Journeyman Stories

As I search to find the right words to express what I am feeling, one song comes to mind. Do you know which song? Take a guess! No, it’s not that one. Try harder! OK, it's Bob Marley’s song “Is this love” on auto replay in my mind. Stay tuned for the upcoming attraction in a theatre near you. This week has been one of the busiest yet most productive weeks in a long time. Things that historically never moved are now moving. I had a meeting with Paul my business partner where I pointed out to him that we’ve been thinking about doing a lot of things instead of just doing them. This statement cracked him up but we both knew that it was true. So, since then I have been in action. Last week I delivered a keynote presentation to an organization that provides assistance to new immigrants to Canada. This was my third time presenting at this organization, and I have to tell you that each time I am always amazed at the work they are doing. As I was doing my thing, I couldn’t help but thin...

Have you ever felt like you are living in a dream where every moment seems to be perfect? You meet the right people at the right time, you get the answer to your questions effortlessly, your work is getting done, and doors that were locked for a long time are now opening for you. I am hooked to Louis Armstrong’s tune “It’s a wonderful world” (or so it seems). That was me last week. I didn’t want to wake up from my “dream” because it felt so ideally perfect. What a feeling! The “aha” moment came a few weeks back when I was late for a meeting. I am rarely late for anything. Although I said I was late, I arrived for the meeting 15 minutes before it started. But for some odd reason I managed to get IN the room late. I had to explain why I was late. I had stepped out of the room help someone I knew not realizing how long it would take. I rushed back into the meeting’s room, and found everybody waiting for me (talk about an embarrassing moment). Then came the coaching! It was a tough pil...

One of the things I enjoy about my trips to New York is coming home from New York (I am not even sure if I understand what I just said). Maybe I can explain. For me, going to New York is like a car going to the gas station with an empty tank. It comes out topped up with energy, ready to hit the road with more power. That’s how I felt on Monday when I returned home to Toronto. I was ready to take on the world. There are so many projects on which I am working and I am super excited about all of them. My friend, Mike, and I would like to launch an online TV show (a long time dream of mine). What else? I would like to see and help my friend “Summertime” achieve her dream of building a hospital back in Burundi (her longtime dream). And together with another guy I met a few weeks back, I would like to build the first African Cultural Centre in Toronto. Isn’t that awesome? The funny part is that I have no idea as to how all of these things will work out. But I am excited regardless. This i...

This is one of those blogs where I am going to use my time travel machine. I am writing it on Wednesday, you will read it on Monday, and I am talking about a trip I am going to take on Thursday (go figure). Another week-end back to New York, I am very excited about it. I will have the entire day of Friday for myself, and frankly I don’t know what I am going to do with all the extra time (how about an NBA game at the Garden? That would be nice). This week my friend Motivatorman is celebrating his 400th blog. What an accomplishment! He has been my friend and mentor for a while now. He is the one who introduced me to the world of blogging and now I am a self proclaimed Superstar (round of applause please). Do you know what he says about my blog? In his own words: “Ever since I have known Patrick he has told stories that have astounded and inspired me deeply. His are stories of real-life successes that helped me see that I could overcome my own challenges and achieve my dreams. Patrick...