Thursday, December 30, 2010

Things that Rocked in 2010

In no particular order, things that made 2010 amazing.
  1. My family (husband, son - 11, daughter - 10) all getting their black belts in Tae Kwon Do.
  2. Finishing my first degree - Bachelor of Hospitality Management. This took two years of time spent in the classroom with an awesome peer group, on - line courses and many projects, assignments and exams completed - well worth it now!
  3. Winning the opportunity (based on the creative treatment) to produce the Welcome Reception for the MPI WEC10 in Vancouver - and getting a 98% satisfaction survey result in the post-conference delegate survey!
  4. Working on my second Olympic and Paralympic Games.
  5. Enjoying the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games time in Vancouver with family and friends - amazing sports, pavilions and energy in the city!
  6. Taking six entire days off over the holidays - food, friends, family, and skiing!
  7. Seeing numerous fabulous programs and events brought to life with the team at Cantrav - the energy each individual pours into the programs and events continues to inspire and impress.
  8. Seeing Paris and the surrounding area with my amazing family, and our lovely friends Verena and Kader. (words can't express our appreciation for their hospitality, advice and friendship - they rock!)
  9. Babies. So many new lives created, so many friends lives changing in ways they can't imagine - enjoy, and so many challenges we still have friends facing in this arena - your courage and determination astound and inspire.
  10. Children and Teens we know - from my own to the many around us that are growing up knowing that here we have a lot and finding ways to share, from Samaritan shoeboxes, to Me to We, to anti-bullying, and to exploring their worlds through the good and the challenging, and finding their way to the "other side" - yes, we did it too and it is amazing to see this next generation being strong, learning and growing.  
  11. Twitter. I know, I didn't expect it either but the flow of interesting information, challenging and inspiring thoughts and ideas, and people that are amazing that I would not otherwise know about... it is pretty neat to have access to our world in a whole new way.
  12. Friends and family - so many people in Vancouver, BC, Canada, the US and around the world that we don't see enough during these "happy, tired" years but who we do appreciate every second we have with them - whether live, on the phone or through letters, facebook and email - keep it coming folks! 

Please comment and share what rocked your world in 2010! 

Saturday, December 25, 2010

You cannot duplicate success - Part 2

So continues my thoughts as inspired by Oprah's comment that  "I began to see that not only can you not duplicate success, you're not supposed to. Every new endeavor is created out of the quality of the energy you bring to it and is meant to be its own thing."  

At work success has different measurements, our own, our peers, our supplier partners in the success and the event's stakeholders.  What continues to keep us energized and our events interesting is there is freedom in the approach. With the freedom to generate ideas and apply them to projects, that is when energy is created - an energy that brings the programs to life and generates success. It is not about what has been done, it is about what we can do next, using the experience gained from the past to make what we are doing now even better. I can hardly wait to see what 2011 brings! 

Friday, December 24, 2010

You cannot duplicate success - Part 1

So said Oprah in her closing article in the January 2011 issue. "I began to see that not only can you not duplicate success, you're not supposed to. Every new endeavor is created out of the quality of the energy you bring to it and is meant to be its own thing."  While talking about OWN, she articulated perfectly (and in her inimitable style) how I try to approach each project. 

I believe each of us recognizes when we are successful, as measured by our individual benchmarks. As 2011 approaches, this coming year I will refocus and put both more energy and time into my family. At 10 and almost 12 our children are successful in their own right and we want to continue to provide the foundation that allows them to succeed, to fail and learn, and to be their individual best. Plus, my family is fun to hang out with, and we have many friends we like to spend time with, and for me, a measure of success is the amazing people we get to have fun and grow with - and this is energy well spent.