Steven Covey says, “This masterfully written book will help you understand that words contain an inherent power, a force capable of lighting one’s paths and hoped-for horizons. Used correctly, words are the first building blocks for success and inner peace. Used incorrectly, they are capable of undermining even the best of intentions.”

Bob Proctor’s video is a wonderful introduction.

>> click here to learn more about Aspire

Glimpses of the philosophy and wisdom that guides Will Smith in a video titled ‘Will’s Wisdom’

My youngest daughter recently gave me a Classics Illustrated comic that told the story of Robin Hood. Her gift dropped me into the ‘way-back’ time-machine and transported me to the land of childhood memories. I enjoyed my visit.

Unfortunately, the comic also had a less desirable effect, I began to ruminate about the similarities between the evil rich of Robin’s time and AIG, BP, ENRON, Halliburton, Lehman Brothers and many other international corporations.

Don’t misunderstand, I’m certainly not a communist. I’m a big supporter of ethical, private ownership. My first sentence at 1stWealth.com is “Your first wealth is health,” but don’t underestimate the benefits of a significant income. That said, there’s a huge difference between a significant income and the obscene salaries and bonuses many corporate executives have received in the past and continue to receive today. In my opinion, obscene incomes and bonuses are wrong and are not something we should aspire to.

I suspect some of my American friends would classify me as a socialist; some would do do simply because I’m a proud Canadian. Who knows, depending on their definition of socialism, they might be correct. I am a supporter of the Canadian health care system. Not one of our banks failed, likely because they have been heavily regulated for many years. I’m also proud of the Canadian social safety net, because, like most Canadians, I value my fellow citizens.

We don’t need to steal from the rich the way Robin Hood may have done, we just have to “Wise Up,” to ensure that the top one to two percent cannot continue to steal from the rest of us.

The world must not be run for the exclusive benefit of the wealthiest one to two percent.

Canada Day, Fête du Canada, is our national day, a federal statutory holiday that celebrates the July 1st anniversary of the Constitution Act of 1867.

Canada is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, Hudson’s Bay, the Atlantic Ocean and the United States of America.

Canada has less than 1/2 of 1 percent of the world’s population. Wendy, Jen, Sean, Barb and Frank Eves are 5 of the approximately 34 million people in Canada. Our population may be small, but we inhabit the second largest country in the world. My youngest daughter recently enjoyed a ‘road trip’ on Canada’s national highway, at 7,604 km, the longest in the world. We have 9.2 percent of the world’s freshwater resources and 25 percent of global wetlands. We also have 10 percent of the world’s forest cover and 30 percent of the world’s boreal forest. Fresh water and trees are important today, but will become a very big deal in the near future.

Canada is fortunate to have abundant natural resources including coal, diamonds, fish, hydropower, natural gas, petroleum, potash, timber and wildlife. We also have copper, gold, iron ore, lead, molybdenum, nickel, silver and zinc.

Tidbits:

• potash (glass, soap, and soil fertilizer) reserves, rank #1 in the world
• oil reserves, rank 2nd to Saudi Arabia
• uranium reserves, rank 5th with world’s two largest high-grade deposits discovered to date
• we even rank 6th in diamonds

Happy Canada Day!

I took this photo in Brackendale, north of Vancouver, on the way to Whistler in 2007. I’ll bet you can’t spot the bald eagle in this mini version. Trust me, it’s sitting on the log in the river.

BC Tourism has cleverly carried forward the look and feel they established with the 2010 Winter Olympics’ commercials. ‘You Gotta Be Here in 2010 – Summer’ is sixty seconds of fun.

I snapped this image on a day trip to Whistler in the spring of 2010.

Whistler is located north of Vancouver, BC in the valley nestled between the Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. Whistler blends the charm of an alpine village with the amenities of an urban centre. Whistler Village offers fine dining, vibrant nightlife, eclectic boutiques, revitalizing spas, and luxurious hotels.

I captured this image of Vancouver early one morning in 2007. The picture was taken from a lookout part way up the road to Grouse Mountain.

Vancouver is a Western-Canadian city located on our Pacific coast. We’re a culturally diverse community with a population somewhere in the vicinity of a couple of million people.

>> Wikipedia has a good overview of Vancouver

If I was a very influential politician, I would:
- end the war in Iraq
- establish a Palestinian State
- massively fund the development of oil alternatives
- focus everyone’s attention on the environment
- encourage the paradigm of ‘we’ not just ‘me’
- then, after taking a deep breath, I would…

Fortunately, for everyone, I’m not a politician, so I focus on what I can do. I can make the world a better place by helping people I know and by helping people I meet online. Hope is the antidote for depressing news!

Consider trying something new. It’s simple, it’s fun and it works. You can do it from where you are with what you already have. There really is hope and you can make a difference. Click LiveYourBestDreams.com to check it out.