“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy. The chance to draw back. Always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans. That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.”

W.H. Murray
The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

L’important, c’est de décider ce que l’on veut et ensuite de s’engager pour que cela se réalise.
Créer son rêve. Vivre son rêve. Aider les autres à se réaliser.
Lorsqu’on change sa façon de penser et de sentir, on transforme sa vie.

The key is to decide what we want to do and then to commit to making it happen.
Create the dream. Live the dream. Support other people to live their dreams.
When we change the way we think and feel (yes, we are in the driver’s seat), we change the way we live.
When we consciously decide to change our perceptions and attitude, our life changes.
We are too lax in letting media tell us what to think! When we think for ourselves and plan our own lives, we are happy.”To be free, I’ve got to be me.”

(B. Proctor)

“The secret of achievement is to hold a picture of a successful outcome in the mind.”

Henry David Thoreau

A coach will sometimes ask his client what he would like to see written on his tombstone after his death.
This question is a fast and powerful way of getting to what really matters in an individual’s life, i.e. life mission, purpose and principal contribution.
If you died tomorrow, what would you want people to say about you? Would their comments make you proud of the way you lived and the choices you made? “If you want to know how to live your life, think about what you’d like people to say about you after you die, and live backwards.” (B.Proctor)

Some questions to help you in this process:

1) What do you want to be remembered for?
2) What do you want to create the most during your lifetime?
3) What would you regret the most if you didn’t accomplish it during your lifetime?
4) What roads do you absolutely want to take during your lifetime?
5) What was your favorite job in life?
6) What was your favorite role in life?
7) Who was your favorite mentor and what lesson(s) did you learn?
What were your happiest trips and circumstances in your life?
9) What were your greatest qualities, natural talents, natural gifts?
10) What are you most proud of and what was your best ‘creation’?

You can also check out www.obitkit.com if you want to begin contributing to the your ‘final resumé’.

“It is important to acknowledge a mistake instantly, correct it, and learn from it. That literally turns a failure into a success. Success is on the far side of failure.”

T.J. Watson
1874-1956, Founder of IBM

Mindfulness, which is the systematic training of our awareness, gets us out of limited and negative thinking into a life of passion and purpose.
The simple act of paying attention with intentionality and purpose will create immense positive changes in an individual. So begin to (re)discover the power of awareness, intention, visualization, mindfulness, meditation.

Eastern science of the mind meets Western science of the brain in this book.
Siegel defines the human mind as “an embodied, relational process that regulates the flow of energy and information.”
The emotion is the energy and the information is thought and “it always happens in relationship.” For Siegel, the mind and the brain aren’t the same.
He states: “where our attention goes (the mind), energy flows and the brain grows.” For the author, that explains why mindfulness practices are beneficial for personal transformation…i.e.
…”being aware of what’s happening as it’s happening.” This integration of three elements in the person, mind, brain and relationship–what Siegel calls the “The Triangle of Well-Being” is the key to happiness and health.

as reviewed by Kat Knecht, PCC in Choice, vol 7, num 3.

The crew spent about 3 weeks filming the Last Jesuit in Ethiopia. The crew: cameraman Claude, sound man Jay, director Georges, researcher Michel, production assistants Mary and Samson. Rivard Productions, a Manitoba based company, originated the project. The film was shot in 3 cities: Addis Ababa, the capital (over 3 million inhabitants), Debre Zeit, a town of 100,000 people one hour south of Addis and in Gondar, the beautiful and enchanting historical city north of the capital.

The principal ’star’ of the film, Father Roland Turenne is 86 years old. Age was never an issue during the filming. He was up before sunrise to say mass, then to report to the set before starting time and he would spend a whole day working with the crew as we told the story of the Jesuits’ presence in Ethiopia; their work and highlighted different aspects of Roland’s life and contribution as a missionary.

The supporting ’stars’ in the cast, people who had worked with Fr. Turenne in the past, showed up to participate in the filming and gave their testimony and shared memories and stories. All these wonderful people generously gave of their time and experience, grateful that this important story was finally being told and documented. “The world needs model of courage and perseverance more than ever’, as one participant was heard to say.

As well as contrasting the lives of the ‘Last (Canadian) Jesuit’ with the ‘First (Ethiopian) Jesuit’, Father Groum Tesfaye, the film will also profile the lives of many young people who work alongside Father Turenne. He has affected their lives in a positive way as he continues to work with them in building new homes for the homeless and poorest of the poor.

The film will be broadcast on Société Radio-Canada in the fall of 2010.