'The Art Of Being A Great Canadian, Eh?' - Part 5

The Magical RV, Holiday Adventures on Four Large Wheels
When affluence sets in to the average great Canadian they vow to never feel a rain drop again, never have to start another camp fire, never set up a crappy tent, never share a dirty washroom, never to eat a burnt or raw cold meal again, never, never…you get the picture. After reading the previous plights of the beginner camper in part 1 through 4 I am sure you totally agree. The affluent will do anything to never endure that pain again yet are still lured out to the very same special places that no one will ever know about. So they head out to the local RV dealer and spend whatever it takes to do it right! They do not question spending upwards of one hundred thousand dollars or more to carry on the great Canadian tradition. The man caresses and cleans his RV all winter long in anticipation of that special day. They then plan what goes, place it in the appropriate hideaways and it sits all prepped & ready with everything-a-go for that great Canadian journey on the first long weekend in May. The day arrives. Insurance in place, gas tanks full, secure the house and we are on our way. About an hour into the drive is when you start to notice traffic getting heavier. They are going the same way as us. Your spouse notices in amusement there are other RV’s quite similar to yours. (Do you ever notice after you purchase something special everybody seems to have one?) Pretty soon it is apparent there are not one, two, or three RV’s on the road like yours but hundreds, then thousands. About two hundred miles out is when it hits you like a ton of bricks you are in a convoy of RV’s all moving at the same speed like a military parade but without the music. Upon arrival to your special campsite location which is now somewhat restricted to the ‘RV’s’ section it is then you see that it was smart to reserve your special spot. They are filled with RV’s (doesn’t anyone stay home anymore?). You slowly place yourself into position, hook up the accessories and your home for three glorious days of fishing…right? The entire weekend turns out to be clear, hot weather making it difficult to stay idle inside the RV, the fish aren’t biting because it’s too hot (they bite in the rain here!), the neighbors German shepherd dog loves to pee on your tires at all times, there are fire & water restrictions in place not including the campsite bylaw rules of which include pet, fire, noise, nuisances, touching, walking…you name it. And all this comes with a large fee for the privilege of being in such a lovely spot. God it’s great to be Canadian, eh?
Until the next WebLog adventure...

I am a what? A Dynamic Assertive???...

I just finished a book we brought home from our local library that opened my eyes and pin pointed me and the type of personality/ integrity I am. I read this in 2 days because I just could not put it down. This is the way I am. When I get onto something I believe in strongly or focus intently on, nothing stops me. Gary Null, the Advocate for Health, who you may have seen on public TV or read one of his many fantastic books promoting great health/ smart lifestyle, wrote this particular book a decade ago. Yet it is profound and 'right on the money' in it's accuracy. Gary developed these catagories to aid everyone to understand why we do what we do, and if that is correct for our personality type. He has broken it into 7 key types- 1) Dynamic Aggressive, 2) Dynamic Assertive, 3) Dynamic Supportive, 4) Creative Assertive, 5) Adaptive Supportive, 6) Adaptive Assertive, and 7) Adaptive Aggresive. I am not going to go into great detail about each one but at one end of the spectrum you have a strong charismatic Dynamic Aggressive person who are drawn to power and money, all the way to the Adaptive Supportive person who don't like change, stick to the status quo, and work there 8 to 5, five days a week. The Adaptive supportive represent the masses- 90% of the population. After finishing reading the book, when you go through the test to get an honest view of yourself, you can pin point your type. Hence, I find out my personality type is truly governed by the Dynamic Assertive with the Creative Assertive type as a secondary. Gary Null points out if you are not living out 'your type' it is due to conditioning over the years from your early years. This opened up my understanding of why I have always loved doing certain things and being with certain people and hates other things, such as some of the jobs I have done and some of the questionable relationships I have had with people. The Dynamic Assertive type that I am is a charismatic, do-it-yourself, self made, work for yourself, things like that. At the high end of this energy is a strong dynamic person who can change things and get great people on board to help and have an entourage of people with you. At the low end of this energy is a negative person not a lot of people would want to be around. Now think of this... I identified in myself and can see many times I have been accepting another 'personality type' due to my conditioning, etc. no one to blame here but myself. The result of not living your true type is unhappiness, poor health, relationships, etc. WOW! Talk about a profound realization for me to examine. One key thing is to learn that you may be living negatively BECAUSE you are not living in YOUR true energy type. And that could be why nothing changes, etc.
I will list this book ( and others I feel are important) shortly for reference in my blog if you want to learn more about this. You may be very surprised, as surprised as I was!
So for now, from my dynamic assertive self, I say to you all let's all go together and have ourselves a great day!
Until the next WebLog...

'The Art Of Being A Great Canadian, Eh?' - Part 4

Oh my god, it really is that god awful stuff...r...a....i...n!
Stuff. A tiny sealed hole in the top of the tent proves it’s great Canadian workmanship when a slight drop enters the king’s inner sanctuary, his sleeping bag. The master’s socks are quickly grabbed to block the culprit hole and a vigil is held to push back the liquid matter from the liquid Canadian High with the final conviction it will be over before daylight. Then it’s back to snoring like your camp neighbors which is worse then the sound of a herd of Canadian bears. The next morning proves that the entire lake actually moved several feet higher and yes... onto and into your campground uninvited. Soaked wood according to Canadian experts does not burn well- and they are right. The first point of order is on with the wet clothes and then with great Canadian pride, round everyone up as quick as possible (to beat your campsite neighbors, of course) and head to the local village to do the only smart thing- find a warm restaurant for breakfast with hot fresh coffee and place to dry out. And so it goes for the duration of the entire experience. All with a smile on our face. By the time we arrive home from another great Canadian adventure we have made more corporate key decisions than in the entire previous year. All this just to keep alive. The drive home is silent, chalked up to one more great Canadian experience. Johnnykins has given up his post to save face for John. Of course when we arrive at the office the following Monday we tell all our friends, colleagues, and business associates it was a great time, there is definitely massive fish in that lake although secretly you know you didn’t catch any, but by God you saw them through the clear Canadian water, it only rained ‘a little’, and at least no one got sick on this vacation- another great Canadian blessing. It will all be forgotten within a month and John will be planning next years Canadian mystery campsite adventure, unknowingly to even his own family, perhaps to the same special hidden spot.
Until the next WebLog of Adventure...

Put Another Log On The Blog...

I quite often read and keep up with blogs written by people doing special stuff of interest to me- leaders, health, business, fascinating people, etc. One of many I follow is Mark Cuban, the co-founder of the internet company broadcast.com of which he sold to Yahoo for $$$Billions of dollars. His blog address is 'www.blogmaverick.com'. He is an extremely successful businessman, a billionaire, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and new internet company HDNet.com. He, like others I follow, are fascinating to keep 'up with' and observe by way of the new type of written word, blogs. Unknowingly, this new type of written word is a wonderful opportunity to get a glimpse of the daily thoughts and feelings of what's important in a persons world at the present moment- now. You almost get to see what's going on in a person's mind in 'close to' real time. Mark Cuban allows the reader to actually understand current important things from his point of view and a business 'effect' point of view. The insight is priceless in value to a guy like me. Even some apparently mundane blogs draw out such great insight to trends, opportunities and the like.
One statistic Mark Cuban quoted recently was that '95% of blogs are read by 25 people or less.' I think a lot people write blogs to use primarily as a way to communicate with family and close friends and the rare internet scraggler who catches it out there in e-land. I believe a little research can attract a high degree of value and service to you through serendipity in the most unusual blogs. It is a much better source of current happenings than most realize! Web sites reflect a short to medium time period of reference(your brand and image) whereas blogs keep you in the daily 'know', providing the person writing the blog keeps up with it and are getting fresh thoughts...a daily or at the outside, weekly stream of new information from the real person behind the brand and image.
I say a personal thank you to all bloggers for blogs! I hope you find mine, get on board, and hang on for the ride and at any time put a log on my blog. I want to see the fire grow!
Until the next weblog...

To Understand, Become? Oh, Come now...

For some reason early this morning, while sipping on my early morning coffee, I clicked into something in an interview on TV that struck a perfect 'G' cord with me. The interviewer was asking questions of Robert Bateman, the famous painter from the Gulf Islands off Vancouver, BC. The one question that stuck out was 'How do you draw a stream so realistic and beautiful?' His answer was a profound answer (paraphrased) 'to draw a stream become the stream, be in it, be it, and flow with it, then you will know it and you can draw it'. His answer merged with a book I keep close by as reference. I pick it up to give myself a mind 'boost'. There it was, sticking right out front, like a light flickering in front of my nose. The page I opened to said (paraphrased), 'fear and doubt destroy knowledge, the knowledge of your greatness. Knowing is inside you, not 'out there'. With 'knowing' and applied faith toward your own purpose or aim, you will achieve greatness.' The key point that stuck out is that knowledge is NOT OUT THERE! It is actually inside you! Well, me, in this case! When I become 'one' with this knowledge from applied faith (remember fear and doubt destroy this) I will achieve my personal greatness. WOW! So let's go back to the stream talk with Robert Bateman. He says if you want to draw it become it. So all I need to do is become the 'knowing' and I am it. Profound yet so dam simple. Why have choosen to make everything so complicated for years and not click into something so accurate and centred on truth? Do you think I have maintained a internal catalogue of doubt and fear to choke off this 'knowing?' I think so. I am what I think. This whole thing begs a whole new stream of thought...
Until the next WebLog...

Is That a Gentleman Over There?...

A fascinating response to all the loopla Donald Trump generated through his feud with Rosie O'Donnell raised a key fundamental question about the art of being a gentleman. Rabii Shmuley Boteach made two profound statements following this public feud that re-opened an area of truth that has been on my mind for some time- Are men being men anymore or is this a dead art? The Rabbi stated 'Indeed, Donald Trump represents a completely new paradigm in the evolution of male honor, with grave repercussions for those who aspire to be gentlemen' and 'Donald Trump has never outgrown his obsession for unbridled self-aggrandizement. Indeed, he has not evolved, but devolved. His narcissism and boastfulness scrape the skies just like his buildings. Enlightenment seems utterly beyond Trump, who continues to believe that self-glorification is life's only purpose.'
I went to the dictionary to define exactly what a gentleman is to have a starting point to reference this matter with intelligence. The definition states ' A well-mannered and considerate man with high standards of proper behavior'. The Rabbi states of Trumps public behaviour, that such monumental flaws would be no one's business but the subject himself. His point is that Trump's success-through-boastfulness has a negative effect on other men. The Rabbi further stated that 'ancient codes of honor dictated that a while a man should aspire to greatness, he should do so with a whisper. Let others speak of his feats of daring. A gentleman is not crass and is certainly not a braggart. Indeed, boasting of one's achievements undermines them, as it betrays insecurity rather than confidence, and weakness rather than strength.'
I believe, being a man myself, that this should be considered as a smart starting point of reference of a man's behaviour. To aspire for greatness, with class and a high degree of integrity, doing your work with diligence, not provoking and agitating others around you.
I have read most of Donald Trumps books. In 'The Art of The Deal' he stated something to the effect of; 'You look a bully straight in the eye and get him with all you got because they are really a coward'. I think his behaviour over this matter was the same- like a 'bully'. It suggests to me he that he really is the 'worried' one and is doing exactly what the Rabbi stated, acting from weakness rather than strength. At the same time I do not support Rosie's behaviour either. I believe she is displaying the same behaviour.
I believe there are a lot of gentleman and ladies in this world. I do agree with the Rabbi that the public display of bad behaviour sends wrong messages to the world.
I myself will choose to stand and on walk on proper behaviour and conduct. i hope when you see me from a distance you will say...'Is that a gentleman over there?'
Until the next weblog....

'The Art Of Being A Great Canadian, Eh?' - Part 3

Rain is another master of great trepidation to the great Canadian camping spirit. You watch the weather channel endlessly every day for a week prior to the joyful day of departure noting there is a large high pressure ridge blanketing the entire country. When the day arrives for departure to your ‘special place’ you note a small ridge of clouds appearing low on the horizon. Being the master Canadian camper you are, in your mind you say ‘no way, that isn’t real clouds, someone is playing a joke eh, and further the weather channel has protected my special week of glory. Putting on the radio station to a distant channel enhances the experience of the drive as you proceed to that special land of Great Canadian Kings, the campsite. In this case, Sunridge Point Creek. Upon arrival the first order of business is the Great Canadian tradition and corresponding camp ritual. The champagne of choice- into the cooler to pop the lids off a six-pack of good old Canadian beer. Nothing happens around the site until ‘a few are kicked back’ to size up the kingdom and note what kind of residents you have in close proximity to the fee simple domain reserved especially with your name on it. A minimum of one hour must pass of pure gulping pleasure mixed with belching / gas releasing. This edges on the perpetual amusement of acting silly which every Canadian knows builds the energy form around the site before your entrance has formed your special valid spirited imprint. Then everyone in the group homes in on their area of ‘expertise’ in the duty of camp preparation; the design, positioning and placing of every piece of campsite material must be perfect. By the time the last flicker of the campfire signals and reinforces the coolness of the surrounding air the perfect plan is now in place.
It is sometime in the middle of the night when you awaken to that first strange apparent sound somewhere towards the top of the tent. It is just a slight tickle of a sound. You know it’s a dream, a teaser, a fool playing with a master. A little time goes by…then another...then another...then some more. That cannot be…that can’t, that isn’t…that dreadful four lettered word that has been a thorn to more camp relationships, marriages, illnesses, food poisoning, you name it. Oh my god, it really is that god awful stuff...r...a...i....nnn!
Until the next post...