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I'm not a writer and I make lots of mistakes

I'm skimming a book about getting over the fear and paralysis of writing. Most people have trouble writing because they want it to be well written on the first draft and few people are able to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) well on the first go. Writers are hard on themselves, and expect perfection.

Obviously, I'm not a writer. I'm going way too fast to even expect anything close to perfection. When I re-read my previous post about Vanessa Mae 24 hours later, it occurred to me I didn't even read or correct the grammar mistakes prior to posting it! DOH!

Sigh. Now, that's not taking oneself too seriously. I know I make mistakes (lots actually), but I accept that because I know sometimes, the hardest step is the first one. Here's to putting it all out there! :)

If only I could correct my grammar on other people's posts... oops!

A Different Artist

I remember many years ago in the mid-late 1990's, my husband made me listen to some music. Since our musical taste does not always match, it was no surprise when I was a little concerned about what I was about to subject my ears to.

The artist was Vanessa Mae and the album was her first one - The Violin Player. I'll be honest - I was sceptical when he told me Vanessa Mae played violin with a techno spin. Remember - this was the mid 1990's. Another artist named Ashley MacIsaac, a Canadian East Coast fiddler, was also gaining media attention through non-traditional music, and controversial interviews. It was as if the violin world had been turned upside down.

"Violins are for classical music!" people said. Like many others, I had only been exposed to traditional 'violin' music when I played from grade 8 until high school graduation. These artists were messing with traditional sound!

Alright, alright - who am I kidding? I loved it! I could quickly see how both these artists were going to change violin music. It was going to open up the art-form to a whole new group of people and I could see absolutely no harm in that. I don't believe in keeping things "pure" and in fact, think that Purity is like snuffing out Opportunity.

On that note (ha ha), I'd like you to consider what thoughts or ideas you have that may just change the landscape in ways no one else has tried? It's easy to be a naysayer and everyone does it well - but that is the worn, well formed path. Take the tougher, harder road. I dare you to.

P.S. Here's one of Vanessa Mae's videos.

I hate customers

I hate customers.

I know, I know - without them, I'd have nothing. The company would have nothing. But some customers spoil it for everyone else. I wonder how some people can live their lives doing things that they know are wrong. I don't know how they justify it.

And now, I've even let a bad customer take away my happy thoughts - now that's a shame. I'll have to let this one slide before it takes any more of my time and energy.

I hate bad customers.

Sun, Water, Rocks and Water Guns

Friday was the first day this year I turned the AC on in the car. And before I turned on the AC, I rolled down the window and enjoyed the breeze.

What is it about the hot (warm) weather that has that immediate impact on people's outlook? It is as if we remove not just our winter bulky clothes, we also remove the grim and sour looks from our faces as we smile at the sun and forget about our worries.

It's Sunday afternoon and for the past 36 hours, the water guns, kiddie pools, swimsuits have all come out twice already as the kids have began their summer play.

For the adults (that's me), I've brought out the music, drinks and food. Even the laptop is out getting some Vitamin D as I write this. Enjoy the first taste of summer. Yum.

80's Memories

I teach fitness classes and the latest music includes a cover of the George Michael song "Freedom". Of course, this takes me back to the 80's where I remember fondly:

MuchMusic (the MTV equivalent in Canada)
Video killed the Radio Star
Madonna's Lucky Star
Wham (what did it say on those shirts?)
Duran Duran - could they have been the first boy band?
Frankie told us to Relax
Cyndi reminded us Girls just wanna have fun
CD's (bye bye tapes, bye bye Vinyl - damn - how am I going to play those records?)

We all have our own memories and I even have cool memories about other things like Diana getting married and having babies and not so cool ones like Reagan getting shot. What I'll remember most about the 80's are the friends who helped me get through the decade in that roller coaster ride we call life. Thanks for the music and thanks for the memories.

I leave you with an early 90's song from George Michael called Praying for Time from my angrier phase when I was grumbling about other people not caring and acting. It all starts with you and me and it only took me decades to learn that one.

Go fly a kite

Or go buy a sailboat? Life's too short.

This one's for you buddy! :)

Apr 20 update: OMG - you bought a sailboat! Congrats! :)

What the Frak?

As I was catching up on the first 2 episodes of Season 4 of Battlestar Galactica the other day, I was amazed at what the characters were saying. It was as if they were speaking to me regarding life and life's questions and answers.

I love this show in so many ways - from the smart story-telling, to the incredible acting (Canadian actors too!), to the cinematography (I have no idea what that means - I only know it looks amazing) - there is a lot to appreciate. Without giving away anything about the show, let's call it a story about 2 races - the Humans and the Cylons. In fact, a battle between good and evil.

The thought suggested on the show was that if you were Cylon (supposedly evil) and never knew it until now, does that change anything about who you were prior to today.

Say for example, you always fought against the Cylons. You lived your entire life devoted to helping yourself and others in beating them mentally and physically. Now, what happens if you find out today that you are actually Cylon and always have been. What does that mean? What defines you? Your thoughts, beliefs and actions, or your genetics?

Here's what I believe: I'm Human. And even if I were Cylon, it really wouldn't matter because I believe what defines me are things within my control (not genetics). What I believe and what I choose to do is who I am. So I choose to believe that I am capable and able to do whatever it is I need to do in this life and if that means battling Cylons for instance, then so be it. Every day is a new day for kicking some Cylon butt. You game?


If you want a 4 minute introduction to the miniseries, click here.

If you want an 8 minute video summary of the past 3 years worth of episodes (that would mean all spoilers), try watching this.

Understanding People

QuestionableMe suggested that trying to ’figure people out’ would be impossible. QM suggests that the failure is due to assumptions based on logic and rational thought. I believe the underlying question isn't about whether you can predict someone, but whether you can (or should try to) understand them. I like where QM went in the summary of why you might want to 'figure out' people and I'll suggest another question.

What does it mean to understand someone?

Let's take a typical example of meeting someone brand new for the first time. You begin by talking about things like the weather, and then basic vital stats - where you went to school, what you took, where you work, what you do, your favourite music, books, movies, your family stats, etc etc. They are in some ways meaningless - you can find 2 individuals who have exactly the same vital stats and find that you have nothing in common. I believe as you're sharing this information in the beginning, what is not said, reveals the more interesting information. You begin to guess that this person is very intense or very easy-going. You begin to hear and think about their ethics and motivations. You make judgements on whether this person is 'interesting' to you or not.

Taking the time to get to know someone is a compliment: "I like what I see and hear and I want to know more." Understanding someone isn't necessarily about being able to predict their behaviour - not even the individual can always do that because humans make decisions and behave based on logical and emotional responses. Just because we can not always predict ones' behaviour doesn't mean we shouldn't try to understand them.

In that understanding of others, we learn about ourselves. Ultimately, isn't it understanding yourself, your goals and dreams what really drives your ultimate happiness in life?

Get to know someone better and you may find you got to know yourself better.

Passion is...

According to Wikipedia, passion is "feeling very strongly about a subject or person. Passion is an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for anything and often requiring action."

Others tell me I'm a passionate person and according to the description above, I'd say that's pretty accurate. If I feel strongly about something, I do feel the need to act on it - and sometimes, it is as simple as communicating that message to others. Yet, many times, I talk to people who feel a passion towards something and yet are unable to act. They dream of what they would do, if they won the lottery, or what they would do with free time, or where they would go if they could take a trip. It seems we all have dreams and passions that go unfulfilled. Yet this is our own doing; not anyone else's.

Why don't you do it? What are you afraid of?

I know I have my reasons for why I may not act at times, and I try to minimize that fear of making the wrong choice. At times, the fear should be not in making the wrong choice, but perhaps the fear of not making a choice at all.

I encourage you to live your life the way you want to live it today and don't delay any longer. Life's too short.

Are you having fun yet?

The interactive displays at the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) in Toronto, Canada make for easy fun for kids. Dress-up and fantasy are things that kids easily do without thinking twice about.

How many adults do you normally see getting into the groove and act like a kid again? What is it that stops us from acting goofy? I have yet to hear a good reason for this. If you were at the ROM the other day, you would have seen grown-ups dressing up alongside the kids having a blast.

Stop thinking about what the rules are and start being and doing whatever it is you want to do. Be a kid again and don't forget to have fun.

Daisy's Doubts

We all have days when our “can’t do it” voice is a bit louder than we’d like. For instance, listen for a moment to my inner voice talking…

“You can’t write?!!”
“There are so many blogs out there – why would anyone be interested in reading yours?”
“What makes you the subject matter expert?”
“You only just started one blog, and now you’ve got 2 active, and a 3rd on the way?”

Wow, eh. What was I thinking? Who am I kidding? Why am I doing this? And those poor people who are reading this – what must they think? Oh dear. But wait, let’s delve deeper into those thoughts.

Why in the world am I doing this? Because I enjoy it! If I have an expectation that tons of people are going to come and read this, then, I might be disappointed, but if I keep my expectations reasonable, then there will be no disappointment. I write because it makes me happy and I get motivated by making a positive impact on people’s lives.

I started Answer Starts With You a few months ago as just a personal place to put my thoughts. I put it out in the Blogosphere in March 2008. A few days ago, I started Fitness Starts With You. In a few short days, I noticed visits from India, Argentina, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and of course my home country Canada. To think I went from zero to something in a few short days is really a fantastic feat considering all I wanted to do was just write.

So thank you for coming. Thank you for reading. If you’re enjoying this, please write comments, notes, feedback and forward the link to others. Just remember the more you read, the more I'll write.

P.S. Plus, look how I’ve learned to include photos, embed links that open in new windows and other stuff I couldn’t do just a few days ago!

A Different Diet

I don't know why people love to diet. Okay, actually, I do know why people go on diets but diets don't work, (and that is a whole other story).

Since people like the term, I thought that I could give new meaning to the word 'diet'. I think it is time to go on a Vocabulary Diet.

This diet will take some time to adjust, and we'll fumble at first, but with consistency and a conscious effort, I know we can succeed. Let's just start with one word to start, and with time, we'll add more to the list.

Let's start with the easy target and remove this phrase:

"I Can't"

Examples:
"I can't afford that. I can't get a raise. I can't meet people.
I can't find a girlfriend/boyfriend. I can't get a job. I can't fit
into my clothes. I can't.."

Replace with:
"How can I afford that? How can I get a raise? How can I meet
people? How can I find a girlfriend/boyfriend? How can I get a
job? How can I fit into my clothes? How can I...?"

As Yoda says, "Do or do not. There is no try."

P.S. If you're looking for strategies on making fitness enjoyable, check out my other blog here.