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Can't believe its less then a week to go for the ride.  Would like to take the time to thank all of you who have played a special part in helping me get to where I am today in my training and preparation.

Thank you to friends/family/colleagues who have:

- supported me through generously donating to my cause

-participated in my FCUK cancer fundraiser

-helped me find and purchase a bike

-encouraged me to push myself and my limits

-generously lent/donated equipment needed to ensure comfort and success on the ride

-trained with me and stayed patient as I groaned, took 10 hours to ride up a hill and took h2o + granola bar breaks every 30 minutes

-spread the world about Ride to Conquer Cancer

I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to fight against cancer. Although there were the few occasions where I thought that taking part in the ride wasn't the best idea (eg when I face planted in concrete, realized that a bike cost more then a mere $200), for the most part, all of my experiences have been fantastic. In reflection (before the ride), the best thing about prepping and training for the ride to date, has been the opportunity to experience the love and support of community. I am blown away by the kindness and generosity of so many people which include friends, acquaintances and strangers alike.  I am truly touched that you care enough about the cause to do something extra to help me reach my goal.

Some special shout outs: Sarah, Keisler, Sam L., and Emily, thank you for helping me find my bike. Ralph, thank you for helping me navigate the ride to work and encouraging me to get on my bike more often then not. Danny, thanks for all your encouragement and support. Jeff Chan, thank you for making sure my bike is top notch and ready to roll. Shizu, thanks for the biking gloves and pouch. Alison, thank you for the hydration backpack and all the juicy riding tips. Raymundo, thanks for inspiring me to participate in the Ride to Conquer Cancer. You still remain an inspiration to me and an awesome team captain! Team Conquest members- you guys rock. Thanks for all the encouragement and laughter. Me and a bunch of silly boys :P I enjoyed getting to know you all. Looking forward to this adventure together this weekend. To everyone who came out to my FCUK Cancer event, thank you; hit my goal because of your attendance and participation. To all of my generous donors, thank you for deciding to stand up against cancer and donating to this worthy cause. I have managed to raise $3790 and still have a couple more days to keep fundraising! 

Please keep me in your thoughts this weekend as I venture out to Seattle km by km! Will update you all after the weekend. 

In the name of cures and recoveries. 

Love Mika

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HALF WAY THERE! From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much friends and family. Blessed to be surrounded by such generous and caring individuals! Let's take a stand! #ridetoconquercancer #effcancer#rideofhope#friendship #commitment #makeadifference#testyourlimits#love#help#give#support#family#blessings

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After a long search, finally found my perfect bike! The seller is a mechanic at Norco and shared with me that he had build this bike for his wife. Lucky for me, he had used only the best of the best for his lady and now, it has been passed on to me. The previous owner is also a supporter of the RTTC and kindly donated his helmet and bike pedals to me as well....SCORE! Looking forward to getting on the road very soon. My knee has been healing well and aside for some bruising/scarring, good as new. 

Thanks for stopping by everyone! Happy Saturday!

xo

[catalystcorner]

Disclaimer: There is blood in these photos! Viewer Beware!

Sad news to report. I had my first riding wipe out and it sucked. Over the weekend, I went for my first bike ride with my pops on two old mtn bikes that we kept stored away in our garage. Leading up to the fall, it was a relatively good ride-we were going at a good speed and I was feeling quite confident. Yes, pieces were falling off both our bikes and our helmets were ancient- but the most important thing was that we were riding! So anyways, as we were making a turn to head back home, I saw my dad pull a snazzy move and do a fancy left hand turn signal. I of course, attempted to mimic this and lost control of of my bike. I flew off my apparatus and did a face plant onto concrete. Unfortunately, I also landed on my left shoulder...which is still bugging me today. It was a epic sight indeed, me sprawled on the pavement, my dad hopping off his bike in the speed of lightening and running towards me, a car screeching to a halt and a woman jumping out of it to see if I was alive...all I can do is laugh at my self and most importantly, learn from the experience.  Now I know that I must slow down before signalling- or not signal at all as I am traumatized by it (don't worry-half joking).

Oh a happy note, I am excited to report that I have now raised $960 for cancer research- making me at 38% completion of my fundraising goal of $2500 plus by mid June! If you have the heart to donate to my cause and support me as I continue on this fascinating journey, please click on http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Vancouver2013?px=3171842&pg=personal&fr_id=1441

Warmest of thanks to those who have stood up against CANCER and taken the time/effort to donate to this important cause.

Stay tuned for more adventures.

Bruised but alive,

Mika

[catalystcorner]

My first one hour jog

I went on my first hour long jog yesterday along the beautiful seawall. Although it was raining, the downpour was not strong enough to deter me from running 60 minutes non stop. In my opinion, I always feel like a intruder in the fitness world. Perhaps it's because I am just starting out, or because I don't look the part. I stole one of my dad's old baseball caps and mom's waterproof jacket (which was way to big for me) for the run. Figured I'd rather be warm and funny looking then drenched and somewhat cool looking. I was lucky enough to find a good friend who agreed to accompany me on the run. I am someone that gets bored pretty quick when exercising. Therefore, it was nice to have that companionship as it made time fly by. I am proud to share that survived running non stop for one hour and did not feel like I was going to die after. The aftermath included sore legs/butt but I figured it was nothing that a lot of stretching, hydration and a hot shower would not cure. 

My lessons from this experience included: 

-If you don't try, you don't know. I think that jogging will be great for my cardio strengthening and committed to more one hour jogs on a regular basis. I think this new activity may stick for me. 

- It's all about companionship. It was really enjoyable hanging with my good friend pre, during and post workout. Training can be social and a way to make more connections with people.

Shout outs: Emily and Sarah, thanks for accompanying me all day to find the right bike (still looking). Had a day full of good laughs (and tears!) haha. Quyen, regardless of your busy schedule, thanks for waking up early and running alongside me, even in your puma shoes. 

You really know who you can count on during certain times of your lives. Thanks to those mentioned above as well as friends who have stepped it up and taken the time to graciously donate to my cause. 

Side note: I initially felt uncomfortable with posting my running stats on this blog. However, as an advocate of accountability, I feel like this will also push me in a positive way to keep improving. So here it is. 

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Relationship building w/ Vancity Catalyst Crew! Boardgames social =) Feb.  7th, 2013.

[catalystcorner]

Training: Day One

I went for my first jog today. I do engage in yoga x2-3 times a week but today was my first day where I did cardio and trained with the ride in mind. As June 15th-16th is creeping close by, its been on the back of my mind for days since registering. I can be athletic when I want to be (if I want to beat someone at the grind, but it's not in my nature). You know those fit joggers who have all their cool gear, breathe with intention and seem to be moving at the speed of light? That's great you know them, but thats not me. I am the girl that is still wearing her running shoes from back in the day as they haven't been used enough. I wear my heavy Russell Sport sweats (why invest in running clothes when you can buy nicer every day clothes!?) and keep my hands to my ears to keep my apple earphones from falling out as I run. And I'm puffing and wheezing like crazy. Attractive right? 

My friend had shared with me about the Nike Running App and so I was curious to check it out and see how it worked. To anyone who has chosen jogging as one of their outlets for training, I encourage you to check this app out! There are a lot of cool features (especially, logging all of your runs and calculating your speed and distance). It helped to keep me on track, knowing that there was a set time to run and that it was recording my progress. Also helped to know that I was being accountable to someone as I had promised to send the results of my run over. Although I felt tired after work, I was glad that I made the decision to start training today. Procrastination does not do anyone any good, me included. I ended the day with a warm shower and awesomely healthy dinner made by my momma. Feels great to get started on this transformational journey of commitment, faith and hope. 

I'd like to thank everyone who has taken their time and resources to donate to my cause. It reveals your faith in me, keeps me accountable and makes me stronger. In just a mere two days, I have accomplished 17% of my overall goal and its all because of your support! I am excited to keep you all in the loop with my training endeavours and valuable life lessons as I push myself mentally and physically to gain strength and build power for my ride.

[catalystcorner]

VANCITY CATALYST CREW: You are your decisions.

Hello Catalysts! Happy Sunday! Hope you had an amazingly restful weekend and are fuelled for the upcoming week ahead. I know that many of you will agree with me that although the holidays were amazing, now it's time to get our butts back into action. I'd like to take a moment to warmly welcome all our new members to the catalyst crew. We look forward to seeing you at our monthly meetup and learning more about your dreams, ambitions and currently engagements in life! I'm excited to announce that we have reached our 80 member mark in the community group and excited to see the crew solidify as community and expand out into the city of Vancouver.

I've had many group members message me and update me with their progress on their monthly goals and the exciting interactions with their accountability buddies. I'm impressed with your determination to achieve your established goals whilst also supporting your peers to do the same. To those who have fallen off the bandwagon this month, no worries. Get back up and shoot your accountability buddy a message hello. That in itself is moving towards success and actualizing your goals. I'm proud to say that I have kept up with my x2 a week hot yoga challenge for a month and feel better then ever (mind+body+soul).

Looking forward to seeing you all this thursday @ the office (http://www.theofficevancouver.com) to hear Anxiety Coach Lucas Mattielo speak to us about the importance of stress management and how to effectively alleviate anxiety. As leaders, we will always be on the go and testing our limits in regards to time management, risk taking etc. Lucas will provide us with the essential tools/skills that we can quickly incorporate into our daily living to ensure a better quality of life. The evening will then continue with our regular accountability circle and opportunities to relationship build. Please RSVP if you haven't already done so! (http://www.meetup.com/catalystcrew/)

And lastly, here is your booster combo for the week form yours truly:

What kind of questions do you ask yourself everyday? Is it about where to eat your next week, where to go on your next vacation, what to spend your next pay cheque on? Maybe it's time to start asking the questions that truly matter. The questions that will activate us and guide us on the path towards our ultimate destiny. How am I going to use today to make tomorrow even better? What do I need to do today to bring me closer to my life's purpose? How will I live the next five, ten years of my life?

The five/ ten years will come in a flash and where you stand at that time is solely up to you and the accumulated decisions you have made everyday to that point. Now is the time to design your life and there is no one more qualified then you. There are two types of people in this world. Those who passively live their life (environment) and those who make consciously make life choices that align with their destiny (values).

"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavour" -Henry David Thoreau.

A great deal of Tony Robbin's work has centred around this topic of decision making and I thought the following would be valuable information to share with you all.

Here are six quick keys to harnessing the power of decision. (Awaken the Giant Within, 2003)

1) Remember the true power of making decisions. Its a tool you can use in any moment to change your life. The minute you make a new decision, you set in motion a new cause, effect, direction, and destination for your life.

2) Realize that the hardest step in achieving anything is making a true commitment- a true decision. Make your decisions intelligently, but quickly.

3) Make decisions often. The more decisions you make, the better your going to become at making them.

4) Learn from your decisions. At times your going to screw up no matter what you do, learn from the mistakes.

5) Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach. Don't become rigid in your approach, cultivate the art of flexibility.

6) Enjoy making decisions. You must know that in any moment a decision you make can change the course of your life forever. If you want your life to be passionate, you need to live with this attitude of expectancy. 

Thanks Tony, you rock.

Folks, that's it for today. Seize the day. (Probably not tonight as it's almost over)

Most Warmly, Mika

"Know that it's your decisions, and not your conditions, that determine your destiny" -Tony Robbins

[catalystcorner]

Ashoka Changemakers provides the tools and resources to empower everyone to contribute to a better world. The community's mission is to grow new ideas through transparency and collaboration, a process of Open Growth. A great starting point to get inspired, share ideas and find funding for amazing ideas.

[catalystcorner]

I chose faith over fear.

I’m finding it hard to begin this post. I have so much to share but struggle with knowing where to begin. But perhaps as some writers would suggest, I will let my fingers take control of the keyboard and see what emerges on the page. No obsessive editing and rewriting. I’m committed to the natural flow. I recognize that it’s been an eternity since my last entry, and for that, I apologize. I’ve been busy trying to stay afloat with work, while spending time with friends and family over the holidays. If a cartoon could represent me, I would choose Taz-Mania because I’m always seemingly in a rush and multi tasking like no tomorrow (although I hope that I am not as fierce looking ;p). 

This blog post is dedicated is to my accomplishments in 2012. It’s been an unforgettable year of personal and professional growth. I bit the bullet and left the comfort of home, moved to Toronto, and successfully completed my Masters degree in Social Work (a goal I had set for myself at the age of 22). Those are things I can tick off on my bucket list. Another would be that I decided to start a personal passion project, the Vancity Catalyst Crew. 

For a community group that shows much promise and potential, I wish I could tell you that I had strategically planned everything out for a year before it’s inception. And that I had thrown myself into toastmaster groups, read 100 self development books on how to become a leader, and crafted out a fool proof business development strategy plan. No, the truth would be that on one uneventful Friday night, it took 30 minutes to decide, and one hour to launch. I didn’t have a plan, just a vision. 

Why did I create the group?

My WHY is because I was tired of waiting for the right opportunity and time to get started. My expectation was a sign, nothing short of an enlightening experience. This could be a great leader telling me that I was ready to step it up in life, or my busy schedule magically clearing up, or something of the  supernatural such as clouds in the sky shaped into the letters “N-O-W-I-S-T-H-E-T-I-M-E”. I waited and waited, but as expected, none of these things happened. It was a conscious DECISION made one very normal night. Another important reason is my passion for life long learning and making impact in people’s lives. Without these things actively happening in my life, I would feel as useless as a drenched sponge (stream of consciousness writing, don’t judge). Unfortunately, I was not obtaining these things at work and decided that I needed to create these things for myself instead of waiting for it to find me.

In the land of logic, we will find any reason not to start, not to leap, not to pursue. Blocking out your mind and listening to the stirrings of your soul, is the first step to achieving your greatness. My logic said, “You’re not developed as a leader yet”, “You should focus on making income”, “Your day job as a social worker is stressful enough, don’t commit to anything else”. My heart said, “Shut up logic, this is a fabulous idea and it needs to begin today”.

Although its only been a short four months since the group began, I have already made leap and bounds in my personal/professional growth. I have regular opportunities to work on my public speaking, group facilitation and project management skills, while doing what I absolutely love; connecting people and creating opportunities for others to grow. I also feel more courageous and confident in my special skills, abilities and ideas, something that I was struggled with before. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. I battle feelings of doubt and regret on the tough days. Working in a more then your average, emotionally/mentally draining job, sometimes the last thing I want to do is organize events, meet new people and be accountable to a large group. However, choosing to persevere and work through these challenges has been one of the best learning experiences ever. Yes, I don’t get to relax as much or hang out with family or friends often, luxuries that others may have; however what keeps me going, is knowing that I am making positive impact in the lives of others and learning along the way. Creating new friendships with likeminded people is also a huge bonus ;) 

The most important lessons I have learned from this experience is, to JUST START, FAITH OVER FEAR AND TRUST IN THE PROCESS.  If you can find a way to warm up to these these things, you can achieve whatever you decide to do. Just go out there and do it. I know that this venture will open the doors to my next opportunity and I'm excited for what my future holds. I'd like to also thank my new and old friends for helping me along the way with this project- wouldn't have been possible without you.

So here is my question for you. What do you want in life and what are you willing to do to make it happen?

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. -Walt Disney

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Vancity Catalyst Crew. You gotta come out to truly understand what we're all about. But until then, let us bring the crew to you.

I have been to one Catalyst Crew mastermind meet up and I am hooked. As soon as I entered the room I was warmly welcomed to the group and this set a precedent for the rest of the evening. It was educational, inspiring, honest and a lot of fun. Real stories, real people, & real solutions. If you’re a self- employed business owner like myself, or in a job with some creative ideas, maybe you want to start a new venture, or you are ready to take it to the next level, I would highly recommend this group. I give it five stars.

 See you there,

 Steven Ley (Member)

_________________________________

I joined the Catalyst Crew in November 2012, before the first official meeting. Since I finished school I’ve had the common feeling of being alone in my pursuits, aspiring in obscurity, often unmotivated simply because it feels that no one knows or cares what I’m trying to do with my life. The Catalyst Crew seems to be a direct response to this feeling. It makes a difference simply to know that others are aware and interested in what I’m doing. The goals I currently intend to pursue with the group’s attention are related to small writing projects and improving my life circumstances. There seem to be a lot of other writers in the group, and of course everyone is trying to improve, so I hope to gain some friends with common perspective. I look for leaders who first of all believe in themselves, and secondly demonstrate unwavering faith in the potential of others; since I seem to have found this within the Catalyst Crew, I intend to follow along.

Matthew Cudmore (Member)

____________________________________

My name is Danny Fung and I’m a 47 year old entrepreneur.  I have a 9-5 job, 2 home based businesses, a beautiful wife, and 4 kids ages 18, 16, 14, and 10.  If that’s not busy, I don’t know what is.  I however do find time for myself, which I call “ME Time”.  I spend this time developing my numerous interests.  I have many ideas in my head, but my weakness is taking action. Your ideas and thoughts can become reality and it all starts with taking action.  That’s one of the reasons I decided to joined vancity catalyst crew.  Right from the get-go, I knew there was something special about this group.  Everyone is friendly and there are so many inspirational and positive people in this group.  Each person in the group is special and has something wonderful to share.  I really like the idea of having an accountable buddy to help you keep track of your goals.  My goal is to have a net worth of $5 Million by 2015 so that I can become a philanthropist.  My plan after I reach my goal is to help entrepreneurial folks like myself become successful.  Money won’t be literally given to them.  They have to show me the plan and why they want to be successful.  The “WHY” has to be big enough for me to invest my time and money.  I would spend my time mentoring and coaching their way to success.

Danny Fung (Member)

When I was invited to speak at a Vancity Catalyst Crew meetup, I found myself more and more intrigued as I started to discover what this group was all about. Exploring the objectives, the goals, and mission statements of this group definitely enabled me to truly self- discover what I chose to speak about at this first meeting. I knew it would be about sharing my own journey as a catalyst during my growth as a person, encompassing my peaks and valleys during my educational, career, and personal aspects of my life so far.  I felt I could be as candid as possible since I knew that was something every person in this group could relate to, and hopefully also feel comfortable in sharing their transparency with others as well. Not only did speaking at this meeting hopefully help inspire others, but it very much felt like a chance to verbalize some of the feelings I had previously also never shared before. Wow, did it ever feel like I actually took a full breath after being “shallow breathing” for so long.I found myself even more interested in this group as a member, and blown away by the dedication of these members. Having each other as accountability buddies was amazing, and also just as mentors, mentees in both formal and informal aspects. I hope that I can give as much as I get during my participation in this group. I was blown away that after the first meeting, I was already approached by 2 members whom I had just met that night, and asked by them to mentor them for their goals and objectives. I am truly flattered by that, and hope that I can be a part of them being able to make those successful. I’m looking forward to sharing this group with others that I can feel will benefit from this, and expanding this world of true catalysts that want to make a difference in themselves and the lives of others. Thank you Mika for being the catalyst for us other catalysts.

Steve Wong TD Canada Trust (Learning and Development)

Group speaker and member

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Two heads are better then one.

Be honest with yourself and ask yourself these questions: Do you have big dreams but struggle with taking action? Do you take steps towards your goals but find it hard to keep focused? Do you feel alone in your journey and wish you had some like minded folks to support you and help you move forward?

Research continues to highlight the benefits of participating in a mastermind or support group for reaching personal and professional success. Napoleon Hill, best time selling author of “Think and Grow Rich”, dedicated his life to researching into the tools that would help people accomplish whatever they set out to do and to succeed in their chosen line of work. After studying the characteristics and habits of some of the world’s most highly successful people, he complied together the “16 laws of success” with the formulation of a mastermind at the top of his list. What’s a mastermind group you ask? Although the name indicates a gathering of scheming folks who are devising the ways of world domination, it is “simply an alliance of two or more individuals dedicating themselves to a specific goal.”

The benefits of having a supportive mastermind group are plenty: 1.You have a group of people available to help you succeed. 2.You get the benefit of differing perspectives, input and feedback. 3.Your mastermind team can bring resources and connections to the table you might not have had on your own. 4.You receive accountability and inspiration from the group, thus enabling you to maintain focus in achieving your goals.

Are you tired of trying to figure it out on your own? Do you want to start seeing some results in your life? Are you willing to try something different?

Join our accountability program, where we will match you up with like minded individuals who will help you stay on track, stay focused, and keep you inspired to continuously take action.You don't even need a specific end goal in mind to benefit from the mastermind, just the heart and desire to explore/continuously challenge yourself to discover what you want from life.

Our overarching club goal is to activate individuals to pursue a life of passion and purpose and all of our designed tools/events align with this central mission.

Want to know more? Check out http://www.meetup.com/catalystcrew/

“There is no such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success.”-George Matthew Adams

What are you waiting for? It’s time to start taking action today.You owe it to yourself and the amazing dreams in your mind that beg to become a reality.

[catalystcorner]

Forget your weaknesses, MAXIMIZE your strengths!

As I was cleaning the family basement and reorganizing the bookshelf, I came across a book that seemed to be in solid shape as oppossed to the other faded and yellow-stained-page counter parts.  I took a seat on top of a dangerously high pile of dusty books and began to read some interesting things that changed my perspective on how I viewed myself and the world around me.

Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best everyday? Chances are, you don't. Most often, we find ourselves working tirelessly in professions and jobs that we did four years ago, what we went to school for, or perhaps what society told us to do. My intent isn't to tell you that this is wrong, nor to promise you that there is something else out there better for you. No, my message today is to encourage people to look inside themselves and rediscover their special talents and skills. We get asked this routine question in interviews on a constant basis, "What are your strengths?". So what are your strengths?! This compact size book comes with a complimentary code to allow you to take the "Gallup Now, Discover your Strengths" Questionnaire, resulting in the compilation of your top 5 strengths. Side note: it is one code per Ibook/user, unfortunately you cannot share the link with friends and take it multiple times. Turns out that this book was my sisters and that she had misplaced it a while back. OOPS...mine now I guess. Its an easy read and will prove to be a great resource for many years with excellent strategies on how to apply your strengths at work, with people and in your life.

There are 34 themes all together:

Achiever - one with a constant drive for accomplishing tasks

Activator - one who acts to start things in motion

Adaptability - one who is especially adept at accommodating to changes in direction/plan

Analytical - one who requires data and/or proof to make sense of their circumstances

Arranger - one who enjoys orchestrating many tasks and variables to a successful outcome

Belief - one who strives to find some ultimate meaning behind everything they do

Command - one who steps up to positions of leadership without fear of confrontation

Communication - one who uses words to inspire action and education

Competition - one who thrives on comparison and competition to be successful

Connectedness - one who seeks to unite others through commonality

Consistency - one who believes in treating everyone the same to avoid unfair advantage

Context - one who is able to use the past to make better decisions in the present

Deliberative - one who proceeds with caution, seeking to always have a plan and know all of the details

Developer - one who sees the untapped potential in others

Discipline - one who seeks to make sense of the world by imposition of order

Empathy - one who is especially in tune with the emotions of others

Focus - one who requires a clear sense of direction to be successful

Futuristic - one who has a keen sense of using an eye towards the future to drive today's success

Harmony - one who seeks to avoid conflict and achieve success through consensus

Ideation - one who is adept at seeing underlying concepts that unite disparate ideas

Includer - one who instinctively works to include everyone

Individualization - one who draws upon the uniqueness of individuals to create successful teams

Input - one who is constantly collecting information or objects for future use

Intellection - one who enjoys thinking and thought-provoking conversation often for its own sake, and also can data compress complex concepts into simplified models

Learner - one who must constantly be challenged and learning new things to feel successful

Maximizer - one who seeks to take people and projects from great to excellent

Positivity - one who has a knack for bring the light-side to any situation

Relator - one who is most comfortable with fewer, deeper relationships

Responsibility - one who, inexplicably, must follow through on commitments

Restorative - one who thrives on solving difficult problems

Self-Assurance - one who stays true to their beliefs, judgments and is confident of his/her ability

Significance - one who seeks to be seen as significant by others

Strategic - one who is able to see a clear direction through the complexity of a situation

Woo - one who is able to easily persuade

My results after taking the assessment were :

1 Empathy 2 Woo 3 Positivity 4 Developer 5 Communication

Fast forward 5 years later, I ironically find myself in a profession which allows me to tap into these strengths on a daily basis. I am humbly grateful for this. I invite you to invest time in yourself, to find out what your top strengths are-with or without this book. As they say, knowledge is power. 

*** Amazon has the book for sale for quite cheap..remember to buy a new one though :D ***

 To my readers, I apologize for the lack of entries in the last few (+) months. I have recently located back to good ole Vancouver from Toronto and started working. It is amazing to see how fast the day flies by; in a blink of an eye, the sun rises and falls. So many times, the thought to write an entry had crossed my mind but amist the chaos of relocation, starting a new job and reuniting with friends/family..the motivation to write had started to wan. I thank those who actively expressed their interest in this concept on my other social media outlets, it gave me the motivation to continue to hit these points in this blog tonight. As an empathizer, woo-er, postivity lover, developer and communicator- I hope to continue to use this little space to do all that.

Much Love!

Catalyst

[changemonger]

But there is no box. 

[catalystcorner]

Giving and receiving: The cycle of life

I’m here to speak (well type) briefly about the art of mentorship. Let me first be clear, that mentorship does not have to be a formal process (eg. through an agency, matching process, weekly check-ins etc.). It is actually most often, a natural process between two people and built upon RECIPROCITY. You may not even know that you are a mentor to someone. Be it your younger sister, your brother’s friend’s friend or your co-worker…anyone that you have lent out a hand to is a recipient of your mentorship. But for today’s post, let me take a step back and note some of the interesting misconceptions of mentoring that I have discovered from some of my “qualitative studies”. Some people think that it is a one-sided process, and therefore, think that they cannot commit to being a mentor (due to time constraints and obligations). Others feel that they don’t have a particular skill or talent to teach another individual.  And most surprisingly to me, majority of folks have never even considered the possibility of taking on a mentee (but again..maybe you already do!)

 Before starting my undergraduate degree in Social Work (3-4 years ago), I decided to jump right in the field and decided to become a mentor for at risk youth. http://www.kidstart.ca/ (A great organization in the lower mainland of Vancouver-to those whom are interested). This was a great experience for me; even as a young 20 year old who at the time, felt completely lost and inexperienced in life. Although internally I felt like I didn’t have too much to offer this kid, through her eyes, it was a different story. To her, I was "the coolest"; I was knowledgeable in how to navigate a computer with my eyes closed, knew the latest hip hop songs and went to university….oh, and I could lip sync to any Britney Spears song- the true selling point. My point in sharing this ….is this: the small things are everything. Every experience you have had, professionally or personally is something that someone would wholeheartedly benefit from hearing about.  Now don’t get me wrong, you need to choose your target audience appropriately. The ins and out about the role of an accountant will simply bore a teenage girl who aspires to be a chef. But even still perhaps, through all your business dinners, you know some of the best chefs in the city. Could you possibly make that connection for this young person in front of you? It’s not hard, but depends on your mindset and view of mentorship. 

 There is always someone who can use your help-whether your broke or rich, depressed or too happy, obese or skinny, unemployed or a workaholic (you get the gist)…you still have something to give. Don’t think that you have to wait for a fancy title on your business card, credentials behind your name or a mind-blowing life experience to qualify you as a mentor. Your perfect and more then qualified as you-right now.

Here is your homework: Take out a pencil and paper and jot these things down.

1) make a list of the 3 hardest things you have had to overcome thus far in life

2) make a list of 3 of your greatest achievements.

3) make a list of 3 individuals around you who could use your guidance/support

4) make a list of 3 individuals who have been your unforgettable mentors to this day. 

 Use 1-3 as a starting point and connect the dots. You know what to do. (If you don't, I am always here to consult with!)

As for number 4, email them and let them know that they made it onto your list.  They made it unto your top three and I think that is an achievement worth communicating, no?

Thanks for reading. 

Catalyst

[catalystcorner]

Contemplation to Change

Sometimes it's hard to take action. The what-ifs are a mile long, the potential risks make your stomach turn and you feel like your jumping head first into darkness. It's hard. But being paralyzed is worse; action will always triumph, as it creates the opportunity for learning and growth. 

So try my recipe to move-whether backwards or forwards (it will still help you gain clarity in your situation). 

1)Take small baby steps. Sometimes throwing yourself into a new and unknown situation can be overwhelming- even for the biggest risk takers. Try doing something within your current means (risk, financially, socially) that will still allow you to quickly abort mission if you feel the need to throw in the towel.  

2) Assess your progress and what you have learned. How did the baby step feel for you? What can you take away from your efforts? Did this help in guiding your next step forward? Sometimes these early stages give good indicators if an idea/course of action is not favourable for you OR something to actively start pursuing. 

3) Keep this momentum going (baby step, assess and reflect, baby step, assess and reflect) by creating some accountability. Tell a friend what your doing, make a call to your mentor, get some people involved. It's great to be accountable to yourself; but sometimes,  it's good to acknowledge that the will is weak. 

As I mentioned in my last post, contemplation will do nothing but hurt your brain. When you wake up from your stupor, you will see that you are standing in the EXACT same place as before. So get cracking with that new idea or venture, educational program or difficult decision...maybe its all the contemplation that's making it harder for you. 

If you need help with figuring out your first step forward, that's fine. That's what friends, mentors, counselors and family is for. But you need to take actively take ownership and ask for this support. 

Thanks for reading,

Catalyst

[catalystcorner]

Soul food. (Taken with instagram)