There is no postage required to send a letter to the Governor General.

Click here for a pdf to print or copy (and insert your own words, name, address etc)

The letter says:

His Excellency
The Right Honourable David Johnston, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.
Governor General of Canada
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa ON K1A 0A1

Excellency,

As a subject of her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England and concerned Canadian;

I solicit and petition you by the present, that you dissolve the current parliament and declare an immediate federal election on grounds of “non-confidence and rejection” by the Canadian population of the current government due to, individually and in whole, proven multiple abuses of functions, creation of unconstitutional laws, proven multiple electoral frauds, illegal activities, proven forging of parliamentary documents by a cabinet member and the undemocratic nullification of the house of Commons due to native flaw in the Westminster system and exploited by the above mentioned electoral frauds.

This solicitation and petition is in accordance of the Canadian Constitution (Constitution Act, 1867) and is within your power in accordance to the royal proclamation of 1947 (article V and VI) of the letter patent constituting the office of the Governor General of Canada.

Yours truly,

 

God save the Queen

Among the many badasses interviewed, one was Tommy Walker. Now, admittedly, i’d never heard of Tommy before, and when his mug popped up on the video stream i thought, “hm, kinda looks badass, but what’s his story.” Longish story short, Tommy talked about getting on with stuff… about how excuses stand in our way and some of them we treat like cut grass on the path and some we treat like 12ft razor-wire electric fences…

He shared this post that he guest authored for Chris Brogan’s blog.

As I’m a big fan of Chris Brogan and his shit-free approach to things, i wandered over and took a look at this post. I figured if it was good enough for Brogan to post, it had to be worth a few minutes of my time too.

Lord love a duck.

There, staring in front of me was my complete (well, i don’t think i have 106 but i have more than enough) list of excuses… laid right out there in black and white and red. It’s like Mr. Walker had been peering over my shoulder (and we’re talkin’ Tommy here, not Johnny – those who know me will get that) for half my life, taking bloody notes.

So, i don’t want to hold you up from going over there and having your own little traumatic moment of “jeezus, is THAT’s what’s wrong with my life???”…

“106 Excuses That Prevent You From Ever Becoming Great“

go on… i dare ya.

then come back here and share your best excuses for not getting on with it… we can have a little pity party and maybe then flush those all away and GET ON WITH IT.

The days of not getting on with it are O.V.E.R.

You have been forewarned.

 (and Happy Birthday, Helen… i’ll always remember the day you taught me what “elbow grease” was. <3 )

poster provided by Occupy Together

I say, unequivocally, YES!

Though some might wonder “what it’s all about,” ultimately, the Occupy Movement (to my mind, at least) is about awakening, engaging and empowering the average citizen out of their/our apathetic slumber…and into action. Action on inequality and injustice.

Even if that action is merely clicking “like” on facebook, it’s still more action than a very large percentage have taken before now.

“But they don’t have a goal, or a focus… how can they expect to achieve anything?”

I think that statement is nonsense.

The goal is to attract attention. The focus is on what’s wrong with the world as we currently know it.

As we are achieving that goal, worldwide, each pocket will narrow its focus. From there, specific actions will arise.

Look at it this way…

The Civil Rights Movement, according to wikipedia, officially lasted about 30 years, and was happening all over the world, for different reasons.

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s actually still going on. Surely, in the early days of that movement (which should never have been a movement because if we were all rational human beings there wouldn’t have been a NEED for it in the first place) HUGE changes were made, but even those took years. The movement wasn’t laser focused on one issue, it had huge broad goals, and never, never, never quit.

The Occupy Movement has taken hold. It could be seen as the evolution of the civil rights movement… Civil Rights 2.0, so to speak. And so far, nothing has been done that should cause us to say “oh, cool, thanks, that’s all we wanted, we’ll go away now.”  Thus…

We are here to stay.

Even though “powers that be” may be evicting people from actually physically occupying Wall Street or any other street, park, plaza, lobby, steps or other visible location, they cannot evict us from our conscience.

They cannot stop us from talking to each other, to our neighbours, to our bank tellers, our teachers, our baristas, our children, our parents, bosses, clients, bus drivers, mail carriers, flight attendants, meter maids, police officers, mayors, CEOs…

We can – and must – continue the conversations that have begun. It is the conversations – and the actions that will rise from them – that will start to affect the changes we want to see. There are so many changes we want, it must be a multi-sided “attack” (in a peaceful and non-violent way, of course)…

We must each create conversation about the issues that matter to US…

We must get informed and educated so we can share that information and education…

We must support one another and find solutions…

We must work together and implement solutions…

We must commit to the long haul. This is not going to happen overnight.

Learn, share, participate, activate… see below.

from TotalBankruptcy.com

Occupy Resources:

(i will update this list as I find useful info, there is SO  much out there
– AND PLEASE LEAVE YOURS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!)

www.adbusters.org – the seed planter.

www.OccupyWallSt.org – the first sprout.

The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City (i chose to use the version on Care2.com, so you can do some other good stuff when you’re done reading :D)

www.OccupyTogether.org – a hub for all of the events springing up across the world in solidarity with the Occupy Wall St. movement.

OccupyCanada (facebook page) – a vast & growing documentation of the movement, with many specifics unique to Canada

Or just search Google.

Or watch it on YouTube.

Commentary & support:

Duane Elgin on HuffPost – on the power of “community voice”

YES! Magazine – ongoing updates

Nation Of Change – why the movement will succeed.

The Guardian – ongoing updates

And because I don’t think we should be blind to our own weaknesses, here is some other interesting reading:

The Occupy  Movement’s Woman Problem

How Social Media Distorts the Occupy Movement

Hm… Conrad Black on the Occupy Movement

Top 10 Ways to Find Clients, by Kellye Crane at Solo PR Pro, shares great advice on finding clients by accessing who you know to generate new work, new connections and new directions.

Being a solo flyer is a tough job. You can often feel alone and adrift. It’s helpful to look back on your pre-solo days and consider the good connections you made, that you’ve maybe left behind. Unless you seriously charred the bridges, why not take a look thru that old rolodex and see who’s still on the map? In most cases, old colleagues are happy to assist you with finding clients – especially if you can help them in return.

Reconnecting can be great for business, and it can also be great for morale. You might just find a whole new set of allies who are ripe and ready to share contacts, ideas, solutions & work!

As Kellye starts out,

“You don’t have to attend every Chamber of Commerce meeting to make – or reinforce – valuable connections.”

If you’re anything like me, attending a Chamber mixer is way down on the bottom of your list, even though you KNOW it’s a proven source of business building resources. It maybe just doesn’t “feel” like you… I’m a terrible networker, in the old-school-hand-out-your-card-to-everyone-you-meet kind of way (i don’t even currently HAVE business cards, how lame is THAT?!). I’m not comfortable with upselling myself to total strangers. Yes, i got fired from McDonald’s for not upselling enough… it’s been a lifelong issue for me.

BUT… dropping a quick, friendly email to clients – old and new – is a little more palatable. One thing I like to do is include something relevant, newsworthy or useful to have a valid reason for dropping in, besides just asking for their referrals.

Take some time to think about how YOU would respond to an old colleague or client (that you liked) who breezed back into your world. Would you ignore them? Likely not. You’d probably do whatever you could to help them! So why wouldn’t they do the same for you?

If nothing else, you’ll get to reminisce about the “old days”, hear some new war stories and get a boost of energy that comes from a little down time from the myriad stressors of flying alone.

I recommend signing up for Kellye’s PR newsletter, too. Or,  you can just drop me an email… i’m here to help!

Stay tuned – we’re cookin’ up a DIY Marketing plan to help you get more from your social media, local press & word-of-mouth.

And here’s something else to check out, while you’re looking at building business…

or decided that what you do for fun could actually make you a living if you got off your butt and pursued it.

Now what?

Well, from my experience, first you need some financial advice. You need someone to tell you exactly how to set up your systems to manage your income and expenses… so you’re not playing catchup later. Trust me.

Once you get that sorted out, you can breathe easy knowing that once money starts flowing you have a foundation to grow on.

So how do you get the money flowing?

Marketing.

But I don’t have a budget for marketing!!!!

Um. Yes. You do.

But newspaper ads cost a fortune!

Who’s talking about newspaper ads? There is SO MUCH MORE to marketing that buying an ad.

Marketing is always the first thing to be removed from the budget when there are shoestrings involved. It should always be the last. You cannot not tell people about your business if you expect to stay in business.  But Marketing doesn’t have to be stupid expensive, nor stupid complicated. It WILL take time, but often not as much as you expect. It WILL take some creativity and ingenuity, but you can often get that from friends. (Seriously, you have a friend who’ll be happy to tell you the best way to get the word out – then let them help you with it!) It doesn’t HAVE to take a bucket-load of cash.

Let’s start with some free & cheap stuff.

Word of Mouth: You tell your loudmouthed friends that you’ve got a new business, they tell a couple friends, who tell a couple friends, bingo! You’ve just done some marketing and it didn’t cost you a dime.

Persuasion: Have you invented the perfect low-fat, allergy-free, low-calorie doughnut? Deliver a dozen to your local radio station, with a note telling them how to get more. Got an investment plan that actually will grow your clients’ retirement income in an ethical, sustainable way? Host an open house at your favourite locally owned coffee shop and buy everyone coffee who will sit and listen – negotiate a per pot price with the coffee shop and maybe even buy a platter of goodies to share.

Website: You can get a simple website and domain name for FREE at www.yola.com – you have to do some work, so if you’re low on time & creativity, you might want to choose a different option, but if you need a website up FAST & CHEAP it’s a good solution. If you’re ready for something more robust or more customized, talk to us :D (Please note, although it’s possible to have a free website forever, we do recommend upgrading to something more custom once your business starts building – it’s more professional, and as you grow you’ll need better tools than the free options allow).

Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Reddit… there are more than i can possibly mention here, but they’re free to use and can really get your word out far & wide. It helps to have a website to send people to for more info, but even just a Facebook PAGE will do in the immediate future.

Consumer Groups: If your new idea involves creating a product that lots of people can buy easily, rent a table at your next local craft fair, or business expo – heck even at the mall – and give away free samples in exchange for email addresses. Walk the beach and hand out well-labeled sample packs. Offer your local Chamber of Commerce a bunch of samples to hand out to new members. Give your doctor or dentist a bunch to give out at their office. There are myriad ways to get your samples or information into the hands of potential buyers. DO NOT PUT FLYERS ON WINDSHIELDS, please.

Mailing List Tool: Every business NEEDS a mailing list of some sort. A mailing list of your own, that is. Not the kind you buy from some clearing house in Antarctica (that’s down the road and not my department). There are all kinds of variations on the theme these days – the more you use, the more of a headache you’ll have keeping it all up to date, but it can have far-reaching effects to use multiple points of entry. An excellent mailing list management tool that I recommend to clients is MailChimp. The FREE version is great, and if you want to pay a little bit, you can add all sorts of other cool tools. We’ll talk later about WHY a mailing list can be a powerful marketing tool. A mailing list TOOL however is the thing you’ll use to MANAGE your mailing list, and in a perfect world will do a lot of the management for you. You do NOT want to get bogged down in using outlook or gmail for your mail management.

This is just the beginning.

There is so much more free & cheap marketing you can do. I hope this list spurs your imagination.

Subscribe to our RSS or Facebook Page to make sure you get the next installment.

And by all means, SHARE your favourite free marketing strategies below!

the video is Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University Commencement Address. i’ve been to a few commencements (not my own yet, tho) and i’m pretty sure none of them were as eloquent, inspiring, emotional nor powerful as this.

rarely does a day go by when i don’t wonder what i’m doing, where i’m going, or why. and lately, as i attempt to guide my son through the maze of moving up and forward with his life, i hear myself suggesting things that i never did – but wish i had.

almost a year ago, we lost a very dear friend to cancer. he was merely 46. 18 months before that we lost a sister-in-law. she was barely 36. and we lost a couple more, as well, in that time frame. these heavy hits hammered home to me that truly, life can slip (or be ripped) away long before you think it will and if you keep putting shit off til “later”… later may never come.

i chose the word “fearless” to live with this year. it’s been a hard one. but a good one. i think i’ll have to give it another year, tho, because after 10 months i’m only just coming ’round to understand what it really means. and only just beginning to acknowledge just how much of my life has been overshadowed by fear. mostly fear of being amazing. i’m not afraid of snakes, or speeds, or sickness… but it would appear i’m a little afraid of living. i never really thought i was… well, actually, i don’t think i was in the first half of my life. the fear came when i made the mistake of believing (wishing) someone was a better person than he really was. i allowed him to take away the parts of me that were fearless, and trade them in for shame, self-loathing and timidity.

it’s taken me 15 years to finally come to grips with that. i’m trying really hard now to reverse the damage. some days i have no idea how. some days i just want to crawl back into bed and never come out – but i don’t. some days i want to leap tall buildings in a single bound – but i don’t do that either.

fear is a life killer. knowing i have fear is the first step in getting my life back. knowing i can control it – and banish it – is where i’m heading now.

i want to live a life i’m proud of – don’t get me wrong, i’m not ashamed of any part of my life thus far – i want it to mean SOMETHING. even if just to myself. i don’t need to be famous or rich or ridiculously talented or recognized, even. i just want to know in my heart that i didn’t waste it all in the pursuit of paying rent & hydro bills.

if you are just embarking on your “real life” take some heavy notes from the video below. paint them on your wall where you’ll see them every day. get off your ass and create the you that you’ve always envisioned.

i’ll meet you there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

I was spurred to write this after reading Leo Babauta’s short dissertation on minimalism. He advocates avoiding the advertising and media that fans the flames of material desire. Now… I adore Leo & read his blog religiously, however, I think I have developed a different approach to paring down and reducing the “wants”.

Let me start by saying – i’m nowhere near the level a minimalist that Leo is, and tho i aspire to get lighter every day, I’m not sure I want to be quite as light as he is. We’ll see… I don’t call myself a minimalist, yet. I have much more crap to get rid of before that’s a reality. But it STARTS with putting a halt to the acquisition of stuff.

Now, back to the avoidance of media & advertising to quell the “wants”.

I know quite a few people who ardently mute out the ads on tv, or refuse to buy glossy mags because of the advertising, etc.

I am not one of those people.

I actually LOVE advertising. I appreciate its creativity – or distinct lack thereof – and spend my time trying to unravel what the advertiser hoped to elicit in me in order to make me buy… what are they trying to make me think? what do they want me to feel?

Now, i don’t buy Cosmo or those other magazines full of crap. Not because they are full of advertising, but because the non-advertising pages are not worth my brain cells. There was a time when I bought that magazine religiously, every month… thankfully that time ended decades ago, and it really should for millions of other women too. I don’t know what happened to Cosmo but Ian & I recently looked at a copy that was lying around at a friend’s house, and were shocked at the drivel it pushes. For a magazine that at one time was a leader in the women’s revolution, it has dragged us down to a level i will not support. Pure crap.

But I digress…

Advertising can be extremely entertaining. Especially advertising that’s perhaps not been vetted by a committee or at least had the copy read a couple times by someone other than it’s writer. Take the current Tide commercials, for example… “Style is an option. Clean is not.” So, what? i don’t have an option to be clean?? I think what they meant to say was, “Style is optional. Clean is not.” See the EXTREME difference? (Thankfully, someone else agrees with me who is obviously far better qualified to pronounce it questionable.)

Poor grammar isn’t gonna help me want to buy Tide. Ever.

My point here is… not giving into consumerist propaganda like advertising is more about YOU than the advertising. Avoidance and denial of its existence is one way to reduce the opportunities to want stuff, for sure. But ultimately, it comes down to choosing in favour of yourself, and your greater desire to be lighter and less encumbered – than your desire to have “stuff”. Leo is certainly right in that we all want… it’s human nature. Becoming “not-wanting” seems somewhat inhuman, to me. And denying desire as a form of punishment seems somewhat inhumane, to me. Learning to choose to NOT acquire something, because that choice honours your desire to have less and make a smaller impact, and carry fewer burdens, and leave your mind & soul free for more expansive pursuits… THAT seems like a good plan, to me.

Thanks, Leo, for giving me an opportunity to think thru my own idea on this. You have provided me with MANY opportunities for such contemplation over the past year, and I look forward to many more.

Here’s a good example…

According to our friends at OpenMedia.ca:

The government is set to ram through a new set of electronic surveillance laws that will allow authorities to access private information of any Canadian, at any time, without a warrant. You’ll be forced to pay for this online spying scheme.

If you’re inclined, you might want to say NO! and WTF?? to this little imposition. Sign below to do so.

Here’s more information… educate yourself before you have no privacy nor rights to privacy left!

I want to make it clear… I’m an average, working-class Canadian. My leanings are far more left than right (in case that wasn’t obvious) but I’m by no means a libertarian nor anarchist, and can’t call myself a socialist, entirely, because, well, i’m a bit of a capitalist… so more a social capitalist. Does that make sense?

I think the government should stay the hell out of our bedrooms, and well, out of our homes entirely. I realize there’s a fine line between protection & invasion when it comes to the government, and I don’t have an answer as to how to define it better – yet.

I am deeply saddened by the state of our Canadian political landscape… we are lead by liars, cheats & thieves. Perhaps in their hearts of hearts they THINK they know what’s best for us, but they are not asking US what’s best, and they are making decisions that the MAJORITY of us do not agree are prudent, thoughtful, fair nor forward-thinking.

This cannot continue. I cannot sit by and watch the Canada I love become a pawn that is run by the elite and panders to the whims of corporate giants. And i will be doing my part to ensure that it doesn’t.

Are you kidding me? $2400 to set up a client’s social media sites? Just how stupid do they think you guys are?!?! $497/m to maintain your social media? They better make you into a media magnet for that price.

And, honestly, i bet SOME people have benefited from those services – but i’ll bet real money that a whole lot more have NOT.  AT least not to the tune of $2400!

Social Media marketing – to me, at least – is not rocket science, but it does require some attention to detail and some serious thought about what you’re aiming to accomplish.

But come on… ANYONE can set up a twitter account or a facebook account, it doesn’t take a “professional” to do that.

Since i started in this business some 12 years ago, this has been a bone of contention for me. So-called “web gurus” – most of whom are self-taught (like me) – who determine that because they think they know something that you don’t know that they are somehow worth all kinds of your money.

It’s marketing. It’s not life-saving. It’s not even life-changing, for the most part.

It shouldn’t cost an arm & a leg.

And don’t try to pull the wool over the eyes of someone you think you’re superior to – clients aren’t stupid, sometimes they’re ignorant of what it is you do, but they’re very rarely stupid. And taking advantage of them for not knowing what you know is just plain greed – and that, my friends, is the seed of destruction. Our world wouldn’t be in the precarious condition it’s in right now if it weren’t for greed.

People in this industry pray on ignorance… keep that in mind at all times.

You don’t need to go out there and learn everything that you’re hiring other people to do for you, but it doesn’t hurt to get a little informed about what you’re asking them to do so you can question their time, cost, approach and results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU