Ideeahs

The news that Ash Barty has taken the decision to retire at the age of 25 has caused many people to react.  Some understand, others question, others accuse.   Her decision has touched off a few ideas of my own. When is enough actually enough?  When do we decide we have enough?  When can we stop and just be content with what we have? At 25 she has achieved so much.  I have seen words accusing her of lack of character, of quitting or of not having the mental fortitude (one person I saw was wondering what was wrong with women's tennis?)  I think none of these people can really speak with any authority.  First of all most of these people, writing the drivel, can hardly speak from a place of success.  How many grand slams have they won?  How many tens of millions of dollars have they earned, how many weeks at number one have they spend and how well known are they in the world?   At some point, enough is enough.  I respect Ash Barty for t...

This post is about attitude and how it makes all the difference in the world.   Specifically this is about the attitude we bring to our daily routines and is based on three different men I have come across during my daily commute and one whom I have never met.  Each one made or makes the day just a tad bit better than it was - and they do it so simply. One is a Montreal cop who I used to see regularly in the Griffintown area of the city.  The second is a parking attendant at the Bell Centre.  The third is a train conductor who used to work the line I ride to and from the city every day.  The last is a singer in a band.  They are all examples of how easy it is to build a short human connection with a stranger and make the world that much more united. In every case they manage to, during a few seconds of interaction with fellow citizens, make a connection and put a smile on someone's face - well mine at least. The cop's job, during the extremely busy co...

The first day of the year is, arguably, the most optimistic day of the year. With determination we, as individuals, decide at this moment of time to affect some positive change into our lives or those of others. As a result of this clean sheet of paper offered to us by the New Year we feel that all the possibilities of the world are in front of us awaiting the reach of our hands. We can write the script. With all of the previous years baggage thrown out on December 31st there is nothing left to weigh us down and prevent us from attaining our objectives and resolutions. It is an optimistic day and we are hopeful that this sense of optimism will last for the remainder of the year's days. A new beginning. It would seem to me that this would, therefore, also be a day when world leaders might be feeling slightly more optimistic than normally. They may be entering 2011 with some real beliefs that this just might be the year that they can, as individuals, affect positive change...

During the last two days of the year I, like many millions, grab onto that most amazing human construct called Time, specifically the unit we call Year, and look forward in the space of time. I have always been someone who enjoys throwing stuff out. Decluttering brings me joy. Simplification removes weight from my shoulders. At this time of year I like to take the piece of paper that has all of the past's stories written on it, crumble and pitch it across the room straight into the bin. This human construct called Year allows me to bin the past and start afresh. The past has passed and the future awaits. Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!

A recurring thought recently found its way into my consciousness. The subject of this familiar thought is how the measurement of time has impacted society. Those of you who have read my book, " Avoiding the Blues ", know some of my thoughts on this subject and how time has had an impact on my life. Time management has become an ever more important skill for human beings. The slice of time we use to measure it has diminished from from years and months, through days and hours, on to minutes and seconds and, finally today, to nano and pico seconds. As a result we now have potentially more and more items that need to be managed in a day. More and more bits of data compete for these ever smaller slices and, because we are now able to measure and schedule time in smaller units, we allow more of these disparate items to enter our days. We feel a need to manage more and more into the finite number of twenty-four hours. To do this, successfully, we need to all become good ma...

In " Avoiding the Blues " I touch upon the importance of time management. It is a skill that is becoming more and more important to master as more and more items become so readily able to take a slice of our fixed twenty-four hour day. It is too easy to let our days slip by without much of a thought to what the real important things, to ourselves, are. I am now back in the ranks of the employed. So far it has been great. I am enjoying learning new products, new businesses, new processes, new organizations and working with new people. It is all very exciting. I can, however, see how my time is being eaten away. An example is this blog. Writing continues to be something I like doing yet, unfortunately, it is something that I am finding I am not doing much of. The last time I posted this blog was July 18 - close to one month ago. Time management is important. One needs to keep his priorities straight and ensure that the day-to-day does not rearrange them. As wit...

OK...was THAT art? "I could do that!", said my eight year old son. My family and I just got back from an amazing five days in New York City. If there is one place in the world that speaks to the strengths of pride in one's individuality it is this (major understatement) bustling city. As one walks quickly down the narrow street-valleys you are bombarded by sounds, advertising, people, cars, street vendors, restaurant owners and corporations all trying to get your attention, some of your time and your cash. If one walks those streets with little to no confidence in oneself the magnetism of the attention grabbers will be too strong. One needs to be headstrong to survive unscathed. This point, the importance of individuality, was finally struck home as I walked the expansive spaces of the MoMA. A wire pegged in place on a wall with five or six pins. A simple chair. A can of soup. A canvass painted purple - only purple. A Picasso. A Matisse. A Pollock. I h...

I have asked myself that question a few times over the last two weeks. It has been just about that long since my first book -- " Avoiding the Blues " -- was published. Now I am by no means famous and I have no expectation that this book will bring me any fame whatsoever. But in a minute way I am feeling the elixir of fame. Writing this book was very therapeutic for me. It had resided in my head, in words on this blog and in notebooks for at least two or three years. Writing it was at times emotional and never boring. I relived the moments detailed within the book as I typed the words. I hope that those who read it feel this as they turn the pages of my book. Now that it is published the hard work is done. My job now is to market it and spread the word and to, more importantly, have people read it and hopefully recommend it to friends and colleagues. So what is the elixir, this drug, that I am becoming addicted to? Sitting back and watching this amazing story un...

My family and I watched the first episode of the BBC Earth series entitled "Life" a few days back. If the first episode is any guide of those that follow it will be a truly amazing and inspiring series. We have enjoyed the "Blue Planet" and "Planet Earth" series by BBC Earth as well and have often gone back to view them a second and, in the case of some episodes, a fifth or sixth time. This is the kind of educational television that I do not mind my children watching. They get a glimpse of the beauty, power, indifference, struggle, delicacy and variety of nature. I imagine that from the amazing video footage and narrative they get a sense of the balance that is so important and that they may also grow to appreciate that, while humans may currently be the dominant animal, we are part of a larger system that could not care less about this dominance. Tonight we saw an introduction to some of the amazing and creative ways that animals have adapted to t...

You gotta love children. You gotta love them for their honesty, their inability to keep a secret and their obliviousness to political correctness. As a result of these pure character traits they sometimes come up with very poignant comments and make the listening adults most uncomfortable. This particular entry got its inspiration from an article I read on Yahoo News last week. Michelle Obama was visiting an elementary school.  One of the children asked the First Lady why her husband was taking away people who did not have the correct papers (ie. immigration papers).  Mrs. Obama responded by saying that it was important that people had the correct papers.  The little girl then went on to state that her mum did not have the correct papers. Oops! Clearly this little girl's mother would never have posed this question to the First Lady of the country that requires the papers being discussed.  There are many adults who express themselves on the issue but few who...

Hello everyone. This is an exciting day for me. My first book, "Avoiding the Blues", is now available for purchase. It is currently available only as a PDF file download . The paperback version should be available for order within one month or so. Here is the back cover blurb describing what "Avoiding the Blues" is about: Olivier de Sousa is a son of two, husband of one and father of two. He currently lives in Montreal, his hometown. His twenty-one year career in services at IBM enriched him with many experiences as a technical resource, a project manager and a personnel manager. His hope is to wake people up to the possibilities within them, to have them gain the confidence to live their dreams and to have an impact on the world. “Avoiding the Blues” is his first book and recounts how, through his own unique path through life, one regular person was taught life-changing lessons that we all are exposed to at some point. An easy to read memoir recapping ...

In my upcoming book, Avoiding the Blues , I speak loudly about my feeling of being but a cog in a wheel - unmotivated and with no feeling of purpose. Daniel Pink was one of the people that inspired me to make a difference. Yesterday I received an email with a link to this video. Corporations, employers and, most importantly, employees.....watch and, even more importantly, enact what Daniel is speaking about. Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!

As the water poured over my naked body in the shower this morning I started thinking about the amount of water that is wasted. The previous night I had turned on our sprinkler system to water our lawn and garden. The earth was cracking in some parts so I figured I could the plants a reprieve from the heat. I knew rain was in the forecast but, not knowing how much, I decided to water anyways. It is pouring outside now. Last year I wrote about how surprised I was that the previous owners of our house had consumed over 1000 litres of water a day during the previous twelve month period. As I finished my shower (quickly!!) my mind wandered a bit more and started thinking about how much of our daily life is set to automatic. By allowing our actions, reactions and thoughts to be automatically acted out and formed for us we take decisions and act in ways that are out of context. It prevents us from taking the time to look, hear, feel, smell and touch the moment. To understand its ...

My eyes are closed and I am seeing red. I decide to have a look outside. I can't open my eyes fully. Through a pair of slits I see that the sun is bright. Its rays are sparkling through the leaves of the branches hanging over me. I am lying on our hammock strung between and apple and an ash tree. On my belly lies the book I am reading (blink, by Malcolm Gladwell) and my iPod Nano. I am listening to Coldplay's Viva la Vida album. I need to close my eyes again and so, once again, my world becomes red. Sometimes it darkens as a cloud passes between the sun and my position. For the most part, though, all is red. I can feel the heat of the sun on my chin and on the left side of my nose. My forehead also feels the heat of that closest of the stars. Minute beads of sweat are forming below my nose. This is life. Live life. The moment. Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!

It may be because I am more attuned to these kinds of people now.  It may be because one tends to hang around people that share similar thoughts and experiences.  Or, it may just be that there is something fundamental going on.  Irrespective of the reason I have met yet another person this week that has taken time off of work.  I don't mean a two or three week vacation.  I mean months. This week I also came across an article on the Harvard Business Review website .  The article is about an advertising agency that asks their clients what their "Holy S#!t" number is.  By that they mean a number that truly has an impact on their world, their customers and ultimately their bottom line.  Ultimately their bottom line.  This is an important distinction.  Not directly - ultimately. Numbers that directly measure revenue are boring.  % of sales increase.  Cost of goods sold.  Profit margins.  Market penetration %.  B_O...

We are in the middle of the first heat wave of 2010 with temperatures in the 30s Celsius and humidex readings into the upper 30s.  Today's forecast calls for 38 degree weather.  It has been a long time since I felt that kind of heat. A few days ago I had a feeling that I had not felt in twenty or so years.  I went to the local park to shoot some hoops with my son.  The basketball court is newly resurfaced with black asphalt.  Consequently it absorbs just about all of the sun's energy that has made it through the atmosphere.  It is a hot place to hang out much less play a sport. Just walking onto the court meant that your armpits got moist.  It felt like I was walking into a bathroom a few minutes after someone had finished their shower.  Not quite the kind of humidity that allows you to right your name on a mirror - but close.  As we started passing the ball around and shooting some hoops the sweat beads started forming.  On my arms,...

This has been the kind of week where society's dependence on technology has become apparent to me.  I, for one, have become addicted to technology.  I know that this is the case because over the last few weeks I have become increasingly annoyed with the internet outages I was experiencing a few times a day.  It all peaked on Wednesday when they became persistent.  Thursday I was offline all day. Coincidentally, my mother in-law also suffered an outage to her internet connectivity this week.  In her case it was a trojan that made it on to her computer system.  It slowed the performance down terribly and kept redirecting her web browser to various advert and dubious websites.  It took me most of the day Tuesday to resolve her problem. Some time ago I heard an interesting anecdote about a airline traveller who goes from bliss to pissed-off in a matter of minutes.  He discovers, upon boarding, that his airplane is equipped with in-flight internet...

I do not like waiting - never have.  As I reach the final chapter, or pages, of a book I suddenly feel an urge to finish the book as soon as possible.  As a child I hated waiting for the final days before the start of vacation.  I wanted it to start here and now - still do.  These days, as I await the first printed copy of my first book - Avoiding the Blues - I am growing impatient.  When will it arrive?  Why is it taking so long?  Simultaneously I am awaiting news on a job.  Again, I wonder what is taking so long. Waiting opens up a door in my brain.  Through the door walks an interesting character that never stops talking.  This dude instills doubt, worry and angst.  This person tells me to stop being so positive, that lots can still go wrong, that the deal is not done until the deal is signed, that if I get excited and hopeful I may come crashing down when the news, or result, of the waiting is not as I had hoped. The result...

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a thin line , one hundred kilometres thick, that permits life on earth.  Last week, sitting on seat 13A inside an Air Canada Embraer 190 jet ten kilometres up, I thought about an even thinner line. We were flying on a clear, blue-sky day.  At our cruising altitude I could see as far away as 360 kilometres.  A perfect day for flying.  From the ground the sky must have looked beautiful and appeared calm.  Much like I had thirty years prior, children might have been gazing up and seen the white condensation trail left behind by the metal bird I was in.  It all looked so effortless. Inside the cabin the illusion of calm was shattered.  The fasten seat belt sign was on (they always are these days) and cabin service had been interrupted.  We were asked to remain seated.  The winds were strong.  I could feel the plane pitching, rolling and yawing.  It is this last movement, the yawing, that I have a...

The Earth's atmosphere is about one hundred kilometres thick.  Given that Earth is about 40,000 kilometres in diametre it is pretty clear that what protects life here is a pretty thin line.   Driving at highway speeds you would be in space in just under hour.  To drive the point home: If you live in Vancouver and got on Highway 1 at Boundary Road and drove east for 100 km you would be in space just passed Chilliwack.  Montrealers would reach space if they drove east on Highway 20 to Drummondville.  New Yorkers hoping on I495 at the Queens Midtown Tunnel would not even make it to the last exit of the Long Island Expressway.  You Londoners?  Hope on the M1 at Brent Cross and space would hit you in Northampton. The vast; the unimaginable; the unfathomable is just a short drive away. Society is never that far from falling apart either.  Its seemingly rock-solid foundation can easily be toppled.  A handful of zealots (think 9-11, Mumbai, Lon...