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By Isabelle St-Jean, RSW, PCC, RTC Since March, as you know, Covid-19 has impacted all areas of our world, from economies, workplaces, job markets, health care system, the list goes on. It seems we all dropped into pragmatic survival mode on the Maslow hierarchy of needs. This in turn shifted us away from the higher aspirations we might have held in mind and heart prior to the pandemic. In various ways, this crisis has rattled our belief systems including the common assumption of being able to control the course of our life.  Countless people now unemployed or under- employed are feeling their previous sense of predictability or financial security suddenly vanishing as if a giant rug was pulled from under their feet. For yet others, social isolation and missing...

While the focus of our global community has been on the risks of infecting one another with the dreaded Covid-19 virus, even as we enter phase 2 recovery in B.C., most are struggling with fears and uncertainty. Beyond the virus, what remains certain, as always, is that we all affect each other, intentionally or not. While leading live seminars for over a decade and earlier this year, I have become acutely aware of my influence on participants, and more importantly, how they impact one another as they voice their views and opinions. Similarly, moods, non-verbal communication, linguistic expressions, creative expressions, qualities of energy, and inspiration, in person or via technology, all tend to be contagious, though often unintentionally. I recall in my...

“We’re all in this together” as we hear while facing the Covid-19 pandemic. And as the wise Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh often said, “no mud no lotus”; without the murky darkness of mud, lotus and other such flowers can not incubate nor blossom. Looking at the contrast (in this picture) of the mud out of which this bright lemony looking flower just emerged, we are reminded that adversity can yield newfound opportunities to rise and shine afresh on the other side of this crisis or challenges that are part of life. One of the paradigms shifting, as implied by the “all in this together” phrase, is a deeper realization of our interdependence across countries, cultures and continents. As countries help each other with medical supplies and collaborate to find a...

As you may have noticed within yourself and others, the new decade dawning in our midst seems to yield an invigorating sense of renewed hope, even as we may be preoccupied by personal, professional or larger scale challenges such as climate change. This new energy can be harnessed to surge forward with new aspirations, to gather momentum towards some positive change and tune into, or orient towards, auspicious winds and opportunities. But, in the course of my work counselling and coaching clients, I often observe that though they yearn for more love, happiness, professional success or abundance in their life, clients come to see that something deep within holds them back. These limiting patterns, beliefs or energy blocks in turn bring about unconscious...

On the threshold of this year’s second half, it’s wise to revisit intentions you have set in January and ask yourself if a course correction is needed. For some of us, even the most compelling goals and intentions can be derailed because we are constantly at risk of being sidetracked. We are distracted by technology and a myriad of mental habits that are not conducive to keeping our attention focused on what matters most at any given moment. From the larger goals you may have set for 2019 to the minutia of daily unfolding of your present life, consider the impact of how you begin each day. According to research, the majority of people are looking at their cell phone, as soon as they wake up. That begins to lure the mind’s focus into e-mails, texts, social media...

With the advent of a fresh year, we tend to crave newness. We can choose how we respond to that craving on the vertical spectrum of changes, from relatively minor, less significant, to a deeper course correction that will yield greater meaning and fulfillment. For example, we may indulge that craving for newness by booking an exciting trip, getting new furniture, new clothes or a fancier car. Also on that spectrum, we may choose to expand our social life, take on new hobbies, or improve our fitness level, all of which will contribute to happiness. And, if we candidly ask ourselves which part of our life most needs focused attention, change and action, we are likely to know, deep down, what deeper change we really could choose to make, whether that is a change of...