Movin' Up and Movin' On

September found me in a brand new city and a brand new apartment. My move to Toronto went fairly smooth. So far, the only hiccup is that my new telephone service provide of choice is failing to provide me with service.

Last Monday (aka one week ago) a gentleman came to my new apartment to hook everything up. Cable--check. Internet--check. Telephone--no check. While it's ready and rarin' to go, there is a 'connection issue.' While perhaps this might not be a terribly big issue--I mean, it's true that I kind of enjoy the peace of no telephone, and at this particular moment, my client base is quite small and I do have an email address--it's putting a hinder on several things. Such as business cards. Our graphic designer, Gemma, has created these fabulous business cards for us--reversible cards that one side is M&L and the other side is Fastrac. (Very cool!!) However, without my phone functioning, I don't want to give her the number that said telephone service provider told me. Just in case. And at this point, I'm so annoyed that I am actually going to enter the 21st century and just get a cell phone.

(Imagine the sounds of Angels singing here, rays of light to welcome me to technology....haha!)

So...off I go to get a cell phone. Wish me luck.

Change is in the wind

Maybe it's typical of women to change our minds all the time.

Or maybe it's a sign of genius.

I'll pick the middle road, and just say that changing our minds is good common sense and helps us to achieve greater things.

Our website is still under construction right now. Which is just as well, as we have recently made further changes to the services our business provides. This time, it's in stone. It's settled. And our website is going to reflect beautifully what we do.

Hammered out, here is what we do:

• Personal Coaching
• Corporate Coaching
• Resource Consulting
• Goal Setting Sessions
• Workshops and Seminars
• Resume Building and Profiling
• The Brain Walk Experience Parties

I can't wait for it to be up and running! But alas, greatness takes time...you can't rush genius!

September is set for one hectic month. I am moving to Toronto September 1, starting a brand new job (have to do something in the meantime to put food on the table!), and starting to take my course in coaching, so I too can be a Certified Power Coach and work alongside my mom in that area of the business.

When I look back at my life, I see how much I like change, and how much I initiate it myself. I've enjoyed every step of the way. Though sometimes, getting to that change is overwhelming and can take the wind out of my sails. All that has gone on this past year has done just that, but in my heart and in my head, I know it's all for the best, and the result is going to be glorious.

The pressure of change is well worth it, even if you don't know what is exactly at the end of the rainbow.

That's just grrrrrrrrreat...times two!

1. Marketplace magazine has been printed. Meaning my article is being read at this very moment by strangers. Strangers who will be delighted to know what we do and will call us for business.

2. Our official website has been set up! Well, the temporary page has anyways. But still!! It's there!!!!! www.ml-ideas.com. Check it out! The rest of it is on the way :)

Next step...applying for grants....

Officially speaking, that is

Brainstorming with my mom is like standing in the middle of a thunderstorm. Ideas come crashing down, flickers of light brighten the darkened corners of your mind. Everything happens so fast that you have to find something solid to hold to, something to remember it all with.

Something like a pen and paper.

The downpour has stopped and the sun has peeked out--we can come out from cover and bask in the shine of the final plan of all those hours brainstorming.

We have officially come to our goal; we have a plan in order. We can now progress forward with all business plans and start making it happen.

We essentially have two businesses. M&L Ideas & Co, and Fastrac Coaching & Leadership. We registered as a numbered corporation with the Canadian government, and have placed in it these two businesses. Mom had already been using Fastrac as the name for her coaching business before all of this started. So she transferred it over to be ours. I will be joining my mom as a coach, I am starting courses in September to get my certification as a coach.

Our two businesses will work closely together and provide support for each other, though each one will provide unique services. Combined, our vision of the two is to provide assistance in personal and professional development; from the beginning, all the way to the end. We don't want to leave clients out on a lurch.

Fastrac will provide the Coaching aspect--you come to us with a problem or goal in mind, and we will help you through it and achieve those those goals. We will assist in self-empowerment. Once that goal is realised, and you need help to make those goals happen, M&L Ideas & Co will step in and carry it through. You want to start a new business? We'll help you with that, point you in the right direction, provide you with contacts who can do what needs to be done. Looking for a new job? We will help with resume building, bio scripts, we will help you market yourself. Is it something more personal you want to attain, such as fitness? We can even direct you there.

We still offer the workshops we had initially discussed in the beginnings of our brainstorming. We haven't lost that aspect. In fact, we saw a growth opportunity with and have introduced The Brain Walk Experience--smaller settings where we can comfortably teach people how to self coach using the Brain Walk.

And as time passes, other ideas will evolve, I'm sure. Who knows what else we will add to the plate! But now, officially speaking, we know what we are doing.

The Power of Positive Thinking

I have to admit, it is hard to rearrange your thinking. To take those negative or nonchalant thoughts and make them positive. There are a lot of thoughts in a day that need to be refocused.

But. (There is always a but.)

In the midst of my trying, I have seen success of my positive thoughts, of my gratitude I am trying to express in the everyday. Some of these things are seemingly silly, but they mean a lot to me. Call them little achievements if you will.

Positive Thought #1:
I play soccer on a ladies rec league. I am an ok player; last year was my first season, and I feel I have come a long way. This year, I have been thinking positively about my skills. I set goals in my head for two things: That I will be able to kick the ball and give it a lot of air and that I will get a goal this year.
So far, I have learned how to kick the ball and get the air I want. I can send it soaring (well, not soaring, but pretty darn high...hehehe). I have not gotten the goal yet, but 2 games ago, I took a shot on the net. Pretty fantastic considering I am not a striker for the team!!!

Positive Thought #2:
(Here's where it gets stretched a bit...) I have run out of my coffee at work and I keep forgetting to grind up more at home to bring in. I detest the coffee that is made at work, so I avoid it at all costs. This morning I was putting the thought out there that it would be nice to have a decent cup of coffee. And lo and behold, Tricia walks over to ask if I want to do a coffee run with her. Mmmmm....Starbucks coffee for me.

Positive Thought #3:
(And now it's just kind of ironic and funny) I bought a lotto ticket the other day for the draw last night. Remembering to think in the present tense, yesterday after dinner I said to my roomie, "I am so happy now that I have won the lottery tonight!!" So this morning, I checked my ticket...and...da da da dahhhh!!!!!!!!!! I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was not the jackpot (clearly, if I had won the jackpot, this would have been the first point in this list...actually, this list would not be written because I'd be on my way to claim the jackpot...), it was $10. But still! It's ten more dollars than I had yesterday!!

And that is my sharing for the day. I'll remember to keep thinking in positive terms, and it will all come up roses!!

The Queen called Edinburgh

Our workshop this past weekend in Stratford at the Queens' Inn was one of those hidden successes. While our attendance was not what we had hoped for, we still had an audience to work with. The nice thing about working with a smaller group was that the workshop took on a very cozy, very familiar atmosphere, and those who were there, seemed very comfortable to participate.

Mom and I learned a thing or two as well. The money we invested in advertising was not exactly returned to us~perhaps the medium is something for us to consider as not being our best avenue. We also learned that the smaller group was not only easy to work with, but that they also gave phenomenal responses on their evaluation forms.

So this led us to think....why not target small groups? In fact, why not target specific small groups. And rather than have workshops where we are drawing people from every which way, draw from circles of friends, from co-workers, from people who are content together as a group. Offer 'parties' to these people, and they can host them, they can invite their friends. Think of a Tupperware party, but make it a self coaching party. Make it a Brain Walk Party. And call it the Brain Walk Experience.

Edit Edit Edit

A few revisions to the article...we came up with a stellar idea and wanted to pump it up in the article. I'll repost it when I get back home :)