Mentalsidewalk

Whether you are a future or an existing parent, we always wonder how effective of a job we are doing? Are we bringing up the leaders of tomorrow?  will my child live a happy life?  will they go down the wrong path? will they impact this world in a positive way?

How can we protect our children in this negative and dangerous world that we live in?  First and for most we need to change the way we look at this world and the people in it. Than and only than will the world that we look at will change for the better.

There is more than enough goodness in this world to over power the negative.

The only true way to protect our children in the real world is to teach them how to protect themselves. How to protect their minds and values.

I asked a great friend and colleague of mine if she can share some insight when it comes to raising balanced happy children.

I did not ask Anita her opinion because she is a phenomenal counselor and coach.  More so, if anyone has had the pleasure of meeting her two daughters, they understand why the world needs to know what her secrets are in raising happy balanced children.

—–

ANITA SINGH:

I am honored to shared my thoughts with Fred’s readers.

With so much to say “where do I begin?”.  The hard part will be to keep it short as there is so much to share.

I’ve tried to view my honor as a mother as a journey to not only teach and guide my daughters (aged 8 and 6) as children but to also learn from them and be be guided by them.

No love can be greater than what we as parents feel for our children. So many times we view our role as parents as having the upperhand or “control” of our child, their well being, physically growth, emotionally, academically, spiritually.

Listen to their innocence: We forget at times to simply just listen to their innocent ideas. Its that innocence that can keep us guided and on track to what is “good” and what truely “matters” to them.

Respect them: By showing them that we respect their ideas we instill a confidence, respect and security in them. Then they will have the confidence to truly feel and believe that this time spent together really matters.

Get to their level: The simplest things are all that matters.  At least once a day, take the time to look into your child’s eyes at their level when they speak to us.

When fred asked me to share, I should have thought “where do I end….”

Anita Singh, BSW, RSW.

Social worker, life-relationship and parent coach.

——–

The question I ask you as parents is:

If all you did different, consistently, with your children are the 3 above points would you create a stronger bond with them?

All you parents out there, we are all open to more advice of what has worked for you.

If we are to teach real peace in this world,

and if we are to carry a real war against war,

we shall have to begin with the children.

Mahatma Ghandhi

Fred Sarkari

We have all experienced those moments in our lives.  The moment that freezes all of reality in front of us, everything we thought we knew and understood about ourselves, the essence of our awareness.

When she asked me that critical question, it was like I was caught in a big lie trying to muffle my way thorough but the right words just could not be found.  I felt like a jumping bean searching from one answer to another.

This very simple question was asked to me in an in-depth conversation:  

Insightful Lady: Fred, what do you cherish in your life?

Fred: Stumbling from one word to the next searching for an answer.  Gasping for air my reply was “can you clarify what you mean, in what aspect of life?”

Insightful Lady: Within your belief system in life.  What part of your belief system do you cherish?

Fred: Thought for a bit and the answer came to me.  

What an enlightening discovery as it occurred to me that:

The foundation of your belief system in life is the driving force of your thoughts and actions.

What you will come to realize is that the very thing, your belief system, that you try to live your life  around will provide you with the answers to YOU as a person.  

• How we react and respond to our relationships.
• The depth of our relationships.
• Our ability to trust.
• Our ability to love.
• Our ability to give and receive…

I forward this very question to you: Hope you have the courage to look within yourself to answer this.

What do you cherish within your belief system?

Once you answer this hold on for the ride of your life.  

Would love to hear the first few things that came to your mind?

Fred Sarkari

I just got lectured by a little bird.

We were sitting on the patio on a beautiful day in Scottsdale Arizona having lunch.  Actually it was about 104 deg. but  the water misters were right above us so it felt like the perfect day.

During the end of our lunch we started noticing a few little birds pacing around our table.  One more pint of beer and I would probably be writing that they were talking to us.

When I threw a bread crumb to the curb a little birdie grabbed the crumb by its peak and held on to it with its dear life.  The surprising part was that it did not relish in its new found gift but instead kept pacing right in front of us.  

The bird kept pacing in search for more potential crumbs to be dropped on the ground, wanting more even though the piece it had was not even finished.  

How reflective is that of us humans, greedy greedy greedy.  No matter how much we have, even when we are blessed by abundance, we want more and in turn lose sight of what we have right in front of us. 

Its like the market boom we had prior to the drop in the housing market.  I met clients that had made close to 100% on their property.  The only reason they held on to it is the potential to make another 20%.  Inturn some of them lost majority of their profits.  

If we are not careful it will never be enough: The new car, the new house, new clothes, next toy, reacting to every phone call…

We need to be aware of what we have, the gifts we are fortunate to receive, the friends, family, children etc.  

When we focus so much on wanting more we lose sight of the beauty we already have right in front of us.

So I ask you, over the long weekend what specifically did you cherish in your life?

Fred Sarkari

I am so mentally and physically exhausted.  How in the world do they do it?  I have just been humbled by all ages, genders and sizes as they passed right by me.

I did my very first duathlon, run – bike – run, and what a whirlwind of emotions from the night before to hours after the race.

Two days prior I started feeling a little under the weather.  It almost got the better of me until I got control of my mindset.  I do not mean it got the better of me as I got too sick.  In fact it was just lingering within me.  It almost got the better of my state of mind, an easy way out of not following through.

How often do we come so close to starting what we desire

and at the last minute we find a small insignificant reason to quit on ourselves.

When I arrived at the race location, I felt like I was walking into a speech to thousands of people with a topic I knew nothing about.   All the racers were showing up with their professional triathlon bikes and gear.  They looked so focused and determined with their pre-race rituals and stretches.  I was once again ready to quit.  Nothing a bit of self-affirmation talk couldn’t fix.

Turned out that the people were very friendly and helpful in guiding me on my first event.  I remember one woman taking the time to give me some guidance and in the end of the race I see her announced as having the best time in the women category. 

How often in our business and lives do we fear and have a mis perception of the successful? 

Change the way we think about people and the people we think about will change. 

What a great feeling when the bell goes off to start the race.  The first leg of the race, the run, I took it a little easy to conserve energy.  I did feel a little nauseous as my body was still recuperating.  Luckily it balanced it self and did not get any worse.

Now the fun begins, my very first transition from the run to the bike.  It went pretty well except of the fact that I got disqualified.

I got overwhelmed and forgot a very critical safety rule that was made very clear to us.  You are not allowed to touch your bike until you clip your helmet on.  Not only did not not clip it on, I completely forgot to wear it.

The biking it self, Wow! Not only was I exhausted from the unexpected wind, (not being in shape might have something to do with it)  but more so the re-visit of some of my old injuries screaming for help.  

Honestly I could not wait to get off the bike.  Here is where the true adventure started, the major dehydration cramp in my leg reminded me that I forgot to rehydrate after my steam room the night before.

Now for the last transition, bike to the run again.  One eight of the way into the run the dehydration in my leg kicked in full force, pulsating and cramping my leg to a hobble.

Half way through the run my knee on the other leg went on strike, forcing me to somehow hobble on both legs.

What a humbling experience, one runner after another passing me by as I hobbled and walked the rest of the way.  The amazing part was the support from every runner that passed me, cheering me on not to give up.  

Be it a duathlon, an Ironman or a business venture, the following are a few lessons to keep in the forefront of your mind.

Dig Deep: As a lot of the runners said as they ran by me, “dig deep – you are just around the corner”.  There will always be a million reasons to give up.  Focus on the one that gives you a reason to keep moving forward.

One Inch at a Time: I wish I could go from the couch to an Ironman in a month.  Success takes time to build one inch at a time.  

Surround Yourself with Success:   Find the successful in what you want to achieve and gravitate towards them.  They not only have the knowledge and experience to guide you but they are also very willing to help.  And if you come across the few that want to hold on to their time and experience, smile and move on to the next.

Focus on Your Purpose: My purpose for doing this race kept me going through any circumstance it threw at me.

Take accountability: In the end of the race, people came up to me and said I should not have been disqualified.  My response was “yes I should have been.”  Not only was it a critical safety rule, but it was also made very clear numerous times.  Anyone can push blame, take accountability for your actions.  

The most important thing I learned.   I am not 20 anymore, I cannot just decide to do stuff like this anymore.  I actually have to put the time in to train.  AH!

Fred Sarkari

Reactive people work at 25% of their efficiency but work hard.  Most people are not effective at implementing because most people are unaware of what to implement.  Show me what to do and I will do it…

Zubin from Athena Hair and Laser asked a very critical question on one of the post.  It would be valuable to create a post for all the other readers.

ZUBINS QUESTION:

Fred:
Your last blog makes a lot of sense but what are the 1st steps I need to take after I have decided what to do. Do you recommend a process of how to implement my plan?

——–

Zubin, if you are asking about the actual steps of implementing, than you have hit on a very critical point.

Obviously that would be different for everyone based on their personality, strengths and the project itself.

Few principles to keep in mind:

1. Most people  can not implement effectively as they are unsure what and how to implement.

2. In order to have clarity on what needs to be implemented, one needs to have a clear awareness on what is it that they are trying to accomplish?

3. When we do not have this clarity, we end up scattering and just being overly busy in our daily activities.

4. Once you know what you are trying to accomplish.  Create a very basic priority list.
This consists of 6-8 most valuable and profitable activities in your business.

5. Now go and spend 80% of your daily time implementing the 6-8 activities.

6. Delegate the rest.

Just like this post, keep it simple.

Fred Sarkari

How often do we hear knowledge is power.  We are in the information age, knowledge is nothing but clutter in our minds.  Its what we do with the knowledge that makes us effective.

That is the same with networking events, they honestly are nothing but clutter in our lives due to the quantity of them around us.  If we can understand the principles of networking than and only than can we tap into the potential of that knowledge.

Networking is one of the corner stones of building a business.  Networking can be our best friend and our worst enemy at the same time.  If we do not understand the principles of networking it can cost us a lot of our time.

In times like these, uncertainty in the economy, it is more important to be face to face with our clients and potential clients.

The only consistency in this market right now is the unknown, the greatest economist and advisers have said we have no idea what to expect anymore – all logic has been proven wrong.

I was doing a presentation for Investors Group recently and I heard a client say “Only the gods know what the markets will do tomorrow.”

In times of unknown people need to feel secure and connected with those they choose to do business with.

Networking can be extremely powerful and effective to the growth of our business.  Unfortunately most networking events I have attended through out the years I realized that most people are not aware of what true networking entails.

Networking for most gives them a false sense of accomplishment, how many cards can I give out and how many can I collect.  Just because you are busy does not mean you are effective.

We all know those people that enter the room with presence, they carry themselves with confidence and have a look of genuine caring for others.  Those are the same emotions I felt when I went to the Kelowna Signature Business Network event.

Now I know it is one thing to have a feeling but the true question is, are those feelings justified?  This was by far one of the most effective networking events I have ever attended.

No one ran around giving and exchanging business cards.  People were having genuine conversations and building the foundation of a future relationship.  It was not about how many people can I get to in the next 10 min.

I had the opportunity to meet people that without this event I would never have access to.  The people that attended this event do not seem to attend typical networking events.

The owner Darlene R. Brûlé and her staff, physically went around the room connecting beneficial like minded people with each other.  Not only were there influential people but more importantly as a guest we were introduced to each other effectively.

Even though I was at a member event that had guests, through invitation only, they also hold events for members only with top influential people in the community. The connections I made, not just swapping business cards, were priceless to my business.

A big seller was their exclusive portfolio of members, very classy and beneficial.  These portfolios that showcase the members with a full color page go out to businesses in the community.

The event it self, all I can say is wow! It felt like I was at a Gala event.

Darlene, thank you for a great event and I look forward to attending your next event in June.  Rumor has it that it will be at a breath taking location.

Fred Sarkari

There was only one thing I was disappointed with when attending the Mortgage Brokers Association of British Columbia, MBABC, 2009 Conference.  The fact that it had to come to an end.

I have made some great friendships and relationships speaking in this industry in the past few years.  That can only happen if all parties are genuine about what they do and why they do it, passionate and truly care for all those in the industry.

Brian Peterson as the past president has done a great job.  He has created a stage that only the existing president can walk on and build, Joe Santos. Joe Santos is one of the most respected individuals in the industry and only those that have the pleasure of meeting him will know the true extent of what it takes to be a president of such an association.

MBABC 2009, was a very special conference to me for 3 reasons:

1. The opportunity to speak from the heart to such amazing people. I wish I could find the words of thanks for the respect and genuine connection MBABC and their members have always forwarded to me.  All I can say is I am very thankful.

2. We are all tested during times of difficulty for who we are.  During this market, MBABC, has truly proven their high level of integrity as an association.

3. The deep conversations and real people I had the opportunity to experience.

What MBABC stands for in my eyes?

5 Lessons we should all be aware of.

Authenticity: MBABC directors, staff and members have proven through steady action that they are individuals that live a life of integrity.  Not willing to sell their spirit when life, tough markets, comes knocking on their door.

Love For Each Other: Success is never achieved alone.  It was amazing to see how everyone genuinely wanted to help each other in anyway they can.  Collectively with like minded people anything is possible.

Desire For Personal Growth: MBABC has the highest standards of professionalism.  They not only understand the value of personal growth, they make it a priority to help their members become better people in their professional and personal lives.  With their on going professional days and their respected designation, AMP, supports their strict qualifications of professionalism.

Code Of Ethics: Everyone has a strict code of ethics.  It has the same value as downloading a PHD degree online.  What makes MBABC different is their members protect their code of ethics.  They keep each other accountable as their number one priority is the safety of their members and clients.

Mind Set: Change how you look at the market and the market that you look at will change.  The ones that were at the conference understood the mindset required to not only survive but to thrive in this industry.

Some of my personal highlights:

I had such a phenomenal time presenting to this group.  It was an absolute honor and privilege.

Many of the great conversations like the one with Gary Mauris from Dominion Lending Centres. His message in our conversation together was consistent to the one he gave on stage during the Gala Dinner.  He truly believes that anything is possible and has an intense passion and respect for the industry.

Rob Regan-Pollock – I do not think I have met anyone that so genuinely loves and believes in what he does. It is obvious that Rob’s business is build on his character, truly caring for all those around him.  Very inspiring for me every time we meet.  But the most precious thing about Rob is that he always laughs at my jokes during my presentation.

It was a pleasure to get to know Loren Hawkins through our conversations.  An individual that has the excitement and drive to protect the industry like his own.  It was important for me to see that as it reminded me of how important it is to invest and give back to protect my industry in order to protect what I love to do.

I could go on with an endless list of all the directors and staff. I would like to say thank you for a great conference and all the effort all the directors, staff, sponsors and members invested into making MBABC 2009 another phenomenal trade show.

Fred Sarkari

We all go through times where we question all spectrums of our life, from why we do what we do, our relationships or lack of, the way we think, our emotions and behavior, all the way to the reason of our existence.

My good friend and counsellor, Derrick Shirley, sent me one of the most enlightening passages I have read in the longest time.  

For all those people looking for answers, take the time to read the passage below:

I beg you… to have patience with everything unresolved

in your heart

And try to love the questions themselves

As if they were locked rooms or books written

in a very foreign language.

Don’t search for the answers,

which could not be given to you now,

Because you would not be able to live them.

And the point is, to live everything.

Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future,

You will gradually, without even noticing it,

Live your way into the answer…
(rainer maria rilke) 

I lost count how many times I have read this.  I find that every time I read it, it gives me a deeper awareness into myself, my actions, my emotions and my behavior.

I love it, thanks Derrick.

Would love to know how it makes you feel after you read this.

Fred Sarkari 

All I remember is the world disappearing right in front of me and the past became the present.

I was driving yesterday afternoon and out of no where my mind shifted from where I was at that moment in time to snapshots of my life in the last month.

I pulled over, for some odd reason did not have  a paper and pen so I opened up my computer and started typing.  

I also realized that it was a while since I had written in my journal.  The more I wrote the more came out.  The snapshots of my past month become even more vivid and clearer.  I could not only re-live all my emotions and behaviors but I could see them from the outside, as a third party.  

In that process I learned so much about myself, a sense of awareness and clarity of what makes Fred click.

I am not too sure how many people still journal their thoughts these days.  I do know of some and those that do are always more aware of themselves.  If we are not aware of our emotions, pains, joys and reasons behind our actions than how effective can we be in any relationship in our lives?  Be it with our spouse, partners, professional lives and most importantly our children.  

After typing out 7 pages from yesterday to today I put the following status on my facebook and was asked a very critical question in my email:

“Everybody should journal. learned more about myself in the last 2 days from writing than any course can teach me. writing creates clarity.”

“Fred can you explain to me what you meant by writing things down, what sort of things should you journal daily?  Events, thoughts, feelings???”

What is journaling?     Why should we Journal?

What is Journaling?

Journaling is nothing more than writing your thoughts and emotions down.  Anytime we feel something, any emotion, about a circumstance in our life – we should journal our thoughts and feelings. 

Some people journal events in order to look back one day and have a record of their life.  That is amazing in itself.  But that is not what I am talking about here.  I am talking about journaling your thoughts, emotions, feelings and your behaviors in a particular situation.  This will one day allow you to look back and see who you really are as a person, what makes you click, how you consistently think, where you need to improve and grow.

For example: Someone did something to hurt your feelings.  

• Starting writing about what you are feeling?
• Why do you think you are feeling it?
• Where do you think those feelings are truly coming from?  
• One of the most critical questions, is this more about you or the person that supposedly made you feel this way?

What you will find is that your behaviors are not a direct reflection of your true feelings.

 As most of us are not aware enough to even know what our true feeling are.  

Why should we journal?

We are not directly trying to answer questions to a situation, but by writing down the above questions we start creating what we call Aha! moments.  Which in turn creates clarity behind our emotions and behaviors.  

Unless we become aware of our state of mind, we have no control in our lives, in our relationships, all we can do is react to situations.  And we all know the outcome when we react under high emotional state.

Journaling helps us put ourself outside of the situation we were in.  Its like watching two people argue and as an outside person you can see the situation clearer than they ever can.  That is what journaling does for us in our own situations we face.

Writing things down creates clarity in our thoughts and behaviors.  

We try so hard to understand others and their behaviors.  One can never understand another person beyond their own comprehension.  

Happy Journaling, 

Fred sarkari

Ever wonder why some businesses are successful and some are not?  More so, why are some business thriving in this market while others are barely surviving?

There are 3 critical elements that every successful and sustainable business have in common.

We have heard it many times, that attitude is everything.  You cannot succeed without the right attitude.  What we have to understand is that attitude is only one variable of success and has a very specific job.

Attitude keeps you alive, it sustains you when no one else believes in you.  The right attitude keeps you going even when you lose belief in yourself at times.

The right attitude will sustain you

but attitude on its own is nothing more than living a life of fantasy

as it will never give you results.

Systems on the other hand, lead to results.  What we have to understand is that every success and failure is a direct reflection of the systems that created them.

That being said, the right system only means possible results.

The 3rd and critical element is the actual implementation.  In any market or economy you can have the right attitude and an effective system but if you do not have the courage to implement than you will have nothing more than a fantasy of possible results.

In conclusion, every successful and sustainable business has the following 3 elements:

1. The right attitude.

2. An effective system of success.

3. The courage to implement.

Fred Sarkari

What should I write about during Easter weekend?  As always, I will just write on what flows through my mind at that moment in time.

Two thoughts just came to my mind.  (this flow stuff actually works)

1. The beauty around us.

2. To Love somebody.

This weekend means different things for different people, in the end it is a weekend of celebration, a weekend of thanks and giving.

I wounder if people are so busy with their lives theses days, always chasing something for tomorrow that will we slow down enough to truly enjoy a gifted weekend?

I took a walk by the lake today and what a beautiful sight it was.  How often do we take the time to notice the beauty around us.  Too often we get numbed to our environment.

Do you still notice the sent of Spring in the air or do we just breath to survive for the next moment?   Truly visualize the calmness of the still lake or do we drive right by it as we know it will be there tomorrow?  Are we running so fast in life that we do not look up to embrace the clear blue sky in fear of running into something?

Are we so busy, so occupied with our daily activities, that we do not even notice the beauty all around us.  The outdoors, our spouses, our children or the stranger that crosses our path.

To Love Somebody.  Easter, the weekend of giving and being thankful is in essence to love somebody else than our selfish self-centered egos. (wow! that sounds a little harsh).

What does it mean to love, to love a tree, to love a person, to love a bird, to love and not expect anything in return?  Most of us are not courageous enough to love that way.

We truly do not know what love is when we put our love against an expectation of any sort of return.

What a beautiful thing to love and not expect anything in return.  To love someone as long as they love you is a business of trade.  Love cannot be bought or sold it is a precious gift to be given and received all on its own.

This Easter weekend I challenge you to:

1. Slow down your mind enough to enjoy and cherish the moments around you.  Feel every breath of yours and those of your loved ones.

2. Have the courage to love, just simply love for the sake of loving.

Have Easter to everyone.

Fred Sarkari

Nick, you are amazing. Do you have a case of Corona prior to your board meetings to ignite creativity?  

Nick Kossovan is a creative writer. Always shares the greatest comments. This one on branding had to be turned into its own mini post.

======

NICK:

Late Saturday night I was on my 7th or 8th Corona when then purpose of brand hit me.

Out of the multitude of beers on the market why do I keep only ordering Corona?

Why does my drinking buddy only order Moosehead? Why do we become loyal to one particular brand, other than to be part of a tribe?

Brands thrive because they are decision making short cuts for time starved consumers.

=====

“Brands thrive because they are decision making short cuts

for time starved consumers.”

That is great insight on brands. We have created such a fast paced technological environment in our lives that everything we do revolves around saving time and creating short cuts.

We live in a convenience world. We went from PHONE CALLS to EMAILS to SHORT BLACK BERRY EMAILS to.. Now I will even get a text message from an executive client.

It is great that we have all the resources possible in order for us to buy our time back for more important things in our lives.

Unfortunately all we do with this extra time is fill it with more urgent reactions to our environment.

I am all about being effective and efficient in my life – That being said there is a specific reason for doing so. It is not to fill my time with more crap that I do not care for, but more so to make time for the things I enjoy and the ones I love to spend time with.

Ask yourself, 2 few critical questions:

1. What do I find my self reacting to everyday?

2. What priorities do I find myself not making time for?

We have become so busy in our technological – short cut lives, always chasing the next deal, chasing the next account, chasing the urgency – thinking it will help us get further in life.

In doing so, we have lost sight of the most valuable gifts in our life.

The ones we love, our relationships, our parents, our spouse and our children.

When was the last time we shut the world out in order to truly love the time with our loved ones?

Fred Sarkari

I was asked by a friend of mine the following question: 

———

I am just in the process of opening my new small business up and bouncing a few names off of you for feedback.  Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

———

Since this is a very critical stage of building your foundation in your new business, I wanted to share some ideas with all readers and would love to hear theirs.  

Few things to keep in mind when you are naming a business:

1. You Better Like It: Make sure you like the name. If not, it is like a bad tattoo, you will avoid sharing and promoting it.

2. Easy to Remember: A business needs to be promoted – so if the name is hard to remember you will lose out on a lot of business, through your own marketing efforts and word of mouth.  (I remember seeing a sign for that, but can’t remember the name.  It was a fancy name, but its not coming to me…)

3. Domain Website: Make sure the domain name for your new business is available. In my opinion .com is the only option.   Even if it is a regional business, people will always remember .com but they will forget the rest of the ‘dots’.

4. Avoid Trends:  Remember, whats popular these days might not be tomorrow. So do not go with a trend unless your intention is to ride a trend and get off the wave when a new trend arrives.  Think sustainability.

5. Thousands of Followers: When choosing the name think of it from the end.  Meaning, when the time comes where you have 10′s of thousands of followers – what name do you want to build a brand (built trust) around?

Readers, please do post some other suggestions as they would be helpful for all.

Fred Sarkari

Queen of Spain wrote a very touching and to the point post on her blog.  Simple yet so relevant to the importance of clarity in children’s lives.

Children  have a keen ability to see life’s situation for what they truly are.

They are honest about their feelings and they understand the true power of their emotions.  The are passionate about everything that they do.  They are passionate when they play, they are passionate when they laugh and we all know that they are passionate when they cry.

Most importantly children are not fearful of feeling and living their emotions.  

Our relationships would be so much more connected and would have significantly deeper meaning if we as adults had the courage to learn from our children. 

Children come to us more evolved than adults in order to teach us the lessons in life.

Fred Sarkari

Rocky takes on the battle of his life – the spirit of his son!

This 2 minute speech he gives his son reminds me of this crazy market we have all faced.

Sorry 0 it seems to have been disabled.  Here is the link that you can cut and copy into the browser. 

It seems like it was yesterday when we were running to the theatre to go see First Blood and of course the classic Rocky VI.

I was overly impressed with his latest movie as it was full of critical life lessons.  

There comes a time where we are all tested in life.  We are tested for our values, we are tested for our integrity, we are tested for who we say we are.  

The sign of a persons true character is one that does not put their spirit up for sale when life comes knocking on their door.  

In the last 2 years, life: market – economy, has been knocking on our door on a daily basis.  

It is amazing how many people have sold their integrity, their values and their name just because times got though.  

Then there are the few, who have also fallen, but refused to stay down.  Refuse to sell their integrity and name no matter what circumstances they face.  

It’s just not an option.

Life can take away anything at anytime.  But there is only one thing that it cannot take away, one thing that only you have to be willing to give away.  

That my friends is your name. Never forget, it’s just not an option. 

Fred Sarkari

Would really appreciate if you would take the time to help.

I am looking for a catchy name for a presentation course.

The main Modules in the course are:

1.  Building your presentation

2. Preparation

3. Presenting

4. Post Presentation

Consisting of 25 chapters.

Therefore, it will cover all spectrums from working with the organizer of the sessions to the psychology of presenting right down to what needs to be done after the presentation is over.  

——————————-

Main element of the workshop is to help build and refine peoples speaking skills.

——————————-

The course will be split into 2 segments:

1. Small part theory.
2. Main part, hands on practice. 

I am looking for brain storming ideas.  So anything that comes to mind I would appreciate  it if you posted.  This way it could ignite others ideas.

Thank you for taking the time to give your opinion.

Fred Sarkari

I was put into place by a 51 year old man and a 63 year old woman.

I went for my morning swim today.  I must say, learning how to swim with proper breathing and stroke technique is a lot more difficult than I ever expected.

I started this insane journey almost 2 weeks ago.  

What has helped me the most are the strangers in the pool.  It is amazing how helpful people are when they see and feel  your enthusiasm to learn, grow and stretch beyond your comfort zone.

This morning I met a gentleman that does 200 lengths in the pool every other day.  He just turned 51 and has a dream of doing an Ironman Triathlon.  Later I find out from his son that after the swim his dad goes for a 30 min run on the treadmill and then for a long bike ride up the mountain.  

Here I am still trying to do 5 lengths without drowning.

The amazing part is that this man only started a year ago.  That was the secret, he started.  

How often do we have these dreams we want to achieve, we think about them and talk about them but there is always a reason why we do not live them.

I also met a lady this morning at the age of 63.  She comes to the pool 4 days of the week and walks in the water, does a few laps of swimming and then walks again.  

It does not matter how many laps you can do, it does not matter how fast or slow you are compared to the people around you.

All that matters is that you did what you can do, and most importantly you started.  That is more than what most people can say when they talk about their dreams.

In conclusion: 

When you have  a desire to live life to the fullest, always remember:

• Start something, it does not matter how much you do but do something.
• Be consistent.  Again, does not matter how much you do but do something consistently as in time it will become part of you.
• Surround your self with like-minded people.
• Stay enthusiastic along the way.  

“The miracle isn’t that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start.” 

Geroge Sheehan

Fred Sarkari

“If your mind is not open,

an opportunity can hit you on the side of the head

and all you would do is complain about the pain.”

Fred Sarkari

From the best selling book: How The Top 5% Think! – Principles of Great Leaders.

…

I have a friend that came off a long term relationship.  She is going through obvious emotions that are overwhelming her every moment of the day.

One of the greatest tortures a human can go through is the feeling of being alone and loneliness.  That is not to say people cannot find peace being alone in their own space.  I am more so talking about a persons state of mind.

She went on to say that she is “tired of being alone and will start asking men out on dates.”  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, as long as you are aware of your intentions of doing so.

I asked her what was it that she was trying to accomplish with going on dates so soon?  Out of respect for her, I have left her response out of this post but have included my response to her as I believe it is relevant to all of us in our lives at one point or another.

FRED’S RESPONSE:

The reason for my question to you is to get a better idea of why you were looking to ask guys out.

If all you are looking for is to get out of your own space and be around people that are like minded doing what you enjoy doing.  

Than

Maybe instead of looking for a guy to go out with, you should consider going to events and joining things you enjoy doing.  This way you will meet like minded people that enjoy what you like to do.  You will make new friends and if you meet someone along the way, than that would be a bonus.

Be aware of the 101 textbook reaction after a long term relationship.  People get so used to having one person around that they start looking to get back in the comfort zone of wanting another person for the sake of not being alone.  

Go do things you enjoy and the right people will gravitate towards you.

Fred Sarkari

Okanagan

I forgot how pleasurable this pain is, it reminds us that we are alive and not just existing like a dead fish floating down stream.

I had the pleasure of running with a 6 x Ironman athlete yesterday.  Oh! did I mention she has also ran a 100 km Marathon.  Hence why I am sitting on a chair on sunday playing on the computer instead of walking around.

It had to be one of the most beautiful runs I have had in a very long time. Running beside Lake Okanagan on a beautiful sunny day.

Later that day my muscles and body communicated to me that they had been over used and abused and they were going on a movement strike.

That is when it occured to me the power of your environment and the affect it has on what we are capable of doing, mentally and physically.

I never realized the extent of the distance we ran and the intervals of hills that we challenged ourselves on.  It was more than what I would have ever done on my own.

When we change how we look at things

the things we look at will change.  

Because I was more focused on the great company I was pelasured with and the beautiful scenery, I lost sight on the struggles of the run.  

That is the same when it comes to all aspects of our lives.  Our state of mind will affect our emotions, physical capabilities, will also affect us physiologically.  

If you want to replace a thought in your mind, mine being the physical pain of running, than you need to replace it with a mind set of greater value; enjoyment, environment, laughter, the right people…

We are a product of our environment and those that we associate with.