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Communication.....

The last twenty four hours has been filled with different forms of communication which I have had the pleasure of partaking at many different levels. This has been a real feast for the senses and the soul combined. There are so many options of communication available to us in this day and time which keep increasing and becoming more sophisticated, with what was new yesterday so often becoming outdated tomorrow.

As I am so auditory it is still very important for me to have that face to face communication where I am able to engage all my senses. Unfortunately with emails and texting we lose this and therefore this opens up the possiblities for misinterpretation and sometimes heartache because of assumptions. These forms of communication were supposed to be quick message options, but which now appear to have become more of the normal way that many communicate today. There is a place for everything and I am certainly grateful for the use of Skype (VoIP) which allows me the pleasure of communicating with friends and family all over the world, especially in my birth place of New Zealand.

I have enjoyed the many phone calls from all over Canada and New Zealand today. It is wonderful to be able to stay connected to the people who are in my life. Thank you to you all and
I look forward to our continued communications with one another.

Ann-Maree

A Week of Variances....

This past week has been filled with an abundance of new and varied material, so much so that I have needed to spend the weekend with the brakes on to try and assimilate some of it! There was a nice balance though of family, business, friends, creativity and learning.

During this time period I have had the priveledge of learning from two very accomplished Speakers/Facilitators and would like to share them with you:

The first is Patricia Morgan, she is an Author, Keynote Speaker, Workshop Leader and Counselor. I attended her workshop on "Women with Survivability" where she masterfully incorporated humour into her presentation enabling the participants to relax and absorb the material she presented. If you get the opportunity I would highly recommend you attend one of her events, and if nothing else visit her website with its great content: http://lightheartedconcepts.com/index.html.

The second is Mark Bernard, he is a Speaker, Author, Trainer. He presented at the MKS Learning Centre on the subject of "Discovery Meetings" and I felt his strong presence and persona successfully engaged and empowered his participants, enabling him to successfully convey the subject matter. I also had the pleasure of meeting Claude Pellerin, his Business Partner who is himself a Speaker and Trainer, and presents with a wealth of knowledge and insights. Their upcoming workshop is a one day on "Stress in Check" and I encourage you to refer to their website for further details: http://www.cplseminars.com/

On a lighter note, Ryan, my eldest son has just cooked me a delicious Sunday breakfast, so I am off to enjoy this. Wishing you all a relaxing day of rest enjoying some time spent doing what you love, and may the week ahead be all you dream it to be and more.

Yours in the continued learning process of life ......Ann-Maree

NEW YEAR SPEEDING BY!

Well here it is February already, so where did January go?! After being cocooned for what seemed like an awfully long period, we are now starting to poke our noses out of our little burrows, to venture out and experience some warmer weather. There is that hint of the promise of Spring, the snow melting, the leaf buds, the smells, being adventuresome and not wearing a jacket. I even looked at the grass today to see if there was the slightest hue of green showing. But, as any seasoned Calgarian has experienced, there is that niggly little voice of doubt lingering in the recesses of our minds saying "this good weather will not last." There are whispers of doubt wafting through the air with that leaden query of when, and the urgency and bustle of getting things done before the next temperature plummet and that inevitable dump of fresh snow.
I sure hope some of the icy mounds and ruts on our streets melt before this!

All I can say is roll on Spring!

Ann-Maree