Ten Things I Learned from Barack Obama and the Democratic Debate
February 25th, 2008 Categories: Food for Soul and Spirit, Lighten Up, Real Estate News
Last night I kept flipping back and forth between the Oscar Extravaganza, in its 80th year, and the Democratic debate between Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
It occurred to me that as real estate professionals we are running for election every day. The forces of competition result in us having to compete against other professionals every time we offer to help someone sell or buy a home.
According to the polls, those who watched the debate were more likely to vote for Senator Obama.
What are some of the keys to his growing appeal? I noticed a few things that I’ll tuck away as “good learning”.
- Confident but not cocky
- Comfortable and relaxed
- Didn’t try too hard
- Spoke slowly and clearly
- Assertive but didn’t put down his opponent
- What you see is what you get
- Unruffled by competition and criticism
- Passionate but not emotional
- Doesn’t take himself too seriously
- Gracious and sincere
When facing a competitor in any arena, these are winning qualities to emulate. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
For help in navigating the real estate maze, call Hilary today.
| Discussion: 4 Comments »
All the Mouth-Watering Sushi You Can Eat at SAGA SUSHI in Burlington
February 25th, 2008 Categories: Burlington Beat, Food for Soul and Spirit, Places to Eat
We have had only one other experience with an “all you can eat” sushi bar. It was a place in Mississaua which dished up quantity sushi but the quality had been sorely lacking.
So we didn’t have our hopes set too high when we decided to try SAGA SUSHI in Burlington, which opened just a few months ago.
Our 16–year old Nathan could easily consume a double portion of the usual sized sushi dinner and I could probably do the same, so the thought of unlimited portions was very appealing.
Our family of four, including two teenagers, thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
The restaurant decor was modern and appealing. Staff were friendly and good-natured and served us promptly, especially considering every table was full. It was a Saturday night. We were there from about 6 p.m to 7:30 p.m., and there was a perpetual line-up at the door. (Not sure if they allow reservations.)
We had miso soup, lots of eel, egg, salmon and white tuna sushi. Then we tried several of the different rolls. The crispy roll was very good. We had teriyaki salmon and teriyaki chicken, barbecued eel and some tempura. It was fun to have the freedom to order exactly the kind of sushi we like, and to try out new things, like the dumplings, Japanese curry and seaweed salad.
Sushi, main course, salad, soup, dessert (green tea and mango ice cream) Japanese tea, Coke, Sprite were all consumed with abandon. The fee was $20.00 per person with no extra charge for dessert or drinks. Hard to beat if you are a sushi lover. (Don’t go if you are on a diet.)
We will definitely be back.
Saga Sushi, 2011 Plains Road East (corner Brant and Plains), Burlington, Ontario. Telephone: 905–633–9988
| Discussion: 7 Comments »
FEELING OVERWHELMED? MAKE A “STOP DOING” LIST (AND BAKE SOME COOKIES TONIGHT)
February 3rd, 2008 Categories: Books I Read, Food for Soul and Spirit, Lighten Up
Ever feel you can never can get caught up on your endless LIST of things to do?
This week I did one key thing that has revolutionized my business and my life!
I made a STOP DOING LIST.
The most powerful ideas are the simplest.
This very simple idea (which most of us are not putting into practice in our lives) was inspired by a chapter of the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. (Incidentally, in my humble opinion, this is one of the best business books ever written.)
According to the author’s survey of companies “those who built the good-to-great companies made as much use of “stop doing” lists as “to do lists” (page 139).
The phrase “less is more” is so true provided that when you do less of certain “less important things”, you do more of the “more important things”.
I still have my To Do Lists and am busy working those. But my Stop Doing List has freed me up to do the most important things on my To Do lists.
Some things I decided to stop doing:
1) Stop trying to do too many different prospecting initiatives, to focus more time on my key areas which are 1) Effective blogging on my new blogsite 2) the incredible relationships I am fortunate to be building within my Business Networking International referral group 3) Getting involved in my community, volunteering, especially in South East Oakville, where I live.
2) Stop giving in to the fear of “what will people think if I say no?”
(Ask yourself how much of your to do list is reactive and driven by the fear of being left behind, or the desire to please others.)
3) Stop indulging the feelings of being overwhelmed, simply do what I can each day and realize that tomorrow will take care of itself.
4) Stop going to bed late. It is a bad habit. (Face facts, I’m no longer a spring chicken.) In order to wake up earlier and have time for prayer, meditation, and clear thinking, I have to stop procrastinating my bedtime!
These few decisions have liberated my soul this week and taken the cloud of overwhelment off my head!
Decision: Every day I make a To Do List, perhaps I should also make a “stop doing list’, perhaps once a week?
Why not make a STOP DOING list and share how it helps you?
Whew, maybe I`ll have time to bake some cookies tonight!
| Discussion: 2 Comments »
Discover Enza Natural Health and Day Spa in Oakville. See Below for Oakville Buzz Discount!
January 25th, 2008 Categories: Food for Soul and Spirit, Lighten Up, Things to Do in Oakville, Why Move to Oakville?
It was like stepping out of a cold Canadian winter into an African rain forest…
Recently I spent four blissful hours at Enza Natural Health Spa in the middle of a very hectic week. It was time to “turn myself in” and allow the experts to de-stress and re-energize me.
Having chosen the “Lion Package”, my experience began with the donning of a plush African-themed bathrobe and the opportunity to warm up in the infrared dry heat sauna.
This was my first experience with a hot stone massage. It was both relaxing and reinvigorating. In a softly lit room, my South African therapist, Jenna, performed her healing magic to the enchanting strains of Chopin’s Nocturne and Ravel’s Bolero, the calming sound of water lapping against a distant shore, the occasional chatter of tropical birds.
I was being tansported to a place far, far away… when Spa Owner Judith Elaine began a hot oil scalp and shoulder massage, with an application of shea butter providing much needed nourishment to skin and hair.
In addition to being passionate about health and healing, Judith is an artist and her original paintings of South African flora and fauna adorn the tea room where I floated in, after my treatment, to enjoy several cups of hot South African rooibos tea and taro cookies.
I enjoyed my conversation in the tea room with Judith and the chance to find out more about her, her life in South Africa and how she brings so much of the wisdom and natural healing philosophy from that continent to people here. Enza is the only south African spa in Canada.
How much did this calming oasis and respite from the rigours of daily life cost me? A very reasonable price. Next time I will try the “Giraffe Package” which includes a facial.
Click here to find out how you can have an “Out of Africa” experience right here in Oakville. Write back and let me know how it goes!
As a benefit to readers of THE OAKVILLE BUZZ, Enza will provide a DISCOUNT OF 10% on your first visit. Just print off this post and present it at time of purchase. SAUBONA*!
*Zulu greeting
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Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times/ Happy New Year from Your Oakville REALTOR!
January 1st, 2008 Categories: Books I Read, Food for Soul and Spirit
I awoke this New Year’s Day to a mantle of white on the trees behind our home and the comforting silence of snow falling. A gentle start to a New Year.
Nature has inspired me to pass on excerpts from Anam Cara, A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O’Donohue, which I read over the holidays. O’Donohue, an Irish poet, scholar and philosopher writes with an arrestingly original, cadenced quality, while culling enduring truths from ancient Celtic tradition.
He reminds us of things that we should watch for, and may have let go of, in our modern way of living.
I appreciate O’Donohue not just for what he says, but for how he says it. Even beyond his refreshing use of words is the lyrical quality of his spoken voice, which I had the good fortune of hearing on a radio program a few years ago.
On Being Yourself:
“The shape of each soul is different. There is a secret destiny for each person. When you endeavor to repeat what others have done or force yourself into a preset mold, you betray your individuality… We will find ourselves more frequently at that place of childlike discovery…that place of ease, light, and celebration. The false burdens fall away. We come into rhythm with ourselves. Our clay shape gradually learns to walk beautifully on this magnificent earth.”
On Competition:
“The world of quantity is always haunted by competition. If I have less, you have more. But in the world of soul, the more you have, the more everyone has. The rhythm of soul is the surpise of endless enrichment.”
Having has Become the Sinister Enemy of Being:
“The motor and agenda of greed is always the same. Joy is possession but sadly possession is ever restless. It has an inner insatiable hunger. Greed is poignant because it is always haunted and emptied by future possibility. It can never engage presence. This greed is now poisoning the earth and impoverishing its people. Having has become the sinister enemy of being.”
On Modern Language:
“The fast-food metaphor provides a deep clue to the poverty of sensibility in modern culture. This is also mirrored in our use of language. Many of the words we use are of the fast-food spiritual variety. These words are too thin to echo experience; they are too weak to bring the inner mystery of thngs to real expression. In our rapid and externalized world, language has become ghostlike, abbrieviated to code and label.”
On Friendship:
“A friend is a loved one who awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you.”
On Memory:
“Memory: Where our vanished days secretly gather”
On Becoming a Poet:
“When you speak from that deep, inner voice, you are really speaking from the unique tabernacle of your own presence. There s a voice within you that no one, not even you, has ever heard. Give yourself the opportunity of silence and begin to develop your listening in order to hear, deep within yourself, the music of your own spirit.”
I believe that many of the things we value most in our high speed and high tech world are beginning to wear thin. There is a hunger for the spiritual, the slower, more gentle and reflective way of living that our forefathers held onto. Must we let go of the latter as we pursue the former?
Blessings and inspiration to you for a profoundly meaningful and beautiful 2008 from your Oakville REALTOR. Call Hilary 905–257–3633, or sign up here to receive regular information about Oakville and Real Estate.
| Discussion: 6 Comments »
Oakville Singer Kelita Releases New Christmas CD
November 28th, 2007 Categories: Food for Soul and Spirit, Oakville Events
It is past midnight on a blustery winter’s night. I’m glad to be back indoors after a drive up to Georgetown (half an hour north of Oakville) in blowing snow where I met a very nice client to list her house.
Now nestled in my favorite comfy chair, feet on matching ottoman, I’m typing away on my warm laptop and listening to the bluesy voice of Kelita and her newly released Christmas CD “Heavenly Night”.
A five time Juno nominee and Canadian Country Music Award winner, Kelita is a singer-songwriter who hails from Alberta and calls Oakville home. She composed the official song for the Calgary World Olympics in 1988 “Neighbours of the World”.
I first met Kelita and her family when we were part of a small bible study group together a few years ago. Only after attending one of her concerts did I realize her enormous talent and the international acclaim she has achieved as a recording artist and songwriter.
What stands out about Kelita as a person is her deep reliance on God and her heart for people that suffer. Having had a difficult childhood she especially has a desire to bring help and healing to hurt and abused children.
Last summer Kelita, her husband Gord, and son Keldon, travelled to Cambodia to see first hand the plight of children who have been sold to the sex trade in South East Asia. Read more about her journey and mission in this recent article from Oakville Today.
The experience profoundly impacted this Oakville gal and prompted her to write the very moving song “Not Just This Christmas”. She set a goal to personally raise $30,000 to help rehabilitate these young girls and boys.
All proceeds for Kelita’s benefit concert being held December 1, at The Meeting House Theatre, here in Oakville, will be donated to the Agape Restoration Centre in Cambodia, a school for rehabilitating children rescued from the sex trade.
Kelita will also be donating 100% of funds raised from the sale of her Heavenly Night CD to the Centre. This new recording contains perennial Christmas favorites as well as songs written by Kelita. I especlally like her original songs “Heavenly Night”, and “Christmas Always Brings You Home”.
This is a great gift to give yourself or a friend this Christmas while making a difference to a young girl’s future, half way across the world.
To order Hevenly Night online click here.
| Discussion: 5 Comments »
