We are heading into Canada’s 150th Birthday Celebration!  A fantastic time to reflect on the past and all that has made Canada a GREAT nation! It is also a time to look to the future with excitement, hopes and dreams of continuing to strive for excellence in a positive way that will impact our own lives and the lives of our future generations.

There are many qualities that make a great nation, for example; freedom, justice, equality, morality, truthfulness,  stewardship, the value one places on life, integrity, honesty, the list goes on. Strong leaders can make a difference with in a nation, a community, a family and as an individual.

Leading by example is one of the best ways to move forward. When one leads by example, one is setting the bar for those around him or her to watch and embrace, or watch and ignore. We all have the same choices and decisions in life to make and striving to improve is always a positive action, regardless of the outcome. If our intentions are good, then any effort made is positive.

Canada is steeped in tradition, and nothing symbolises it more that our Canadian Mounted Police in uniform. The 1867 Constitutional Act officially proclaimed Canadian Confederation on July 1, 1867.

“The Dominion of Canada wasn’t born out of revolution, or a sweeping outburst of nationalism. Rather, it was created in a series of conferences and orderly negotiations, culminating in the terms of Confederation on 1 July 1867.”

I just recently celebrated our high school reunion with our high school celebrating 160 years. Our high school is older than Canada. There were many archives to sift through and I enjoyed a more personal significant meaning,  given that my grandfather was a principle for approximately 17 years at this high school.  I have an old year book from 1947 with his message as principle.

My grandmother, one of few women in her day, who had completed  a university degree, taught, as a teacher, at this same  high school but for only a few years, up until she was married. In her day, once a woman married, she was no longer allowed to be a teacher.  This rule certainly impacted her life moving forward, as she had to make a choice, choose a career, or a family. There were other women who chose their career over family. Tough choices then, and thank goodness, many rules have changed for the better. I am a product of her choice and her decision to have a family which included three sons. I am one of sixteen grandchildren which has transformed into 76 additional family members and counting, all making a contribution to society.

 I came across this picture of Stamford High School, the original house used in 1867, later to be replaced through expansion.

What was fascinating was to look through the minutes of meetings held through the early 1900 hundreds,with a copy of one dated Feb. 1st, 1901 provided below. To think that these notes were made such a long time ago, with some one taking feather quill to ink well and recording the details needed to maintain records in order to fulfil the needs, rights and freedoms established at the time based on the accepted values of this time. With more knowledge and education, better choices were made and rules were changed to reflect the knowledge gained.

Walking the halls of years gone by and showing my husband my high school  was an opportunity to see what has changed and what has remained the same.  It is also always interesting to hear what people have to say, what they remember and how their perspective of events  has influenced their life. We can all be in a room witnessing a significant event but we all see it through our own eyes and can often interpret the same situation differently depending on our own beliefs and inner makeup including confidence, personality and the groups that surrounds us, our friends and teachers.

The catch phase; “positive in, positive out”  implies that if we receive positive thoughts into our way of thinking, we are more likely to send out positive thoughts and comments  and influence those around us in an uplifting manner.

Karma refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual influence the future of that individual and effect.

One thought that has been influencing my choices as of late is the thought that we can truly only help ourselves. When serving others, we can guide and teach others and show them what they could do, or what we think they need to do, but in the end, we can’t make others do things they are not interested in doing or desire to do. For example, if one truly wants to lose weight, one has to study, learn and adopt an action plan that works specifically for their own needs. If one wants to stop smoking, one has to find what works for themselves, some people quite cold turkey, some use a nicotine patch and some rely on support groups.  Many different options have been shown to be effective, but it comes down to the individual and his or her character, will power, desire and needs.

I have had significant “Cross Roads” in my life and have had to make some tough choices, some were in my control and others were not. Ultimately, I  am were I am as a result of the choices I have made, the effort I have put forward and the direction I took when given options, ….  or lack of options given,  along the way.  If you are not happy with were you are, you have to make changes that will lead to better choices in order to obtain a more positive outcome and direction moving forward.

The Niagara Area has a lot of history and the falls is the result of Lake Erie merging into Lake Ontario with a significant elevation disparity of 99 meters with half of this height occurring at the falls. The Horseshoe Falls has a height of 51 meters.  A young visionary, an entrepreneur by the name of William Hamilton Merritt was responsible for initiating the project  and building of the Welland Canal. Construction crews were made up of European immigrants and the work was labour intensive.  Once built, the canal provided transportation of natural resources and shipping goods from the great lakes out through the St. Lawrence and beyond,  by passing the Horseshoe Falls.  It took a great visionary to stick with the plan and commit the man hours, money and muscle needed to succeed at the task.  I am sure, many thought the idea, at the time,  was crazy and every immigrant that left their home land to come over made a choice that clearly impacted the direction and path of their lives and future generations. This is the back bone, the past and the history of Canada that is important. Past decisions matter, and what one might conceive as a small decision at the time, might have a profound impact on future generations and one’s quality of life.

As we head into the Canada Day celebrations, take a look at those around you who are influencing you. Are you positively influencing others. Are you leading by example and trusting that your good intentions will provide a positive environment?  Are you letting go of those you can not help and moving forward and working with those who are willing and wanting change in their lives?

One significant leader in my circles states that she always looks to match the effort of those she is working with.  By matching and supporting the efforts of those who are working hard and committed to the process, an individual, a team, or an organisation can achieve great things. This is how leaders are built and it is significant. I choose to work with those who truly want change and are willing to  work towards it. There are leaders and Nay Sayers, the choice is ours.

Have a great week moving forward,

Sincerely,

Heather Ainslie

Moving forward, loving life, making it so!

 

Facebook Comments