DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY 2012
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VIBE presents The Adventure of Life with Paul Gleeson and Philip McKernan
VANCOUVER-On November 16 VIBE (Vancouver Irish Business & Enterprise) presented The Adventure of Life, an evening featuring Paul Gleeson who rowed across the Atlantic and Philip McKernan who travels to speaking engagements throughout the world and encourages others to live with passion, overcome obstacles and ultimately realize their true purpose.
Back in 2006 Paul Gleeson, from Limerick, and his Canadian partner Tori, rowed a grueling 3,000 miles across the Atlantic, competing in a race which started in the Canary Islands and ended in Antigua.
The preparations forthe journey began well before the boat left the dock. Not only did Paul and Tori have to actually learn how to row, they had no boat, little money and had to prepare for an undertaking which would test not only their physical endurance - but their mental capacities as well.
Paul recounted how they were able to borrow a boat from two fellow Irishmen who had actually completed the race a few years previously. They began their training, in addition to holding down j obs in Dublin and of course let their families in on this little boat trip they were planning.
Unfortunately, Paul's family in Ireland did not share his enthusiasm for the trip, they were concerned and upset with the whole idea.
That in itself proved to be a major obstacle Paul would have to overcome. After packing the boat with freeze-dried food, water, maps and a GPS, they set off from the Canary Islands.
After all the training and preparation race day had arrived. A total of 26 boats left from the shore that day, although not all would end up at the finish line. Paul and Tori decided they would always keep the boat moving so they rowed in alternate two-hour shifts 24 hours a day.
When Paul would row, Tori would sleep in the small cabin area and vice versa. Judging from the photos, it appeared to be a cramped space, not built for comfort.
The toilet facilities appeared to be a simple bucket (I couldn't help thinking that alone would deter most people from even contemplating such a trip).
The crossing would prove to be treacherous at times. Paul and Tori battled swells of over 30 feet, a fierce hurricane and tropical storms. After 85 days and 3,000 miles they did it - they reached the finish line!
Paul recounted being overcome with joy - feeling a little like Columbus when he spotted land and knew the end was in sight.
Expanding on the theme of overcoming obstacles, Philip McKernan was able to shed some valuable insight into how and why individuals fail or succeed in business, relationships or the various situations life presents.
Today he's an accomplished and engaging public speaker, however Philip spoke honestly about how as a young
PHILIP MCKERNAN
PAUL GLEESON along with his partner Tori undertook a challenge rowing a grueling 3,000 miles across the Atlantic in 2006.
boy he became very good at hiding a huge secret. He was severely dyslexic. Philip went to school every day with the constant dread that he'd be called upon to read, he even kept this secret from his family.
Eventually Philip overcame this obstacle and went on to achieve a thriving and successful career in real estate. Today, Philip's work is about mentoring people to live with passion, gain clarity and create an authentic vision.
Phillip offered a wide range of valid points to the attentive audience, a phrase that came up more than once was "in the absence of clarity, take action."
That is, if an individual isn't clear on what his or her goals are, or which direction to take, the answer is to keep moving forward - more often than not the clarity will come.
Ending his session with a powerful and inspiring video, Philip McKernan was excellent, engaging and provided some very interesting thoughts on the various ways individuals can begin to create a truly authentic vision.
Although we may not be navigating our way across the Atlantic - at some point we all have a bridge we need to get across.
Paul Gleeson and Tori Holmes' book on their journey, Crossing the Swell: An Atlantic Journey by Rowboat is available at Chapters and other bookstores.
For more information on speaking engagements and workshops offered by Philip McKernan visit www.PhilipMcKernan. com.
For more information on upcoming events through VIBE visit www.vibevancouver.com.
New Year's Resolutions, Family and the Debt Crisis
somebody is consciously trying to look after their "stuff to make them last, then there is a very high chance that they are also looking after their personal budget and are saving something on a regular basis.
2) Live two years behind your means:
Credit cards and easy access to personal loans, lines of credit, etc. have made it possible for many of us to live beyond our means.
We can now easily purchase things that we don't have the money to pay for -buy now, pay later.
Flipping this around and going back to a time pre credit cards where people actually saved for something before they bought it, is another very effective way of building your wealth because it means you won't rack up credit card and other short term consumer debts.
S I sat down to write this piece, I received a text from a friend of mine here in Vancouver - "Quick one for you, what do you make of the possible euro collapse or is it media hype? "
Not exactly a simple text messaging conversation!
I replied to him that there was nothing quick about this question. The future of the euro could be a discussion over many hours and I do not have enough space in this article to cover this topic in adequate detail.
I do believe that the euro itself is not really the problem; I think it is more the symptom. The real problem and the real issue here is the underlying debt of all the countries involved.
This debt issue will still exist with or without the euro. The media is rightly focused on Europe now, but the U. S. is also in serious debt trouble and I suspect, in time, the media focus will shift back to the problems in America.
A debt crisis (like the one Europe is currently going through) happens because of excess borrowing. Excess borrowing comes about through excess spending - it's that simple.
European countries have failed to live within their means for many years and this is now catching up with them.
Therein lies an invaluable lesson from this debt crisis that I believe we can all apply to our own wealth building efforts: live within our means and get into the habit of saving money on a regular basis.
In the season of family, the holidays and New Year's resolutions, I thought it would be worthwhile to share some valuable lessons I've learned from my father. And perhaps they're lessons some members of the European Union would do well to learn as well:
1) Polish your shoes:
Looking after the things we currently have will not only keep them looking better and help them last longer, but it will also save us money on buying replacement items.
My father worked for just over 40 years before he retired recently. For as long as I can remember, every evening before going to bed, he would polish his shoes for the next day.
My dad is a creature of habit and this was one of those habits.
He came from a generation that was far less plentiful than what many of us younger thirty-somethings have grown up with, so he had a very deep appreciation for the value of money and I think this has always been reflected in how he looks after his personal items.
He is more than happy to buy quality items, but he always looks after them and they last a long time.
It was probably no surprise that he and my mother saved money throughout their lives and comfortably retired a number of years ago.
I'm sure you have heard the expression "how you do anything is how you do everything."
To me "polishing your shoes" - or looking after your personal items - is a state of mind.
It's like looking after your health, some people make time for this and lead a healthy life and some do not. If
Instead of paying back debts for things you can't afford, you can use this money to save for your future.
If you don't have the money in your bank account to buy something, then you can't afford it so don't buy it. Buy it when you can afford it.
Many of the clients I work with have built significant wealth over their lives and most of them started with little or nothing, but they got into the habit of properly budgeting and saving something each month.
Over the years as their earnings increased, so did their savings.
Many of the younger clients I work with have not yet built significant wealth, but they are following in the footsteps of my wealthier clients and are paying close attention to their budgets and financial plans, saving what they can each month.
In time, I know their savings will increase as their income does.
As the New Year approaches, many of us will be making New Year's resolutions and I'm sure some of these will be around money.
I know these two points may seem very simplistic. Quite frankly, they are, and that to me is the beauty of them!
I genuinely believe that building wealth is a simple concept, spend less than you make, save money regularly, and time, compound interest, and a solid tax efficient investment strategy will look after the rest.
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