Encouragement for You

I just want to send a few brief words of encouragement to you today...my readers. Even if this is the first time you are visiting my blog...you are welcome. If you've been reading my blurbs for years...thank you quite hugely for your loyalty :)

So, today, is May 16, 2020 and Ontario is starting it's phase 1 of re-opening after having virtually everything grounded and halted since approximately March 15 2020.

I don't know about you....but the seclusion has been exhausting. Although much of my day is spent quietly, I didn't realize that I am much more sociable than I give myself credit for.
Maybe you too, have begun to realize how much you appreciate folks, like your barber, hair salon, nail salon, or the schools that educate your children. Maybe you have a newfound appreciation for the gift of a full fridge and the ability to pay your bills.

This modest first step in re-opening is a sign. It is a sign that better things are on the horizon. We must never allow depression or the struggles of life to squash us down. You must be your own best friend....your own cheer leader....your own spiritual guru.

Do you have someone around you who encourages you? Someone you can talk to who can speak life and hope and encouragement into your thinking?

I am not talking about blind encouragement.  I am not talking about encouraging people to do ridiculous or dangerous or illegal things. I am talking about....simple encouragement that will help you accomplish whatever you want to do with your life.

You life was given to you by God. He will help you embrace it.

I feel like Spring has finally sprung in our neck of the woods, with the trees starting to pop out their new buds and frills.

So, if you have been struggling with a lack of "zest" during this season of challenges, I want to give you a boost of hope today. I want to give you a friendly boost in the arm, to let you know that it's ok to believe in your dreams again. Don't let anyone or anything discourage you.

with kindness,

Carla





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Lock Down or Liberty...

The issues are so weighty...i hesitate to discuss them openly online....
One never knows how my thoughts in black and white will be understood or categorized. The data miners and "little grey men" are indeed watching what we type...and post and like and share.

If we stretch too far in endorsing "liberty" we may be labelled as a rebel and enemy of the state. If we endorse the lockdown for months and months, we may be labelled as fascist.

But yet, we are human, and if we don't get our words out...whether in chat rooms or other social media, we begin to whither. If we can not speak our minds, whether out loud or in type, we become less human.

Some things are so cut and dried for me.... The longer the lockdown in north America, the more our society will become an entrenched welfare state. We can pretend to be a free market, but if a simple individual who leads our province or county can force us to stop working, and accept and eventually become dependent on government handouts....are we really free? Isn't the constitution supposed to protect my personal liberties...my right to thrive?

A Person's own individual choices seem to be an afterthought right now. Those who are "gung ho" about lockdowns are publicly shaming those who simply want to get out and about, get some sunshine and fresh air. I spoke yesterday with someone who wouldn't even accept takeout food delivered to her because she was so afraid that the food was "contagious". Sigh. Fear can be toxic too. Extremism is indeed a disease of the heart and mind....and that in and of itself is something that we need to fight against.

I applaud the province of Quebec for giving parents their own choice as to whether to send their children back to school or not.

Choice rocks.

All of us have different risk tolerances, as well as different tolerances for suffering the consequences of our personal choices.
Some of us are willing to risk exposure to viruses because we have done our homework and figured out how to strengthen our own immune systems. We may be willing to take "calculated risk" based on study and facts and research.

What do you feel? Stay expressive of what you are feeling and noticing right now. Start a private "lockdown" diary, so that you can have a permanent record of what you are experiencing in your corner of the world right now. If you are afraid to share it online, you may have good reason to be very worried about the consequences of what you type. Therefore, you may want to write it in an old fashioned paper diary, with a pen or a pencil. I know it's not as fun as typing....but still you need to be able to express yourself and record a private and honest record of what you are experiencing right now.

The policies that are being crafted and put into practice right now will have implications for your family for years to come. There are freedoms that we have taken for granted for decades that are being "played with" as "negotiable".

My personal freedom is not negotiable. It is not optional. It is my right.

I see how this pandemic era and the government's response to it, has unleashed situations that I have never faced in my life time. I was born in the 60's and I have never before felt like my personal liberties were under attack. I always had the law on my side when it came to my right to go where I wanted to and when.

Now, all those personal rights and freedoms are under scrutiny and subject to negotiation or interpretation. Those who fall on the side of "extra cautious"  are bedecked in hazmat suits just to go to the grocery store. They will not go for a walk by the waterfront. They will not order take out food. They live in fear and feel that everyone should be forced to live with the same level of fear as they do.

I say that we must make our own choices based on what we each know and understand to be true. We must not be swayed by panic and overzealous politicians who relish their newfound power to control and dictate life as we know it. We knew how to live before the pandemic. We will know how to live after it. Give us choice.

Peace,
Carla


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Self Employed or Employee...C'est Ton Choix

Have you ever thought about how completely "opposite" are the mindsets of self employed folks vs those who work for a company or corporation that they do not own?

I think the lines only get blurred when employees are given or earn stock options that, in fact, make them into partial "owners" of the company for which they are also employed. Employees, then empowered by their stock ownership begin to act more like owners/managers because their future net worth will be influenced by their job performance.

Self employed people realize in their heart of hearts....that

" If It's to Be....it's Up to Me!". 

They are usually independent folks, and if they are not independent folks, they find out soon that someone else in their circle will try to run their business for them....take them out of a position of control or influence.

Being an employee is relaxing and stressful all at the same time. It is relaxing....because at the end of the day....the buck does not stop with you. The big decisions are made by management. The bills are paid by the company, not from your own pocket. In addition the direction and mission statement of the company is crafted by management....not you.

But then again ....the stressful part is the flip side. It can be stressful to be a part of a company whose mission statement does not reflect your own values or direction in life. It can be stressful to be a follower, when you have a lot to say and would prefer to be "in charge" to a certain degree.

It can be actually quite painful to be forced into a "sheep like" status when you have leadership qualities and can not fill your potential as an employee of the company.

Have you ever felt torn between these two lifestyles? Employee or self employed..... C'est Ton Choix!


Peace,
Carla




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