Recently I was introduced to a community program called Timeraiser. A program that looks to bring together people looking for opportunities/work/networking/developing skills and not for profit organizations that very much need the time and energy of young people.

Similar to any fundraiser, the Timeraiser volunteers have to go through the same steps and processes in order to organize events and generate buzz - but the end goal is to raise volunteer time rather than money. In many ways this is more difficult to accomplish as time is scarce and you have to committ to future time in order to participate in this event. But the rewards are incredible.

The concept was born when the founder of the time raiser program was in university and he found himself at a fundraiser auctioning art and he had no money to give. But he loved the art piece. What he did have was time and that's how he got the idea of creating a organization that brought together art, volunteers and not for profit agencies. The idea is brilliant really. Especially for young folks who are looking to develop skills in a particular fields you can view this as an internship opportunity where you get to gain breadth and experience. This is also an awesome way to network and meet professional people in various industries. Finally, there is no better gift to give than time and though we can all agree we have very little free time I am willing to bet most of us can make time (if we care enough to do so).

Here is an overview of how timeraiser event works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVm5J4YxroM

The next Timeraiser is happening in London, Canada May 13th @ Club Mansion!!!

p.s. I wonder how often we get an idea to do/change/create something for the better and we let it slip away and forget about it

Incremental Progress

When you want something waiting is the hardest part. Especially if you do not know for sure that you will get whatever you are waiting for. So often we give up or worse yet we settle for less because that way we are guranteed to get something as opposed to nothing.

Waiting is boring. And as one of my professors used to say boredom is the worest enemy of humanity. But does waiting breed boredom or is it the other way around?
Say you want a job. You do all the things that you need to do to get you there. You prep your resume and CV, you apply for jobs, you network and.... nothing. So you dust yourself off, tweak your resume, expand your network apply for more jobs and... still nothing. What do you do next?
Apply this to anything that currently keeps you up at night (promotion, love, money) and ask yourself if you are still working hard or have you given up and pretending like you are still in the game? Worse yet, if you are tired and feeling lost, most likely boredom has kicked in which makes you much less effective at doing what you're supposed to be doing in order to get the desired outcome. And boredom is truly the ENEMY.

So if you find yourself in a rut here are some tips to keep you fresh and clear of boredom:


Patience - All good things are worth the wait (and the fight) so make sure you are doing both.
Patience implies waiting but waiting alone is not enough. If you are looking to get somewhere you will need to do the "fighting" part even when you do not see the point and regardless of how tired or discouraged your feel. Think of the obstabcles as a test of how badly you want the end result and use it as a tool to stay positive, stay on course and keep doing what you're doing.

People - Use your people. Ask for help when you need it, lean on them for support and network to always expand your personal web. It is for sure the greatest resource we all have so leverage it for all it's worth.

peaks and valleys - This is related to the the point above: people. Stay humble during your peaks and lend a hand to those in need. This will come in handy when you reach your own valleys.

performance - are you a sore loser? When you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel do you keep at it? When something is not working are you willing to listen and change your strategy? Only those who are most adaptable will succeed in the end.

Path - Seth Goding put it most beautifully:

"the ardent or insane pursuit of a particular goal is a good idea if the steps you take along the way also prep you for other outcomes, each almost as good (or better). If pushing through the Dip and bending the market to your will and shipping on time and doing important and scary work are all things you need to develop along the way, then it does not really matter so much if you don't make the goal you set out to reach."

Why travel?

Today, I was talking to a dear friend and it prompted me to write about one of my favourite things in the world: travel. I don’t consider myself an avid traveler; People who take years to wander around the world explore places, different cultures as they search for themselves. I am more the selective, yet generous traveler who lives for the experience and falls in love with the process. I feel the same way about traveling as Carrie Bradshaw felt about shoes: Love them passionately, cherish them till death do us part and consider for what they are - a lifetime investment. Each trip creates its own story, brings along its own special memories invokes emotions and feelings same way the aroma of your grandma’s favourite soup will always bring you back to childhood memories of spending summers by the lake, doing your own laundry (yup, no washing machine) and suntanning as if you had never heard of skin cancer. Love to travel! Reminds me of a specific phase in life and has carved me into the person I am today.

Frances Mayes states the following in her book A Year in the World:

"When traveling you have the delectable possibility of not understanding a word of what is said to you. Language becomes simply a musical background for watching bicycles zoom alongside a canal, calling for nothing from you. You open, as in childhood, and -for a time- receive this world [with fresh perspective, distinct ideas and better understanding]."

When you travel the world begins to shrink and overtime you do not notice limits but rather possibilities; the world becomes your backyard where its your for taking and exploring and enjoying.

Because my family emigrated to Canada when I was thirteen, I learned early on that in essence all people the same. Regardless of economical conditions, culture, religion we all want the same things. We yearn and work and love and complain and then we wake up to do it all over again. But you’ll never realize the core of that unless you wander the world for a little while and talk to a few people that at first glance seem very different from you. Travel gifts you that perspective.

My sister and I were in Prishtina,Kosova looking to catch a cab. It was a hot humid day, there was plenty of people in the streets and we had way too much luggage. A clear sign that we were foreign, spoiled and had money to spend. As we approached the parking lot where much taxi drivers wait in the scorching sun for customers we were the perfect prey. Just for a moment let me define the taxi driver for the Albanian standards: Men of all ages, looking to support their families by driving strangers in their private cars. You see the unemployment rate is 40% in Kosova and when it comes to a minority groups its even higher. People resort to desperate means to earn a bare minimum living and provide for their families. So needless to say when my sister and I approached the area, we had barely set foot in the designated parking area where they had all parked 7-8 men flocked around us with questions and bombarding us with their best rates. This is not uncommon: Something very similar occurred in Barbados. As my Canadian friends and I stepped out of the "Serenade of the seas" looking for a fun-filled-day in the city of Bridgetown we were greeted by the local men and women, carrying posters advertising their own tours, various flyers and a some strong vocal cords yelling the different "Best spots to see in Barbados". The screaming, self-promoting and the determination reminded me of the vendors of St. Jacob’s Farmers market in Waterloo, Ontario early on a Saturday morning.

Coming home and going back to work is always hard to do after a vacation. In fact, I wont lie; Monday morning consists of a few tears as I try to adjust to the drudgeries of the day to day demands. But as the days go by and I soak up my the experience of another wonderful trip I am once again reminded that I am exactly the same as Murat, the taxi driver, and a proud father of two, the young lady who provided us with a beautiful day of sailing and Dalia who sells me fresh fuit every Saturday morning. I wake up to go to work earn a living but I can do it less determination, less effort and perform "ok" yet still get a paycheck by the end of the week. Most importantly I am compensated enough not only to earn a good living but save up for travel. It is good dose of reality and a bittersweet reminder that I am one of the very fortunte people living in an overcrowded world who has the privilege to live the life I want to, make any choices I please and live the life I was meant to. That thought alone is certainly worth trying my harderst each day and doing my very best.

Photographer: Paul Idasz