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Shawn Stratton works with organizations to strengthen leadership skills that translate into powerful teams. Founder of the LiveMore Group, an organization that helps people maximize their potential and productivity, Shawn has designed presentations and retreats for both small businesses and large corporations, offering teams of all sizes the inspiration and tools to flourish in this unpredictable, exciting economic environment.
It’s Not About the Tree!
With Every Loss, There is an Opportunity
Last week, I had the great fortune to attend Dave Fost’s, my uncle, funeral in a suburb of Toronto. Dave was an outstanding man and mentor to many, including me. He was a fun loving, passionate man who took great interest in the lives of his nephews. He was the uncle everyone would want to have. Friends and family were coming from near and far to attend the celebration of this wonderful man. At first, it seemed my whole family would be traveling to Ontario for the funeral except for me. I was scheduled to attend a conference the previous weekend in Halifax and would be away from home 5 days already. With Alexandra’s (my wife) demanding work schedule and two small kids at home, this would already be maxing out the time I could be away from home without employing extra help. When my parents learned Uncle Dave’s funeral would take place just days before my mother’s 70th birthday, they thought it would be a great opportunity for our family to spend the weekend together to celebrate her birthday. My two brothers who were traveling from Vancouver and Brazil to attend the funeral were thrilled about the birthday celebration plan and would join them for the weekend. It was decided to have the birthday weekend in Montreal. I was excited for them to be able to spend the time together but saddened that I wouldn’t be able to make the trip, given my prior commitments and family demands. You Have To Ask Everyone, including Alexandra, wanted me to be able to attend both of these important family events....
How to be Less Busy
I don’t have the time… We are living in a busyness epidemic! Think about the number of times in the last month your response to the question “How are things?” with “Busy!” or some variation of busy. Let’s take a closer look at ‘busy’. What Does It Mean To Be Busy? Busy means you hardly have enough time in the day to accomplish all the IMPORTANT tasks at work and at home you would like to accomplish. I stress the important tasks because by the nature of living life there will usually be items we don’t get to in the run of a day. There are usually more items on the To Do list at work, more studying to be completed and more housework to be done than can be completed each day. What You Mean When You Say You Are Busy… My definition of Busy and Stress are similar: stressed means giving a shit about something and busy means giving a shit about too many things. The problem with busy is that most people are using the word when they struggle with completing not just the important tasks but also all the tasks they could ever do in the run of a day. Even just saying you are busy can cause the same emotional response on your body and mind that stress has and the detrimental effects that stress has on the body has been well documented. Think about the last time you were not busy? Can you even remember a time? If you are not busy, are you bored or is everything in balance? Think about the...
Shawn Stratton, Leadership Motivational Speaker and Consultant
“His use of story telling, humor and photography delivered a powerful message on the importance of finding our true passion as an indicator of success. ” -Ian Shortall read more
