Win your morning

When you win your morning you have a much better chance at winning you day. To do this I have two simple rules: 1) prepare ahead of time and 2) get up early.

Lay out your workout clothes and your work clothes the night before. Don’t leave anything to chance or that you think you will do it at the last minute cause you won’t. If you meal prep then Sunday is the best day to do this so you are prepared for the week and this is one less thing to think about.

Now getting up early is not as difficult as one may think. It starts by going to bed at a decent hour so you can get at least 7-8 hours of sleep. To do this properly it’s best to turn off all your electronic devices at least an hour before you go to bed. So no wasting time on your phone or bing watching Netflix on your TV. The best way to wind down is to read.

Set a goal of getting up at 5am. Remember it is a lot easier if you’re not up till 11:30. First thing I do at that hour is take my vitamins with a large glass of water. Early morning is a great time to meditate ( check out Calm or Headspace) to help you out. Early morning is also the best time to get in your workout so you’re primed for your day. And incase you are wondering, no I don’t drink coffee.

That US Army slogan is right, ” Get up early and get more accomplished before 9am than most people get done all day”.

Today I am thankful for the calm and quiet of the early morning, a wonderful walk with my dog before the roads got busy and thankful for having teenagers who sleep in.

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Can Do Attitude

Let’s face it in life shit happens to all of us. It is how we deal with it that sets up apart. Having a defeatist or pessimestic will only make the situation worse. Once you have gotten over the initial shock of what happened to you, start looking for ways to overcome your obstacle.

So you gained a few too many pounds during lockdown, after you are done feeling sorry for yourself do something about it. The same goes if an unexpected bill arrives and threw a wrench into your financial plan, deal with it. Faced with prospects of your rent increasing when the moratorium lifts, you know it’s coming now it time to do something about it.

Take responsibility for what happens to you makes it that much easier to overcome the issue in the first place. Just because you got knocked down by life does not mean that you have to stay down. Dust yourself off and keep going.

Today I am thankful for the new perspective that occurred while walking the dog today, challenges that exist to make us better tomorrow than we were yesterday and the feeling from a run before the day gets too hot.

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” Lou Holtz

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Stressed and can’t think

When you are having stressful moments and trust me they do happen. Then get up and do something that does not require any thinking. Go for a walk, cut your grass, meditate or workout. Enough to get your mind off what was effecting you day. Know that whatever it is, it too shall pass.

Today I am thankful for friends who call me back when I need them and they know who they are and thank you, that myself and my family are in great heath and that temporary inconveniences are there to make your better in the long run.

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” William James

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

The High Road

There are moments in life where people do you wrong for seemingly no logical reason. You could do what a lot of people are doing these days and trash them on social medial and huff and puff and go around how they are ruining your life. Or better yet you could be the bigger person, acknowledge what was said and done and move one like a grown up.

I admit that yes it does suck but letting it bother you and effect all area’s of your life frankly sucks a lot more. You can not control the events around your life. The one thing that you can control is your response or reaction to those events. This does not mean that you should not defend yourself, but doing so should not also involve also trying to take down the person who did you wrong. The old expression still rings true that two wrongs do not make a right.

Today I am thankful for the new perspective that today brings, that sleeping on your challenges always helps bring upon new solutions that you never thought about and inside every challenge are the seeds of great opportunities.

“It’s a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.” —Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“How people treat you is their karma. How you react is yours.” —Wayne Dyer

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Parenting

Your life changes drastically in so many ways after you have kids. We started with two in 2004. My wife had twins that were 11 weeks early and we spent the first 8 weeks in NICU for one and 12 weeks for the other. Thankfully they are now healthy 16 almost 17 year olds. Having kids teach you that you can survive on less than 4 hours sleep, how to change diapers half awake and that these little people do not care if you can’t sing well. Although my wife has a great singing voice.

My girls adapted well to a schedule of every four hours and slept pretty well when it wasn’t the scheduled time to get up. There were the odd times when they were older (3 or 4) and dropped their stuffies and cried blue bloody murder but other than that they were good. My son who was born in 2006 didn’t like a schedule and was not fond of sleeping till he was almost 7. So the past few years were practically bliss as the kids are old enough to sleep till 10 or 11am in the summer and put them selves to bed when my wife goes to bed.

Last night as one of my teenage girls was up watching whatever on Netflix at 1:30am she let out a scream like someone was attacking her or her sister said something that disagreed with her. I ran to her room to discover that she saw a spider and was trying to kill it unsuccessfully with her skateboard. After the spider was dispatched she was finely able to relax and go to bed. I would love to hear some of your parenting stories.

Today I am thankful for a wife who is a light sleeper to tell me to get up to tend to the emergency, that it was not a rodent as we would of had company in our bed and that at 11am she is still asleep.

What it’s like to be a parent: It’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do but in exchange it teaches you the meaning of unconditional love.” Nicholas Sparks

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

White flag

When the going gets tough, do you keep going or do you quit? We will all face adversity of some sort in life. It’s how we deal with it that really matters. Yes some quit when the going gets tough, others buckle down and emerge at the other end 10 times better than before. Diamonds are formed under pressure. What will pressure do to you?

We are in a very challenging housing market and not every transaction goes exactly how we all intended. However as long as we can all stay focused on the end goal and respond quickly to every requirement we will get there.

Today I am thankful for my son’s uncomplicated oral surgery yesterday, good friends who are there for you when life throws a wrench into your plans and my daughter starting her volunteering with Feed Nova Scotia today.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A Edison

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Being Stoic

Acording to Merriam-Webster being stoic is defined as someone who accepts what happens without complaining or showing emotion. This is especially true when something bad or unpleasant is happening. However I think it’s more than that, I think it’s the ability to keep your emotions in check without suffering from the deep downs or the incredible high’s.

This ancient philosophy is alive and well thanks to the writings of Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca. Many modern great minds and leaders were know to practice the teachings of Stoicism, from George Washington, Walt Whitman, Adam Smith, Ralph Waldo Emerson and many others. At it’s core are tools and teachings to help you live a better life, with courage, temperance, justice and wisdom.

“If at some point in your life, you should come across anything better than justice, truth, self-control and courage, it must be an extraordinary thing indeed.” Marcus Aurelius

Today I am thankful for the hidden opportunity found inside every challenge, knowing that worrying about things beyond my control is a total waste of time and teachings from 2,500 years ago are just as relevant today.

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Comfort zone

One of the worst places to possibly be is in the comfort zone. This means that you have settled and that you are more or less just going though the motions. When you are comfortable you don’t push yourself to improve or get better, you are just happy doing what you are doing and not taking any chances.

While I am not saying that you should quit your job or terminate your relationships all to give you some challenges in your life. You should always have something that you are striving to achieve as this makes you driven and motivated to keep improving and moving your life forward.

Today I am thankful for the challenges that I face on a regular basis that keep me moving forward, for a fun afternoon canoeing with my son and the start of an exciting week ahead with beautiful weather.

“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” Brian Tracy

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Man’s best friend

So we had a scary situation with our 4 and a half year old poodle last night. See he loves, absolutely loves tennis balls and thinks they are the greatest thing for dogs and he wants nothing more than to have them thrown so he can chase them. We started throwing them around inside the house and you know how challenging that could be. So we took the game outside and played keep away with him for about 20 minutes around 8:30pm.

Once we got back in the house he was very out of sorts and could not relax or settle down. We had mistakenly thought a quick game of catch in the evening would be fine even it was very hot earlier in the day. Sadly it was not. Since he couldn’t seem to control his temperature or stop heavy panting, we put him in the truck and took him for a drive with the AC on full and a freezer pack to cool him down. Thankfully he recovered quickly once he was in the truck and I don’t know what we would do ( specially my son) if anything happened to him.

So here is what to look out for as signs of heat stroke in dogs, heavy panting, fever over 103, elevated hear rate, excessive drooling, agitation, nausea and or diarrhea, muscle cramping, seizures, weakness, dazed, loss of balance and collapse. Our puppy definitely had a few of those and thankfully we caught it before it got too serious. Please pay attention to your puppies on these hot summer days.

Today I am thankful for the quick and immediate action of my wife to treat our dog, puppichino’s from Starbucks and now that he has had a good nights sleep seems back to normal.

“When an eighty-five pound mammal licks your tears away, then tries to sit on your lap, it’s hard to feel sad.” Kristan Higgins

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Beach Day!

Some weeks the accomplishment is just making it to Friday. If this is you, I feel your pain. However with the warm humid weather we are having it will be a great time to head to the beach. One of the things we are blessed with here in Nova Scotia is lots and lots of beaches. We have over 90 beaches and 7,500 km of coastline you are guaranteed to find one that you like.

Although our summer’s are typically short and now that the hot humid weather is here, a day at the beach could be a great idea. With the hot air temperature and cool water make a perfect combination to refresh and recharge. Here is a link to find the perfect beach for you so you can enjoy a perfect day by the water.

Today I am thankful for the relatively cool nights that have accompanied these warm days, having several beaches to choose from which are only a short drive away from home and friends with pools on warm hot summer days.

“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here