Top O’ The Mornin’ Muchachos,

What a week it has been…

There seemingly could not be any more tossed in the Canadian political and economic blender. Mayors sticking their nose in federal politics and lobbing verbal grenades across the country. Trudeau and Notley continue to take heat for their every move. The Alberta Royalty Review will be unveiled later this afternoon. Edmonton passed a landmark bylaw this week that will allow Uber to legally operate. I could go on and on (side note to Suits fans: Season 5 got back in business this week). Point is, there is a LOT going on right now. Take a second to decompress this weekend, find yourself a comfy chair and let your mind wander with these five thought provoking pieces…

• David and Goliath. The seemingly insurmountable fight between two men of vastly different statures, yet the underdog comes out on top. Best selling author, Malcolm Gladwell, dives deep into the tale of David & Goliath and breaks down some of the common misconceptions of advantages and disadvantages. This is a great 6-minute interview with Malcolm that really starts to get good around the 3:00 mark. He even touches on the notion of “helicopter parenting” which has been focus point in past 2015 Mailbags…

• I love this concept of an “interesting people fund“. It’s something I’ve toyed with in the past and set aside a couple bucks for a coffee fund. However, I think Ben Casnocha is onto something here making it a formal part of his life. What might that look like in your life in terms of how you budget or incorporate relationship building activities?

• Goal setting – A topic that often is touched upon by many in January only for it to derail in February because “life” gets in the way. What I’m learning is to forget the resolutions. If you want to enact true change in your life, you need to create tangible, measurable goals that can translate into new and improved lifestyle changes. I’ve made a conscious effort in 2016 to do this, as well as sharing my goals with a few close friends whom I trust greatly. The biggest positive change I’m finding thus far is a result of what I call “Ryan’s Principle’s of Sustainability”. Ryan is my mentor and someone I lean on when setting my navigational beacon. When we were working on adding measure-ability to my goals, he said “Mike, if what you’re putting on paper isn’t something you can be doing in week 51 of 2016 just as you’re trying to do now in Week 3, it is not a sustainable.” Many people confuse sustainability with dumbing down your goals or aspirations, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Sustainability is about not setting yourself up for failure and ensuring there is alignment between what your true aspirations are and connecting that with what you’ve committed yourself to achieving on paper. Put the resolutions behind you and create sustainable goals that you can grow into and subsequently become part of your routine with a healthy dose of stick-to-it-ive-ness.

• Randy Johnson. The Big Unit. Who would’ve thought that his passion post-baseball is what he steered away from during his entire professional career: the camera.

• It is seemingly a topic that is touched upon a fair bit in Canada: the prototypical “crazy” hockey parent. While the case of Patrick O’Sullivan is far and beyond what anyone would consider a “crazy” hockey parent, the point is that as human beings, we must look out and care for our teammates if we think they might be in danger. Too often, we turn a blind eye to things we don’t want to know the truth behind or because we’re scared of the consequences of intervention. As a young hockey player, all those blind eyes turned from fellow teammates and parents led to a perpetual nightmare for Patrick away from the rink.

Song of The Week: “Kiss The Sky” – The Knocks ft. Wyclef Jean. Regardless of the week you’ve had, this is a feel good tune to help you unwind this weekend!

Quote of The Week: “Adversity is a gift. It is a chance to become stronger.” – Chandra Crawford (Canadian Olympian & 06′ Gold Medallist)

Keep on Keepin’ On,

Mike