Marcus Lopés

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stay focused

Make a Choice

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make a choice

As the end of 2023 approaches, we’re going to hear a lot of talk about how the year went. There will be reflections on the people who died and the impact they had on the world. We will relive the highlights of sports and world events. At a personal level, a lot of us will look back and determine if we succeeded at what we set out to do. For some, that will be a positive experience. For others…not so much. But no matter how the year went, one thing is clear: we all had a choice. [Read more…] about Make a Choice

Embrace the Suck

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embrace the suck

I am a morning person. For most of my adult life, I have not needed an alarm clock to wake up in the morning. When I was a flight attendant and had to be at the airport before the crack of dawn, I would set an alarm as a fail-safe. However, I would mentally remind myself what time I needed to get up before going to bed. And usually anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes before the alarm was set to go off, I would wake up. In my current role working late nights, I am still naturally waking up early. Now I am learning to embrace the suck. [Read more…] about Embrace the Suck

Embrace Reality

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embrace reality

A few weeks ago, I ordered and started reading Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life, only to put it down. Not because it wasn’t interesting, but because another book1 I ordered had arrived and it stole my attention. Then last Monday as I travelled to Malton on the Kitchener Go Train, I picked up where I left off with Be Useful. And as often happens lately when I’m reading certain books, it felt like Schwarzenegger could read my mind and his words were directed right at me. I knew then that I had to embrace reality. [Read more…] about Embrace Reality

  1. Do Hard Things by Steve Magness [↩]

Do Hard Things

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do hard things

Running the Toronto Waterfront Marathon last October, there were several moments when I wanted to give up. As the pain exploded in my right foot and my pace slowed to a walk, I remember thinking, ‘What the hell just happened?’ Everything just evaporated. The ease with which I was running. My breathing. My mental toughness. And my chance at setting a personal best. Over the years, running taught me I could do hard things. Only there I was, pulling off to the side to stretch, breathe, wallow, and attempt to regain my focus. But when I started running again, I knew I was in trouble. [Read more…] about Do Hard Things

Be Gentle

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be gentle

For most of my adult life, I have been hard on myself. Extremely hard. I have always set high expectations for myself, and when I don’t meet them or come up short, I’m disappointed. While I have been trying to be gentle with myself, it’s not easy. Even though I know it’s unrealistic for me to believe that I will succeed at everything or get everything right on the first try, deep down that expectation is still there. [Read more…] about Be Gentle