stress management tools I've experienced success with.
I researched and collected data on the damage stress is creating in our lives and spoke with various professionals trying to do something about it.
I sat in on conversations about stress in the workplace and discovered who the key players are.
I familiarized myself with standards and policies around mental wellness in the workplace.

For months I met people and met people and... met... people.
I listened. I observed. I asked questions and I shared my vision.
I found my supporters and surrounded myself with like minded individuals.

I stretched and kept stretching until I was completely out of my comfort zone.
 
For fleeting moments I doubted and second guessed... and yes, I got scared.
I was reaffirmed by my conviction and the people who believed in me.
I found the courage to continue moving forward.

The vision and mission evolved and branding was nailed.
Passionate and talented yoga teachers appeared. They believed in my vision and wanted to be part of its mission. I was humbled and scared (again) because it was already growing bigger than I had anticipated. I was and still am obsessed, grateful, amazed with this new venture.

By early fall, the big red velvet curtains on the stage were were the only thing separating my dream from becoming reality– I could hear people taking their seats before the show began and it made me nervous. In October, the curtains were drawn open and Prana was launched. Clients showed up and we started doing what we originally set out to do: shift peoples lives.

I can't express the how gratifying it is to watch something go from thoughts in your head to a team of teachers and a growing list of clients. It's unbelievable how much growth I've undergone while going through this entire process.

This past year, I've been able to test and prove the yogic ideals of becoming comfortable with not having all the answers and having faith that all problems have a solution, providing you look for the solution and not become distracted by the problem.

I've experienced the truth of our interconnectedness, that you cannot make a business happen by yourself:
You get business by doing business.
If you care for the success of your community, your community will care for the success of you.
If your vision is big enough, it will attract the right people to bring it to life.

And it seems the more symbiotic relationships a business creates, the more the business organically grows.

I LOVE the quality of life it has given me. As much as my previous employer, rtraction, was flexible and more than accommodating, I always felt I was costing someone else money and inconvenience if I wholeheartedly put my family first. That internal tension is now gone.

If my kids need me, without hesitation, I am there and I can give them my full attention.
More often than not, we eat healthy, home cooked meals.
Our house feels lived in.
I have more to give to myself, which means I have more to give to my husband and children.
I am available for my mother if she gets sick.
I have a decent bed time.
I can control the flow of work, appreciating that there will be high periods of busy-ness, but the rest of the time my workload is reasonable.

My team members tell me they are grateful to be able to have such an in-depth, positive impact on people and they enjoy the sense of community we're creating within our team. They appreciate how they are able determine how many hours they can dedicate to Prana and it's always adjustable to accommodate their ever changing life.

Our clients are sharing their success stories and value the services we offer. In such a short time, it seems we are indeed making a positive shift in the lives of people.

This last year will be unforgettable as I witnessed a dream turn into thoughts on a paper and grow into something real as I watered it with action. To me, being an entrepreneur means being able hear your heart beating so loudly that it moves other people.

Namaste.

Do Good Anyway

It's been well over a month since I've finished reading "A Simple Path" by Mother Teresa, but these words, which appeared on one of the last few pages of her book, have stuck with me. They are important words that I would like to share with you:

No matter what, there will always be critics and naysayers of the good you are trying to do. There will be situations to make you think you've made a mistake and you'd be better off going back to living a quiet life– but you mustn't. All of the good things in life are good because people like you have exposed their heart and voluntarily made themselves vulnerable. Courage is always noble.

But, if you do get the wind knocked out of you or you stumble and fall, there's nothing wrong with taking a rest. Undesirable experiences are necessary for growth. They provide the required space to fine tune your vision and reevaluate your approach. Although it may be tempting, please don't give up. There can never be enough good in the world and you have something worthwhile to contribute– even when it seems pointless.

You Can Toss A Coin, But A Smile May Last Longer

For the last little while, I've been reading "A Simple Path" by Mother Teresa. She provides no-nonsense, practical advice on how to serve others. What I most enjoy about reading her book is the wisdom presented is not just Mother Teresa's. She invited her tireless volunteers–the lovely souls that have immersed themselves in her vision–to also share their lessons, ideas and gentle reminders. One little excerpt that has been particularly resonating with me comes from Brother Geoff, who was a General Servant of the Missionaries of Charity Brothers. He stated:

"Certainly, love is expressed first in being with before doing to someone. We have to continually renew our awareness of this because we can get caught up in a lot of the doing for. You see, if our actions do not first come from the desire to be with a person, then it really becomes just social work. When you are willing to be with a poor person you can recognize his need and if your love is genuine you naturally want to do what you can as an expression of your love. Service, in a way, is simply a means of expressing your being for that person–and often with the poorest people you cannot completely alleviate their problem. But by being with them, by being for them, whatever you can do for them makes a difference."

Being with vs. doing to. Connecting vs. donating. Homeless people have names. They are a son or a daughter. They have stories. Ken is someone in our community I've become familiar with. I first noticed him a couple of years ago during the summer months, sitting outside of the Grand Theatre asking for money during the lunch hour. I would walk by him while on my way to eat my lunch at Victoria Park and would politely apologize for not having any spare change. One day, I decided it was time to get to know this person I see every day. I was on my way to Victoria Park and instead of our usual interaction, I stopped walking, looked him in the eye and started a conversation that went something like this:

"Excuse me, what's your name?"
"Ken."
"Hi Ken. I see you out here every day and just wanted to say hello. My name is Chantelle." and I shook his hand.  "Are you hungry?"
"I sure am."
"I've got a beef & cheese sandwich for lunch to day, would you like half?"
"Sure."

I carefully took the sandwich out of my lunch bag and gave him half. He thanked me and I told him I would see him around.

 And see him around I have. Over the last two years we've often crossed paths downtown and always greet each other with a smile and have a quick conversation whenever we see each other. One time, I offered him my apple and he jovially pointed at his gummy smile and said, "I can't eat apples. I have no teeth!" I quickly apologized and together we laughed at my rather awkward moment.

Ken and I have become a familiar face to each other on an otherwise crowded street. I am for Ken. I think about him. I wish him happiness–whatever that looks like for him. I dream for him, too. I dream that whatever suffering he is enduring, he is one day able to use it to propel himself into a better life.

I know there are some out there who would cry, "but wishing and dreaming does not alleviate poverty." You're right. But creating policies and shelters do not create community. Warmth and compassion is a powerful currency and it is inclusive. It requires leaving your comfort zone more so than dropping a coin in a hat, but doesn't all being with?