October 2012
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Oct 16, 2012 5:23 PM
Pilar Galiana
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A tale about the power of positive thinking
I am a big believer in the impact of positive thinking. Over the years I have become a fan of Martha Beck who advocates envisioning and even feeling what it will be like for you to achieve whatever it is you are seeking to achieve. This past summer I had an experience that convinced me more than ever how powerful outlook can be.
My husband and I had planned our summer vacation to South America for over two months. On the afternoon of the Saturday we were due to depart, my husband realized his passport had expired. Our first reaction was irrational, “maybe no will notice”(I did say we were irrational). My husband couldn’t believe he hadn’t checked earlier, he felt sick and kept saying, “what do you want me to do?”.
I had an appointment to get my nails done and decided to still go, besides it was his problem to solve - right? And I still needed nice nails, crisis or not - right? As I left the house I told him to check on-line, and call everyone we knew, someone would know how to solve this.
As I got my nails done, I tried to calm myself down, my Spanish is limited, but I could step up and my daughter and I would get by until Tuesday when my husband could join us. I was fairly sure he could get a rush passport on Monday. Monday was my backup plan (I always need a back-up plan) because I kept thinking there has got to be a way to get a passport now, I mean aren’t there situations when people can’t wait till Monday?
I got home and my husband was still defeated. He had found the information for the 24 hour rush passport but nothing else. I wasn’t convinced that was all there was. I decided that if there was something, we would likely have to act quickly. So I sent my husband out to get his passport picture taken.
With him out of the house I went into action. I don’t even know what I typed into the search engine but I landed on a Government of Canada page that gave me two email addresses related to emergency or rush passports. One was an s.o.s address and since we were just idiots, I emailed the other address first. The email response was quick, I was told that because it was after hours, I should use the s.o.s address...okay, now I had permission! Again, response back was almost instant and now I had a phone number to call.
I called the number and burst into tears as soon as I started talking. I was honest, we simply didn’t check the passport until now, our flight was at 10:30 tonight, was there anything we could do? She took my number and said the passport office would call us back.
When my husband walked in the door with his passport pictures, I ordered him to start filling out the passport forms. He was half way through filling the forms when he got the call from the passport office. I don’t know what they said, I just heard what he said. He was honest (my advice, I will admit, was for him to beg) “it is a trip to see family, planned for a few months... yes we leave tonight... yes we have our tickets and boarding pass...yes, I can be there in 10 min, really, 10 min, I have my pictures and I am about to print the form.” When he get off the phone he said, “I think I am getting the passport today.”
Within an hour he had a new passport. At 10:30 p.m. we boarded our flight as if nothing had happened.
I did make a point of saying “It is a good thing you have such a determined wife.”
Truth is, I was determined, I thought there had to be a way and I found it within 10 min of looking. My husband had looked for over 45 min. And he is as savvy when it comes to searching for things on-line as I am, but he was defeated. He found what he was looking for, the 24 rush option - accessible only on weekdays. I found what I was looking for - a same-day-even-on-the-weekend option.
We don’t wish things into being, but we can impact how things turn out when we combine our actions and our thoughts.
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October 2011
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Oct 23, 2011 6:18 PM
Pilar Galiana
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Sometimes I think we all need to be reminded that most change takes time and happens one small step at a time. The thing is, I am in need of this reminder so I thought I would share it just in case any of you were feeling the same frustration I have been feeling for the past few weeks.
The thing is, I haven't posted as often as I would have liked. And, I am feeling pretty crummy about it. And to top it off, I am adding a whole bunch of other things to the list that I am not feeling so great about, like having a super yummy and decadent chocolate truffle when I had promised myself I would't have sugar today.
The truth is, I accomplished a lot over the past several months that I have every right to feel proud of. While my blog posts at Ella Says dwindled, I wrote several guest posts for the YWD blog and you should check them out because they are full of info and tips that are useful to, well, everyone.
I worked on my first ever political project and we were successful (in this case re-elected). And I am well on my way to achieving my very personal goal of being more involved in my community. I am even more active than I have been in years, if I am not biking or walking to work, I am going to the gym.
And yet somehow, its not feeling like enough or fast enough me these days.
I read a post the other day by Leo Babauta., the author of Zen Habits, titled How I changed my life in four lines. In this post, he explains how he tackled his debt, changed the way he ate and became a marathon runner and lost 70lbs all by taking four simple steps; making small changes, only making one change at a time, being present and enjoying the activity(don't focus on the goal) and being grateful for every step he took.
All this has me thinking about goals and how many we take on at any given time. As a marketer, I can tell you that the less goals you have, the more targeted and effective your campaigns and ultimately your business will be. One of my favorite getting started books, Get Clients Now does a great job of getting readers to focus on one goal at a time. Are you generating leads or converting them? The idea being that for each 30 day period you focus on one key area.
I find it hard to have one goal, I want my business to be successful, I want my husbands business to be successful, I want to be active and healthy role modle for my daughter and active member of our community, I want to change the way we manage our finances, I want quality time with my family and friends and every now and then I want to sit around and read a book. I am sure I missed something, like the big long list of things that I wish I was better at like remembering people's birthdays, or finishing the cleanses I start but never stick to, just to mention a few.
So how do we get there?
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
Chinese Proverb
It really is about small steps and I think it is also about realizing how it all fits together and understanding most thing don't need to be mutually exclusive, it just takes time for it all to come together. Think about Leo the marathon runner, as he ran and started paying more attention to how he felt, he started drinking more water and craving healthier foods, he stared making his lunch more often which saved him money and on and on. I am not saying that is how it happened, but it is easy to see how eventually one thing flowed into the other.
It is easy to look at other people's success and see it as easy, often because we only notice them when they arrive at their success and not all the years leading up to it when they struggled or simply took one small step at a time.
For now I am going to do my best and take Leo's advice:
1. Making small changes
2. Make one change at a time
3. Be present and enjoy the activity
4. Be grateful for each step you take
And you know what, writing this post felt great. Thanks for reading!
Wishing you success in each step you take!
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June 2011
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Jun 8, 2011 8:42 AM
Pilar Galiana
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What is it about yourself that you most want to share with people when you meet them for the first time or reconnect with them after so many years? I am thinking about this because a colleague just got back from a weekend away where she connected with some friends that she hadn’t seen in almost 20 years. As great as the weekend events were, the one-too-many, “are you married and do you have kids” left her feeling kind of crappy. She isn’t married and she doesn’t have kids and the “I have a great career” response felt like the wrong answer.
Here is the thing, at my last high school reunion, I too hated the “are you married and do you have kids” question. I am married and I do have children but that doesn’t define me. I am not sure my career does either, but to me it feels like much more of an accomplishment that I wouldn’t mind talking about. The idea that marriage and kids are the only things we have to talk about makes me feel crappy and sad too.
Not all marriages are perfect and having kids fulfills all of us in very different ways. I sometimes think the stay-at-home moms who are miserable fare far worse than women who are frustrated with their jobs. Women are supposed to be fulfilled by motherhood and marriage so when they aren’t I think it is often hard to get the support of friends and family to make positive changes. But I can’t really say for sure not having experienced it first hand.
And what about the people who can’t have children or lost a spouse or went through a nasty divorce - are any of those the types of conversations you really want to start over a drink?
I really wish that people wouldn’t ask questions like “do you have kids” or “are you married”, maybe they could say things like “what have you been up to” or “how do you keep busy”. These are questions that let us tell what ever story we want. Sure its been 20 years but maybe I want to tell you how much I have traveled or an anecdote about getting together with mutual friends. And if I just met you maybe I want to talk about biking in the city because I noticed you rode your bike to the gathering.
We all define ourselves in different ways, but regardless we all have stories to tell so next time you see someone you haven’t seen for years or when you meet someone new, why don’t you find a way to let them tell you their story. |
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March 2011
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Mar 22, 2011 6:34 PM
Pilar Galiana
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I am busy every Tuesday morning. It sometimes makes for a busy Monday or a very early rush to get things done before my 9:30 date, but I always make it on time. On Tuesdays I do Nia, a sensory based movement practce , but really it’s dancing - flowing, fun, beautiful dancing, in fact thier tag line is "love your body, love your life". Not to say that I look good doing it, I am slightly uncoordinated, but I could care less because I love it. I remember the first day I tried it, I literally smiled for the whole entire day after the class!
Its funny, I am still having a hard time being totally transparent with my blog posts, I hesitate when I want to write about things that don’t include me working 24/7. But I need to get past this and so here I am telling you that on Tuesdays, I can’t come to a meeting because I will be dancing.
The truth is, it's not just that I am dancing, but who I am dancing with. I dance with my dear friend Anita. The first time I took her to Nia she asked if it was going to be a Sex in the City sort of thing. Her friends, based on the part of town we were dancing in, asked if there would be poles involved. No poles...no sex - although wow, that would make for an interesting post! Baby steps, I am ready to talk about my dancing, but that is as far as I am ready to go!
Anita, the amazing Anita, I think she is the most fun person I know. She also happens to be one of my favorite sources for business advise (she is a digital chick too). Anita is also the strongest and bravest woman I have ever met. And she is the type of woman who turns heads when she enters a room, in fact I can’t remember a single person who I have introduced her to, that hasn’t said to me, “she is so beautiful”, it’s true she is beautiful. 
Anita, the warrior, is in her second major battle with cancer. After 10 rounds of treatments last year and surgery, she is now part of a clinical trial. Once every other week she goes in and gets pumped full of new experimental drugs. On those weeks we only dance on Tuesdays on the other weeks we try and fit in a Friday class too. You got all that right? We dance every week. Every week we get together to move our bodies in celebration of life and to feel beautiful as we move. No sitting in bed, no gloom and doom, we celebrate. Don’t get me wrong there are hard days, and some days the dancing brings tears and that is okay, Nia sometimes does that.
Just over a week ago, thousands of people in Japan lost their lives, just like that, in a matter of minutes so many of them were just gone. And yet, so many of us hesitate, hold back, wait for things to be perfect or let the smallest of challenges set us back...why? I say celebrate all that is around us, cherish the moments, the people, the flavours, the beauty and live...now.
Here is a listing of Nia classes in and around Toronto, this same link will help you find Nia classes near you.I dance with the amazing Sarah Butler.
Anita will participate in The Walk for the Cure this fall, once her site is active I will link to it.
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Mar 20, 2011 3:04 PM
Pilar Galiana
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I am giving myself permission to work this Sunday because I was on vacation for most of last week. My daughter isn’t that keen on the whole idea, but since she had my full undivided attention for the past 5 days, she is cutting me some slack.
My daughter and I went to Disney last week, this was her trip, as I am not really the Disney type. I didn’t even bring a book to read, I wanted to be able to make this past week completely about her. At the pool we floated together or I sat and watched her play. At the parks I enjoyed her excitement and over meals we shared fries and deserts. Yes, the crowds were big and the line-ups were insanely long, but we knew they would be and we had nothing we needed to rush off and do.
I didn’t even check emails. The hotel didn’t have wi-fi in the room, my attempt to connect to the wi-fi (that I would have to pay for in the public areas) failed and I couldn’t bring myself to pay the crazy expensive roaming fees. If I wanted to connect, I could have, but I took the difficulty I was having as a sign and stayed off-line and focused on my daughter instead. The few times that I texted my husband at home my daughter asked my why I was working, I was quick to assure her that I was not working!
One of the challenges of our supper connected world (never mind the fact that I work from home) is that it is easy to work all the time and everywhere. My kid, for one, is fed up with it and she should be, we all should be. Not only is it refreshing and mentally healthy to really “shut-off” and take a break, it really does enable better and richer face to face connections.
It wasn’t the crowds, the lines or the crazy overly manufactured “reality” of Disney that got to me last week, it was the guy who took a phone call while we were on the Safari ride in Animal Kingdom.
I know that part of what made last week special was the fact that I didn’t work and instead gave my daughter undivided attention for 5 solid days. It’s not something I can do every week or every day, but it is important to remember how disconnecting from our technology and interconnected world is sometimes the most powerful way to connect with the people we love.
When was the last time you disconnected?
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January 2011
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Jan 2, 2011 9:47 PM
Pilar Galiana
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Happy New Year! What will you resolve to do this year? Are you one of those who runs out to the gym for the first few weeks of January? I worry I may be one of those people this year. For all the things that I did accomplish last year, regular attention to my physical self, in a positive way, was not something I did much of. Wow, that is a long winded way to say I didn’t exercise.
So here I sit, on January 2nd, 2011 wondering what exactly I will do about it. I could join a gym and there is one just a 5 min walk from my house. I could find a trainer or join a class and there is another gym, about a 15 min walk from my house that is run by a mum at my daughter's school, that has a great reputation. I have 10 passes from the yoga studio that is also a 5 min walk from my house. I could strap on my running shoes and go for a walk or a run. Or maybe go to one of the many on on-line sites that have exercise videos. I am also contemplating trying a Nia class, there is one twice a week a few blocks over and it sounds cool.
I have a million excuses for why I don’t do anything, here are a few so I can see them on screen and you and I can both shake our heads at me in disgust.
When I go to yoga after not having gone for a while, I end up hurting my neck and shoulders to the point that I can’t continue yoga for a while and need to go for several very painful massages. Running, besides the fact that it is bellow zero, every time I set out I end up with a ridiculous amount of pain in my knee that makes it hard for me to go down the stairs afterwards. I am scared to join the gym, okay so scared may not be the right word, I am worried that I will join and never go so I will just throw away money. Oh, and for the on-line classes, the ceiling in the basement is too low to work out down there and the Christmas tree is in the way in the living room (well it was, we just took it down).
This morning I even contemplated another cleanse, cause I just love me a nice cleanse. Problem is it drives my family crazy and at the end of the day I don’t need a quick fix, I want new life style habits that I will have with me always. Okay, so I would love a quick fix that would take away that muffin top and make my pants feel more comfortable. And I think my family would love the quick fix, because when I feel fat, I give them all shit for eating junk or just plain eating!
Its amazing how many excuses we can find to stop ourselves from moving forward, from being the best that we can be. And how easy it is to drag others down with us.
Last spring I did a cleanse, I eliminated alcohol, wheat, dairy, sugar and most meats, it was my most successful cleanse in that I lasted longer than usual and for quite some time after incorporated a lot of good eating habits. But slowly I forgot the lessons and went back to bad habits. In June, I joined a boot camp, because I wanted my daughter to have a physically active mother, and I worked hard and loved the results. I thought the boot camp would be the kick start I needed to do yoga or run without hurting. I did manage to work-out a few more times, went to one or two yoga classes, and several long bike rides and then it all slipped away.
This year I don’t want extremes like cleanses that take away foods and make eating and enjoying food challenging. And I don’t want extreme exercise like a boot camp or a grand goal like running a half marathon. I want to make exercise and healthy living part of my life everyday. I know how to eat well, I need to make it part of my everyday life. As for exercise, I may not know how and what I really should be doing, but I know that I can find something that enriches my life, that I enjoy doing and I can do on an ongoing basis.
So, got any ideas? |
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December 2010
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Dec 29, 2010 12:30 PM
Pilar Galiana
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This is the year when I finally realized what I am truly capable of and I know for sure this is just the beginning. And yes, it has taken me 41 years! This year I started my own company, and it’s successful. Most importantly I peeled off the layers and finally started to see not only what I could do, but what I am really passionate about and how I can throw myself behind this and turn it into a career.
This isn’t your typical highlight of my blog posts, because after just one year and only recently blogging every day for 30 days, a “best of” is a bit silly. This is recognition of the journey that I took this past year.
January - Setting intentions
Who better to help you on your path to true enlightenment then Oprah. On January 1st (or some point really close to that date) I got an email from Oprah. And no, I am not “connected” I simply subscribe to her newsletter. The email had an invitation to a 21 day consciousness cleanse. I love cleanses, usually they involve food, but hey, my consciousness has never been cleansed - I should give this a try. I have to say I really loved it, and really looked forward to starting each day listing to the audio files. I want to tell you I made it all the way through, but towards the end it got to be way too much about God for me and I had to bail! But not before I set my intention for the year, which was to be “inspired”. I didn’t really know what that meant, but I knew that I needed it.
February - Yes I can
I got my first “new” job. I had started the year with a contract from my old employer, and although I realize that is a significant accomplishment, it was getting that first job with someone new that really delivered me the sense of relief and accomplishment and the feeling that “I really could do this”. And you know what, I sat in front of my computer and cried and even as I write about it, my eyes well up, silly I know, and monumental all the same.
March - the transition begins
I started becoming the person I had visioned for myself the year before. I hated being the mom that dropped my kid off at school in the fancy office clothes, I wanted to be one of those mom’s who looked casually hip and significantly less rushed than my old self. I had 3 new clients, lots of work, but as I look back at my calendar I see more mom/school stuff in my calendar. I was also see appointments for things like massages and facials - what is that? was I taking time for me!
April - Fire starter session
I did a Fire starter session with Danielle Le Porte. I mentioned her in my first blog post, I had heard her speak in 2009 and she really inspired my transition. After reading my post, a friend of mine reached out and contacted Danielle, which, I think is totally cool. So why hadn’t I? Partially because I was filled with self doubt and partially because I thought I wasn’t ready. The session was great, and gathering the feedback in advance of the session gave me insights (not all positive) that I needed to hear.
The outcome was that I needed to focus on hospitality marketing, kind of obvious I realize because of my background, but until this session I wasn’t confidant (like many new entrepreneurs) in targeting a niche. I walked away with a list of things to do, many of which I think about daily and many of which I never did do and until October I kept asking myself “why”.
May - 21 day detox
Oh I do love my cleanses and this virtual one was my all time favourite! Micelle is located out of Boston and participants in this cleanse were from all over the US, me in Canada and one woman from England. We had weekly calls which were encouragement and tips from Michelle. And we had the most amazing Google group where we all posted our updates and challenges - these total strangers made me laugh and cry. Michelle has amazing food suggestions and her cleanse gave me so many recipes and habits that I still use today.
Find Your Balance
June - time for boot camp!
Eating healthy, check. Now it is time to get into shape. I signed up for a boot camp, 3 days a week at 7 a.m. for an hour! And yes folks I made it to each and every class and had some very impressive shoulder and arm muscles when it was done! Sadly I have hardly done any exercise since, but it is a good reminder of what I am capable of, let’s hope that in 2011 I do more of it!
Best Body Boot Camp
June is when I started to let me self appreciate and acknowledge how powerful this change (working for myself at home) has been to my life and to my family. This post got the most comments in Facebook:
Ella says the rewards of working from home are more than green.
July and August - summer the way it should be
I enjoyed the summer, not that I took time off, cause I didn’t, but for once I didn’t feel like a crazy woman. My old work place had a summer hours program, work extra hours and you could take half day off each week or a full day every other week. But with two kids at camps in different parts of the city that started at 9 and finished at 5 (and that is after paying extra for extended care) it was almost impossible for me to put in extra time in the office. That didn’t mean I worked less, it just meant more of it was done at home and it didn’t qualify for time off. I managed to pull off extra hours in the office, but boy did I resent it! This summer there was no need for extended care and as with school mornings this year, there was no insane rushing or stressing.
September - don’t stress
I actually started to stress about having enough work and then I got more work. I had been working all year at reaching out, making connections, telling people how I could help them. Finding work didn’t happen magically, it was the result of the work I had done all year. Having it work out so quickly and easily is a good reminder that work will come, sometimes you just need to be patient and freaking out won’t ever make things better.
October - Inspiration
I got myself a coach, life purpose coach actually, her name is Sherry Waddington. And she really did help me find my life purpose. When I met with Danielle back in April, part of me knew I wasn’t ready yet, but when I met with Sherry I knew that I was ready.
One of my first homework assignments was to read The E Myth, a book that I had actually started the year before but never finished. I mentioned that Danielle had given me an amazing list of things to do to get my business up and launched, but that I hadn’t done them. For months I kept asking myself what I was resisting, was it success, was it failure? I had stopped readying The E Myth because I felt that I didn’t have enough structure and documentation in my business and I knew those would be key to long term success. But when I picked up the book again and read chapter 12 something in me clicked. This is where Michael Gerber asks you to define the primary aim of your company, and tells you that your aim needs to be you. To create a successful business he asks you to define what you value most, what you want your life to look and feel like and who you wish to be.
Its funny, for so long, I had been saying, I know “how” I want to work, but I am not sure “what” to work on. And suddenly I realized it was the “how” that mattered the most. I want to help companies and individuals create more successful and effective flexible and remote jobs. Its helped me be the mom, person and entrepreneur I know I am meant to be and I want to share this with others.
November - real accomplishments
30 days and 30 blogs. It doesn’t seem like such a big deal, but I am a digital marketing girl, I totally get the importance of a web presence and the value of blogging and social media and yet I hadn’t been following through. I now know, with Sherry’s guidance that it was because I was missing my “big idea”. I do details well, but I need the big picture and until I acknowledged that I want to help create more flexible working arrangements for people, I didn’t have my big picture. The blogging was my most favorite thing that I did all year. It didn’t pay me a cent and yet it gave me the biggest sense of accomplishment which is a valuable lesson for a woman who was so used to getting rewarded with salaries, bonuses and promotions.
December - Ella says ...you did a great job.
I am such a sap, is it okay that I want to cry again? Ella is my daughter, she is an incredible and amazing child who has something to say about just about anything and I promise you I am not exaggerating, that kid can jump into any conversation! The word “ella” is also the word for “she” in Spanish. My company, Ella says, was inspired by my daughter and my vehicle to to get my voice back and use it. And I have.
Its just the beginning, I will continue to provide digital marketing support to my hospitality clients and in the process show them how remote work arrangements complement their existing business structure. I will also spend a lot of time building my reputation and eventually clients, specifically focusing on creating more remote and flexible work arrangements. |
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All about ella says,
Inspiration
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Dec 23, 2010 4:32 PM
Pilar Galiana
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Penelope Trunk’s post the other day, that gift giving in the office is not very respectful of diversity, which I totally agree with, got me thinking, why do I celebrate Christmas? I am not Christian, its not my parents tradition and anyone who really knows me, will tell you I am ridiculously anti-religion. All this and there is an enormous and I mean really enormous Christmas tree in my skinny little living room. The tree is higher than my living room is wide!
Not only do I celebrate this holiday, I cherish it. This year my husband wanted us to have hamburgers for Christmas lunch, I mean can you believe that? My response was, “are you trying to ruin Christmas for me?”, and I wasn’t saying that to be dramatic, that really would ruin Christmas for me. That and having no surprises under the tree. Who am I?
Where does this come from? This desire to celebrate this very Christian holiday? And it is a Christian holiday, however watered down it has become. But that is what the Christians have always been willing to do to get the masses isn’t it? Didn’t the Christians , way back when adopt dates that corresponded with existing more popular pagan holidays?
And don’t tell me I am celebrating a pagan holiday....cause I’m pretty sure I am not! I don’t bring a tree into my house to remind me of the harvest soon to come, or celebrate that the days are now getting longer (as much as I am truly grateful for that), or engage in gluttonous partying (although at times it does feel a bit like that). Sun god, what is that?
I don’t put up a tree for Jesus or even think much about him that day. But I won’t deny and can’t deny that it is the Christian tradition that embraced the tree that inspires how I celebrate the holiday.
The Christmas morning tradition of exchanging gifts, maybe so we could be doing the same thing as all our friends, was something my parents created for us, it wasn’t something either one of them grew up doing. Not that our Christmas day was really like many others, after gift giving which took no time at all, despite my attempts each year to drag it out, we joined the rest of the Jews for a Christmas day movie and I think once or twice we may have even gone for Chinese food afterwards.
I don’t even celebrate Christmas with my family, I celebrate with my husband’s family. With his family we have a beautiful multi course dinner and exchange gifts on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning it is just the 4 or 3 of us and that is my favorite part. It was important for Gustavo and I to start and host our own traditions rather than going to his mother’s or to Rochester with my family.
Why Christmas? Is it because of the wonky traditions my parents created for me that I am still holding on to? Is it because of my atheist husband's traditions? Is it because everyone else does it? Is it cause there isn’t much else to do that day? Or has it become over the years familiar and comfortable?
For me Christmas is a time to connect to friends and family, even if it is just a greeting card with pictures of how our children have grown. It is a time to show our families how we care for them by cooking great food and sharing it with them. It is also a time to give gifts to others, that despite my late start this year, I really enjoy doing. And mostly, for me, it is a time to feel safe and warm and loved at home.
Happy Holidays everyone, may your holiday time be joyous and may the New Year bring you, health, wealth and happiness! |
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All about ella says,
Inspiration
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Dec 18, 2010 8:29 AM
Pilar Galiana
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My family has the same routine every morning, I was going to call it a ritual, but then I looked it up in Wikipedia and the definition scared me. Every morning for as long as I can remember we have started the day with all three of us in the bed and when my step-son was younger sometimes even four in the bed. As soon as the alarm goes off or, these days when my alarm clock of a child wakes up, she crawls into bed with us. We cuddle in bed and watch the news till 7 a.m. and then get up and start our day. Sadly its the same on the weekend.
Although I shouldn’t say sadly - its only sadly because of the time, it is a routine that we all cherish as it is such a gentle, comfortable and beautiful way to start the day. We had this same routine when my husband and I were rushing off to offices - the rush never started until 7 when we got out of bed. As a working mom it was key bonding time for me and my child.
I first thought of the importance of these kinds of bonding routines when I was interviewing for my last job. During my interview with the then VP, a woman who was traveling what seemed like more than she was home, told me about the nightly routine she had with her daughter. No matter where in the world or what time it was, this VP would set an alarm if she had to so she could call her daughter before bed and say the words from Robert Munsch:
I love you forever,
I like you for always
As long as I am living
My baby you’ll be.
Makes me a little teary eyed even writing it. Its a beautiful story, and even cooler that we discussed it during an interview, a time when women are taught never to discuss motherhood never mind its challenges. And I needed to hear the story, to know that even with a job that meant a commute and travel I too could stay connected with my child, but I needed to find these things (rituals, routeens), that no matter what, needed to come first.
Part of me, the part that is always beating me up, wants to tell you I lost the battle, the commute, the travel, work-load and stress where just too much. But the part of me that has emerged even stronger over the past year knows that’s not true. Now I know I am capable of working for myself, being financially successful and fulfilled by a job that lets me work where and when I want, now I am brave and strong.
And every morning I still start the day with my arms wrapped around my baby girl and I enjoy it even more knowing that my office is just up stairs! |
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Flex work,
30 days 30 posts,
Inspiration
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Dec 11, 2010 4:52 PM
Pilar Galiana
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I met a young woman named Natasha while I was traveling in Portugal almost 20 years ago. The details are fuzzy, I think we met on the street, she was also Canadian and knew of a cheap, safe place to stay. I can’t even remember how long we stayed in that first town, but I do remember hours relaxing on the beach and winding through the small streets to get away from the tourist restaurants and find a traditional Portuguese grilled chicken.
We traveled to a few towns together and after Lisbon we parted ways, my travel companion and I were due to study in Salamanca, Spain for a month. Natasha, who had been traveling on her own, continued her adventures. We connected again back in Toronto, she came to a party of mine while I was still in university. Then I bumped into her where she was working, then her husband and I started working together. We don’t see each other often, but somehow have always stayed connected.
I have always admired Natasha, when I first met her it was because she was traveling alone. As life has gone on, I have admired her for always staying so connected to her convictions. She now has what I think is one of the coolest jobs working in corporate social responsibility.
Natasha’s birthday is close to Christmas and rather than be irked that she is missing out on two separate times to receive gifts, she has always asked her friends to direct their generosity not to her, but to a cause that matters to her. And she doesn’t do this because it is the latest trend or because it fits in with the work she does, she has always done it and she believes it. This year is no different, but rather than simply make a donation, I thought I would share her compelling message with you, and maybe you can help turn her birthday wishes into wells!
Dear Friends,
As you many of you know, it has become a tradition for me to celebrate my birthday with a fundraiser.
Given that I turn 40 this year, I thought I would change things up a bit.
While there are so many important causes worthy of support, I would like you to consider this:
- Nearly 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water.
- More than 2.5 billion people are without basic sanitation.
- 1.5 million children under the age of five die each year from unsafe water and poor sanitation. That is more than 4,100 deaths per day.
- Women are disproportionately affected by lack of safe water. Many women and girls who do not have access to adequate sanitation facilities experience poor physical wellbeing and sexual harassment. This severely limits their free and equal participation in the economic and social life of their communities.
Now, consider this.
What if I told you that your donation to Watercan's Wakiso project in Uganda, which will help bring clean water to 3,410 men women and children, would be matched 3:1 by the Canadian Government.
$4000 raised = $12,000 for Watercan. Imagine!
And consider this.
If 40 of you each ask 20 of your friends for $10, we'd raise $8000 = $24,000 for Watercan.
Whether you are able to give $40 or $400, every gift is needed and appreciated.
Remember, it's not about the water per se. It's about the possibilities that open up when people have access to adequate sanitation and clean water. Lives, and communities, are transformed.
So, please, dig deep! (pardon the pun)
CLICK HERE TO HELP TURN MY BIRTHDAY WISHES INTO WELLS
Thanks in advance for your compassion and generosity, and for being part of the first 40 years of my life.
In friendship,
Natasha |
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30 days 30 posts,
Inspiration
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