12 Things Happy People do Differently

Found this beaut on a friend's Facebook Page (Ps, she makes the best damn Munchie Mix in town):

And a happy early morning to you all. #13 is drink tea forever. Must've got cut off.

I like #8. I think I'm going to try more of that. See anything on here you could work on?

Then do it, for lamb's sake. And tell me about it. There's a comment section. And you don't even have to put in the annoying "type out this word you can barely read" thing[read: bullshit]

LOVE YOU. (Might be too early for these emotions, but I feel them.)

Movember Doers of the Month: All my Mo Bros and Mo Sistas!

November is almost over... but I have some great doers for you: All the people across Canada, and the world, taking park in Movember this year.

 (Picture from the Movember website)

Hats off and tiny combs out to you lovely, lovely men (and the ladies raising awareness and giving support).

In case you don't know:

"During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in Canada and around the world. With their “Mo’s”, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and male mental health initiatives."      From movember.com

As a moustache sporting bro, you can sign up on Movember's website, and collect donations that go to raising awareness for men's health initiatives.

It's something that most people agree on: It's about time. Sure, it's a stereotype to say that men don't talk about their health, or men hate admitting something is wrong, but you have to admit it's never been talked about on this scale.

The initiatives go from your neighbour asking for loonies, to sports channels and  hockey equipment manufacturers teaming up to raise funds:

And the fundraising is working!

Ask around. You definitely know someone who is participating. Hell, you probably know 8.

You've got  four days left, you lumberjack angels, you hipster lovelies, you greazy animals. GROW THOSE MOS!

Donate. Get involved. Learn something new.

And next time you see a guy with a greazy stache, don't cringe. Fundraising is sexy. Am I right, ladies?

I am.

New Video from Heaviside, the April 2012 Doers of the Month!

The boys are back! I wrote about Heaviside in April and they are at it again. 

They debuted their newest video, Lady, just the other day. 

Check it out here:

I think it is both hilarious and awesome. Good work, boys!

October Doer of the Month: Sereena Gayton, Figure Competitor (and old friend)

The Ultimate in healthy living and work-out lifestyle: the Figure Competitor. 

You see them on the television and in your mind's imagination. But there are a few misconceptions about our strong, healthy friends: 

Legit.
(From Body Building Dedication's Facebook page)

Sereena and I grew up in a small town together, and saw a lot of each other until high school when we ended up in different schools. Which in small towns counts as different countries. 

I remember her as a fun, hilarious girl with a shy streak. But I also remember her as being self-deprecating and often negative about her own, awesome self. 

Sereena in 2008. Halloween time, I presume.

It wasn't that weird. We were teenage girls. We grew up in this environment now known as toxic in which images of sexed-up women and made-up girls bombarded our every day. We were supposed to be funny and smart and cute and hot and sexy, but not too sexy, and witty and, well, none of us were. Because we were girls, and that's ok. 

Point is, we had self-esteem issues, just like everybody else. But what was unlike everyone else, was that Sereena's seemed to have stuck in a bad way.  

Until one day, as Sereena recalls: 

"My body was a mess; my doctor was concerned about high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, my BMI and waist circumference was nowhere near healthy standards. What I believe was the most important was that I had a horrible body image, I had zero self-esteem, I wasn't happy with what I saw. How can you live your life, be happy with other people and build positive relationships with other people when you are depressed with yourself and know that you can be a much better person?"

In January of 2011 Sereena sought the guidance of health and muscle building guru Steve Poynter, owner of www.fitnesspoynters.com. From the Fitness Poynters website:

"Over the years, I went from 130 lbs of skin and bones to 167 lbs at 3.9% bodyfat. I have bulked up to 208 lbs and cut back down to 178 lbs at 4% bodyfat. I learned how to do all of this through lots of research, and trial and error. I lived it." -- Steve Poynter (Love this guy.)

After his own transformation, Steve had a passion to help people around the world get it together. 

Funny how they had the opposite road to travel but the same destination, and yet, Sereena and Steve worked together quite swimmingly. Sereena bought a personalized program to help her shed the pounds she was tired of carrying.

"Fast forward 3 months," tells Sereena, "I'm down 20 pounds and an insane amount of inches ... losing this weight and seeing these amazing changes in my body, I wanted more. This is when the idea of a figure competition came into mind."

Sereena recalls (as do I) seeing her mother's figure magazines around the house as a kid. She always admired them, but she still had many inhibitions. She felt not good enough, that she'd need more muscle, less fat, more confidence, less shyness. Her self-esteem was still a huge factor in her life. "There was so many reasons that I "couldn't" do it."

But, like the Doer that she is, she stuck with it. She continued working with Steve, and in August 2011 Sereena did a photo shoot to track her progress. I remember the day they went up on Facebook. It was like seeing a whole other person, and I was overly thrilled to see my old friend changing in such a positive way. 

...Wow-ow!

The shoot inspired something in Sereena. She decided to do a competition and set a goal of June 2012. She started packing on the muscle, but when her close friends got engaged, they set the date for the day of the competition. 

Bros and hoes before rips and curls, I suppose. 

It turned out to be a positive hurtle, as it gave Sereena more time to prepare. 

And that she did! As her confidence soared and her abilities excelled, Sereena prepped herself more and more and amped herself up enough to sign up again for a competition. 

When I asked Sereena to write about her experience, one thing she said was this: 

"I'll never know what I can become if I keep second guessing myself." 

And so, with that, she stopped the negative BS and started the positive thinking. And on Saturday, October 6th, Sereena Gayton will be taking part in her very first fitness competition at the Winspear Centre in Edmonton.

One of my favourite things about Sereena's tranformation is not her stellar, hot bod, or her seriously good looking photos, or her legs, or thighs... I digress. What I LOVED about Sereena's tranformation was her rampant positivity. Here are some examples of things she now posts on Facebook (literally stolen from her page):

They can be so easy to build but so hard to knock down.

This actual picture scared the shit out of me.

I just... I just can't not love this.

After 21 months of preparation, she's learned a thing or two. Like the real and honest fact that just having the option of trying this is a blessing, "I'm thankful that I am able to do this; and I wake up every morning and tell myself that."

"Completing this challenge means so much to me but I can't quite explain what it is, maybe one day I will be able to put it into words, but for now it will stay in my heart." 

 Some final thoughts from Sereena as she takes this huge, amazing step into her future: 

"Take it one step at a time, and one day you will make it to where you want to be. Where I want to be is on that stage to showcase the work I put into myself. Contest prep was only 12 weeks, but it still took me almost two years to realize where I really wanted to be and what I really wanted to be doing. 

"Work hard, research, ask lots of questions, learn from others, remember what you are working towards and I promise you will get there."

Sereena, you've inspired me since the day I saw those pictures. We can all achieve our goals, even if we don't know exactly what they are yet, as long as we have the willingness to give it a try. 

So, what can you expect from a Fitness Competition? I'll let a professional tell you (Pssst, it's Sereena):

"A competition has several categories, bikini, fitness, figure, bodybuilding, physique. Each category has different expectations for the athlete including their physique, routines and posing. 

"I'm doing figure, which includes a physique assessment of the overall athletic appearance, grooming; hair and facial beauty; development of muscle, having a proportionate body; the condition of the skin and skin tone and athlete's ability to present herself with confidence, poise and grace. 

"Basically you should be the total package." 

And my dear, you are. 

(Some photos removed August 06 2014 as requested)

Thoughts on today.

If you really want to do it, you will. You’ll talk to that boy, or that girl. You’ll go to the gym. You’ll eat healthy food. You’ll buy clothes that fit you and make you feel cute or sexy or attractive or comfortable or whatever it is you want to do. You'll get rid of those negative relationships or thoughts or actions.

Wait. That's the wrong way to put it.

All of these things are hard to do, on some level. Especially when you’re making a decision to do one of these things for the first time. But why do we have this disconnect between how we see ourselves in the future, how we want to be, and being that person?

Because the first list are actions. Not goals. These actions lead to goals. But maybe it’s because we’re simple humans, or maybe it’s because we’re complex [read: busy], so we have trouble connecting the ideas with the goals. We have trouble completing the actions necessary to reach our goals. Or, rather, starting the actions.

For example, you think, I want to write a book. Ok! Yay! I've decided what to do!

Now, do it... But it's not one action, it's many. And keeping motivated and on track throughout those many many many many actions is hard. 

But I truly believe that if you really want to do it, you will. So the solution to welding together that missing link?

Want it. Want it badly. Want it with every thought and every word and every action. Want your future to be strong, want it to be different, want it to be perfect in your own sense, want it to be healthy and smart and horribly adventurous.

If that's what you want, of course.

Also, don’t be lazy and quit making excuses that you and I both know are bollocks.


Ps, my October Doer of the Month will be coming early this month! Look for it tomorrow! 

September Doer of the Month: Jim Ryun

Making good habits starts with making good habits. The best time to make these new habits are in times of change. Like moving, for example. Or starting a new job. Or even getting a new car. Luckily, I'm in that tri-fecta right now.

I pulled up to the condo the other night after work and thought, Oh I can't do my fancy turnaround trick to park backwards because the stall across from me is taken. Guess I'll park like normal. 

Then it struck me: This is my life for right now. I park here, I live here, I work there, I drive this road, I go to this Booster Juice, I eat this food, I do this workout routine, I write these blog posts, I watch these TV shows, I bike these paths.

It's hard to realize you're making habits when everything around you is changing, but that's why it's the best time to make the right habits, because you hardly even notice! I wish that was all I had to say on the topic. But...

It's also a cesspit of bad habits, I've found.

I was looking online for a funny quote on the subject and instead all I found was this inspirational one: 

 "Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." 

-Jim Ryan

Looks like a doer to me. And a politician. Don't they all just look the same to you?

I googled him to make sure I wasn't going to be quoting some psycho killer whose goals were being psycho and killing. And, to my unshocked self, this guy has achieved things, oh my goodness. 

He's an American, who was a Member of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas. You who know me know that I'm not big on politicians, or politics for that matter, but he seems like a real decent person. 

He also ran track. Like, real well: "[Ryan] received Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award, as well as the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete, the ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year, and was voted Track & Field News' Athlete of the Year as the world’s best track & field athlete. Ironically, Ryun did all of this before he was permitted to run for the school he attended, University of Kansas, since NCAA rules at the time did not allow freshmen to compete in NCAA competition." (From Jim Ryan's Wikipedia entry.)

There you go, folks. Even though what he was doing didn't even count for anything at the college he was attending, he went for it. Because it just didn't count yet. And he also got a Silver Olympic Medal in 1968 in Mexico City for the 1500 meter. No sweat. And being called the world's best anything is good in my books. Except that psycho killer talk from earlier.

You never know what life is going to throw at you, so you might as well be prepared for the day it actually throws something you want right at your face. 

So be motivated in order to get going, and create good habits in order to keep going, as Ryan pointed out in his unfunny quote, above.

What he was doing at the University was getting a photojournalism degree. Freakin' cool. 

And then: "Before being elected to the House of Representatives in 1996, Ryun had operated Jim Ryun Sports, a company that ran sports camps, and worked as a motivational speaker at meetings of corporations and Christian groups around the country. Among his projects, Ryun, who has a 50% hearing loss, helped the ReSound Hearing Aid Company develop a program called Sounds of Success, aimed at helping children with hearing loss." 

This is all BEFORE he started running in elections. Which he won. Cause he's a go-getter. 

I don't agree with his policies or decisions as a political leader, but he did. And that's what matters. He believed in himself and made his life happen. And I'm assuming he can't complain about much. 

Even with a 50% hearing loss, which I know would be enough for some people to give up on a lot of things, he made it a part of his life and his charity.

Jim Ryan went through a lot of changes in his life. From going to University, opening his own business, running competitively, running in elections and moving around the country. And yet, each and every time, he came out successful. He had goals and he achieved them.

I'm willing to bet there were some downfalls. You can't win 'em all. But people don't put that on Wikipedia. Except that he did lose a couple of elections later on. By 4% and later by 2%. Nothing to be ashamed about.

Good on you, Jim Ryan. You're my September Doer of the Month, because I'm going through a lot of changes right now, and before I get all settled, I want to focus on having good habits to settle into, not bad ones. And you reminded me that in order to have good habits, I need good motivation. 

Focus on the big goals in order to get through the little ones. 

So I'm back and I have something to say.

Hey, listen, people take the summer off all the time. I didn't or anything, I mean I've been working and all, but the blog took a backseat. And that backseat fell out of the back hatch and careened into a ditch somewhere in an isolated area that for some reason I couldn't get back to. I think there was an avalanche there or something.

Anyways, I went through the wreckage, found my little buddy [read: The Advantage], put it front and centre and got a seat belt clicked in around him. Drive safe, I always say.

My point is, I'm not going to be apologizing, or making excuses, because that, people, is what we call living in the past. I'm just going to get back to it.

I have some great posts planned for the next month! Keep an eye out.

So, as per the Advantage of Doing, what have I been doing, you ask?

After I got back from Greece and Turkey I started doing temp work, a great way to make money but not commitments, then moved onto a serving job at the end of August. It's at a great Italian place that I will not give you the name of until I'm any good at serving, and everyone is real nice. Food is killer.

I've been exercising! As part of my save money plan, I moved in with my brother. He has a condo with an extra room (and my own freaking bathroom) and he's being the great, wonderful, caring person that he is and putting me up for much less rent than I had been paying. Anyways, he's been showing me some great exercise routines I can do right here in the condo, which are a great add on to my walking and biking outings. Imma be rippppped. Watch out.

My eating well has been quite steady. It's something I falter on sometimes, but only when I forget that in order to do something, you must do it. So: To eat healthy you must eat healthy. Not: To eat healthy you must indulge vigorously then come back to your plan. That's not how it works. For me anyways.


And I've been enjoying the hell out of summer. It's been real nice here in the City of Champs and afternoon visits to Hawrelak, campfires at my friends place, music festivities, beers on patios and visits from old and new friends have been frequent and welcomed.

Sasquatch in June. Also welcomed.

Hey, if you have questions for me, or think I'm slacking, or want me to write about anything in particular: Message me. Here, there, anywhere. On Twitter (and instagram) @carrie_okee isn't a half bad way to do it.

Dolla dolla bills ya'll

So. I've been trying [read: ripping my hair out in frustration] to make a post using pictures from my trip. But alas, Blogger seems to be failing me in the "this is easy!" department. So you'll have to wait until I have the patience to try again. For the 8th time. I don't want to talk about it.

So let's talk about me! And the Advantage. So how it should always start, the Advantage of Doing I mean, is with what you want to do. What do you want to accomplish? What is your goal, dream, desire?

Figure that out and you're halfway there. Now:

Do it. Make it happen. What do you need to succeed? What makes your goal feasible and reasonable and attainable? What I've noticed a lot of the time, other than your number one necessity (pure belief in yourself and your AMAZING goal): you need money. Ew, gross, I know.

My goal #18: Travel again very soon (details to come). And so I was job hunting the first few weeks of June when I got back. Obviously, my most awesome job opportunity would be writing somewhere full time. But obviously those are hard to come by. So, I found an awesome landscaping job... -ish. I get driven out every morning to a site (farmer's field) where there are test canola plots. They need to be hand weeded. So that's what I do. Except today. Because the rain is treacherous.

ALSO, I got asked to be a runner for Boonstock last weekend. IT WAS AWESOME. I got paid cash to drive rockstars and DJs around from airport to hotel to site and so forth. I was the night driver. So I slept all day, worked all night. The switch back to being up for morning weeding was interesting, but I made it.

And ALSO, last but by far not the least, I am working for FinalEyes Communications (www.final-eyes.com) as a Social Media Planner and Executioner. I might figure out a way to reword that...

Anyways, it's so much fuuun! I get to write the company's tweets and facebook posts and we are going to be working on a blog in the near future. I love it. It's by far the best job I ever had, even though the hours are short and scattered. I figure if I can get a few more accounts like that, I'll be set.

So, three jobs in and I'm feeling alright. I am looking for a more permanent full time position. Specifically one that allows me to be paid even though it's raining...

I really believe that doing something you love will make you richer than any job that's big on pay, bore and settling for it. But that's a career, not a job. My career is writing, and I am glad to say I am starting in a place that feels good to me. My jobs are this and that and the other thing and they suit me just fine.

I would also like to extend a deep, hearty thank you for waiting for me! I got so caught up in trying to get that one post up that I forgot that I wasn't actually posting anything. So look out, internets, I'm back in business.

I'm Back!

Wow. Sitting here, in front of the proverbial blank page, I have so much to write about. But it's almost like too many people trying to get through one entrance. It ends up clogged and no one can get through.

Sometime I feel like my life is like that. I want to do and try so many things, and so sometimes I end up doing nothing for fear of missing out on something.

Now that that's down on slate, it seems silly. Is anyone picking up what I'm laying down?

Anyways, I am going to pick some topics for you! My trip, is one.

I am SO GLAD I went. It was with Free and Easy Travel, so I was with a group of 25 people. The company is Alberta based, so all the people were from Canada, most from Western Canada, and a few from Edmonton! It's cool that after spending 23 days with these people, who I bonded profusely with, you never really have to say goodbye. I know I'll see them around.

I definitely made best friends. Legit.

My trip was: Greece: Athens --> Ios --> Santorini --> Rhodos --> Turkey: Kusadasi --> Oludinez --> Istanbul


Photos to come, stories to add.

Great Wisdom

I can't do this all myself, you know. I need some help sometimes. Just like the next guy:

READ ME: I'm about how to write like a pro.

So check this guy out, Colin Nissan, he's hilarious and he's right.(Thanks to Linda B. for the link!)

I'm leaving on my trip tomorrow at 3pm!

I cannot and will not guarantee blog posts while I'm gone, but I hope to at least give some pictures and some updates.

Keep looking back! See ya'll in June!

Heaviside - April Doers of the Month

 

"WASTED GENERATION will be available for the first time ever on May 25th at the Pawn Shop on Whyte Ave. in Edmonton,"  

from their website: www.heaviside.ca 

Heaviside is a local Edmonton rock band. I've seen them live a number of times at the Starlite Room and Brixx. When they asked me to review their newest CD, I was pretty stoked. Seeing a band live is SO different than listening to a recorded album.

And usually, for me, it's the other way around. Learning to love a band through their albums, then seeing them live.


First off, go see these guys live. If you like this album, you'll love them live. The voice of the lead singer  is phenomenally stretched beyond a normal human being's range. Wasted Generation captures it well, but hearing it live is whole other experience.

Secondly, what a well mastered album. You guys must have had to deal with some assholes before getting someone this good!

Third, the tracks:

I think my favourite is Eva. It's super catchy, and I always find myself dancing around my living room when I listen to it. And I hear it's about the drummer's girlfriend? Enticing.

My hidden super favourite is Bring It On. It's loud and says, "I'm in your face and I'm not getting out of it til I get what I want." It makes me feel very powerful and very Zen at the same time. I can't explain it. 

Air guitar? Sure! Best one to rock out to is Queen For A Day, definitely. The riffs that you hear throughout the album combine here to make a super track worthy of air anything, really. Air drums, air bass, air bottle blowing. Whatever tickles your fancy, really.

As a whole, the album is a great listen. Something I could imagine people having good sex to. Something I want in this world. It's wholesome rock. There's no gimmicks, no cheese, no flair. Just a great voice with great musicians playing rock music.

This is why these guys are my April Doers of the Month! They've been working together for years and they've put some damn hard work into completing this album. Congratulations, guys! Well deserved props.

Check them out at the Pawn Shop on May 25th for their release!
(DO IT, cause I won't be here, and I wanna hear about it!)

On Voting

I hope you did.

The Advantage: Change in the City of Springtime

This time of year is historically [read: 'istorically] a time of change.

From students finishing exams and moving onto summer co-ops and drunken stupors, to the very weather we exist in changing from cold to warm, frozen to soggy.

So, why shouldn't it be my time to basically change everything in my life?

As you know, I leave in a week on my big trip! I am very excited.

My last day of work is this Friday. I have VERY bittersweet feelings about it. It is going to be sad and hard to leave, to be completely honest with you (and myself, I guess). I adore the people I work with, and we had a marvelous time at a going away dinner for me last night.

Nothing too special happened, but I think that was best. It was nice to all just hang out, chit chat about our lives and move on.

It's hard changing. I've done it a lot in my life. I've moved from my small home town to the big city, the big city to the big world and back again, and now who knows, really. I've freed myself of any hangups, responsibilities and tie-downs.

Traveling, of course, alters ones state of mind. It frees the soul, I believe, to think what it wants to think.

I have a lot of decisions to make before my arrival home. I'll try not to rush them. Like I said, change is hard.

Relating this to the Advantage of Doing isn't too difficult. I mean, change means a lot of work. A lot of thinking,  a lot of doing. the difficult part is doing it. But, lucky for me, since I'll be unemployed when I get back and all, it's sort of forced on me. Easy shmeasy.

On a lighter note, see what I did there with that top picture?

One month til my Biiiirthdaaaaay

At which point I will be in Greece. Enjoying all sorts of things. Culture, ruins, history...

I am so stoked about my trip. I am done work in 16 days, then I'm off! With two amazing friends and a group of about 30 probably amazing people. I don't know. I can't be sure. But I assume.

Also, I'm trying not to look too far ahead. I mean, I need to plan. Cause I've got a life to live when I get back, but at the same time, it's a hard to thing to do. It's almost two months away.

When I do bring this up around people, they all start clambering on the "Let's Get Carrie a Job" Train. Which I more than appreciate, don't get me wrong! However, it's a bit alarming. I start wondering, would I want that job? Would I enjoy it there? Is that even something I'd want to do in the mean time?

My ultimate plan is to be freelance writing full time out of my home. But until then I need to eat and live and things. And there is a reason I am not going back to my current job after I get back from my trip, as much as they want me. I want something I can call rewarding, fun, worth it. I want somewhere that helps other people and cares about things like the Earth. Something that I am proud to be a part of.

Or lounge singing. I'd love to be a lounge singer.

Well, I may not have a job, and I may no longer have a vehicle (a story for another day) but it's my birthday a month from today. And that's what matters.

Have I ever told you how much I hate deciding what to do with my life?

Another blog post about The Hunger Games

Yup, everyone has written about it. (Like Kristen and Beth) Everyone knows it's awesome. Everyone has read, seen or vowed to never read or see The Hunger Games and its counterparts. Just read them. Seriously. It's hip to be cool.

Also, it leads to cool collaborations like this:

 

This is Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars (whom I'm going to see at Sasquatch!) 

And I love this song. It's eery and weird like the books. Leaves you feeling all heeby jeeby like the movie. 

Having said that, I had to sit front row at the movie theatre the other day in order to watch said movie. Eff that noise. 

What does this have to do with the Advantage of Doing? Suzanne Collins wrote these books, accepted these movie contracts and inspired a whackload of artists to make songs. The Arcade Fire one is swell, too:

 

 I digress. READ THESE BOOKS SO WE CAN HAVE TEA AND TALK ABOUT THEM.

Thanks a shit ton. 

Of Course It's Snowing

It's just the end of March, and it's just been the mildest winter ever, anywhere, and I just wanted to spend some time outside today, so of course it's snowing.

I know it's futile to ask the weather to cooperate, and it is, honestly, stupid to ask it to level out. Especially in Edmonton. I know it, you know it, the birds and the bees know it: The weather here is unpredictable. Like a crazy person who doesn't know exactly what they're doing and one minute they're just buying a hot coffee, next they're pouring it down their own pants, next they're yelling at traffic in jibberish, next they're wondering why they're in the middle of Jasper Ave with a coffee crotch.

The point is, the weather is crazy and there is no way to institutionalize it. So we just have to deal. And deal I shall. I have the day off you see, so I plan on writing lots! I'm working on an outline for a book I plan on writing, and I'm working on some copy for a website! (A real job, if you will!)

I do have about a bajillion other things to do AKA I cleaned out my closet, but sort of left off when it was all scattered across my room and still haven't come back to it. And on that note, I have a backpack, for my trip! I borrowed it from my aunt. It's super cute, a dusty navy blue with a big Canadian Flag patch on it, but it's kind of small... I'm currently working on seeing if I need a bigger one. I'm going to pack it and see.

I'm desperately hoping this doesn't trigger any emotions that will cause me to jump on a plane and leave everything behind, including this crazy weather.

I'll keep you posted.