The Plan

The answer to the balance question...I know I want to travel, I know I want my Master degree, I want a career that allows me to always be learning, and I want a successful relationship...but I don't know where to start.

Correction: Didn't know

As I was sitting over dinner tonight it came to me. I came up with a base plan that includes travel, my Masters, a career that allows me to learn, involve culture, health, and a successful relationship.I want my Masters but I don't want to do a regular boring thesis. When my mother did her Masters degree she did a project, and to me, that seems like a much more tangible and better contribution to her discipline than another research project that will sit on a dusty shelf. I want that for my Masters degree too.

"The Importance of the Relationship between Cultural Identity and the Natural Environment for the Economic Projects of Canadian NGOs"

Although I think I would change the title, the message still stands. I still want to continue to write about how important it is for Economic Development Projects need to respect the respect the Relationship between Cultural Identity and the Natural Environment. And even though I found it hard to find published material to support my argument I don't want to write an academic paper. I want to do a project based Masters degree.

Since I've moved to Port Alberni and started working for Huu-ay-aht I've been thinking that a cultural adventure business would be a really great tourism business opportunity with a minimum environmental impact and a maximum potential for education.

So...why not make creating a business plan part of the Masters project? I could write about all of the reasons I think that economic development projects need to recognize and respect cultural idendity and the natural environment, include the business plan and all of the reasons it respects the relationship between Nuu-chah-nulth cultural identity, values, and principals and the natural environment of the West Coast of Vancouver Island.

Vision Board

The week of July 13th to 17th 2009 I attended a workshop at the request of my employer. I had no idea what it was about, turns out it was one of those "personal growth" workshops. On the first day I was thinking "Oh dear God, you're kidding me." But then I watched one of the women sitting near by resisting every work, every activity and thought "I don't want to be that woman". And then I hit something that I didn't realize was still holding me back so much.

From that point on I went through each activity with an open mind and an open heart. The same message was present each day.

Balance. Mental Balance, Emotional Balance, Physical Balance. I could use some balance in my life. It was also about keeping the past out of the present and the future. We worked through the past, learned how to be present in the present, and how to look towards the future with out limitations.

So this entry is about my idea for balancing my future. In creating my vision board (a college of goals) I tried to use the balance model and put goals for myself in the middle

Middle: Balance, Relax, Confidence, Trust your instincts...

And surrounded myself with the things I wanted in my life. There was a quadrant for travel, a quadrant for career and education, a quadrant for my romantic relationships, and a quadrant for health.

Travel took up a full half, and I've decided to let it. Career and education took up a quarter. Relationships and health shared the last quarter, not because they're less of a priority but because I'm farther along in those areas.

So after creating this beautiful board and trying to let myself believe that I can have those things, and am allowed to want those things I started to think "how to I get there"?

How do I get my Masters, travel the world, and maintain a relationship that requires me to stay in Port Alberni?

Suddenly, tonight over dinner I came up with the answer.