Tag Archives: making a difference

Doing the Hard

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When I first met her she was a tiny urchin-like young girl  struggling to leave street life behind. Yesterday, when we met, I saw a graceful, caring young mother willing to ‘do the hard’ to make a difference in the world.

We were meeting at Six Degrees Music, Productions and Studios, an audio recording studio that had volunteered time, facilities and people to record a ‘story’ I’ve written about a young woman, Joanne Shaver, who was murdered at the age of 17 on January 9, 1990. The young mother was there to record the story. I was there as guide and mentor.

The story is part of, and My Name is…, a project that intends to honour street engaged youth and adults who have been murdered on our streets, while opening our hearts and minds to look at these lives and these stories with eyes of compassion.  and My Name is… will put a human face on the lives that were taken, give meaning to their passing, while opening up opportunities for healing and forgiveness and inspiring possibility in our communities, no matter what side of the street you’re on.

The young woman who recorded the story yesterday is Joanne’s sister. I met her years ago when I was writing and producing a collaborative play with a group of street-engaged youth. She was one of the participants. I’d run into her once since that time, in a grocery store where she worked. She’s come a long way.

And yesterday, just how far she’s journeyed was evident as she read the 3 minute piece I’d written.

Yesterday, the power of her story, the depth of her courage shone through the words she read. Written in the first-person, it was no small feat to read as if she was her older sister speaking.

She wanted to do this. She wanted to read this story. For her sister. For herself. Her family. For this project. She wants to make a difference.

And in her voice, in giving voice to her sister’s story, she made a difference. Those of us in the sound booth sat in awe, listening, taking in the story, being moved by the power of her voice and her sister’s short journey through life. She was incredible.

I am blessed to be part of this project. Blessed to be part of making a difference through telling the stories of those who never had a chance to tell their own story of their lives.

and My Name is… has already made a difference in the hearts and minds of those of us involved in the planning stages of creating it. It will be exciting to watch it unfold.

I’ll keep you posted.

Namaste.

Heroes in our Midst

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Every day opportunities present themselves to celebrate the difference someone is making in the world. Yesterday, I met with my friend RW who is committed to mentoring a young man he met some months ago when taking a tour of a youth facility. RW doesn’t ask for recognition, and he doesn’t have any expectations of reward, what he has is a deep belief in the possibilities for this young man, and a willingness to be there to guide, hold accountable when necessary and support him however he can.

RW is a hero.

Barry Davidson is a volunteer who continually gives. Sometimes he jokes and says he gives so much because he doesn’t know how to say no. My experience of Barry is that he gives because he is committed to being the change he wants to see in the world.

Barry Davidson is a hero.

My friend Lori Stewart is another hero. One day, listening to CBC Radio while stalled in traffic, she heard about AWESOME Toronto and immediately contacted the founders and started the AWESOME Foundation Calgary. Along with the AWESOME team, she is making a significant difference in providing seed funding for awesome ideas worth supporting and celebrating here in the city.

I am blessed. I know lots of heroes who inspire me everyday.

I don’t know Doug Blackmon, but his book, Slavery by Another Name, shocked and disturbed and moved me. The journey of the forced servitude of African/American’s throughout the first half of this century resonates within me still. On Monday, PBS will air the documentary based on his book and it promises to be an emotional and powerful telling of a story that has the capacity to break even the most hardened heart. (Click here for more info)  Slavery by Another Name is the disturbing and true story of  “The Re-Enslavement of Black People in America from the Civil War to World War II”. Given our treatment of the First Nations Peoples here in Canada, this is a story we must honour and acknowledge if we are to create a path to healing the past and creating a better future for all our people. Please click HERE and read the Introduction to Slavery by Another Name. We must bear witness and find courage to change by examining our past with open eyes, hearts and minds so that the future can be founded on humility, truth and compassion.

Doug Blackmon is a hero.

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There are so many people in this world Making a Difference that I have decided to dedicate Saturday’s to the Heroes in our Midst. This is the first installment. If you want to be included, or if you know of someone who is making a difference, please send me an email with all the details you’d like included and I’d love to showcase you in future Heroes in our Midst columns.

Thanks!

Have an inspiring day — or as Lori would say — Make it AWESOME!

And… Sunday’s will be Guest Column days. To kick off this new series of insight, ideas, celebrations of making a difference, my friend Dave Cunin will be the first guest columnist tomorrow. Hope you can make it! I’m excited about what Dave is going to share I’d love to give him lots of encouragement. Your support makes a difference!

Peace of mind rests in a servant’s attitude

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Princess Ellie

Yesterday I set out on my walk with Ellie, my Golden Retriever, with an intent in mind before I left the house.  My intent — to clean up the path of any deposits littering the trail. To insure I could fulfill on my intent, I took along extra bags and an attitude of service.

It made a difference. Walking with my intent clear, and the tools necessary to act upon it shifted my focus from seeing what other people didn’t do as ‘transgressions’ to one of seeing opportunities to be of service all along the trail. As I walked, I looked for places to ‘clean up the world’ and found ample opportunity to put my intent into action.

And all it took was a shift in perception.

Setting out with my intent clear meant I had extra bags with me, and could clean up all along the path. Knowing my path before we set out meant I could ignore the messes on our walk to the end of the trail we took and picked up on the way back. No matter the direction, I got to enjoy my walk with Ellie without inner grumblings of ‘transgressions’ marring my experience, and  I got to revel in a servant’s attitude all the way back to my car.

Win/Win.

And, once again it proves how easy it is to live consciously making a difference — and to enjoy my day without inner grumblings marring my path — If you’re looking for peace of mind — shift your perceptions:  Embody a servant’s attitude —  Set an intent. Plan your path and enjoy the journey, knowing, peace of mind rests in a servant’s attitude.

 

 

The ripple of gratitude

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I spent a big portion of the day yesterday working on the new website for my company, Critical Intent — a challenge at the best of times for non-techy me. But, in the end, I got it working. Now to build the content.

In the process, I relied upon the technical support team at godaddy.com, the hosting company, to guide me through a couple of glitches that were messing with the workings of my website. The two different people I spoke with at godaddy were amazing. They walked me through the processes, helped me fix the glitches not once making me feel like I was stupid, incompetent, or a techno-klutz, which when it comes to geek-speak, I often feel like I am — if not exactly stupid and incompetent, at least a techno-klutz.

After going to a classical guitar concert with a girlfriend, getting home at 10:30 determined to fix the problem and finding someone capable of helping me, I was tired and appreciative of their support. So, I decided to do something about my appreciation.

I wrote an email to the management at godaddy to express my gratitude and admiration for the technical support team. It only took me a moment to express in writing my appreciation for their help and, while I know they’re paid to help, I really appreciate the grace with which they do their job. And, in expressing my gratitude I know it will be on the staff’s employment file for as long as they’re part of the team. And that makes a difference. Q.P. the tech support member who helped me re-direct my URL to the proper site, was amazingly supportive and patient with me as I struggled with FTP site navigation and MySQL updates — seriously? Who knew I had an SQL all of my own?

It doesn’t take much to express gratitude, yet, when we take the time to do it, we send out ripples of appreciation that keep on rippling. In those ripples, making a difference is easy when I respond in gratitude to the difference other’s make in my world.

Namaste.

The Difference I’ve learned in month one is ME

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It is month 2 of A Year of Making a Difference.

Looking back on what I learned in Month 1, there are three very obvious and important teachings this month has given me:

  1. Making a difference begins with me and within me. Our human condition is the difference each of us makes and we are each responsible for being and becoming the difference we want to make and see in the world.
  2. The opportunities abound, but if I am not willing to turn up, the opportunities evade me.   I must be present. Be conscious. Be in ‘the now’ to be open to the opportunities as they present themselves.
  3. Making a difference is easy when I let go of what I do, or what I have as being my difference and focus on how I am in the world. When I consciously choose to create a difference that leaves imprints as light as a feather on people’s hearts I am consciously choosing the way of peace, tranquility and  harmony. And in that way, I am being the peace, tranquility and harmony I want to create in the world. 

Making a difference is an attitude. It is a place of consciously embracing what makes us great, magnificent, divine human beings. When I fill my being with a servant’s attitude, I move ego out-of-the-way of how I am and what I’m doing in the world and become One with being the One I am meant to be in the world.

Yesterday, a man contacted me to ask if I could help him with a youth he is mentoring. It was easy. I knew a couple of names of people he could call to help the young man take the next step on his journey. I cannot ‘make it happen’ for anyone, but I can open the door for others to step through — should they choose.

And that is the lesson I am learning most — I am not powerful enough to change the world —  I do have the power to change how I am in the world which changes where I’m at. I do have the power to change my role, my place, my sense of what is possible. And in my power, I have the capacity to inspire others to step into their power to know and be the difference they can be in their worlds too.

And together, when we are all united in being the difference we want to create in the world without expectation of our difference being the only difference, of our difference being the only path or way to be, we create a world of acceptance, compassion, and Love.

And in Love, all things are possible.

One month experienced and I am excited to see what this month brings in broadening my awareness and teaching me how to be the difference I want to be in the world.

Namaste.

The immeasurable moments of making a difference

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I received an email yesterday from a co-worker at the shelter where I worked for almost six years. They wrote to tell me how much I had touched their life, what a difference I made for them, and how I taught them many things they appreciate and incorporate into their life today.

I am grateful.

In this individual’s note is the essence of what it means to make a difference for me.

It is not about what I do. Not about title or wealth or education or status or who I know or the perfect outfit for the perfect occasion. It is about the imprint I make upon people —  The gentleness of my touch, the kindness of my words, the softness of my step upon the delicate fabric of their hearts.

In receiving their email yesterday it struck me that out of all the things I did at the shelter, from raising community awareness, building relationships, creating an art program, opening an art and music studio, writing/publishing a book, recording Stand by Me with clients, creating a concert, a documentary, plays, the writing, the commercials, the teaching, the creating opportunities for community engagement, while all of those things are important, what matters most are the ‘intangibles’. Those immeasurable moments that touch my soul,open my heart, awaken my mind. It is in those quiet moments where hope stirs, spirits lift and I am connected, heart-to-heart in service, that I am most alive and grateful.

For it isn’t in the concrete things I do or did that make the difference. It is in the hearts I touch. The hearts that touch mine that I find myself steeped in gratitude.

As a friend said when I told him I was leaving the shelter, “What you did will flow back into the miasma of the universe. Things will change. What can never change is how we touch people. How we made them feel. How we connected to their hearts.”

I am grateful. In my co-workers email I am reminded that making a difference isn’t all about what I ‘do’, it’s about how I am, how my being shows up in the hearts and minds of those I encounter on my journey. It is about being the difference I want to see in the world and making my difference through being the best me I am when I let go of my ego’s call for more and give into my soul’s desire for quality in all my relationships, for beauty in all my doing, for humility and Love in all my being me in this world.

A Servant’s Frame of Reference

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Being at home created the opportunity to make a difference. C.C., my partner, is ill. A nasty cough that will not subside, I played nurse to his patient. Bringing him tea, going to the drugstore to buy Eucalyptus oil so that he could breathe in a warm, healing mist. Making him chicken soup.

Now, I would normally do these kinds of things but yesterday, the difference was, I consciously did them with a loving heart. I consciously filled my being with harmony as I responded to his need for care.

Often, when taking care of someone else, my mind is busy with thoughts of what the interruption is costing me — time, energy, the book I was reading, the task I was doing… With a loving heart, thoughts of the ‘cost’ vanished as awareness rose to the forefront of my thinking, filling my doing with awareness of what the other person needed to be comfortable, to feel loved, not what my doing would do for them and me. In that gift of being of service without worrying about ‘the cost’, I became intimately aware of the sacredness of the moment as my heart became imbued with  the awe of living from a servant’s frame of reference to being of service to my fellow human beings.

It also meant I was conscious of the gift of having my friend Dave stay with us for the weekend. He is moving back to Winnipeg today and needed a few days, after cleaning out his apartment, to rest and ground himself before driving east. This weekend gave C.C. and me a chance to spend time with him before he left. To simply be in the moment of enjoying his conversation, company, wit and insight as we shared a few days on the path together.

Opportunities to make a difference are always present. It is my presence that is not always aware of their presence. Filled with the importance of my personal busy-ness, I often miss out on the gift of living with a servant’s frame of reference. Without a frame of mind that says —  Living on purpose means being of service to others — I lose opportunities to replenish my spirit and enlighten my heart and soul.

This weekend, as I practiced being conscious of the moment and the gifts within each moment as I acted upon the call to be of service, I found myself reveling in the joy opening up within my heart like a lotus flower opening to the sun’s warming rays. In that opening, I am filled with the grace of gratitude knowing that, in service, I am breathing life into my presence here on earth.

Namaste.

A smile is the difference

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Busy day yesterday. My youngest daughter’s 24th birthday dinner was last night and we were 16 for dinner. I have to remind myself on days like that to stay present, to stay in the moment, to enjoy the festivities while they are taking place, and not get immersed in only the process of getting it all ready. At dinner, we went around the table and each shared, “Our wish for you Liseanne this year.” What a lovely difference it made to focus on wishing someone beauty and love, laughter, good times, fun, no car trouble, joy, success, good health, lots of sunny days and a host of other things her guests wished for her last night.

Earlier in the day, C.C. and I went to the market to buy what was needed for the dinner. Taking the lead from Beverly’s comment Thursday on my 10 Things post, where she said that she tries to look servers etc. directly in the eyes when she says ‘Thank you.’  I consciously ensured I looked the people serving us in the eyes. I also attempted to look passers-by in the eyes as well and to smile as we walked past each other.

The man at the coffee counter also responded to smiles and laughter, as did the young man serving us at the meat-counter. As did the young mother with a buggy walking across the parking lot towards the building when we got there. I waited and held the doors for her and smiled and told her to not hurry as she sped up to reach the open door. Her smile of gratitude was warm and welcoming.

It made a difference. Those brief moments of connection warmed me — and I believe, those passing by because everyone smiled back.

Sometimes, a smile is the only difference we need to make to change someone’s outlook, including our own. No matter how brief, a smile registers on people’s hearts and warms them up as if to say, I’m glad to see you too!

Living my 100%

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Winter has come swooping in for a long overdue visit. Temperatures have plummeted into the sub-zero realms of frost-bit warnings and wind-chill factors.

And I am warm inside my home.

I am grateful today for my warm home. For Ellie, the wonder pooch, lying on the floor behind my desk and Marley, the Great Cat, lying on Ellie’s bed. I am grateful for the life that we have created to allow us the luxury of this home. The luxury of our beds. The luxury of the food on our table, the heat that keeps us warm and the roof that keeps the weather from falling down upon us.

I think about the homeless shelter where I worked and know that today will not be a comfortable day for the 1,000 plus people who slept beneath its roof last night. The coming week of arctic chill will cloud people’s abilities to see the possibility of change. Despair will deepen. It always does in intemperate weather. Moods sour. Spirits dampen. And bodies grate up against each other seeking solace and respite from the feelings of ‘what’s the point’ that invade when the temperature plummets. I am grateful there are places like the shelter where people can come in and be safe from the cold.

I am grateful for the sound of water flowing over the waterfall in the fish tank which sits on top of the bookcase to my left and to my friend Dave who gave it to me. . I am grateful for the oceans that are home to countless fish and waterlife.

I am grateful for this day.

I am now entering my third week of ‘A Year of Making a Difference’ and I am learning as I go the significance of gratitude as the foundation of everything I do. Cleaning up someone else’s dog poop in the park is a statement of saying, “Thank you world. Thank you planet earth. I care about you and the people who inhabit this world. I am willing to do my part in taking care of you.”

Shoveling my walk and my neighbours walk is a statement of:  “Thank you world. Thank you planet earth. I care about you and the people who inhabit this world. I am willing to do my part in taking care of you.”

It is a growing realization within me. Everything I do is a statement of how much I care — about myself, about others, about this world we share.

When I respond negatively, it is because I don’t care enough to do the right thing, for myself, others, this world we share. When I choose to criticism, complain and condemn, I am hurting myself and the world around me.

I am grateful for this place where I come every morning to focus on the difference I can make in the world when I choose to turn up and pay attention to what I’m doing, thinking, saying and how I’m being in the world.

I am grateful for the growing awareness that I am responsible for the difference I make. No one else can make my difference. I can’t make anyone else’s difference either, just as they can’t make mine. We are each 100% accountable for what we do. We are each 100% responsible for how we express our difference. And in my 100% I am 100% grateful.

I like living at 100% in everything I do.

Namaste.

 

Caring about others

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There is something different in the world this morning outside my window. It snowed last night. Nothing I do or say or think will change the weather outside my window. The only changes I can effect are within me.

This consciously ‘making a difference’ everyday and writing about it takes concentration. It takes presence. It takes me being aware of my surroundings, my environment and my inner spaces.

As I am no longer employed and setting up my own consulting practice I am networking with people to let them know who I am, where I’m at and what I’m up to.

It is not my favourite thing to do. Networking. I like to believe it will just, happen. And while the Universe is working for me and with me for success to transpire, it requires my active participation to get engaged, be involved in creating more of what I want in the world. It takes me getting out there.

Yesterday, two such opportunities presented themselves — and all I had to do was turn up. Pay attention. Speak my truth and, the most challenging part, stay unattached to the outcome.

A lunch with a brilliant woman lead to an idea for something big, something creative and inspiring and all the things I want to see in the world. We’re building the framework for taking our idea to the next level. We’re creating the environment for change to happen. More on that later.

A coffee with a man I admire greatly lead to opportunities to make a difference. An invitation to participate in a community based initiative  transitioning people back into community after addictions treatment, an invitation to create opportunities for change in how the sector serves the community, all of these and more have appeared on my horizon. I am grateful and in my gratitude is the commitment to be an agent of change, to be a steward of creating more of what works, and less of what doesn’t in the world.

And as we sat at coffee, making a difference simplified into the singular act of caring for another human being. A woman at the table behind us stood up to leave. As she gathered her belongings I noticed the middle button of her blouse was undone. Her bra was plainly visible. As she passed our table I interrupted my friend’s conversation and gently called out to the woman. “Excuse me”. She stopped, surprised. She wasn’t sure I was speaking to her. Did she know me?

“I just wanted to let you know your button’s undone,” I told her.

She glanced down, saw the two sides of her green blouse gaping open. Quickly she juggled her purse and belongings to do up the button. “Thank you!” she said, a big smile warming her face. The button connected, she left to go out into the world free of unintentional exposure and my friend and I continued our conversation.

There are opportunities to make a difference everywhere, every moment. And each of them, no matter their grandeur requires one simple act, that I begin with caring about others.