Lifestyle Dreams || Port Alberni Investment Advisor

What is the lifestyle of your dreams?  Living in the Alberni Valley, we are fortunate to be able to enjoy many leisure opportunities.  We have clear air, clean water, green forests, rugged mountains and beautiful scenery.  Because we have quick access to water, with the Alberni Inlet, Sproat Lake and Great Central Lake close by, it’s easy for most people to enjoy fishing, water sports or boating.  The trick for many people, however, is finding the time, or more time, to enjoy these things.  We often feel we have to work harder to be able to reach our goals.  Too many people work long days and weeks, without finding enough time to do the things they enjoy doing, to relax and do something for fun.  But we all need to remember that it’s very important to make time for “play”.   It's often difficult to get time away from the job, but without meaningful leisure time, we burn out quickly and are less able to cope with the demands of our daily lives.  When we can make time to immerse ourselves in a leisure activity that we really enjoy, we are relaxing and rejuvenating our body, mind and spirit.  Think about the word “recreation”.  When we participate in recreational activities, we are “re-creating” ourselves.  We only have one life to live.  We must live it to the fullest.  Work hard – play hard.  In the words of  Emily Dickinson, “That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet”.  Life is short.  Get inspired.  Get organized.  Plan ahead so that you can get going and enjoy all that life has to offer. If you plan well now, you can have more free time in the future to do all that you enjoy. Here are a few photos of boats to inspire anyone who loves to be out on the water.  Enjoy!

Photos by Stirling Images Photography
(* Sailing Photos by Dein Nuber)

The 100/0 Principle || Port Alberni Investment Advisor

Have you ever noticed that when you've had a bad day, it's usually because you've had a negative interaction with another person?  Studies have shown that most of our life's satisfaction comes from having meaningful and fulfilling relationships in our lives. Conversely, most of our dissatisfaction stems from poor relationships with others. I recently came across an article that talked about the 100/0 Principle.  The theory behind this principle is that if you live by it, it will create better relationships for you, making you much happier and satisfied with your life.  How does it work?  The basic premise is that YOU, and you alone, take 100% responsibility for the relationships in your life.  Now, that does sound a bit one-sided doesn't it?!  But here's how it works.  When you adopt this complete sense of responsibility in your relationships, you are taking a stand to demonstrate 100% kindness and respect to the other people in your life, whether they deserve it or not.  That's not always easy to do, but let's continue.  Next - you must not expect anything in return! Give freely, without expecting anything back, which is not always easy to do. Thirdly, be persistent with your graciousness and kindness.  Don't give up too soon.  Remember - you have to not expect ANYTHING in return.  Here's the last step - wherein lies the paradox ..... when you take full responsibility for the relationships in your lives, adopting a kind and caring attitude, it begins to rub off on the other person, or other people in your life.  Soon they will begin mimicking your behaviour and will begin to take responsibility for themselves.  The 100/0 relationship begins to move towards a 100/100 relationship.  This principle can benefit you at home, with your family, friends, your business associates and in your community.  It's pretty simple, but think of a world where we "do unto others as we would have them do unto us" every single day.  We all want to be treated with kindness and respect.  So try this little experiment.  For the next week, adopt a 100% attitude of kindness, caring and respect to everyone you know and come across in your daily life.  Don't expect anything in return - just give freely.  Smile often.  Be kind, caring and respectful to everyone.  See what happens.  It could change your life!

Photos by Stirling Images Photography

A Dog's Unwavering Love || Port Alberni Investment Advisor

I recently visited the Port Alberni branch of the SPCA and I was reminded again that as we go about our daily lives, it’s very easy to lose sight of what is really important.  No matter what we do, whether we are at home or at work, the most important thing should be the connections we make with people (and animals) in our lives.  Your ability to connect with other people will determine your happiness and success in life – at home and in business.  Let’s stop and think for a moment about the loyalty and unwavering love a dog has for its owner.  What if we treated our family, friends and work associates the way our pet dog treats us, assuming of course that we have a friendly, loving dog.  We could learn a lot from our canine friends.  When you get home at the end of the day, your dog greets you as though you are the most important, loving person in the world.  They are happy to see you, even if you’re half an hour late.  Dogs are especially happy at meal time and never complain about having leftovers!  Dogs accept you just as you are, not for the type of job you have, the car your drive, or the clothes you wear.  Dogs can be trained, and they understand the word “no”!  Well-known dog trainer, Barbara Woodhouse says “I can train any dog in five minutes.  It’s training the owner that takes longer.”  Dogs are an important part of our culture and family life.  The next time you gaze into your dog’s eyes, think about their totally selfless, unwavering love, and strive to be just as loving and kind to your fellow man, as your dog is to you.  Here are a few dog photos to remind you just how special our furry friends are. 

Photos by Stirling Images Photography 

Our Furry Friends || Port Alberni Investment Advisor

In my previous blogs, I have written about what we need to feel that we are enjoying “the good life”.  Living stress-free is right up there as one of the most important factors that we need to feel that things are right in our life.  When thinking about ways to reduce stress in our lives, we know that physical exercise, or learning the art of meditation, are great ways to accomplish this.  But there is another way to relieve stress that we often don’t think about.  Having a good friend to talk to and spend time with is a great stress-reducer.  Human friends provide us with great social support, but let’s take a look at another type of friendship that is often overlooked – the friendship between man and his furry friends.  Research has shown that unless you are a person who really dislikes animals, or you are unable to adequately care for one properly, pets can provide us with an incredible bond of friendship that we might never otherwise experience.  They can provide us with loving and loyal friendship and companionship. Pets can improve our mood, help us to get out and exercise, help us to meet people and can help stave off loneliness.  They provide us with unconditional love!  We can learn a lot from owning a pet.  They teach us compassion and kindness.  Today, let's take a look at dogs. Have you ever noticed that your dog is always glad to see you, even when you’ve had a bad day and are in a cranky mood?!  We should stop and think about that and always strive to be as good a person as our dog thinks we are! Here are a few dog pics to get you thinking about how special they are and just how much they contribute to our lifestyle and everyday lives. 

Photos by Stirling Images Photography