The Mistakes We Make in Life || Port Alberni, Tofino & Ucluelet Investment Advisor

What was the biggest mistake you ever made?  Everyone makes mistakes.  There’s nothing wrong in admitting we’ve made a mistake.  All human beings make mistakes – from the time we are born, through adult hood and even into our senior years.  George Bernard Shaw said that “a life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” 

When we make a mistake is helps us discover who we are.  We learn about ourselves, our strengths, our weaknesses, our capabilities and our limits.  Our mistakes help us to become more compassionate and more tolerant of others.  Making mistakes teaches us valuable lessons in life.  We can learn a lot from the mistakes we’ve made.  When we realize that it is the lesson learned that is important, we begin to lose our fear of making mistakes.

Making mistakes also teaches us how to forgive.  Every time you make a mistake, you learn to forgive yourself and people around you.  It helps you understand that nobody, including yourself, is perfect.

When we embrace our mistakes and learn from them, we let go of our fears and allow ourselves to really experience life to its fullest.  We are less likely to experience regret because we are not afraid to try something new or different.  Our greatest achievements in life come at the result of making mistakes along the way.  Our mistakes have helped us to grow and evolve and develop as a human being.  We begin to gain confidence and courage every time we make a mistake and bounce back with new ideas and new methods for doing things.   Our mistakes can lead us to happiness because when we persevere and continue to try, we can experience success.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”  Albert Einstein

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” Mahatma Gandhi

Some of the greatest inventions in the world came about as the result of mistakes. Thomas Edison failed more than ten thousand times before he developed the light bulb.  Just think what our world would be like if he had given up and never invented the light bulb.  Here are some de-lightful photos of this incredible invention, which has become an important part of our daily lives all over the world.

Photos by Stirling Images Photography

Favourite Moment of the Day || Port Alberni, Tofino & Ucluelet Investment Advisor

What is your favourite moment of your day?  Do you have one?  Is it those few peaceful moments in the morning when you savour the warmth and flavour of a cup of coffee?  Or perhaps it’s when you spend some time curled up with a good book.  Many parents will say they love those tender moments spent with children at bed time, reading stories, cuddling and sharing the warmth of their love.  While there are those that treasure the quiet and peaceful moments of their day, either alone or with loved ones, some will say the best moments are the ones that are full with activity.  Treasured moments may come with a shared meal with family or friends, with laughter and conversation providing the highlight in their day.  Others may say the best moment of their day was spent high on a mountaintop after an arduous hike to get there.  We are all different, and our treasured moments are defined by what interests us and what gives us joy.  And an activity that gives us joy one day, may be replaced by another activity on another day.  Regardless of the specific activity that becomes your favourite moment of the day,  it is the joy and sense of contentment you acquire as a result of that activity that’s important.  When we are relaxed and enjoying an activity, it is then that we feel at one with ourselves and the world around us.  All is well and good, and it makes us feel content.  There are many times, however, when our daily routine becomes rushed and frantic with work and other obligations.  It is even more important on these types of days to reflect upon the one or two moments where you felt some contentment.  It might even be the moment you lay your head on your pillow at the end of a busy day.  The point is we must be thankful for the few moments that give us that sense of contentment.  Life is fleeting.  If we can get ourselves into the habit of taking a few moments out of each day, to reflect, to savour a quiet moment, and feel at peace with ourselves and our world, it is then that we really begin to feel thankful and blessed for our life and all that we have. 

Here are some photos to help you think about what your favourite moment of the day might be.

Photos by Stirling Images Photography

What is a GOOD Mentor? || Port Alberni, Ucluelet, Tofino Investment Advisor

As an investment advisor working in Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino, it is the relationships I develop with my clients, my family, my friends and people in my community that at the top of the list of important components of my job.  I believe that my role as an investment advisor can be compared to that of a mentor; someone who genuinely cares about guiding and helping others to succeed in some aspect of their life.  Having said that, I’d like touch on what I believe it means to be a good mentor. 
 

Being a mentor doesn’t require any special skills, but a good mentor is a person who provides a good role model.  I’ve made my own list of qualities that I feel are important to be a good mentor, and here is my own personal guide, by which I strive to live up to. 

Mentors are:

• good listeners, maintaining eye contact and giving their mentees their full and undivided attention
• able to guide and help their mentees find their own life direction
• practical and can give insight about setting objectives, goals and priorities
• able to share knowledge and educate about life and their own careers
• insightful, guiding their mentees to make good decisions to help them avoid making mistakes
• accessible to their mentees
• able to offer constructive criticism, focusing on the mentee’s actions, never their character
• empathetic, supportive and encouraging
• specific in their advice
• genuinely concerned and care about their mentee’s progress and personal development
• able to guide their mentee towards their own success
• well respected in their professional and community and demonstrate integrity and honesty with all their relationships

The relationship between a good mentor and mentee is a very rewarding one.  Both parties benefit from a positive interaction that is mutually satisfying and beneficial.  The mentor’s reward is attaining a sense of accomplishment,  knowing that they helped the mentee achieve their reward, the right path to success. 

As you look back upon your life, was there someone who mentored or coached you along the way?  Did they make a huge difference to you and your life?  Our path in life is selected as a result of our actions and decisions, which in turn have been influenced by someone who inspired us, or mentored us, along the way.  Which path did you, or will you, choose and who helped you along the way?

Photos by Stirling Images Photography