Encouraging Excellence Blog

Category: Guest Blogs

  • Mindfulness in Everyday Tasks: 5 Ways Chores Can Make You Happier

    by Lori Deschene “Smile, breathe and go slowly.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh Last night I did something I rarely do. Drum roll please! Last night I cooked. OK, to be fair, I more prepped than cooked. But my willingness to participate in this domestic ritual with my boyfriend at the helm was certainly not the norm.…

  • What are my Values?

    By Noeleen Bontempi What are Values? Let’s discuss a bit about your values. What is the difference between values and beliefs and how does this affect our behaviour? You may ask yourself why this is so important? Knowing what your top values are saves you time, effort and energy. It is also important because if…

  • 5 Rules for Life

    by Lori Deschene When I first sat down to write this piece for 5 Rules for Life, I wrote Live without rules five times, each followed by a reason to keep your approach to life flexible. The way you live is largely a reflection of where you’ve been, who you’ve been, and the beliefs you’ve…

  • Moving Forward

    By Noeleen Bontempi In this time of uncertainty, there are positive and creative ways to help you look towards a positive future, and create your life as you want it to be. By setting personal and positive goals, you can achieve the life you want. Do you often wonder why you bother to make New…

  • 50 Ways to Open Your World to New Possibilities – part 2

    by Lori Deschene “To get something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” ~Unknown 26. Wear an interesting T-shirt, something funny or nostalgic. You likely won’t get through a day wearing a Gem or Alf shirt with at least one conversation with someone new! 27. Move one of your friends into…

  • 50 Ways to Open Your World to New Possibilities – part 1

    by Lori Deschene “To get something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” ~Unknown Maybe you feel stuck. Or bored. Or frustrated. It’s not that you don’t like the life you live, it’s just that you suspect there’s something more. Some greater sense of meaning or excitement. New connections. New adventures.…

  • What Do You Have That Nothing & No One Can Take Away?

    by Lori Deschene Meaning is not what you start with but what you end up with. ~Peter Elbow I’d gotten these bed-raiser platforms to make my twin seem less sad like being higher from the ground made it more respectable. It wasn’t even its size that made it seem pathetic; it was more that it…

  • Do Happy: Take a Small Step

    by Lori Deschene “I could never make a living while traveling the world; it’s just not realistic.” “My guitar won’t pay the bills. People think I’m crazy for trying.” “I don’t have the money to go back to school.  I’m stuck in this dead-end temp job.” Most people dream of doing something that gives them…

  • Do Happy: Interpret Differently

    by Lori Deschene Research indicates lottery winners are no happier than people who didn’t win, and in many cases, become depressed in the years following their win. Scientists have surmised that we all have a baseline level of happiness—a range of joy we’ll stay within regardless of our external circumstances. The greatest factor in determining…

  • 5 Ways to Let Go and Embrace an Uncertain Future

    by Lori Deschene “Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.” ~John Allen Paulos I used to love uncertainty. I wandered my way all around this country with little more than a suitcase and a journal. Committing to anything felt limiting, suffocating even. One day I…