What did I come in here for??? And other puzzlers for the Middle Aged Brain.

“Our brains, in most important areas, reach their peak in midlife.”
Barbara Strauch

You have a great idea as you are getting dressed in the morning. “Aha,” you think, “I’ll do something about that right away.” You walk from the bedroom to the kitchen for your first cup of coffee of the day and realize that the important thought you had has magically disappeared in the 15 feet or so you traveled. You rack your brains, but it’s completely gone.

You remember that you were going to run the dishwasher, so you turn it on. When you go to empty it later, the dishes are still rather dirty. Oh, yeah, you forgot to put in soap.

You go to the grocery store specifically to pick up an item. When you get back home, you realize that you got anything and everything except that particular item.

So what’s the story? Are you losing your mind?

For those of us in middle age – which, by the way, is between the ages of 40 and 65 and will no doubt become 65 to 75 when you reach your sixth decade – there are certain frustrations associated with aging (you’ve finally admitted it, you need reading glasses). The short-term memory lapse is just one of them, and it happens to more people than you might think. (Thank goodness, you thought you were completely losing it and it’s so nice to know you’re not alone!)

Another thing you might notice is that you are more easily distracted and can’t multi-task quite as well. You start sorting laundry, the phone rings and your washing plans are gone, only to be remembered a few hours later when you discover all those clothes lying on the bedroom floor. (“Oh, right, that’s what I started doing this morning.”)

However, at this stage of life you also have a lot of skills you didn’t have when you were younger. You are more empathetic. Your inductive reasoning skills are at their peak. You’ve been around for a lot longer and you know how to navigate life’s challenges much better. You can reach solutions more quickly because you have more information needed to do so. You may not remember what you had for breakfast, but you can problem-solve with the best of them.

And even more good news: you are not losing brain cells (even if you are positive that you are). The general belief previously was that we lost up to 30 per cent of our brain cells as we aged, but studies have shown that that is not true. In fact, we have the ability to grow new brain cells.

So if you are middle-aged, take heart. Easily distracted or not, your brain’s flexibility, capacity and capabilities are continuing to develop. You’re smarter, more content, better able to face life’s challenges. You see the possibilities, what can be done, and are more optimistic.

And that memory thing? Don’t freak out; just laugh at life’s little quirks. A friend of mine has learned to compensate by using sticky notes all over her office and kitchen … just to remind her who she is, where she is and what she is supposed to be doing that day (hour, minute). She also plans to fund her retirement by buying stocks in the company that makes Post-it® notes.

Personally, I like to tell people that I am aging like a fine wine! Becoming a new grandmother only helped me feel rejuvenated not older – how about the rest of you? Do you really want to stop aging?

Always ready to amend a well laid out plan of attack, I thought I could just grab the cell phone and call my husband to see if he recalled from his days working in the area where this particular address was actually located.  To my chagrin, technology let me down again…sporadic cell coverage prevented solid communication – I was on my own!  

At this point, with my blood pressure rising alongside my fear of letting the customer down, I began to laugh at the absurdity of it all.  I certainly recall a time when mobile digital devices were not an option.  Oh how quickly, technology has raised our hopes and expectations and lowered our patience and tolerance.  Here are some thoughts to ponder about it all….

I welcome your feedback as always:

Thanks to computers, iPhones, Blackberrys and the like, the boundaries between work and home are virtually non-existent in many households. We seem to be ‘on call’ all the time and facing extra stress from this relentless demand for communication. Being in constant communication with family and friends, says Richard Ling, technology professor at the University of Copenhagen, can be demanding and stressful.

As well, more of us, for a wide variety of reasons, are working non-standard hours (could this be because technology allows us to do so?). According to Caught in the Time Crunch: “Non-standard work hours are associated with lower self-reported health, higher levels of stress, psychological distress, greater depressive symptoms, greater relationship conflict for dual-earner couples, and lower life satisfaction.”

“Technology … is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other.”                                        C.P. Snow, March 1971
Some other tech-related stresses that were unheard-of even a couple of decades ago include losing important work due to computer crashes; demands of e-mail and voice mail; and dying cell phone batteries (admit it, you, too, have stressed out over these possibilities).

Digital devices are even believed to be ‘rewiring’ young brains. Check out iBrain, Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind, by Gary Small and Gigi Vorgan. In the book, the authors talk about how we are being affected by our use of technology: “When our minds partially attend, and do so continuously, we scan for an opportunity for any type of contact at every given moment,” say Small and Vorgan. “(People) no longer have time to reflect, contemplate, or make thoughtful decisions. Instead, they exist in a sense of constant crisis – on alert for a new contact or bit of exciting news or information at any moment.”
There is also something called – bear with me here – “computer stress syndrome,” all due to our life in the digital age. According to a recent CMO Council report: “Today’s digitally dependent consumers are increasingly overwhelmed and upset with technical glitches and problems in their daily lives.” (Combating Computer Stress Syndrome: Barriers and Best Practices in Tech Support)

Recognition of these extra anxieties is not new. In their book TechnoStress: Coping with Technology, published way back in 1997, authors Michelle Weil and Larry Rosen talked about how we feel when technology lets us down: frustrated, scared, stupid, helpless. The issue, Weil says, is one of dependency and when technology fails, we are at a loss.

Whatever happened to the relaxation and the endless free time we were supposed to have when machines did all the work?
“Being available 24-7 is for convenience stores, not people!”     Laura M. Carillo

Although that being said…I have to run now and see if I can figure out why my emails have been blocked and my whole sense of connectedness is unraveling at the seams!

When my husband and I headed out to pick up the new vehicle, it took some serious juggling on both our parts. My husband had to take the afternoon off work as we would require two drivers to get the vehicle home. I had to clear my own calendar to ensure that the afternoon and evening were clear and open so that we would not feel pressured or in a hurry.  In a busy household, this is often no easy feat.

When we arrived for the appointment at the specified time, our salesman was tied up with another customer delivery and the finance department was also engaged in a conversation with another customer. We settled into some comfy chairs out front to wait our turn. Thankfully, we were both in a relaxed mood and were prepared for this due to our previous encounters with this dealership. We have come to the realization that for them, appointments are really more of a guide rather than a rule.  On this day, we waited close to an hour.

Perhaps, the only people who would be annoyed by this lack of attention to time are the customers who (like me) are more formal with their time. In other words, they avoid ever being late for a meeting (often turning up 15 minutes ahead of schedule). Those customers who are more casual with their time likely do not even notice the delays and spend time drinking coffee in the lounge and catching up on emails or socializing. I suppose this begs the question – does the service or product provider actually recognize those who are formal and those who are more casual with their time. And if they were able to source that out, would it (or should it) change how they address time accordingly?

Then there is the interesting conversation tactics of the Salesman. I was fascinated (not irritated) by the way he directed most of his attention towards my husband when he spoke about warranties and service commitments. I found that rather interesting since I would be the primary driver (which he was well aware of) and also the individual who would need to be aware of the restrictions and the telephone support lines. After all, I travel out of town and should a problem occur, it is doubtful that my husband will be riding shotgun to help me out with seeking roadside assistance. Besides, I doubt that I require my husband to solve all my challenges with a new vehicle. So how did the Salesman get this so decidedly wrong? Does he find me difficult to deal with or is his experience that most women simply don’t care about maintenance or cars?

Welcome to a world where customer service is no longer a one-size-fits-all proposition. Customers are diverse and have many different needs.  As service providers, are we attentive enough with each customer to know what will make the difference for them?  Do we spend time observing their unique behaviour patterns so we can address their unique needs and requests appropriately?

Perhaps achieving superior customer service means not just taking the appropriate steps to solve problems, but going the extra mile to see if perceived problems can be prevented in advance.   Perhaps superior customer service is not an individual effort but a team effort, with everybody working toward the same goal.   Kudos to the salesman who met us when we arrived and promised to locate our salesman and alert the finance department to our presence.   Even if he had little success in prompting them to take action.

Sure would love to hear your thoughts and experiences on what makes you feel you received incredible customer service.  In the meantime, I am enjoying driving my new vehicle and maybe that is all that matters!

Let me share an example:

I have spent the past 8 weeks shopping around for a replacement vehicle as my lease  is expiring this fall.  As a result of the hours I spend behind the wheel, I decided this time to look for luxury seating as a high priority.  My husband and I have been test driving vehicles in the luxury category – Infiniti, Audi, Volvo, etc.  One would think that a luxury price tag would also come with luxury customer service, but one would be quite wrong in that assumption.

If the salesman showed any interest in us at all, that would have been a nice touch – most simply appeared bored.  We finally decided on our top 3 picks for vehicles, but have struggled to receive appreciation even at this level.  Most either won’t negotiate or only negotiate sparingly – apparently if you want luxury you must be willing to pay whatever they demand.  When we finally got the number we wanted, I had thought we were set.  We booked an appointment to complete all the paperwork this past Friday – the car is not on the lot yet, so paperwork is all that is required right now.  Today, I had to return as apparently appointments only mean an introduction – one still has to drive back in to do the financing.  Silly me, I thought that is why we made an appointment.  I can only imagine what my clients would think of me if I had them arrive on a specified date and time and took their contact information and demanded another meeting on another day.

So what does it take to be appreciated?  Why should the retailer or service provider value us?  In the example with the car purchase, this retailer is the only game in the area.  I suppose that allows them to dismiss your opinions and ignore the inconvenience and expense they are attributing to you as a result of their lousy organizational skills (ie. additional fuel expenses and time).   So if they mess it up, what should I expect?  Apathy?

All of this causes me to wonder…. what would you like to see from a provider in terms of service delivery.  When do you feel valued and appreciated for spending your hard earned dollars with someone?  Better yet, how would you like them to show their appreciation?

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, experiences and forward thinking ideas!  Please post your thoughts to me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/faith.wood1

Nature is colorful, and every color has special tastes, smells, and sounds. Moving between those colors changes our emotions, and our emotions change our physiology. Our physiology changes our thoughts, and vice versa. Because every person has a special map of the world, in this respect, they have a special “color map” of the world also.

When the energy of color enters our bodies, it stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands. This in turn affects the production of certain hormones, which in turn affect a variety of physiological processes. This explains why color has been found to have such a direct influence on our thoughts, moods, and behavior — an influence that many experts believe is distinctly separate from psychological and cultural factors. Color seems to have an effect even on blind people, who are thought to sense color as a result of energy vibrations created wihtin the body.

Specific colors can also have an effect on specific diseases. Symptoms of acute eruptive diseases, such as smallpox and measles, were relieved when patients were put in a room with red windows. Melancholiacs also recovered after a few hours in such rooms. Pain and depression were found to respond well to therapy using flashing bright lights and colored lights. These treatments have been shown to alter neurochemical production in the brain and this may account for their positive effects. Scientists now believe the brain has specific responses to different frequencies of flashing light and the different frequencies of various colors. They point out sleep problems can often be cured in one day by this method. Mood alteration takes a little longer — about one to two weeks of treatments. 

Let’s talk a bit about colours that often empower us (just three as an introduction):

Red promotes vitality, strength, sexuality, willpower, and alertness. Red is used to counteract anemia, lack of energy, impotence, and low blood pressure.

Green is the color of nature. Green is the most predominant color on the planet. It balances our energies, and it can be used to increase our sensitivity and compassion. It represents purity and harmony. It has a calming effect. It is soothing to the nervous system. It is a great healer. It is thought to build muscles, bones, and other tissue cells.

Blue is associated with willpower and communication. Blue is a calming color, good for curing insomnia. It is often recommended for reducing stress and is good for improving verbal skills.

So my last word of advice – get outside and take advantage of  these colours – it is supposed to go to +20 degrees today and then back to snow by the weekend!  I better go look up the colour white!

Resentment is Poison

While most partners struggle with resentment at times, if it’s allowed to accumulate and isn’t dealt with, it can be poisonous to a relationship.

“Resentment is an extremely bitter diet, and eventually poisonous. I have no desire to make my own toxins,” declares Neil Kinnock. Hanging on to anger and resentment is toxic, and the resulting sludge can slowly poison you.

It’s easy to lose your perspective about the bigger picture and to become obsessed with how things “should” have been and how your partner “should” have treated you. In your mind, you may visualize yourself zapping your mate with the perfect verbal comeback or having the opportunity to get even.

The more you let your mind gallop in this direction, the angrier you get and the more you feel self-righteous and justified in your reaction. When you become mired in anger, resentment, blame, and revenge, you are only hurting yourself. In the process, you put yourself at risk for experiencing health problems, sleeping difficulties, depression, and daily agitation—to say nothing of how destructive this is to your romantic relationship.

The longer you carry resentment and grudges, the heavier the load gets. Nothing you do to try to find inner peace will be effective when you are filled with anger and resentment. And when you’re not at peace with yourself, you can’t create a peaceful, harmonious relationship with your partner.

So what can you do? What is the antidote to anger and resentment? The answer lies in letting go and practicing forgiveness. You can’t change what has happened, and you can’t control what your partner chooses to do. But you do have control over the choices you make.

You can choose to cut the emotional bond that is keeping you tied to your anger and resentment. Instead, you can talk to your mate about your feelings and process them so that you don’t bury them, only to have them pop up in destructive ways later.

You can write your feelings in a private journal and pray or meditate about the situation. You also have the option of asking a therapist or minister to assist you.

You can also reassess what’s most important to you in your relationship. Would you rather be happy or be “right”? And would you rather feel disconnected or feel in harmony with your partner?

A major reason for practicing forgiveness is so you can stop ruminating about the past and put your energy into the present moment. One thing’s for sure—you’ll never have a peaceful relationship until you are at peace within yourself.

“It is perhaps the most healing thing that you can do to remove the low energies of resentment and revenge from your life completely.”
—Dr. Wayne Dyer

What a thrill to see our first Gold Medal on Canadian soil. Less than 30 seconds to get the job done and Alexander Bilodeau did it up with style. Then, he shone even more brightly when he refocused the spotlight on all the people who helped him achieve this dream!

No one would fault Alex for taking his moment to SHINE after all he has so earned it! No one would think any less of Alex had he not mentioned his brother, his family, his coaches…Yet Alex, even in his most glorious moment as an athlete states his inspiration to the world… WOW!

A person’s true character and integrity is apparent by the actions they take when no one is watching. So what is the message when EVERYONE is watching?

Alex said this ” You can’t win the OLYMPIC gold alone you have to share it with your family and friends!”

We know it is true -= success is built and achieved with a team of people who both lift and inspire us along the way, but having the right mental focus and attitude plays a huge role as well. If you watched the skaters yesterday: Jeremy Wotherspoon and the Canadian dance couples, you may already be aware of what I mean by this. With so much pressure to bring home a medal on Canadian soil, in front of home town crowds, maintaining cool calm focus is paramount to avoid choking in the seconds that matter the most.

To train the body to the limits of its capabilities without simultaneously training the mind is to invite, at best, mediocrity. Sports psychologists have claimed that, for Olympic teams, 80% of an athlete’s performance is in the mind. Such belief has been echoed by championship players in virtually every form of competition. Mental rehearsal, also termed visualization, can create and reaffirm the confidence necessary to achieve top performances. What your mind can conceive, you can achieve.

Our minds have the awesome capability to reduce our heart rates and minimize physical fatigue leaving us with more endurance and motivation. Pro Athletes have learned to harness this power enabling them to achieve consistently higher outcomes. Athletes use this power of the mind to stay calm, relaxed and focused on their goal. Through positive self-talk and coaching, they are able to maintain a strong personal belief in their own innate abilities. But this same attention to focus has to be applied in the final competitions as well. Without the benefit of a calm mental state, even the best athletes will fall on the ice.

Athletes face the same stumbling blocks that we all face in promoting excellence in our lives. The biggest block of all is fear, and fear comes in many forms. According to research done by psychologist Shirley Winslow, PhD, of the University of Alberta, we ALL have four fears. They are:

• Fear of failure
• Fear of humiliation or embarrassment
• Fear of losing power
• Fear of rejection

Usually one of these fears is the strongest. This is the one that influences your behavior most often. To perform well, an athlete must be relaxed enough to allow the natural timing and coordination to flow with the movement of the sport. When he or she is in the flow, every movement feels right. The critical and doubting mind can be bypassed to allow the athlete to experience their fullest potential.

Through the use of Hypnosis (Guided Imagery), one can practice new skills and allow themselves the opportunity to make necessary changes away from the highly competitive arena. Utilizing these techniques, it is possible to reduce stress levels and increase recovery times, easily and effortlessly. We can fine-tune our concentration just as we would fine-tune our automobile to get it to running at peak performance. We are learning, at an inner-mind level, to adjust our attention to our desired objective. As we gear up our energy level, we learn to shift ourselves into overdrive when the need arises; shifting back down to cruising speed once the event is over. Mentally rehearsing at an inner-mind level gives us an added edge, the winning edge. As we learn to center our thoughts, we also learn to control our actions.

If mental performance coaching has such a desirable impact on athletic performance, imagine what it could do to help you accelerate into your personal best? Mental focus is not just for athletes; each of these skills and techniques can be incorporated and utilized to create astounding results in other areas of your life – testing, interviewing, business, recreational and relationships…. success is all about attitude, so what are you focusing on?

If you happen to be single for Valentine’s Day, does it make you happy or depressed? Does that change if you are in a relationship and feel pressured to conform to the advertising mayhem?

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and for many, it is either a day of celebration or yet another opportunity for disappointment. So what gives? What makes Valentine’s Day special or not?

Personally, I believe that much like Christmas, we often have to many idealistic expectations around this holiday. Men run from it and women want to have that special someone in their lives treat them like royalty and buy them flowers just because.  However, is it really spontaneous if everyone is doing it?  Come on ladies – what are the odds? If HE isn’t terribly romantic throughout the year, what makes you think he has it in him to romance you on a prescribed day?

What if we make a pact and commit to appreciating ourselves and our loved ones in a manner that they would truly want this year? Ditch the expensive dinner and treat yourselves to a cuddle on the couch, a back rub (without expectations) or flowers throughout the year just because we love the way they look and smell. Are you bold enough to enjoy Valentine’s Day without all the commercialism?

Valentine’s Day should be a reminder to ignite your own passions and take time out to enjoy the simple pleasures in your life.  If you are struggling to find a reason to celebrate, consider this…winter is almost half over now – isn’t that worth celebrating all on its own?

Still focused on this scheduled holiday?   No wonder, after all, few days throughout the year have more traditions and superstitions than St Valentine’s Day:

• This was originally thought to be the day on which birds chose their mates.
•  The first man an unmarried woman saw on this day would be her future husband (wow – one might want to hide out If they were frightened by whom they might encounter)
•  If the names of all a girl’s suitors were written on paper and wrapped in clay and the clay put into water, the piece that rose to the surface would contain the name of her husband to be.
• If a woman saw a robin flying overhead, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a rich man.
• Last but not least…Valentines Day Got Canceled in 1969 for being an orgy of consumerism. The Roman Catholic Church, which originally made this pagan feast of Lupercus: Lupercalia into a religious Saint Valentines Day holiday, also canceled it in 1969 when they realized it had gone from an intended festival of love to an orgy of consumerism.

Happy Valentine’s Week everyone!

Often, I find the quizzes provide a quick validation for my behaviour and an opportunity to evaluate whether or not the behaviour serves me.  I am particularly fond of quizzes which provide insights on both the good and bad of one’s personality.  In other words, how I might behave when everything in my world is ticking along according to plan compared to how I behave when the stress is on.  Perhaps I am not alone in all of this and that most of us are at least a little curious about how others perceive us in this world.

Curiosity is fine, just don’t fall into the trap of taking a quiz and then using the results to justify your bad behaviours or lack of accountability.  I remember working with a man who used to use his profile as an excuse for not doing his job.  “I am a yellow and therefore cannot be expected to look after the details.”  Believe it or not, your co-workers have little interest in your whiney excuses, they are far more interested in what you positively contribute to the overall projects.  If your behaviour profile is standing in the way, they will be just as happy to have you evaluate what steps need to be taken to change all that!  Personality trait tests are not the be all and end all.

Many people who consider themselves introverts actually work well in jobs that have them interacting with the public on a regular basis. They simply put on their ‘extrovert’ hat at work. If you have to do something, you may just find that it’s not as scary as you imagined it would be. Your attitude also makes a huge difference. Rather than feeling apprehensive, tell yourself that you can do what is required and go ahead and do it, all the while patting yourself on the back for being such an incredible person who is up to any challenge (such as dealing with the public when you’d rather be hiding under your desk.

Once you have taken a personality test (or several), you can look at yourself through a different lens. “Aha,” you may say, “everyone always points out what a negative person I am, but I’m actually pragmatic!” Or “I have been accused of being a cynic, when I really just have a dry sense of humour.” Or “I am truly an empathetic person, I just am logical about my empathy.”

I recently took an online quiz based on the Eneagram at the urgings of one of my business clients who has considerable experience in its modality.  Wikipedia describes the Enneagram of Personality as mostly psychospiritual typology.  Now that likely means very little to most of us, but essentially it is just another personality quiz that identifies your typical patterns of behaviour.

Each time I take a personality quiz, I am often described with consistent behavioural tendencies.  In DISC, I am called a high D – dominant, driven and independent.  When I took the Insights profile quiz, it described me as a High Red:  Dominant, Independent, Blunt and Direct.  When I took the Gallop poll’s Strength Finder Quiz, it described me as someone with an ability to take control and be decisive, craves variety and can be restless and easily bored, confident and likes to be challenged – you get the idea.

Well, when I took the Eneagram, the results were very similar.  No new shocking revelations.  I was scored high on the 8 scale with a 7 wing – all very confusing if you ask me.   Esentially, it says that I am the type of person who is strong, assertive, resourceful, independent, determined, action-oriented, pragmatic, competitive, straight-talking, shrewd, and insistent.  The 7 wing encourages me to express myself through curiosity, spontanaiety, an eagerness that is outgoing, future-oriented, adventurous, variety-seeking, quick, and talkative.  Guess that’s why the practical Faith gets stuff done and the adventure seeker takes a Burlesque class!

So what have I learned through all these quizzes.  I actually like these parts of my personality and they serve me well as a behaviour strategist and coach – just don’t expect me to sugar coat my opinions!

“A man can become so accustomed to the thought of his own faults that he will begin to cherish them as charming little ‘personal characteristics.’”

Helen Rowland, English-American writer, 1876-1950

In Mike’s opinion, we have two dominant cycles which repeat every 40 years:

• Civic (community minded, focused on banding together, regimented and focused on conformity) and
• Idealistic (focused on self expression, individualism, a desire to look and feel good today!). 

Mike demonstrated the patterns through media, advertising and music and helped hammer home his point by playing the words of songs, the focus of advertising and the outcomes each produced in society.  For example, Michael Jackson’s Thriller album won awards in the Idealistic genre – listen to the words of ‘Billy Jean’ and hear a lack of accountability for one’s actions and an unwillingness to accept responsibility.  It is okay to do something just because it makes you feel good.  Contrast that to the song ‘Gotta Be Somebody’ by Nickleback (came out last year on the Dark Horse album) which talks about not being alone but rather belonging – a representation of a more civic minded society.  The movie James Bond represented an idealistic generation but had to be recreated as more authentic and real in a society heading into a civic model.

Mike proposes that it takes 7 years once a new cycle has started for all of society to conform to the new ideals. Lucky for me, the Civic mindset began in 2003.

Instead of focusing on lack of accountability and individualism of the 80s and 90s, 2003 began the return to community, shared values and responsibility – globally and personally.   Phony is out and REAL is in!  Today’s society demands that spokespersons (and businesses) have something powerful to say that is raw, real and relevant.  The focus is on transparency and authenticity.  In other words, we want advertisers to stop telling us all those feel good statements and actually demonstrate value by what they are actually doing!  Our BS Meters are on high alert and we are a society that is rejecting the hype.  If you want to sell or provide services to us, you better provide real definable value or we will tell everyone – through social media – how you let us down and failed to keep your promises.

This fits really well for my personal values.  I believe in word of mouth advertising and rely almost exclusively on it.   Which means that I have to deliver what I say I deliver if I want my reputation to serve me.  I believe that my purchasing decisions should be socially conscious and accountable.  I believe in providing real value not a lot of fluff.  Small actions are more important than big things and we should work with people who share our beliefs and values.

Last night Mike talked about movies that aligned with the pendulum shift.  He recommended watching movies such as:  8 Mile, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine, Napoleon Dynamite and Lost in Translation.  Of these recommends, I have only seen Juno and I would highly recommend it myself. 

I also would like to add to the list with Avatar.  This movie was not anticipated to do well at the box office but has completely taken over since its release in December.  Don’t believe me, just try and get a movie ticket to see it.  The message definitely speaks to a civic based society.  It is all about community mindedness, relationship building, global planet preservation and fighting for what you believe in.

I am excited to be building my business in a civic society.  Why?  Relationships are in and I like those best of all!

Do you believe in this ideology?  If so, where do you see it happening today?  How are you contributing? 

I welcome your comments and thoughts.