celebrating lives greatly full :: joe rios...

I was first introduced to Joe Rios in the virtual world by a mutual friend.  Mike thought Joe & I would hit it off and that our synergy could somehow lead to great things.  I had the pleasure of meeting Joe in person just last month and I am honoured and humbled at the very thought!  Joe has an authentic enthusiasm and passion for many things - and his gratitude is infectious! The two passions that stand out in his public life are running and supporting great causes. This is particularly evident in his drive to run a marathon on each of the seven continents (4 down, 3 to go) and in the creation of a growing yearly event called Run 4 a Cause (#RUN4AC). 

I'm not sure Mike knew that 2014 would be my "year of the marathon" and that I intended to use this event to raise funds for a local charity, but I can't imagine anyone better than Joe to have on my "team"!  Whether or not our connection will lead to great things or not, only time will tell.  For today, I am thrilled to share Joe's personal sharing on gratitude as the end of 2013 draws near.  I look forward to seeing what great things 2014 will bring! 

You can follow Joe's adventures on THRIVEwithjoe.com...

Instead of completing a list of New Year's resolutions, my friends and I brainstormed a word that we wanted to feel all year long.  Without a doubt, for me “INSPIRED” has been abundant and prevalent in 2013.  A buffet of warm intentions, karmic energy and contagious enthusiasm was present at the table throughout this year’s races, travel, fitness classes, presentations, conversations and new challenges.

 

The result: feeling driven, motivated, and wanting to do more! 

The inspiration was magnified & elevated by those who I decided to surround myself with in these activities. Travelling this week with my family in the Hawaiian islands I learned a powerful word: OHANA, defined by the Hawaiians that we are all part of an extended family. My OHANA are genuine individuals that believe in my passions, push me to step outside my boundaries and champion me to succeed. The more this occurs, the more I am energized to do the same in return and hence creating a magical support system.

We all need one and I'm forever GRATEFUL for mine: GGT, Goodlife, Lemons, Team D, family & friends! The phenomenal part of my support system is that it's growing organically & effortlessly.

the gratitude project assignment :: dylan...

Our ongoing series of essays from Grade 8 students from Broadview Public School here in Ottawa.  I had the pleasure of meeting with Ms. Viner and Ms. Krochmalnek's classes just before our Canadian Thanksgiving, to talk to them about *the gratitude project: dare to be grateful*. (Read more about that here.) Students were then given an assignment to interview a friend or family member about what they were grateful for, and to submit a short essay based on that interview.   I will be publishing a selection of these essays here on the blog over the next couple of weeks.  You will want to read these.  Seriously. These kids rock.

(Read Julia's essay here, Minseong and Judy's essays here and O'Dane and Evan's essays here.)

Now, let's see what Dylan learned on his assignment...

Interviewer:  Dylan

Interviewee: Steacy

Brief Biography:

My Mom is very close to me and we have had lots of experiences together. From some of these experiences, I've noticed that she has to make a lot of tough decisions like when she decided to go to teachers college and become a teacher even though she would have to work much more often. I thought about it and I knew that she had to have made some decisions that she’s really grateful for. That is why I chose my Mom for this project.

Question:

What decision are you most grateful for?

 
1.      My Mom's first decision that she is really grateful for is her decision to join the purification challenge when she was young. This was a group of kids that had to run a certain amount of distance every week. By doing this challenge, my Mom figured out that she was a good runner and she joined cross country and had a lot of fun. She stills enjoys running now and it is one of the reasons she can stay fit.

2.      Another decision that my Mom is grateful for is her decision to work when she was in university. She is grateful for this decision because this helped her pay for school. She is also grateful for this because it helped her organize herself so she wouldn't just party with her friends every night.

3.      The last decision that my Mom is really grateful for is her decision to go to Europe with her sister for 2 weeks in 2010. My Mom is grateful for that decision because even though she was away from her family for 2 weeks and it cost a lot of money, she was really glad because it was very interesting seeing all the foreign countries and exploring the world.  She also had a lot of fun.

Conclusion:

Upon reflection, I think that my Mom was really thinking deeply about my questions and taking them seriously.  My Mom wasn't very resistive of my questions and answered them without any pushing. I think that my Mom was running out of answers by the last example but I do think she was grateful for the decision.

 

I can connect with her first decision, since my soccer team has to run 3 kilometres every practice for the past 2 years. This I am grateful for because now my dad, Mom and I go for after dinner runs sometimes for fun.  If I hadn't been running, I wouldn't have learned to enjoy it and would be missing the great family talks we have on our runs.

celebrating lives greatly full :: ray zahab...

Ray Zahab is one of these guys that you meet, and you hear his story and you think to yourself: "But... he seems so ordinary, like me - and yet, what he is doing is extraordinary!"  And he gives you permission to believe that YOU TOO can do the extraordinary. 

Following his pivotal experience of running 7500km across the Sahara Desert in 2006 (an achievement featured in the documentary: Running the Sahara), Ray founded impossible2Possible (i2P)in order to Inspire, Educate and Empower youth to make positive change in the world. 

 

I am thrilled that Ray took the time from his extremely busy schedule to respond to my invitation to participate in *the gratitude project: dare to be grateful*.  (In fact, he sent his responses from Rome, Italy, where he was delivering yet another inspirational talk at a TED Conference.)  Thanks so much Ray!

  

What PERSONAL QUALITY are you most grateful for, and why?
 

I am grateful for the willingness to continue learning - for the desire to learn from others and their experiences!

What FAILURE are you most grateful for, and why?
 

I am most grateful to have DNF'ed at a major ultramarathon many years ago. It taught me not to underestimate a challenge - not to think for one minute that I have everything figured out! 

What LIFE EXPERIENCE are you most grateful for, and why?
 

I am most grateful for two things. 1. meeting my wife. 2. Running 7500km across the Sahara and learning that we totally underestimate what we as humans are capable of. We all have the capacity to do amazing things in our lives... and never stop learning in the process.

celebrating lives greatly full :: kathrine v. switzer

K. V. Switzer (l.) and yours truly (r.)!

I am BEYOND excited to present today's grateful guest blogger - the amazing Kathrine V. Switzer. I first met Kathrine in 2010 at The Great Raisin River Footrace in Williamstown, Ontario.  She and her husband Roger Robinson were guests of honour at this delightfully small and intimate race.  This past August, they returned and my friends & I had the opportunity to spend even more quality time with them both.  At dinner, I gathered my courage, took a deep breath and told Kathrine about *the gratitude project: dare to be grateful*.  I suspected the message of gratitude might resonate with her and hoped she would be willing to consider my invitation to participate in this Sunday series. My heart did a little happy dance at the sound of her enthusiastic "yes"!

That history-making day in Boston in 1967 changed Kathrine Switzer's life... and it lead to changes in the lives of millions of women around the world.  (It still boggles the mind that, in my lifetime, women were not allowed to run marathons!) Today, her impact reaches well beyond the world of running.  And yet, with all that greatness and life experience to choose from, her sharing on gratitude tells of her humility. Of her values. Of who she is when the spotlight turns away. 



And that is what inspires me the most.

Thank you, Kathrine.  Here's to the next chapter: for you, the Story of 261-Fearless... and for me, my first marathon in 2014.

Yes, the marathon awaits.

 

 

 

 

 

What am I most grateful for?

I think most people would be surprised and how I, a history-making marathon runner, would answer this question.  For sure, I am grateful for excellent health, good running, a great family, wonderful friends and a dynamic life, even if it is, at times, over-stressful.  And I am extremely grateful that I was able to experience an unsettling and negative thing early in my life—when the race director of the Boston Marathon physically attacked me mid-stride in the 1967 competition and tried to throw me out of the race because I was a girl (the Boston Marathon was a men’s only event then)—and instead turn it into a positive force that has changed women’s lives everywhere.

However, all of those things would not feel so wonderful and so complete without the love I have for, and receive back from, my husband Roger.  I know, because I was married twice before. I had given up on thinking an egalitarian kind of love was possible.  I wasn’t sure when Roger and I agreed to marry, either, but I decided to give myself over to the total risk of love, to completely abandon myself to it.  As it turns out, that is what it takes.  It was hugely scary, like throwing yourself off a cliff.  And it worked. In our marriage, we strive for a lack of dominance. We try very hard to make things equal; not only in terms of money or household tasks, but in supporting and taking each other’s work and emotions seriously. I think in 25 years of marriage, we’ve had maybe two arguments! Every day the love grows.  I definitely am most grateful for this amazing love; it is the hub around which my life revolves.

Kathrine Switzer