Insight Of The Day

"I would rather make mistakes in kindness and compassion than work miracles in unkindness and hardness."

Mother Teresa
1910-1997

Things to Think About

I came across this blog the other day that I feel like I should share with you: "30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself".

I'm sure there has gotta be something on this list that hits home. I definitely have a few things I could work on ;)

Anyways, here is the link: 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

xoxo

Just Do It!

Every once in a while I find myself stuck in a rut. The same old, same old was well...getting old. I needed to do something different, but I didn't know what. Then one lazy afternoon I found myself doing a goal exercise in my SELF magazine, and as it turns out, it was all I needed to get the wheels turning and for me to figure out what I needed to do. 

One odd thing I wrote down was that I wanted to run a 5k. No big deal for all the runners out there, but I was not a runner. At all. In fact, I had always hated running. I preferred getting my heart rate pumping on the Elliptical or in an intense Bootcamp session. But here I was, writing down that I wanted to do a 5k. Weird. 

Next thing you know I am googling Toronto 5k's, and what do you know? There were several planned for the month of October. After running this by my family, I went online and signed up for one. I had exactly one month to train. Once I nailed down the whole breathing part, I was good to go. My one concern was my bad knee, which acted up on a couple of occasions, but I dealt with that just fine...(Advil + bag of frozen Peas).

October 16th, 5k day as I called it, was here. I was a little nervous to be honest. I know 5k is not that big of deal when you have people running full and half marathons on the same day, but it was a big deal to me. Accomplishing my goal was a big deal. I proved to myself that I could run. I proved that I could run a full 5k without walking on and off. Someone I know who was running the half marathon that day told me that this run would be my best ever. She was right. 

Over that one month, I learned to love running. Who knew? I didn't even see that one coming!

Another goal I had written down was to start doing Pilates. The kind in a studio with an instructor and not in my living room like I had done in the past. I always wanted to use the Reformer machines. Now, once a week my mom and I do a semi-private session with our awesome instructor, and we do LOVE the Reformer! 

I'm going to stop writing now and go for a run while I still can! Next up: 10k! 

xoxo

Photo: it-echo.com

Insight Of The Day

Steve Jobs gave this as part of his Commencement Address at Stanford University on June 12, 2005.

Love and Loss

I was lucky. I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started?

Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me - I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT.

I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.

Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

Steve Jobs
1955-2011

Stand Together Against Bullying

 For anyone who truly knows me, knows that I was bullied as a kid. No matter what people say, words do hurt. A lot. To this day, I can still hear some of the mean kids saying hurtful things to me and about me like it was yesterday. I'm 28. For me, the pain of it all has never fully gone away. I remember it all. I remember the names of every person who ever said or did something mean to me. I remember being at sleepovers and hearing people who were supposed to be my friends say hurtful things about me when they thought I was sleeping. Hell, I even had a teacher in 4th grade who was part of the problem. I suffered from depression (on and off) and anxiety attacks up until my mid 20s when I tried Hypnotherapy as a way of helping me let go. It actually worked.

In the last few years, I have become very passionate about Anti-Bullying. I can't stand hearing about all of the horrible stories in the news about what kids are going through today, and let me tell you, it is MUCH worse today than it was when I was a kid. I am so thankful I did not grow up in the age of cyber bullying. I think its great that people today are taking a stand and really trying to make a difference. Its just sad that its taken kids committing "bullyside" a term I heard recently for committing suicide for people to notice something is definitely wrong.

Last night I watched a 48 Hours special titled "Bullying: Words Can Kill". Let me tell you, if was eye opening. I highly recommend watching it online if you get the chance. It saddened me seeing so many kids being bullied, having to change schools multiple times, overdosing on pills, and hanging themselves just to escape the pain. THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING!!! It makes me sick that schools say there is nothing they can do, except for the odd few and that the parents of the bullies will do nothing and take NO responsibility for their child's actions. The special did also feature one school that was taking action against bullying, and I applaud them for that. Every little bit helps. 

This week I heard that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is helping a family who's child committed suicide after being bullied in school. Sirdeaner Walker is now dedicating her life to putting an end to bullying. This includes, bullying based on religion, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or anything else that makes people different. You can catch their episode later this season. 

Want to help her put an end to bullying? 

Go to this site: http://www.standtogether.tv/  

Take the pledge and follow the instructions.

Let's Stand Together against bullying. Remember, every little bit helps.

Love

I've been slowly working my way through Shania Twain's incredible memoir "From This Moment On", and well first of all I LOVE her and am completely inspired by her more than ever! There is a reason this woman has been my idol since the 9th grade, and it's in this book. 

She wrote something in here that really struck a chord with me for some reason. She was talking about emails her now husband used to send her to help her open up to loving again after her painful betrayal and divorce. I should note for those of you who don't know, her love story is a strange twist of fate. Shania's closest friend and confidant went behind her back and basically stole her husband. This woman was married with a child as well. Anyhow, Shania is now married to her ex best friend's ex husband. They basically just traded partners. Read her book to get the full story. It's amazing! 

Back to my point, this is the quote:

"Love comes to those who still hope even though they've been disappointed, to those who still believe even though they've been betrayed, to those who still love even though they've been hurt before". - Unknown 

For some reason, those words give me hope.

xoxo 

Update

I've been MIA for quite some time now. I've had so much to say, yet I could never actually put it into writing. Very odd for me since that's what I've done since I was kid. There's been so much change in my life so far this year. Some things sucked, but worked out for the best and other things were simply awesome! I've made things happen and my hard work is paying off. I'm going on a road trip to some very musical and history rich U.S. cities this week, and I can tell you right now that I'm going to come back completely inspired and revitalized.

xoxo 

Scerina's Kick Ass Smoothie Recipe

I don't know about you, but I love Smoothies! You can make them as healthy and nutritious as you like! 

I love adding in a couple extra ingredients to give it a little extra nutrition kick. 

Check out my recipe below: 

Mixed Berries 

Peaches 

1/2 Banana 

Kale

1 Tsp of Chia seeds

Water (how much depends on how thick you want it) 

I use frozen Berries and Peaches, but if you use fresh fruit just throw in some ice cubes. You don't have to use Kale either, other leafy greens will work just fine. If it needs a little extra sweetness, I just add a little Agave.

And voila! There you have it. A perfectly nutritious and delicious summer smoothie!  

Things That Make Me Happy

Long line up for the Ice Cream truck on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in April. 

Location: High Park

Insight Of The Day

"Sometimes you've got to let everything go - purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything...whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out."

Tina Turner

Insight Of The Day

"You need to overcome the tug of people against you as you reach for high goals."

George Patton
1885-1945, World War II Army General

Best of 2010

So, I sat down before the year ended and tried to write one of my traditional year- end blogs, but I couldn’t do it. I had writers block. At first I thought I just wasn’t ready to write, as I have to be inspired and the mood has to hit. I ended up realizing that I had nothing I wanted to really write about. I had already written about ever thing I wanted to. What I have decided to do instead is a little different. I have compiled a list of my favorite things in 2010; from my favorite songs, to movies, my favorite album and my best moments of the year.

My favorite songs

I don’t know what I would do without Music in my life. It has always gotten me through the tough times, and it makes the good times that much better. Sometimes my favorite song of the moment can come on my iPod and brighten my day, that's all it takes! Here is a list of some of those songs I had on constant rotation this past year.

Train – Hey Soul Sister

Jason Derulo - In My Head

B.O.B feat. Haley Williams & Eminem – Airplanes Pt. 2

Taio Cruz – Dynamite

Usher – DJ Got Us Falling in Love

The Script – Breakeven

Lady Antebellum – Need You Now

La Roux – Bulletproof

Katy Perry – Teenage Dream

Flo Rida Ft. David Guetta – Club Can’t Handle Me

Mumford and Sons – Little Lion Man

The Reason – Longest Highway Home

Florence And The Machine – Dog Days Are Over

Eminem – Not Afraid

Brandon Flowers – Crossfire

Muse – Uprising

Nelly – Just A Dream

Linkin Park – The Catalyst

Finger Eleven – Living In A Dream

Arcade Fire – Ready to Start

My Favorite Movies

Get Him To The Greek - P Diddy is actually funny! Who knew?!

Inception

Easy A - So much better than I thought it would be!

Shutter Island- Completely Mind fucked

Scott Pilgram vs. the World

Kick- Ass - I just had no words for how killer that little girl was

The Social Network

The Kids Are All Right- Its great that movies like this can be made in America

Morning Glory - I love me some Rachel McAdams and her hot costar

Love and Other Drugs - Jake G's naked bum and Anne Hathaway awesomeness

Top movies of the year that I haven’t seen yet, but am sure I will love: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, The Town , Toy Story 3, The Fighter, Black Swan

My Favorite Album of 2010

Taylor Swift – Speak Now

Say what you will about Taylor, it seems you either love her or hate her. I love her. I love seeing positive girls out there, actually being a good role model for the young ones. She’s a true songwriter. She tells stories of real life that people can really relate to. I can just say that with everything I have been through in the past year, I have never listened to an entire album that spoke to me more than “Speak Now.”

My Favorite Moments

Going to Las Vegas for the first time in January

Fitting 7 people into the Photo booth at the Drake in March

Watching NKOTB member Joey McIntyre seriously rocking out to Down With Webster during CMW

Apryl’s Bachelorette at Muzik – Gangsta’s Paradise

Getting birthday tattoos with Krista in May

Cousin Dallas coming to visit from Calgary in June

Dallas saving the precious goat Darla from a terrible fate, then learning Darla was pregnant

Watching the birth of those 2 little goats – I never need to see that again

Going on my first 7 day beach vacation with Jenny to Punta Cana in October

Concerts: Our Lady Peace, Adam Lambert, Bon Jovi and Hanson

My family Christmas – both of them

Ending the year in Montreal with Nat

Having good friends in my life: Natalie, Krista, Sandra & Paul – you all are my rock, whether you know It or not.

In my 2009 recap I said that I had grown that year more than any other. Well, it was the same for 2010. I went through a heck of a lot and I learned so much about life and about myself. I've got big plans this year and I have already made my action plan...and put some of those into motion. I can't wait to share all of my adventures with you.

xoxo

Insight Of The Day

"Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain.

The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today?"

Mary Manin Morrissey
Minister, Author and Speaker