This weekend was the Victoria Day holiday here in Canada, and for most people, yesterday was a day off work.  For our American friends, next Monday you will have the same with the Memorial Day holiday.  How did you spend your long weekend?

For many people, this past weekend was the official kick-off for summer and they spent it at the cottage/boat/trailer on a lake somewhere north/east of the Greater Toronto Area. Having had a few summers to enjoy a cottage years ago, I can certainly understand the draw.  And for the first time in years, we actually had great weather! Of course, there are many things I don’t understand about long weekends at the cottage.

First – the drive on a Friday before a long weekend. There is a mass exodus out of the Toronto area and tens of thousands of drivers are on the roads, trying to get out of the city.  The result is an insane amount of traffic, and a trip that would normally take 60 to 90 minutes takes double the time or sometimes even longer! It doesn’t really matter where your cottage/boat/trailer is – whether is it north or east of the city, the traffic problems are the same. And it’s always about finding the best route to get there.

Second – the bugs. This time of the year can be the worst for black flies. And soon it will be time for mosquitoes and deer flys. Now, I enjoy nature as much as the next person, but I still find bugs to be very irritating.  That’s probably why I enjoyed spending my summers in the Swiss mountains – fewer bugs.

Third – all of the work that has to be done.  Opening the cottage (unless you have a fully winterized one) can take up the entire weekend, if not several weeks.  From raking leaves to putting in the docks, there are never ending jobs to take care of.

This often means that the first long weekend of the summer is actually very stressful and involves a great deal of physical labour. So, are cottagers really getting that quality time with friends and family?Feel free to check in on the comments section.

Dan and I spent the weekend here at home.  We didn’t make any plans, except to organize our place to make room for the baby that’s arriving this fall. We did work hard on Saturday, but on Sunday and Monday had the opportunity to spend some great quality time together. We now share a small office and it’s very cozy when we are both in there! For some reason though, we actually enjoyed it. What we were reminded of again this weekend is how happy we can be just enjoying each others company.  Some of you might have read How to Attract Your Perfect Partner from a few months ago and even though it’s been almost three years, we are still in the honeymoon phase.

We do have dreams though, and even though we don’t have access to a cottage every weekend, we do have the chance to visit the family cottage once a summer. We both love being in nature and the fresh,clean air away from the city. We have a dream to live in a home that is in the woods, near a lake, close to the mountains to enjoy hiking, rock climbing and skiing. I’ve seen this home many times in my mind, I could draw you a picture if you like.

What are your dreams? Do you enjoying going to the cottage – would you like to be able to live up there? Do you have a vision for your dream home? Would you like to be able to spend more quality time with your family?  If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then ask yourself this, what are you doing to bring that dream closer to reality? Are you taking daily action that will allow your dreams to come true? Or are you hoping that you’ll get lucky and win the lottery?

Life is very finite, we get one chance – it’s not a dress rehearsal.  Are you on your way to making your dreams to come in this lifetime?

Sometimes, we all just need a reminder to be grateful for all of the wonderful things we have in our lives. Especially when things aren’t going the way that we would really like them to. Things have actually been going really well here in Burlington, we just celebrated Dan’s birthday this weekend and it was a lot of fun. Dan had the chance to participate in a very competitive volleyball tournament and we spent the evening with his family.  Sunday night, we visited some of our closest friends and enjoyed a small birthday celebration. It’s amazing how sometimes the little things and small events can really have a positive impact in our lives.

How often do you think about what you are grateful for? I’ll admit, it’s something I often have to be reminded about. I will go through times where I am grateful every single day – and will even write down a list of things to be grateful for or create one in my head. And other times, I’m so caught up in everyday life that I forget to be grateful and need a reminder of how powerful this simple action can be in my life.

Most of you who are reading this are living in North America.  And it’s easy to take for granted all of what we have available to us every single day.  I would assume we all have a roof over our heads, running water for bathing and cleaning, clean drinking water, food in our fridges and our cupboards, a bed to sleep in and clothes in our closet. We live a peaceful country, where we don’t have to worry about living in a war zone and fearing for our lives every time we step outside our doors. We have internet connections, cable television, cell phones, cars or easy access to public transportation.  We truly live in a world of plenty.

If you’re going through a bit of a challenging time right now, take inventory of your surroundings.  Make a list of what you’ve got – not just all of the physical things, but take stock of your relationships. You may find that once you’ve started a list, you’ve got a lot more than you ever imagined.  And sometimes all it takes to turn things around is a change of attitude.  The Universe is very responsive to what we are thinking and it tends to give you more of what you’re feeling and thinking about.

A quick example from my life – recently I was trying to decide what to do over the summer. As a part-time teacher, I don’t have the luxury of a paycheck that continues over the summer. Many of my tutoring clients were looking at lessons over the summer as well.  And I knew that I wasn’t ready to devote myself full-time with Agel, as I’m still in my first year of business building (I made that mistake once before, so at least I’ve learned). The day I made the decision to continue with French teaching and tutoring over the summer, a number of opportunities came up.  I received a phone call from a new client who wanted to start French tutoring immediately. I had an opportunity for a new job with Oxford Learning. I already have almost a dozen clients for different summer programs (if this is something you’re interested in, details on the full summer camp can be found here - there are other options too, just drop me a line). And I was given the chance to apply for yet another part-time teaching role for the summer. It is truly amazing how responsive the Universe has been, once I made up my mind.

The question for you to ponder today is, what I am truly grateful for? Even better, see if this is a question you can remember to ask yourself everyday. One of the things I am most grateful for is all of you who read and share my blog. It’s been an amazing experience so far and I value all of your feedback and comments.

How many of you have seen The Secret? Back in October of 2006, I had a chance to see this movie – the original version with Esther Hicks (Lisa Nichols replaced her in the more widely known edition). It had a huge impact on my life in so many ways and was one of the catalysts for my journey and study of personal growth and development. I also used some of the methods to attract my perfect partner, my husband Dan. One of the other skills I learned was creating a Vision Board in order to attract all of the things you desire in your life.  Since then, I have created at least half a dozen vision boards, most recently just before the holidays in 2009.  Many people have asked me about creating vision boards, and it seems like there are vision board workshops at least once a month.  There are books you can buy on building your vision board, and kits that include some of the photos you might want to include. You can google vision board and find programs to create an online vision board as well.

Here are a few suggestions to consider when building your vision board.

• Preparation:
  • Buy magazines that you don’t normally purchase – for example The Robb Report (luxury cars, homes etc), Architectural Digest, Conde Nast Traveller.
  • Save old calendars – many have great quotes and photos (or buy them in February at 75% off)
  • Think BIG and dream your impossible dreams! This is what can be really fun about the vision board. I have a round-the-world cruise on one of my boards – a one year cruise around the globe.
  • Choose quotes and words that inspire you. “I have seen the mountains and they have touched my heart!” is one of my favorites. Words such as: Focus, Power, Inspiration, Leadership, Fun and Love.
  • Instead of using a bristol board, you can purchase a thicker foam board from most craft stores for about $5.  If you are looking for a more permanent board, purchase a frame for a heavier cardboard and frame it. I like to update my dream boards within a year, so I choose the foam board.
  • Before you start, cut out all of the photos, quotes and items that you’d like to have on your vision board.
• Making the Vision Board
  • Find a large, flat surface to lay your board on.

  

  • Arrange the photos in a collage fashion on your board.  You can do this any way you like but for my most recent board, I put together the photos and quotes based on the Feng Shui bagua.  I also included colour swatches from each of the quadrants. There is plenty of information on Feng Shui on the internet and at the library, if you’re interested in finding out more about how it works.
  • Place all of the photos and quotes on the board before you begin gluing. Your photos may or may not overlap, it’s up to you.
  • Use an acid free glue.  I prefer to use rubber cement, but it’s harder to find these days (I think it might be toxic!).  I found a liquid UHU stick that worked well.
• A few final notes:
  • Make sure you’re in a good mood when you create the vision board,you want to have the right energy when putting it together
  • Uplifting music or even having The Secret on in the background can be helpful
  • Your vision board should make you smile when you look at it and create feelings of excitement and joy!
  • Hang your vision board in a place where you will see it several times throughout your day.  And take a moment to stop and look at it when you do walk by it.
  • And if you’re having trouble dreaming big or asking for prosperity – subscribe to Randy Gage’s Success and Prosperity blog – his perspective can be very enlightening.

If you haven’t made a vision board yet, start this weekend! I’m here to answer your questions as needed and look forward to seeing your vision boards when they are completed.  If yours is already completed, feel free to share a photo!

I’ve been sharing the story of how I attracted my perfect partner, Dan. Using The Secret and The Law of Attraction, by Michael Losier, I attracted Dan into my life and it has been a wonderful relationship since Day One.

Our first date was lunch at Paradiso Restaurant, in downtown Burlington. We sat in a booth, and it was instant electricity for both of us.  I kept moving closer to him during lunch … I just wanted to be as close as possible.  Needless to say,  it was a great first date. We kissed, and I couldn’t concentrate for the rest of the day.

On our next date, we had pretty much decided that we were going to be together, boyfriend and girlfriend – so I thought it might be interesting to see how Dan stacked up to my Desire Statement written on Nov 25, 2007 (less than 3 weeks earlier):

• My ideal relationship is with a man who is looking for a committed relationship and lives within a 1 hour drive
• My ideal partner is only 6 years old or younger than I am (Dan is 6 years, 3 months younger)
• He is fluent in French and English
• He is passionate, and lives his life with passion & purpose and is working towards financial freedom
• He enjoys being physically active
• He can dream big and has many exciting goals for his and our lives, and he inspires me everyday

That is a summary of what was written on that Desire Statement.  I didn’t know all of these things about Dan within the first few days, but it became evident within a few months how much he fit exactly what I had been looking for. And for those of you who know me, you can see that I share many of these qualities as well – as was mentioned in a comment by Jay earlier this week – in order to attract someone with certain qualities, you must exhibit them yourself.

We are truly blessed to have a wonderful relationship.  We can spend days together and still be very happy (and a bit mushy!).  This is the relationship I have always dreamed of – I chose not to make compromises on what I truly desired and I got it. And yes, Dan feels the same way – perhaps he’ll add a comment at the bottom.  We are open with each other, there are no secrets between us, and we support each other unconditionally. We have been through a lot in the past 2 1/2 years, job losses, apartment fire, change of business, loss of income and yet the one thing that has been stable throughout everything is our love for each other.  It may seem cheesy at times, but it’s a pretty amazing feeling to be with the RIGHT person for each other.

We laugh together!

Last March (2009), while slow dancing at a Nickelback concert, to Far Away, Dan asked if I would marry him.  I said yes immediately and just kept on dancing with him.   We were married on July 12, 2009, at Paradiso Restaurant.  Perhaps I’ll share our wedding story another time.

What I’ve learned through all of this, one marriage that ended, a number of relationships that didn’t work out in between and finally attracting Dan into my life, is that life is too short to be with the wrong person. Yes, there will be challenges in any relationship, and if you are with the right person, you will get through them and move on.  If you are with the wrong person, it’s possible that you may never get through the challenges or issues and the same things may come up again and again throughout your lives together. Everyone’s situation is different and we all have our challenges.  One quick word of advice though – You deserve the best, you deserve to be happy and you deserve to be in your perfect relationship.  And once you realize that in your heart of hearts, you will either be on track to attracting your perfect partner, or suddenly the relationship you are in will become your perfect relationship.

I would love to hear your stories about love and relationships, share your story of hope and love, so that others might be inspired as well.

Let’s continue the story of how I attracted and met my perfect partner, Dan. In November 2007 I was introduced to a book called The Law of Attraction, by Michael Losier. I had read dozens of books on personal development that year, but this one is really more of a workbook,
rather than just a book. There are some very specific exercises you can do, in order to send the most accurate message out into the Universe.  On November 25, 2007 I worked through the exercise to attract my ideal partner and came up with a one page summary of what I was looking for. For example, he has to live within a one hour drive (no more long distance for me), be fluently bilingual in French & English, be open to a relationship (I wasn’t interested in dating, I was training for Ironman #3), be affectionate and loving.  The following week, I recall being out running with a friend and mentioning that I was going to spend New Year’s Eve with my boyfriend.  Keep in mind that I wasn’t even dating anyone at this time, nor was there anyone in the picture!

In the meantime, the stars were lining up for Dan as well.  Dan is from Niagara Falls, and at that time, had been living in St. Catherines, working in Amherst, NY.  In the late fall of 2007, Dan was laid off from his role in the States and had to find another job as a computer programmer.  He was hired by Adflow, a local company, right here in Burlington in later October 2007.  Dan had been single for a while, taking some time for himself after a bad break-up.

Now, how did I get to Adflow to connect with Dan?  Even better story: my good friend from McMaster Sports (where I worked in university), Jenn (McNaughton) Newton found me on Facebook, in Sept 2007.  We realized that she worked just down the street from where I live and decided to have lunch one day.  Over lunch, we ended up discussing business, and one thing lead to another, and we ended up doing business together.  This was also an interesting turn of events, as I usually don’t bring up business over lunch with old friends that I haven’t seen in a while, I like to re-connect first.  Because of our business connection, I would often drop by the office to bring things to Jenn or connect on her lunch hour.

On Friday Dec 7th, 2007,  I had just finished cleaning the house (hadn’t even showered yet) and popped by to see Jenn, to lend her a copy of The Secret.  That was the day that she introduced Dan and I.  I noticed right away that he was cute and tall, but we barely exchanged more than a few sentences. She introduced us on Facebook (thanks FB, even though I’ve been cheating on you with Twitter) and I immediately saw that he had been to school in French and that he was bilingual.  I was already excited!

Dan & Julie

Our first phone call was the following Monday evening, and we spoke for over a half hour – in French. Let me tell you guys, speaking French is a GREAT way to pick up French girls!! It’s worth keeping up your highschool French. We did hit if off immediately, and set up our first date for the following Wednesday at lunch.

Stay tuned for Part III – The First Date and all of the ways that Dan is the exact man I had asked for (it’s a bit creepy, actually).

Thanks to those who commented on the last post.  Please share your true love story with us!

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