http://tugofthekite.com/index.php Copyright 2010, Drew Simmie Drew Simmie en-US SPHPBLOG 0.4.8 http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100729-074841
As defined by Wikipedia, “ an urban legend, urban myth, or a contemporary legend is a form of modern folklore consisting of apocryphal stories believed by their tellers to be true. They are often repeated in news stories, distributed by email…”

I got one just yesterday. It was sent by a friend who had received it from a FOAF, a friend of a friend…. that’s how they go.

This legend, “Bill Gates 11 Rules of Life,” was attributed to Bill Gates. It was part of a speech he had allegedly given to a number of high school graduates in 2000. In fact, this was written by Charles Sykes, author of 50 Rules Kids Won’t Learn in School.

Legend or not, if you have kids or know people who have kids, the 11 Rules pretty well nail it. After you’ve read this, why not email it to a friend……..!

__________________________________________________________________________

Drew is a life/business coach, mentor, speaker and author... "inspiring others to look for the best within themselves." For details visit www.drewsimmie.com Follow him on twitter, facebook and LinkedIn.]]> http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100729-074841 Drew Simmie Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:48:41 GMT http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100726-065912 So often it happens that we live out our lives in chains and we never know we have the key. From the song, Already Gone, by the Eagles.



We all need to grow. By nature we are creative beings, curious, always hungering for the new. We’re busy setting up the next goal or objective even as we achieve the one we had previously set. The interesting thing about goal setting, though, is not the goal itself, but whom we become on the way to attaining it.

Growing is about advancing, moving ahead. For many of us, growth leads to rewards like money, applause and all the other good things that can make life more fulfilling and easier. The trouble is that we can have all of that and still not be happy. Getting what we want or achieving specific goals can make us feel good, but, paradoxically, it can entrap us. Why is that?

It’s because meeting those goals can inhibit our growth if the actions we took to achieve them begin to over shadow the reasons for our going after them in the first place. Reasons like purpose, performance and contribution. These are the very same values that drove us to achieve our objectives in the first place.

Growing is inextricably linked with our ability to continue to learn, to adapt to change, to see the possibilities and seize new opportunities. But if we stop growing, we can’t see them and the opposite happens. Our life begins to diminish. Fear and doubt raise their ugly heads. Worst of all, we begin to lose our courage and question our own abilities and personal value.

We know we are no longer growing if we have stopped asking questions. If we can’t make allowances for ideas and opinions that are not ours, we’ll know we have stopped growing. Other signs of arrested growth include being critical, judgmental, intolerant and suspicious of others.

Locked in by our inability to change, frozen in time, we are unable to move ahead. In a futile attempt we try to maintain the status quo. We have become risk adverse. Taking risks isn’t only confined to business, though. It applies to everyday life and to our personal relationships as well.

Time waits for none of us. Life is full of risks, but the rewards of being willing to change; to take a risk can far outweigh the challenges. Jumping in, trying something new takes courage but jumping in is the way to start growing again.

The need to grow is nothing less than our love of life. It’s the desire to feel truly alive, to be here and now – each and every day, not in the past, because it’s already behind us, nor in the future, because it’s not here yet, but today. Now.
__________________________________________________________________________

Drew is a life/business coach, mentor, speaker and author... "inspiring others to look for the best within themselves." For details visit www.drewsimmie.com Follow him on twitter, facebook and LinkedIn.]]> http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100726-065912 Drew Simmie Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:59:12 GMT http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100722-074950 Some of you who are regular readers will recognize the
theme of this short post because I first wrote about it
last February.

I couldn’t resist revisiting the subject because of Conon O’Brien’s interview with the American comedian Louis CK. In the interview captured in this video, he is good naturedly poking fun at our rampant use of Blackberries and how addictive technology can be.

“Give it a break,” he implores us. Yeah, right.

Take a couple of minutes and watch the You Tube Video Everything’s Amazing and Nobody’s Happy. You’ll burst out laughing and may even recognize someone you know! Louis CK on Conan

As an aside, please note that have changed the schedule of my posts and am writing on Mondays and Thursdays.
_________________________________________________________________________

]]> http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100722-074950 Drew Simmie Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:49:50 GMT http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100719-064510
Whenever you set out to accomplish something it’s good to remember that it’s probably going to take you longer than you thought and that the road to your success is sure to be bumpy.

It’s good to remember, as well, one of life’s old maxim’s that, “nothing that’s worth doing ever comes easy.” I don’t know why that is. That’s just the way life seems to go.

And to what Lech Walesa said, I would add one more thing – courage. Lech knows something about that. He jumped over a wall at the Gdansk shipyard in Poland and was instrumental in forming a movement that eventually brought down the Soviet empire.

Not bad for the son of a carpenter, an unassuming shipyard worker. Wouldn’t you think?
________________________________________________________________________
]]> http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100719-064510 Drew Simmie Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:45:10 GMT http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100716-082015


But we need quiet occasionally: To be able, if even for a short period of time, to be alone, to refresh our souls and collect our thoughts.

There are such places of tranquility and most of them are free. Take a stroll in a park, go to the library, sit in an empty church, get in your car and drive out into the country, meditate, take in a yoga class, go to a movie… anything that gives you a chance to ‘catch your breath,’ and slow down.

In our 24/7 world, recharging our batteries is a must.
_________________________________________________________________________
]]> http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100716-082015 Drew Simmie Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:20:15 GMT http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100714-073128


Doing that, in large part, is what the advertising business is all about. And when they get it right, it’s pure genius. Watch the video.

That brings up the question: What are you doing to stand apart from the crowd in your industry?
__________________________________________________________________________

Drew is a life/business coach, mentor, speaker and author... "inspiring others to look for the best within themselves." For details visit www.drewsimmie.com Follow him on [url=http://twitter.com/thekite]twitter@thekite, facebook and LinkedIn.]]> http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100714-073128 Drew Simmie Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:31:28 GMT http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100712-071849
“That’s what’s he’s predicting,” came the reply.
In his best Iberian form, the Spaniard, drew himself up, and with a scarcely concealed hint of distain, retorted, “Well, it’s not true. It’s going to be Spain’s night!”

As we all know, the parakeet didn’t get it right. Spain, for the first time in the country’s history won the Gold Cup and became only the eighth country to claim such an honor. Andrei Iniosta’s name is already being woven into the history and mythology of the country.

For a few days, the country’s struggling economy will be put on the back burner, people will forget their troubles, the players will meet the King and the Prime Minister and they will be feted time and time again.

Every four years, I get hooked on FIFA’s spectacle and join in with billions around the world to watch the closing spectacle. Such is the nature and the power of The Beautiful Game. It’s war without bullets, the good side of nationalism on parade, or rather “on the pitch.”

For 90+ minutes, the players, who for most of the year compete in professional leagues for the money and the high life, play as they have never played. For 1 ½ hours, it’s not about the money. It’s for the honor of their country and a place in the hearts and minds of their countrymen and women and knowing that billions are watching your every move.

Like so much in life, in spite of the predictions of the pundits, the human kind, or our feathered friends (although Paul the Octopus confounded the experts and called for a Spanish victory!) you never really know how things are going to play out.

In the sports world, as in the business arena and in our personal life so much of what seems certain, isn’t and things that seem impossible, aren’t. Much depends on heart, fierce determination, the will to live to fight another day and how the Gods and Goddesses see things. It isn’t always so, but every once in a while, if even for 90+ minutes, we are reminded that life, too, can be a Beautiful Game…
__________________________________________________________________________

Drew is a life/business coach, mentor, speaker and author. He inspires others to achieve their goals and expectations by thinking more strategically, managing change and refreshing their spirit. www.drewsimmie.com

If you would like to set up a meeting with Drew or have him speak to your orgnization, he can be reached at 1.416.927.9065 or by email at drew@drewsimmie.com. Follow him on twitter@thekite, facebook and LinkedIn.
]]> http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100712-071849 Drew Simmie Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:18:49 GMT http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100709-064039


For many, the fesitival conjures up memories of simplier times and brings to mind names like Murray McLaughlan, Gordon Lightfoot and Sylvia and Ian Tyson. Who, of a certain age, doesn't know
Four Strong Winds?

But the times are a changing, as Dylan reminds us and there’s a new generation highlighting this year’s lineup,Serena Ryder, Jason Collett and Ashley MacIsaac to list only three out of many. If you're into celtic music watch Ashley MacIsaac.

Regardless of where you fit in, if you can't make it to Orillia this weekend,take a few minutes, turn off your Blackberries, and courtesy of You tube, make your way up to Orillia...

And enjoy the summer.
________________________________________________________________________

Drew is a life/business coach, mentor, speaker and author. He inspires others to achieve their goals and expectations by thinking more strategically, managing change and refreshing their spirit. www.drewsimmie.com

If you would like to set up a meeting with Drew or have him speak to your orgnization, he can be reached at 1.416.927.9065 or by email at drew@drewsimmie.com. Follow him on twitter@thekite, facebook and LinkedIn.]]> http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100709-064039 Drew Simmie Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:40:39 GMT http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100707-063126 Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. Anais Nin.



Courage is where everything starts because nothing of any value or consequence can begin without it, whether in business or in your personal life.

Challenges and uncertainties press in on us all, at one time or another, testing our resolve and belief in ourselves. Surrounded by so much negativity and cynicism, there are some days when it takes courage just to live, let alone to think that there is something more up ahead for you.

To move out of your comfort zone, to challenge yourself one more time, to go out on a limb when you really don’t need to or to start out on a new venture without knowing the outcome… none of these is for the faint of heart.

Whatever you’re doing, whether you’re formulating a business, moving to a new country, starting a family, beginning what seems to be a particular challenging project, changing your career path or building a new relationship, they all happen when you summon your courage, reach deep down in your soul and say, “I can handle that!” and then, as Nike’s famous tagline advocates, you go out there and “just do it.”
__________________________________________________________________________

Drew is a life/business coach, mentor, speaker and author. You can learn more about his work at www.drewsimmie.com. He can be contacted by email at drew@drewsimmie.com. Follow him on twitter@thekite, facebook ]]> http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100707-063126 Drew Simmie Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:31:26 GMT http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100705-063827 Be who you are. Everyone else is taken. Oscar Wilde.



Most of us spend at a least a third of our day and most of our lives working, so since we spend so much of our precious time doing it, shouldn't it be something we're passionate about?

How do you feel about your work? Does it reflect who you are and what you believe? Does it engage your heart and your mind? Does it impact positively on the larger picture?

The demands of the workplace are rapidly changing. New opportunities are presenting themselves daily. Choosing work that you love can have considerable impact on the quality of your life. If you have been considering making a change in your work, or the direction of your life, here are five questions to consider:

1. What do you really care about?
2. If you knew your time was limited, would you spend it doing what you’re doing now?
3. Why?
4. Does what you do in the larger scheme of things have real value to you?
5. If you have made a decision to do something else, after asking yourself these questions, what are the three most interesting choices you selected? List them.

Then look in your heart and pick one. There’s a good chance you’ve just found your purpose for being here.

Now that you’ve focused on what you want to do, how are you going to accomplish this change? What action(s) do you need to take? Are you prepared to sacrifice in the short term to gain in the long? What are the timelines? What are the financial considerations? How can you work around the obstacles standing between you and what you want to do?

Change is challenging and never easy, but it’s manageable. It will take courage, faith in yourself and a belief that where you’re headed is an eminently better place than where you are now. When you get there,you will never want to look back.
__________________________________________________________________________

Drew is a life/business coach, mentor, speaker and author. You can learn more about his work at www.drewsimmie.com. He can be contacted by email at drew@drewsimmie.com. Follow him on twitter@thekite, facebook ]]> http://tugofthekite.com/index.php?entry=entry100705-063827 Drew Simmie Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:38:27 GMT