The following is a list of the speakers for the next few meetings. Each speaker has 5 minute to speak about their business to the group. If you cannot attend on your scheduled day, please contact Jackie Connolly regarding switching.

Jan 14th Daniel Smikle-Peter and Peter Stankovic
Jan 28th Chairman Green and Dimitar Popov
Feb 11th Derrick Thomas and John Brucki
Feb 25th John Joe and Rick Baptiste
March 11th Jan Weir and Rita Lenhardt
March 25th Ian Turner and John Pagliacci
April 8th Stephen Beech and Blair Mathiew
May 6th Jackie Connolly and Elvis Vogrin

Interior Decorator
T: 905.271.4224 F:905.919.0363
E: decorating@jackieconnolly.com
W: jackieconnolly.com

February 17, 2012

My partner took me for a delicious dinner on Valentine’s Day and an odd thing happened at the restaurant. We were seated at the end of a row of 10 tables of 2 where the inside seats were booths and the outside, chairs. Each couple dining was comprised of a man and a woman.

About halfway through our meal we noticed that the arrangement of men and women was identical for all 10 tables: Men on the outside, women in the booths. Huh. That was funny, and we kept eating.

As we got up to leave, we noticed that there was an identical organization of tables on the other side of the booths. Again, 10 tables of 2, and the arrangement was the same: Men on the outside, women in the booths. What was going on?

Did we decide to see the pattern? Did each man make a chivalrous decision and let his lady enjoy the comfort of the booth? Did any of the men actively decide to sit on the outside? Which cues determined who sat where? The chairs were definitely closer to the activity of the restaurant, there was certainly the possibility for spilled drinks and meals, but why did each woman end up away from the action?

Brains are funny. We see patterns when we’re scared (check this out, it’s 60 seconds: http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=brain-seeks-patterns-where-none-exi-08-10-03) and Valentine’s Day can be an anxious day before a glass or two of Merlot. Though I wonder what would have happened if one couple had decided to mix it up. If some daring lady had opted for the seat instead of the booth, she would have stood out. She would have stood out in a really big way.

And this is my point: you can be comfortable and sit in the booth, or you can stand out. You can set yourself apart from every other realtor/broker/coach/consultant/distributor/decorator/event planner/writer/merchandiser or you can hang out in the welcoming softness of comfort doing what you know over and over again, away from the action.

Find what it is that sets you apart from your competition (maybe it’s a life experience, maybe it’s a skill set, maybe it’s longevity, maybe it’s a strong empathic quality) and tell people about it! I will never cease to be amazed by the amazing stories I learn from my clients long after we start working together. If I had known that you speak 4 languages, or about your ability to thrive through a divorce/illness/passing, don’t you think I would want to work with you sooner? You have an amazing story, and I can help you share it.

Stand out. Don’t sit in the booth. Be courageous.

Annelies

At the time of recovery is when we know if we had a good backup plan, but we should not wait that long to figure it out, because it might be too late then if it weren’t that good.

Let’s try a simple questionnaire: IF you answer NO to any of these four questions, you should consider a review of your current backup and disaster recovery plan, as soon as possible:

1. IF you delete an important file or email, can you get it back?
2. IF you change a document by mistake, can you recover a previous version?
3. IF your computer or laptop is lost or broken, can you restore all your data?
4. IF your office is in a disaster situation (thief, fire, flood), can you recover all your information?

We can help on the evaluation of your current plan, just Call for Free Consultation.

Remember, DATA is the lifeblood of your business.

Fausto | 416-821-3185 | info@theXS.ca | www.theXS.ca [simplifying IT for abundance]

Some professionals have designations that can offer instant credibility to those who carry them, whether they are doctors, lawyer’s scientists or mortgage professionals.

The degrees and credentials people have earned in their lives are usually conveyed by the acronyms following their names. There’s MD for a doctor, LP for a legal practitioner or AMP for an accredited mortgage professional – the person probably best equipped to guide any consumer looking for the most sensible mortgage for them.

AMPs primarily focus on determining the best options available in the market after interviewing clients. They work closely in communicating and performing proper due diligence, particularly if clients aren’t educated on what the process entails. It’s a lot like how a family doctor would send a patient to a specialist for a more thorough examination.

A ‘good’ mortgage’ is far more than just the best interest rate, as we‘ve all realized with the launch of BMO’s 2.99% restrictive product. Our responsibility is to educate the borrower on the true effective interest they may pay to own their home. Currently, there are about 50 mortgage lenders (including Banks) in Canada and their terms, policies, options, and privileges are not the same. Mortgage contracts can vary significantly and it’s imperative the consumer understands what they’re committing to before executing any mortgage.

But what an AMP does isn’t limited to just finding the lowest interest rate, as a mortgage must ultimately fall within a plan that takes into account the client’s current and future budget, as well as how the life of the mortgage affects their future financial plans or ambitions. AMP’s keep clients up to date throughout the process prior to closing of their mortgage, and keep them informed after closing with value added information. AMP’s credentials are the only national proficiency standard for mortgage professionals in Canada.

Bottom-line: Instead of going to the banks, I recommend you contact an AMP who can offer you more than one product and several solutions, keeping in mind your long term goals. It can be a renovation loan, complete debt consolidation, transfer at renewal, a first-time homebuyer, an investment property or a commercial property.

Jason Hall
Dominion Lending Centres Forest City Funding
Office: 1-866-343-7846
Cell: 647-893-8305
Email: jhall@dominionlending.ca
www.mortgageswithjason.ca

Food has become a feel-good substance…   The manager of a food company recently summed it up nicely: “Our products are not meant to satisfy hunger.  They are meant to whet your appetite.”  And to help us feel good about these products, the advertising industry suggests a celebration of the senses.  There is hardly a prepared food that does not contain flavor enhancers. We do not even notice anymore that everything seems to taste the same somehow.  It is impossible to recognize when inferior quality ingredients are blended into those wonders of industrial food processing of which we are so fond.  Today everything is a product of design, even the appearance of food.  The “kick” provided by many additives is well documented.  Studies show that certain combinations of these additives have an effect similar to that of serotonin (the happiness hormone) in the brain.  In this regard the sensation of hunger is very similar to a physical addiction.

 A Chance for the future

 A healthy diet does have the potential to gradually become part of a modern lifestyle, and it is indeed a trend.  As long as official nutritional recommendations favor carbohydrates in the form of grain products, as long as industrially processed food is designed along the lines of profit maximization, and as long as commercials keep pressing the right “shopping buttons” in our heads we will continue to search in vain for what is good for us.

 “Stick to such and such a food and you will be forever slim”… Atkins,SouthBeach, Five Element Diet, and others – all of their nutritional recommendations were standardized and narrowed down to one universal scale which triggered huge fads worldwide all with the same results. 

 Voluntary restraint of the appetite used to be a virtue.  Gluttony was viewed as a sin until the late 19^th century.

 Viewing Every Person as an individual

 All diets in the past 30 years have turned away from the moral of self control.  Reason versus greed doesn’t seem to be relevant nowadays. Criticism of anything that requires self-control seems to have made willpower and determination neither necessary nor desirable in the battle against the bulge.  Yet it is known that cravings and nutritional needs are strictly individual.

They are not uniform.  Because they are as personal as a fingerprint, they are part of a person’s constitution.  In order to reach and keep an appropriate weight, a program is necessary which connect the individuality of a person to the foods that fit the specific biochemical structure of his or her body.  The result is the personalized nutritional roadmap it defines your personal path to your target weight, which then remains stable.

 Taking Responsibility   

 You will neither have to starve, fast or chastise yourself, nor will you have to reward yourself.  It is our own personal vital statistics combined with the foods that agree with us, that grant us a healthy enjoyment of food, yet allow us to stay slim-just as our blue print intended. The (hormonal) equilibrium of these personalized dietetics (or Metabolic Balance) allows everybody who has been searching to take personal responsibility: while either selecting foods or following their nutritional plan.  This newly acquired self-determination is good for your health – and that without enslaving yourself to any trends or standards. 

 Metabolic Balance is the golden thread that will lead you.  When used as a compass, not only will your health and appearance improve, you will also regain your sense of orientation and new perspectives in life.

 

 Balanced Wellness

Experience the empowerment of optimized wellness and improved health. Feel energized and fantastic! We invite you to try this remarkable program yourself.

Join Me on January 25 @ 7:00 p.m. for a complimentary information session on the metabolic balance program.  At the Health First Group 49MississaugaRoad. 

Call 905-278-5896 to reserve your seat

Call today for more information or to book your consultation. 

Yours IN Health

 Charmain

www.jackieconnolly.com

Grey is back in full swing
Sound dull and dreary? It is the perfect backdrop to just about any color palette you chose to go with it. Don’t forget there are many shades and tints of grey.
• You see it everywhere: bedding upholstery, walls and of course fashion.
• Gray remains sophisticated, classy and rich feeling.
• Works well in masculine and feminine settings.
• Fits with traditional and contemporary genres.
• Conservative in uncertain times when you can’t afford to make a mistake.
• Takes on the look of surrounding hues.
• Perfect with vivid colors and pastels.
• Considered the new beige.
• Looks organic (think driftwood, sea shells, stones in a brook).
• Works well with stainless steel appliances.
• Looks great with brushed nickel.
• Considered now the “in” color for bridesmaids.
• Even goes with beige and looks fabulous with dark chocolate.
• Many shades available but know in advance whether your gray is warm or cool. If warm, mix with warm colors. If cool, mix with cool colors.
• As always, test before.
• And of course you can always call me for advice.
Colour consultation is one of the services that I offer.

Interior Decorator
T: 905.271.4224 F:905.919.0363
E: decorating@jackieconnolly.com
W: jackieconnolly.com