Just START!

“People only got where they are from STARTING where they WERE.”
- Luke Boettger

You ever meet people and think, HOW did they get where they are, HOW did they accomplish so much. And then your next thought is, “I WANT THAT TOO.”

Well I can guarantee one thing. They only got where they are with what they have, by simply STARTING where they WERE with whatever they HAD. There was a day in time when they were probably right where you are thinking just what your thinking— but they STARTED. And that’s what propelled them to where they are today.

What is the dream, project, initiative, goal, character growth, that you’re after? Simply start. But how? Well, try making a list of practical tasks that would get you closer to the goal. And knock them off one by one!

Before a painter paints, he needs to buy the brushes, clear a space, ensure there’s good lighting, maybe do a few rough drafts— you know the drill.

I’d love to hear about what you’re going to #START today!

One day, or day one — you decide.

Ash

ATTENTION

Have you ever had one of those moments when your parents admirably share intricate nuances about who you’ve been your entire life? Ones that they perceive as charming, adorable and highly entertaining, but unbenounced to them, these things can actually be perceived as negative? 

Well the other day my boyfriend and I are talking to my mom on the phone, and Josh mentions a recent public speaking engagement I had. And my mom responds, “oh yes, Ashley loves attention.” 

To which inside I kind of cringed. But why? My mom meant this as a positive thing. 

Usually when we say someone loves attention or doesn’t mind (slash loves) the lime light, it’s usually perceived as a negative thing.  

I will admit, my mom isn’t wrong. I love attention.  I’ve often been deemed a social butterfly. I’ve always loved public speaking, performing and entertaining, and all of these things include ATTENTION.  

So okay I guess I “love attention.” But I am convinced it isn’t for a self absorbed, I need validation, kind of reason.  

I LOVE attention, because in order to truly connect with someone, inspire someone, encourage someone, motivate someone, journey with someone, make someone smile or laugh, or make a little happier... you need their ATTENTION.  

Sometimes we so quickly jump to the conclusion that extroverts or entertainer type personalities love attention for all the wrong reasons, when really they may want attention only so they have the gateway to give something away or add something to someone’s life.  

I think that’s why my mom was speaking about it proudly!  

If you want someone’s attention to see them smile, be encouraged forward in life— I say, go for it, love attention... when it’s actually not about you, but it’s actually about others.  You need people’s attention to make an impact, to be in relationships, to change the world! 

Also, maybe your thoughts are travelling to a place mine have... well what makes people think they can add anything to my life? Let’s be real— we can all add to the lives of people around us, that’s being the loving generous humans we were created to be. It has nothing to do with being self righteous but instead a loving, generous, people oriented person. 

So yes. I’m with my mom. I love attention. Because I love loving, connecting with, and encouraging people. 

Shout out to all the attention lovers! ❤️ 

Ash XO  

Staying Invested

Staying Invested.

Yesterday I experienced my first Sun Life Global Investments event since joining the team, and I have to say it was amazing. The team did an excellent job creating a memorable, educational and encouraging experience for all who attended, myself included.

Out of the entire day, there was one moment, one slide, one phrase that really stuck out to me. It was entitled, “Staying Invested”.

One of our guest speakers shared an incredibly insightful and challenging message on the benefits of staying invested, versus getting out early.

The scenario went like this…

You have an initial investment of $10,000.

You plan to have that invested for 30 years.

It is projected that at the end of 30 years, you will be at a total of $191,996.

But if you miss out on the best 5 days in the market because you got out when things got a little volatile, your total value and return goes down to $116,967. That is only missing 5 days!

Moreover, get this, if you miss the best 10 days, you are down to $76,908, the best 30 days, $23,336 and the best 50 days your value and return is down to a staggering $9,448.

You would think only missing 50 days out of 30 years wouldn’t be a big deal! But you actually miss out on over $100,000.

My point here is actually not a financial one. It is a life principal.

Staying Invested.

Whether it is family, friends, a relationship, a dream, a cause, a goal—stay invested! When things like “the market” get a little “volatile”, tiring, unknown, risky, and you are tempted to check out for what may appear to be a short-term gain, stay the course and see the long-term value.

For example, the life-long investment we make in our families is so worth it, and so beautiful. I just got back from a 5-day family get away with my parents and brother. For those of you who may not know, my parents live on one coast of the country, my brother the other, and I’m in the middle—so as a result we don’t get to see each other too often, but even so, they are among the strongest relationships I have and will ever have. Why? Long-term investment. We have been through many seasons of life together, moved across the country from each other, seen many dreams, goals, people come and go, but family has remained steadfast. I believe it is due to our unwavering commitment to, and investment in, each other.

Don’t miss the opportunity you have to stay invested in life and see the amazing value you’ll receive.

The best way to get what you do not YET have...

New seasons bring new learning's and new perspective. 

This truth has all sorts of applications. 

Like you know when winter comes, you suddenly have a new appreciation for sunshine, hot coffee, scarves, and winter sports. 

Or perhaps when summer arrives, it's the fresh air, a cool plunge into a lake, a refreshing glass of lemonade. 

Whatever season you are in, take a moment to gain some appreciate perspective of the positive provisions around you; because this season won't be forever, eventually it will pass and another will arrive. Take everything good that you can from the season you are in. 

For me, my career has recently taken a turn into the Finance Industry with SunLife Global Investments. As a part of my on-boarding I'm doing a lot of training in processes, event planning, Insurance and Investment education and branding. 

While being in the mindset of financial care, saving etc... in order to aid yourself in living your best life, I found myself at church on Sunday listening to a similar concept. 

Whether it's financial care, spiritual care, physical or emotional care, career care-- the best way to achieve what you do not YET have is to take care of (to steward well) what you DO have. That is what will propel you forward. 

"The best way to get what you do not YET have, is to take care of what you DO have." 

Ash 

VISION

Seeing clearly is important to us all, both physically and philosophically. We all crave clarity: a clear, concise, crisp vision for life. 

There is nothing worse than throwing on a pair of sunglasses or eye glasses and having scratches and smudges inhibiting a clear view of everything around you. It simply takes away from the experience of the moment, and causes frustration. 

Likewise in life, when we don't have a clear vision of what we desire our lives to look like, what we want to accomplish, and what kind of impact we want to make, it takes away from the daily joy of living and causes us frustration. 

If we were all to take inventory of our daily lives, it's interesting to note where our time is being spent, where we are making our investments. 

You see the purpose of vision, is to inform our daily behaviour so that it supports seeing that vision come to life. 

It's my goal to establish a vision for what my dream 2018 would be, what accomplishments I'd like to make, and what kind of impact I want to have. Then, I want to strive to have my daily decisions align with that vision. Every aligned decision brings that vision to life, and the opposite is true too-- every decision contrary will slow down or detract from seeing that vision realized. 

Your vision should inform your behaviour and decisions today. 

You want to be fit, go to the gym, eat well. 
You want to buy a house, start a savings plan.
You want to be more positive, start your day with motivational readings. 
You want to be less stressed, sign up for a yoga class. 

2018 can be the year you dream of-- it's up to you to make it happen! 

Wishing you the BEST year yet. 

Ashley XOXO

Going VS Belonging

So I'm sitting here at the Cambridge Mill on a short break at our Gideons / ShareWord Global staff day away and I had to get this message out there. 

Our president just shared a morning message of challenge and encouragement to our staff. 

It boils down to this: GOING versus BELONGING. There's is a huge difference, and whichever one is active in your life will determine your experience in life. 

Just "GOING" to work, to church, to family events, to volunteering, and so on: you are excluding yourself from the richness of experience, connectedness, fullness and fruitfulness that you experience when you intentionally BELONG.

BELONG to work, to church, to family events, to volunteering, and so on. The difference is taking personal ownership and it's focusing on intentional and pure life-giving relationships with the people around you. 

Are you going, or belonging? 

I challenge you, as I have been challenged, to BELONG. 

When we allow ourselves to belong, our attitudes shift, our energies and passions increase, all of a sudden it's OUR community, OUR successes, OUR impact, OUR opportunity... We start to REALLY care.

Dive in today and BELONG. 

A lot of times we think other people determine our belonging. "Oh, well they don't include me, they don't make me feel welcome..." so we isolate ourselves and use other peoples behaviours as an excuse. 

No.

Belonging is up to you. You can belong. Connect yourself, take initiative, get involved, invest your time and energy and presence. You will belong. And consequently, you will lead others to belong, building community, intentional purpose, energy, and a fullness of life wherever you are. 

Thank Peter Marshall, for being the incredible leader you are, and thank you for inspiring this blog post. 

Ash

Replace Expectation with GRatitude

As I am sure everyone is aware, it is the American Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Instagram feeds are full of our American friends and celebrity favorites' dining room tables decked out with beautiful table wear, dishes, and finishing touches of thematic décor. And don’t forgot, the amazingly good looking food, family, and friends. 

I love any occasion to get together with people I love and celebrate—when we appreciate what we have, and celebrate what we have, and one another, there is joy built up inside our hearts and minds as we become conscious to the fact that there is so much goodness in our lives that we don’t even deserve. Often times, we miss out on the beautiful things in our lives because our attention is on things we don't have, leading us to never enjoy what we do have or what we don't have, leaving us empty. 

Along with an Instagram feed full of thanksgiving dinners, are thanksgiving quotes. One that I read said this:

“Replace expectation with gratitude”

If you simply play over a few scenarios in your mind of an expectation you have for life or a situation or a person, I think you will quickly realize that beneath an expectation we have of someone or something, is something even greater to be thankful for.

Don't let the distraction of an expectation take away the awareness, joy and appreciation of what you do have! 

Most times you’ll realize that the one thing your stubbornly “expecting” is far smaller in magnitude than all that you have already received. Start thanking rather than expecting, expecting, expecting.

Everyone will be a lot more joyful, harmonious, full, and the list goes on!

We will never truly live in the fullness of everything we have, everything we are, if we never fully appreciate in gratitude all that is around us.

Be thankful everyday for what you have, for who you have, for who you are! When you realize that all you have is enough, you have everything that you need... Thankfulness breeds contentment, which breeds joy, despite circumstances and leads to a full way of living.

ThankFULLness. Is the way to live the FULLest life possible.

Open & Hold the Door.

Sometimes we don’t realize that power that we hold.

Ever just meet someone and think… this person’s simple decision could/will impact my life drastically…

- make or break my day
- give me a huge opportunity
- take away a huge opportunity

We often identify people around us who are in a position to either positively or negatively have a huge impact on the course of our day, week, and lives, with what is to them, but a simple decision.

And we just WISH that they could realize that, and act accordingly.  

The interesting thing is this… You are always in the position to do that for someone else in some context. Someone is most likely looking to you thinking the same thing… “This person really has the ability to help me out… and for them it’d just be a simple decision.”

But more often times than not, we don’t view ourselves as being that person who can make a simple decision or sacrifice to help someone around us in a monumental way… perhaps not only changing the course of their day, but their year, their career, their life.

Intentionally look for the opportunities that you have everyday to really change someone’s life for the better, maybe through simple decisions, or big sacrifice.

I'm sure you can look back on your life and identify the people who may or may not realize what they have actually done to positively impact the course of your life. Maybe reach out and let them know. 

Seek the opportunity to open and hold the door open for someone, not just literally but figuratively in life helping them forge forward on their journey of life.

Ash