She said YES

Well, if I go back through my blogs, I explain my thoughts on being a bachelor, then give you insight into this wonderful person I met and how she is the love of my life, and how she has shown me how to love and forgive again.

A couple weeks ago I asked that special women named Deanna to Marry me. I challenged her to spend the rest of our days together!!!! lol...  p.s  she said yes!!!!

It was probably overdue, yet it was a perfect and special moment. Won't get into the whole proposal, just will say I have never felt more sure about anything in my life up to that point, the sense of relief and joy was overwhelming.

The sense of confidence and certainty, with Deanna, is so powerful within me and within us. It is so amazing how one person can make another so complete, I have never been such an whole person and it is because I have her by my side.

I look back at all the wishes and blessings given to us by friends and family. With that said, what stood out, and was the most telling of what kind of person she is and the impact she has on me. Was when I seen the joy, happiness and kind words written by my kids towards our union and her directly...................   Oh boy.... that made me alittle teary eyed!!!!

Kids see through people and are not blinded by most things we adults often are...

They have grown to love her as much as I do, they saw many great qualities within her even before I did, they adore her and are excited to have this strong, kind, caring, classy, intelligent and precious person in their life to help guide and support them as they become unique people in their own right.

All I will say is that I love her, she is truly the Love of my Life and I adore her as well.

I have the utmost respect and appreciation for her and what she has added to my life / our life.

Everyday I wake to this beautiful person and every night I say goodnight to an angel.............

Choose to Care....

Love of my Life

.I set on a Saturday morning, watching Sport Center, alittle Wild TV and of course typing away, answering work emails...

My plans to hit the driving range is lost under the 6 "s of snow that fell last night. Edmonton!!!! Grrrrr.....

It's funny how once spring threatens to bloom, it starts your visions of what the year holds.

What will I focus on this year to better improve upon, Golf? the Gym? Hiking? Playing the Guitar? (Don't laugh). Or is it a love one, family, friends. Hell, why isn't it all of the above......

For me; I have found the love of my life, a wonderful person that fell into my lap and now makes all seem effortless and possible. I was told once, regardless of who comes into your life, they must be able to help you become a better person and visa versa. (trust me I 've had a life time of users and people around me that only want to use you / me for their own end goal!!!!!!)

It was once a belief of mine that it would be impossible to juggle all of life's balls, now I not only disagree with my past belief; I am a advocate for the opposite.

As you become a man and a balance person you not only can juggle all and any of life's per-verbal balls, you can mentor others on how to do the same.

Why you ask? Because you never do it alone!!

You may think, life, starts and ends with you, but we are creatures that need and are designed to be part of something. A family, a gang, a group, a company, whatever;

Furthermore, the seed to this is the need to be part of a union; a partnership that provides individual and dual benefit & support.

I for one, have finally found that, something & someone real to themselves and to us!

Someone that allows me to forgive myself, which eliminates past demons and villains.

A trustworthy and beautiful person that provides me with motivation and inspiration, that never seems to stop, nor apologize for her relentless love affair with me.

I have been molded to understand that unconditional love, is love that does not judge and is always, always there when you need it.

It is the love you have for your kids and your parents have for you.

To find it, finally, in a partner. Is a feeling of relief and power that can not be filtered through words or phrases.

But I will try by summing it up as; ------ I have found;  The Love of My Life.

I choose to Care....

2014 - Year in Review

Wow,

Is all I can say about 2014, one of the best years' of my life.

I received an opportunity to join a great company, was a little hesitant to make the change from leaving my own venture, however in all honesty, it has turned out to be the best career move I've ever made. The team is amazing, the ownership has made me feel like part of their family, and treated me with the utmost respect. It has been a long time since I have been so content and motivated.

Furthermore I believe my years' of experience, struggles and successes have aligned perfectly for me to lead this group into a very prosperous future.

The key to any great company is their people, our company had some unbelievable talent already in place, combined with the addition of a few people from my past that I was able to secure.  We have cemented the foundation for our leadership group, we have the blocks to / and will build a 1st class organization.

This past year, on July 26th, I took the leap of faith and got engaged to the love of my life. To have my career and personal life, be so balanced, is very powerful and allows me to be a very focused, open, reliable and consistent individual.

I took my fitness to the next level in 2014, with a revamped program and stringent diet, I have surpassed my goals and expectations. I will be 40 in 2015 and truly I have never been in better physical condition. For awhile now, I have committed to delete alcoholic from my life and this will further support and benefit my ongoing fitness goals. All my goals for that matter!!!!

My niece Latasha is doing great, she got settled more out west this year and has decided to stay permanently, which makes us extremely happy, she decided and I guess confirmed what she wanted to truly focus on for her career, and was accepted to the school of her choice, starting Sept, 2015.

I am very proud of the woman she has become and we are truly bless to have her as a huge part of our life.

Probably the greatest moment this year, was when my second oldest daughter moved in with us, late in the year. She is a very gifted child and needed to be in city, environment where she could grow and develop accordingly. To have her with us full-time is so rewarding and has filled a gap in my life, she is so special (like my children !!).

We traveled lots this past year, twice to Mexico, once with the kids for Deanna's sisters wedding and late in the year just her and I. We did a weekend trip to Vancouver and 10 day road trip to Vegas for a friends wedding and then onto California,(Santa Monica) with a final stop in San Francisco.

Well planned because my Chicago Bears were playing the 49ers that weekend.

Yes you are right I had nothing to do with that.. hehehe  :-). 

We also had a chance to see the World Series winning Giants play that same weekend.

The Year in Review, short and sweet, just like the year.

Best Wishes to you all, and I hope your 2015 will be a wonderful year for you, as I pray it will be another great year for me and my loved ones.

Choose to Care....

A DAY IN THE LIFE - (1 PART FITNESS 3 PARTS FAMILY)

I like to take the opportunity to provide more insight towards how I personally manage my time. We all can and need to be more consistent in everything we do. So, I am respectfully sharing my personal approach and philosophy, with hope that it may benefit you somehow.

Time is something that you control for yourself (mostly), and the management of your time should revolve around your core values and what is important to you whilst aligning with outside needs.

For me, it is centered around my Care and Support beliefs with the 2F’s (Fitness & Family) as my anchor, with these F’s broken into 3 components.

Whereby, Fitness encompasses my physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing, and Family representing my personal family, my work family and the outside world, people I know currently and or will meet in the future.

Each day is broken into 4 sub days (for lack of a better way to explain) 1-part Fitness 3-parts Family.

Part 1 (Fitness): Starts at 4:00 am and ends at 8:00 am, wherein I consume 2 forms of nutrients (shake / meal), workout, do some form of cardio and or box and meditate.

Part 2 (Family): Starts at 8:00 am and ends at noon, whereby I consume 1 form of nutrient (shake / meal), focus on my pre-set work task / meetings and allow float for unknown requirements.

** Key is getting all preassigned task(s) complete, not allowing myself to justify why a task was / could not be completed, just placing all effort on getting the tasks complete.

Midpoint – Meal & Audio Book and/or Meditate 

Part 3 (Family): Starts at 1:00 pm and ends at 5:00 pm, whereby I consume 1 form of nutrient (shake / meal), focus on my pre-set work task / meetings and allow float for unknown requirements.

Part 4 (Family): Starts at 5:00 pm and ends at 9 pm, whereby I consume 2 forms of nutrients (shake / meal), focus on personal family, with a focus for 30 minutes on fitness before sleep.

I should have qualified, this is a dive into one of my odd approaches in life, this works for me personally and allows me to stay consistent and focused. This also allows me to carry my hefty work load and makes me efficient and effective in accomplishing the deep pool of task as well as goals.

This is a 7 day a week approach for me, with the 4 quadrants always in tack, with only slight adjustment to what is included within each part. For example, if I travel during the typically work week, I will do so in part 1 or part 4, so part 2 and 3 are not diluted, then adjust my fitness part as required and give more to the outside world because I’m away from personal family and can use this time accordingly. As well as, on weekends I will only commit to work in part 2 and leave the time in part 3 for personal family, etc.

The annual goals I set, that are then broken into quarterly and monthly rocks, repackaged into weekly goals and then 2-part daily task, is the approach I have developed to ultimately achieve success, stay balanced and stay true to my Care and Support beliefs.

True as a law of nature when I deviate from this model and mindset, I fail.

I hope you can take something from this approach that will support you in achieving your defined success and goals.

ADVICE FROM...

I got approach about doing a speech to a group of young adults, for a Indigenous Business event later this year.

I pondered long and hard about the program topics and decided I would focus my presentation on a list of life lessons / rules, "so to speak", to help guide one's adventure through life.

Lessons I've personally learnt throughout my life that I can now humbly share, with hopes that it may provide guidance in the next 20 + years that would fulfill the gap between their and my current realities.

At this point I will lay out my talking points, won't add the details of each point. 
Intent would be to add a brief story / explanation to each.

1. Commit to others... Care for others.... 
2. Be Self Discipline.  
3. Fall in love & fall in love often, with as many things as possible. I love everyone in my life, my work life and my personal life. Don't be scared of the word love and especially don't be scared to show love.                                                                                                                             Fall in love with that special someone and have them by your side; Share your time, your love, your memories. We are great as individuals and we need to ensure we find ourselves and become balanced; However we are so much more with that special someone at our side.           
4. You need to be aggressive in life and business, but only when listening....                            Focus & learn to truly listen....
5. Do not procrastinate... Always have more in your Outbox than your Inbox. "Never put off for tomorrow what you can do today".
6. Commit to the Soul. Give yourself to an higher belief; There is something grander than you...
1. Believe, understand and practice in the "Law of Attraction"...
7. Stop trying to live your life, stop immediately.... Design & then Build your life.. 
8. You can't give away your Past... But you can give away your Future..
9. All "Successful" people work hard; Now let's define "Success". 
1. Best quote I've heard to define is, "The progressive realization towards a worthy ideal".   I heard this from an Earl Nightingale's presentation. However, you to define your own success.
10. You can't do it alone, surround yourself with great people. 
1. People more intelligent, more talented, humble and especially kinder than you.
11. Make Decisions / Choices!! You have the opportunity to make the "right choice" based on the information you have at that point, remember you can always make another "right choice", if / when the information / situation changes.
12. Meet as many people as you can in this life, enjoy the company of others. 
1. Focus on building rapport and cherish those relationship, this is the master key to many locked doors.

   ***** All require you to be committed, adaptive, resilient and focused (Present).


Choose to Care

Five Leadership Qualities that start with C......

Early in my career whilst under the mentorship of a wonderful person and great leader. I've learned and come to understand common traits of great leaders. These have been the backbone of my leadership experience, beliefs and values throughout my career / life. I truly believe these common traits are universal within great leaders.

Before I express these, I’ll tell you a story about when I was attending a meeting last year and had the absolute pleasure to be part of a presentation by a distinguish Chairman / CEO. His experience and stories are / were of legend, I tell you this, because he presented at the time a list of the three qualities that he believed existed in all great leaders. We overlapped on 2, I've taken forward his 3rd however, it stuck with me so it's now a new addition to my list. It's Conviction... …

Humble me for a moment,......take a piece of paper before you read any further……………………. Write down what you believe the 5 qualities of great leaders are? as noted above, I've given one already. :-) List 4 more that start with the letter C......

Conviction; A strong persuasion or belief in your goals and mandates within your life and the organization / team you represent. Having a strong personal belief structure and culture, whereby you stay true to these beliefs and values.

Confidence; The feeling and belief that you can do well and succeed, being able to bring out the confidence in others and in turn not to dilute this confidence. Again, having the faith and belief that you will act in the right, proper and effective manner while holding yourself and others accountable.

Collaboration; To work with others, to cooperate as a team to achieve common goals and objectives. Alone you may struggle to see all opportunities or simply be unable to resolve an issue, together, a group can overcome any challenge.
I've used the following quote endlessly to represent what I mean.
"At our organization we do nothing alone, because someone may get credit for it." 

Consistency; Relentless pursue to act and behave in the same professional, respectful, collaborative, dependable and trusting manner. Approach all situations in this consistent manner whilst controlling your emotions in order to lead the attitudes and behaviours around you.

Courage; The ability and self-awareness to do something that you know is difficult or even dangerous. Having the mental and moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear and life / work challenges.  Then ultimately having the courage to challenge yourself and others; to hold others and yourself accountable and question the status quo.

The 6th C, that I have built my personal leadership structure and belief system around is Care. If you do not Care about / for yourself and more importantly Others, then these other traits mean nothing, I've come to find the core to everything in my life, is "Caring". 

If you find yourself unable to achieve these 5 C’s in your life, then please take a step back adjust what you need to, in order to get back on track and become the best leader, person you can and want to be.

The Leader must always 'ante up' first and 'eat last'.  Be a servant to others and an higher power.

Care, it’s your choice.

BLINDED

I was reading last night and came across the word “blinded” in a sentence, for some reason, I paused and could not stop focusing on the word, like it was releasing from the page in 3D. It automatically opened a thought process of all the different things in life that we are blinded too and or by.

Love;

This is probably the number one “feeling”, indescribable emotion that blinds us. It blinds us from negative qualities and actions in the ones we love, it often blinds us from the positive qualities as well.
It blinds us from reason, in many cases, it blinds us from truth.

Ego;

LOL, yes you can stop laughing now… Ego blinds you from seeing your faults, blinds you in the decision making process, blinds the patience required to ensure wisdom overpowers your ego.

Stress;

Stress can blind the trees in front of the forest but certainly takes the forest away.

Anger;

Do I need to say anything for this one; anger blinds us from living and always blinds us from forgiving.

I was blinded for a long time;

But got Lasik surgery a few years back!

CARE for each other

CHOICES

Everywhere we look we have a choice to see 'Ugliness or Beauty',

Everything we hear we have a choice to 'Ignore or Aggressively Listen',

Every conversation we have we have a choice to 'Irritate or Enlighten',

Everything we feel we have a choice to 'Harden or Embrace',

Every person we encounter we have a choice to 'Walk by or say Hi'.

Make good "Choices"

Care enough to say, Hi....!

BEAR

5 months ago he came into this world, our little baby boy.  "BEAR"

It has taken me awhile to write something about him, not because I couldn't muster the words, but to be honest, just to much to say, too many emotions.

First I will answer the name Question. Everyone who hears his name, kinda gives us a slight "what" grin, then smiles and comments with "that's a unique", "awesome", "cool" name.

We are both connected to the name and have been subconsciously all of our lives.  Deanna's spirit animal is a Bear and the first tattoo I got at 18 was a grizzly bear face, that was a representation at the time of my mother and her many positive traits that resemble the bear....... Many who know me, know what an insane Chicago Bears fan I am, and yes it is cool that it overlaps, however not the reasoning for the name.... 

Regardless it fits him perfectly..... He is a Bear, he is our Little Bear. 

Sure we will add a few more adjectives before his name in the years to come that will be equally fitting...

We love his name and will ensure he grows into it!

------------ When BEAR was born I sent out this email / text.
"Deanna and I are proud to announce that at 11:20pm, May 31st, Day 1 of training camp as begun for Bear Allan Fequet. He has been drafted by DaBears as their Middle Linebacker. At 7lbs8oz he will need to ensure he gains the appropriate amount of weight and form over the next 21 years to ensure his spot on the roster. With that said, we along his brother and sisters, family and friends will be there to support him during these important years."..

Now at 5 months and 20 pounds, he is in the 95 percentile on all levels and on track with his weight and height. We are starting slow with his push ups, however he loves butt raises and leg extensions, and he is making progress each day, slower than I would have hoped but I know my expectations were / are high..... 
Now on the food and rest side of his program, he is mirroring my routine already. He eats every three hours and goes to bed at 7:30pm and wakes up at 4:30am... PERFECT...
Not sure Deanna would agree, because I forgot to mention the two random feedings during the night.
----------------

Having the great pleasure to have another child, especially with Deanna is a true blessing. She has proven to be a great step mother, so I knew she would be amazing Mom, however it's truly overwhelming seeing first hand, her bond with Bear. 
The way they look at each other brings a tear to my eye, the way he melts into her neck and snuggles for dear life, the way his breathing slows down when she holds him and his heart beat races when he sees her, knowing his Mom is back into view. She has created this calm, safe and secure environment around him that allows him to exuded happiness and overall contentedness, this is showcased each time he Smiles. .................. 
I wrote a quote in my original blog years ago...
"Smile before someone else does; Only competition you should always try to win'.
He certainly is winning this competition early in life.

Their are one or two qualities of mine, I hope he develops that will potentially help him along the path of life. 

But if he doesn't, and he is 100% like his Mom, he will be the luckiest boy ever! 

Deanna and I have made the committed to love, care for and support him throughout his life and will be there for him at all cost, but without knowing it, yet, he is the one that is supporting us and making us better.

Bear is young and we don't yet know what he will bring to this world to make it a better place, yet we can see already the charm that pours from him and the halo that hovers above him so bright.

One look into his eyes and you have no doubt that the creator exist and an higher power is looking out for us. 

We Love You Bear!

Family Commitments - MEMO

I wasn't going to post this memo as a blog.

It was a personal memo / note, sent to my staff in-confidence.
However as you may have grasp from my previous post, I tend to be an open & transparent guy, this is part of who I am and I try not to change or dilute this at work. 

Plus, my people asked if they could share with their loved ones and others, and in turn encouraged me to post.

------------------------

Folks;

In most cases it will go without saying however it may benefit some and if nothing else it will clarify how I want you to be supported.

As most are aware I have spent a large part of my career at project sites in remote areas, located all over Canada, through this experience I worked for many different types of leaders / companies with varying beliefs and corporate expectations.  I also personally put myself in positions where I thought I would be letting down the team, company, etc., if I left a given project and focused on family priorities / obligations. Now that I look back and in turn look forward, to another chance at raising a young one, I personally have much regret associated to the times I didn’t focus on family first.

So with that said, I want to clarify that I do not expect nor do I want you to miss or sacrifice family responsibilities for work. This includes important family events, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, vacations, religious ceremonies, etc., as well as for illness or a loss.

Please appreciate I am not mandating anything here; as leaders and individuals you all need to decide what is best for you and your family as well as balancing what’s best for your projects and teams, not an easy task for any of us. However I do express the above from personal experience and with great appreciation for you.

Thank you for your endless commitment to the company and each other, and also for the hard work and passion shown consistently through your actions. I’ve never been prouder to work with such an amazing group of people. You are not only my work colleagues but I see you as friends and I deeply care about you and your family’s well-being.

Sincerely,

Trent Fequet

HOW DO YOU SHOW UP?

I'm rarely the smartest, most experienced, most educated person in the room. 

I think a lot of us find ourselves in that position. It's tempting, when placed in a situation where we feel inadequate, to try to overcompensate and prove like we belong at the 'adult table'. 

We have two choices in these situations;

Choice #1 - Show up in an attempt to prove that we're good enough, smart enough, experienced enough, or educated enough to be there, even though in many cases we're not.

or,
Choice #2 - Show up knowing that we don't yet fully belong and use it as an opportunity to learn, ask questions and contribute in an authentic and meaningful way.  

These two choices will bring very different responses;

Choice #1, you'll likely find that others in the group will take some pleasure in knocking you down a few pegs, likely below your actual level of knowledge, experience or intelligence.
or,

Choice #2, you'll likely find that the group will take pleasure in helping you gain the additional knowledge, skills and experience needed to feel like you belong there.  

When we show up to improve ourselves and contribute whatever we can to the group, everyone will want to help us.

"Don't show up to prove. show up to improve."  - Simon Sinek



Choose to Care....

Confidence - paying back or forward.

Throughout life we look to gain confidence, we are in an endless search for confidence.

It is truly amazing, that when we find "our" true confidence, we look for others that are confident and when we find that, we find trust... Interesting ......  I know ... lol..

Think back, quickly throughout your life, of the teacher(s) / people that help you build confidence?

List the name / names..
for me..

My Mom,
Ozzie - (High School Gym Teacher, Coach)
Mr. Fraser - (College / University Dean)
My Uncle Burns
My Wife

Can't remember many other teachers / people ? Usually it is 2 or 3 key people early in life that make a mark and care enough to provide support and ensure you are gaining confidence.

Same for all other areas of your life, who helped / are helping you to gain confidence? How?
Again for me,

My Uncle Ben,
Gordan Graham
Bill Elkington
Paul Poscente

NOW, think of people you have helped? Why? How? Great circle isn't it?

If you are in a managerial role or a mentor-ship position at work or in life, it's as simple as going out of your way to support people in gaining confidence, this can be the backbone for you, in becoming a good leader in your own-right and forming a group that will support each other.

Care enough to support others, they will remember and pay it forward...

Please choose to Care....

Too Funny # 002

A group of women were at a seminar on how to live in a loving relationship with your husband.

The women were asked, "How many of you love your husband?"

All the women raised their hands.

Then they were asked, "When was the last time you told your husband you loved him?"
Some women answered today, a few yesterday, and some couldn't remember.

The women were then told to take out their cell phones and text their husband:
"I love you, sweetheart."

The women were then told to exchange phones with another person, and to read aloud the text message they received, in response.

Here are some of the replies: 

 1.   Who the hell is this? 

2.   Eh, mother of my children, are you sick or what?

3.   Yeah, and I love you too. What's up with you?? 

4.   What now?  Did you crash the car again?

5.   I don't understand what you mean?

6.   What the f*** did you do now?

7.   ?!?

8.   Don't beat about the bush, just tell me how much you need?

9.   Am I dreaming?

10. If you don't tell me who this message is actually for, someone will die.

11. I thought we agreed you wouldn't drink during the day.

12. Your mother is coming to stay with us, isn't she??

-------------------

lol... use this has a opening story at your next meeting board meeting.. lol.

Even try it with at your next company function or event.

"Walk ". - Poetry

I wake up from a nightmare,

I wake up in an unknown place.

Can things be worst?

I am unsure.

I choose,

To walk; I walk from that terrible place,

I walk back into your arms

I walk back into my dreams.

----------

I am lost out at sea,

I am lost without a compass.

Can things be worst? 

I am unsure.

I choose,

To walk; I walk from that terrible place,

I walk back into your arms

I walk back into my dreams.

----

I fall from a mountain top into the valley,

I fall without a rope.

Can things be worst?

I am unsure.

I choose,

To walk; I walk back up the mountain,

I walk with you at my side,

I walk out of my dreams to reality.

I am sure things will be fine!

CARE for someone

The Talent Pool

Has fall is now officially here, we all think about how the summer slipped away too fast!!!

I don't, lol, On the drive to the office on a Sunday Morning at 5 am; I am thinking of the past 10 years within the construction industry and the talent pool situation. --- 

I reflex back on my years up north in the NWT, NU and Yukon, it seemed we never had an issue. Whenever I made calls for crews / key guys; it seemed people were just there!!!

We executed projects all over northern Canada, in remote places that may have been attractive to many of the guys I called upon. They liked the fact that they could leave for 4 to 7 months and then be done, return to the small communities where we were from and enjoy the rest of the year hunting, trapping and fishing. These remote projects certainly had its challenges, but it seemed the people and their character fit the region and visa verses.
As for management, again it always seemed easy, many people wanted that northern Canadian experience. Furthermore our engagement with the diamond industry was very appealing.
Key industry professionals certainly wanted to have these projects on their resume.
Now that I reflect back on the diamond mines, I also would push much of the credit to the clients. They believed in developing a best in class work environment, accommodation and overall awareness of what drives the trade worker and professional. They also were abreast of any indirect conflicts or inconsistency of manpower treatment. Meaning any conflicts and or "viruses" were dealt with promptly.

Once I left the north I went to Fort McMurray in the Oil sands. What do I say about Fort Mac!!!!

With that said, my experience was different from what I heard from many projects / companies.
We went out of our way to secure people that were liked minded and formed a family atmosphere.
I had a few philosophies when recruiting my project team, that I still believe into today; whole heartily.
---- Look for the right Attitude, Character and Skill to fill the team "glass", when in doubt on the individual; hire for their Attitude and Train for lacking skill. If Attitude, Character and Skill come together, hire that individual at all cost. 
Because they are like finding a Panda Bear in the wild, may not see one again for awhile......-- lol

Furthermore, I had the good fortune to work for; probably the best  group / construction company at the time - JV Driver. The President and Owner (Bill Elkington) was by far the best leader I ever come across to that point and yet today for that matter.
This experienced and engagement provided many lessons for how I would led for the rest of my career. He had a very unique and personal way of leading, the trouble with these unique management values, is that they are very hard to support within a group that don't share them. I come to learn it is great if you own the company but trying to bring that fresh and "caring" (truly people focused) management style to a conventional company is nearly impossible.

Over the years I have attracted a great group of key people that have followed me wherever I have asked and now that I have branched out on my own, they are my rock. With that said to grow a company you need to keep attracting key people, but it seems the preverbal "talent pool" is pretty much empty these days. Especially in the West where the industrial / pipeline groups and related clients, consultants and contractors can seemly pay whatever it takes.
The pay (in many cases) certainly does not parallel the level of skills.  I could only assume the Attitudes must have gotten a great deal better???? -- lol


CARE!

"Too Funny". - joke

A guy brings his buddy home for dinner.

His Wife screams; "You asshole! My hair and makeup aren't done, the house is a mess, the dishes aren't done. I am still in my pajamas and I can't be bothered with cooking tonight!!!!! Why the FRIG did you bring him home?"

"Cause he's thinking of getting married."

---- Sorry , not much of a blog but too good, not to Share!---

I've been TOLD - I am not a REAL blogger.... what?

Hi Folks,

For those of you who enjoy my blogs, Thanks, my audience source has jumped in recent months, even though I haven't written that much. "Outside of my joke stories that I send to readers digest, that never get published"..:-). Regardless, I think they're funny? lol.

Anyhow the topic at hand. I was out for dinner on Friday with Deanna and one of my Project Managers' and his GF from Toronto. First time we met her and she was lovely (wow I am getting old, using the word "lovely"...... where is grandma when you need to steal a word, right. geeeeeeeeeeeee).
It should be noted; She is from Toronto they are opinionated.. lol.. kidding..

Over dinner we enjoyed great conversation, which led to, for some reason or another , my GF brought up my blog. I didn't realize blogs were such a source of reading these days, people read blogs on everything for anything. When I told her what mine was about, (simple way for me to release thoughts and express some beliefs and or opinions).

"She explained how that wasn't a blog and I wasn't a blogger"

Jokingly of course, (I think???).

Her opinion was that personal blogs were more of an everyday type of thing, either for blogging personal happenings and for news, celebrities, etc, etc.
I knew information sources, group chatters, news groups and other such sources did use blogging for that; for me it seems with tweeter, Facebook and even bbm, people can get an update on everyday happenings fairly easy.

With that said, I did start blogging to also get my writing "juices" back (for lack of a better word). It has done that, however with career and other commitments I have not published as many blogs on topics that I would have liked. So maybe I will start using Blogging to form a dairy of sorts. Or maybe not!!!

In this day and age, everything that makes the internet (Cyber world) seems to have a long shelf life. Blogging such things would probably be interesting for family and friends after one has left for Heaven or Hell. (by the way still no clear winner).



CARE

Happy New Year 2013

Wow… I look back at my last post and it was on my birthday in March 2012. Wow

Can’t believe the remainder of 2012 went by so quickly.

I am saddened by the fact; I wasn’t able to write throughout the year. I guess I was able, just didn’t carve out time to do so.

I will commit to doing better this season. With that said; I look back on some of my writing and it seems I needed to unlock / let out some emotional feelings and thoughts that were obviously bottled up. I could easily past off my none writing to the fact that I got these emotion / feelings behind me and writing like always was the final step for me to release.

Let’s say that certainly played a factor, I also had a very busy, and proud to say, successful year. Took time again to really focus on my career goals associated directly back into my construction field and also with my consulting and leadership program.

On the personal front I devoted this year to regaining my personal health and mental well-being. Maybe actually finding it for the first time. lol. And most importantly this year was a year of reconnecting with my children and becoming a dad they could be proud off. (More to come on the kidlets, will provide a blog devoted to them in the weeks to come).  Lastly I was able to find love again in 2012, something I thought was a century or 2 away still… lol..

Anyways, I just wanted to drop in, say hi, and wish you and wonderful New Year.

Promise that I will be more consistent in 2013, focus on some leadership blogs, poetry and ofcourse I will dip back into my emotional and mental obsess. (Just for your entertainment value if nothing else.)

Choose to Care....

Seasonal Poetry

The seasons nudge memories,

Reminders of time gone,

Time that should have been,

Seasons now long gone and lost.

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I spring back and another season seems to shine upon me,

Sweet air moisturize my senses,

The extending sun rise seems to be melting memories away.

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The long weekend opens the gateway to fun,

Season too short, the days never longer,

Impatience for sunlight to disappear.

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I fall back and what seems like another year ends,

Crisp air focuses layers upon us,

With excitement we await the first dusting.

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Like a gift we awake to the greatness that makes us unique,

Season too long, days never shorter,

The dark and cold brighten spirits for a new year ahead.

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These seasons will always remind me,

Remind me of intense and wonderful times,

Time that was,

Seasons revolutionised within me.

Choose to Care....

Collide

Do things and events happen for a reason?

Do 2 people meet because of some divine destiny?

Do the peaks and valleys find us because of our mindset?
Do love ones leave us because of a greater plan?

Do we have one life or many?

Do we fall under the guidance of some master coordinator?

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Or are we all here to simply "Collide" into each other?
Or is this all some cruel joke; meant to develop research data for the betterment of a future, more evolved race?

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Not sure what theory explains this crazy life we lead and world we inhabit.

But, really!!! You gotta admit the cruel joke theory has a little merit.

But "Colliding" is an hell of alot more fun and justifiable.

-- Just Saying---

God Bless !

Choose to Care....

Remembering a Friend

Later this month I celebrate my 37th Birthday. Yet the next day I get to remember one of my best friends; I lost 4 years ago. Reagan Williams (RW below the BUDDIES tattoo on my left wrist).

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He would have been 44 this year, he has left behind a list of accomplishments and memoires within his friends, family and colleagues that will be tough to match by anyone within any lifetime.

The last few years leading up to the accident, we didn't see each other that much, due to our work and personal commitments. He lost his father the previous year and was focusing on the family business, his new family and other things, and I was totally enthralled with a major project and my relationship.

4 years ago he called me on my birthday and of course I was tied up; and didn't call him back, it was a few months since I had heard from him and to be honest I was a little pissed at him for not touching base sooner; funny thing is, later I found out he was pissed at me too, for focusing too much on some personal things in my life at that time and totally disregarding many of my close friends.

(Pissed has 2 good friends can be at each other I guess.)

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I didn't call him back that day, and the next day the opportunity to ever speak with him again was taken from both of us.

I have done many silly things in my life and have a few regrets, needless to say I obviously have much regret around losing my friend and anything and everything around this terrible lost....

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This event totally changed me, I realized that in life, balance is everything. Proper balance of time (wherein you are present) with yourself, with your family, with your partner and also with your friends. We tend to get so busy in life, that we think we can't handle it all, we think we need to drop things out of our lives in order to better handle the remaining stuff.

(I.e, we have kids and a relationship, so we step back from our friends or even our family, or we focus so much on ourselves and friends we step back from family, etc, etc, etc). But once we become balanced and aware that we can't be everything to everyone including ourselves, but we NEED to be something to all, then we lose the anxiety and stress that so tightly hugs us and weighs us down.

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Reagan's death also helped me realize that life is short, you truly have no idea when it may be your time to go, whether an accident or cancer, or whatever. So I offer up that we don't allow our lives to be controlled by things and or others that are not aligned with our goals.

Your life is for you to live (Build) and experience and not for others to control and guide for you. If you are not compatible with a friend, a partner, a work colleague and or family member then don't waste precious time on trying to convince them to live life. Yes have them part of your life has stopping points along the road by not as a travel partner.

They will be and things will be, and nothing you can do will change that and visa versa.
Conversely if they are people that are in the same place as you and have the same outlook, then enjoy the company of others. Enjoy the sweet things in life also, never have regret for making a choice that was right at the time, because you will always get the chance to make another right choice.
More importantly just stop making bad choices, Jesus!! lol.

It is amazing how memories are generated from one mind and lifetimes are celebrated by many minds.
Miss you Buddy!

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"We are all travelers in the wilderness of the world, and the best that we can find in our travels is a true friend." - unknown.

CARE PLEASE!

Debating Quotes Episode #01

Quote A;

"To appreciate heaven, it's good for a person to have some fifteen minutes of hell." - unknown
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I would say firstly, to truly appreciate anything you need to have had and lost it, before you can appreciate it.

As for Heaven and Hell, not sure one place is better or worst than the other (never been there), haven't had any feedback from others either ! :-)

Lets see if I can compare or relate to HEAVEN - HELL.
Noted comparisons are researched topics from the internet.

Origin of Heaven: The sky or the area above the earth where Heavenly Bodies are placed.

Origin of Hell: The area below the Earth's surface or Underground.

-- You who know me, know that I am scared of heights in the worst way and also only fly because I must, for work. When I retire I am driving everywhere.

So not sure the placement of Heaven works for me at this time.

--  Never wanted to be an underground miner, I will stick to any form of surface mining. I could probably get my head around becoming a fossil, that seems to be a cool thing, getting found millions of years later and examined. fun, fun...  

This comparison is too close to call, gonna call this one an even split.
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Heaven is Place of: Happiness & Peace

Hell is Place of: Pain & Punishment

Not much of a selling point for Hell on this one, Heaven wins hands down.

Heaven is 1 up!
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Heaven Climate: Warm and Pleasant

Hell Climate: Hot and Dark

The heat is really bad for my skin, dries it out something fierce. With that said, the more vacations I go on, the more I am enjoying the hot climate and dark nights. So depending on how long I have, I may be ready for some basting.

No clear winner on this one. However, the word Pleasant is always followed by a positive treat.
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Heaven's access to: Good humans after their death

Hell's access to: Bad humans after their death

Can't really comment on this, Depends who is the judge at time of entry. If I had to pick my destiny today however, I am thinking I would be stuck in purgatory, they would need to sort through the details and probably try to get outside advice on the verdict. 

To be safe I am packing Nomex coveralls and a flashlight. 
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Heaven's Ruler: God

Hell's Ruler: Satan

Hope I am not the only one, but if there is a ruler, it would be more fitting in Hell, would think God would be more a coordinator of events?

I hope we silly humans are just playing on words for this one. Kinda be a cruel joke to be a little goodie-two-shoes all our days; only to be welcomed by a ruler.

I seem to be climbing earth's corporate ladder and in tough decision type of roles, I do have an A-type personality and fairly demanding of myself and others. If I had to pick a stronger ruler candidate and mentor I may find a more experienced ruler in Hell; Just Saying......

After very little debate and even less thought it seems Heaven has an advantage at the end of the day. 

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Quote B;

If you love something/someone so very much, give it away.

If it comes back to you, it's yours forever.

If it doesn't, it wasn't yours, to begin with."" --- written by ; Who cares?? lol.
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Unsure about this overused and hopefully not overly practiced QUOTE...

Not sure about you?

But anything I've ever loved and let go wasn't by choice (at least my choice anyway).

Hell, I want back great thoughts the minute I lose them, :-).

God forbid anything or anyone of worth.

You know you are screwed when you need to fall back on a terrible Quote like this to comfort the unfortunate decision you made (or had made for you).

Can you imagine the lives ruined / regrets pondered upon; because of this ridiculous quote.

-- I actually had someone say this to me, lol.. and yes she is wishing she would have just stayed around!!! lol...

We'll get to ego discussions later in my blogging life.

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Choose to Care....