Many people today are struggling with mental health issues; I believe it is so important to start talking about this topic.

There is a new campaign put out by the Partners for Mental Health called "Not Myself Today."  The goal of the campaign is to bring awareness to mental health.  I took the pledge because as it says on the Not Myself Today site, "Mental health can no longer be ignored. We are all affected. We are all touched by it. That's why I'm pledging my support to improve mental health in Canada." 

When it comes to persevering in life, it helps to have positive mentors who are there for us along the way.  Many people I have interviewed recently have mentioned this. I saw this video earlier today and thought it is such a beautiful tribute to the importance of mothers in terms of an individual's success!!!! Thanks P&G for creating this great advertisement!

Today, Marie-Hélène (M&H) Thibeault, a Canadian Alpine Ski Team alumnus and the Executive Director of Fast and Female, shares her thoughts on perseverance with us.  Fast and Female was created by Chandra Crawford (Canadian Olympic Gold Medallist) in 2005.  Through partnering with Olympic athletes, it is dedicated to the empowerment of young women through sport. As a female athlete, I'm a proud supporter of the work that they do and have written about them on my blog in the past.  I'm delighted that I get to promote them on here as I fully believe in their vision.

I'm delighted to share with you a personal story of perseverance by Mina Samuels (Author of "Run Like A Girl: How Strong Women Make Happy Lives"). Mina Samuels is a freelance writer and editor. A former litigation lawyer and human rights activist, she has ghostwritten and edited work on a wide range of topics including human rights, business and legal issues, sports, and fiction. Mina’s most recent book is Run Like a Girl: How Strong Women Make Happy Lives. Her previous books include, a novel, The Queen of Cups, and The Think Big Manifesto, co-authored with Michael Port. When she’s not writing, she might be found out on the roads or trails, running, cycling, cross-country skiing, or doing yoga, among many other things. If you would like to connect with her, you can check out her Facebook page or follow her on Twitter! Thanks for sharing your story with us Mina.

Celenia Serrano works for a private consulting firm based in Toronto, ON. Her true passion lies in promoting gender equality in lesser developed countries and understanding the economical and social barriers to development. It is her mission to challenge the antiquated gender roles in her own culture and promote an equal partnership between males and females. When not at work, Celenia participates regularly in yoga, in playing music and in staying active with the many dogs and horses on the farm. 

I describe myself in the About Me section of my site using many adjectives.  You will notice that “shy” isn’t one of them.  I have a confession to make: I used to be extremely shy and still am sometimes.

I am shy when I am in some social situations, as are the majority of individuals.  More than 90% of the world’s population have been shy during some form of social interaction.  My shyness occurs when I am in unfamiliar groups.  The initial meeting is difficult for me; however, once I start talking to the people in the group, I am no longer shy.  I am very comfortable around people who I know well and most would call me an extrovert.

I'm excited that Loren Fogelman has decided to share with me as part of my series on perseverance.  Loren Fogelman is author of The Winning Point and founder of Expert Sports Performance.com, a company devoted to teaching elite athletes how to consistently achieve high performance, maintain focus during competitions and create the confidence to reach their BIG goals. Having been a psychotherapist since 1985, she knows how to identify core issues -- the challenges that are getting in the way of your game – and how to tackle them with a laser-focused approach. During courses and coaching programs, Loren teaches her clients proven strategies for reaching their goals by working smarter, not harder. Psychology, physiology and productivity strategies when combined create a comprehensive training program, boosting performance.

I'm excited that Amanda Abella of Grad Meets World volunteered to be part of my interview series on perseverance. I can relate to her experiences and she has inspired me. Amanda Abella is a freelance writer and blogger based out of Miami, Florida. Her day job consists of interviewing job candidates for a small employment agency while she moonlights as a personal development junkie. When she's not at work or at her local yoga studio you can find her running the popular Gen Y blog Grad Meets World or writing copy and blog posts for clients. Her mission is to help Gen Y see the potential they have while providing practical tips and resources to help them create their post-grad lives. 

Throughout conversations with others lately, the words "freedom to fail" frequently come up.  It seems that many people are too afraid to make mistakes and as a result they stay in the safe zone.  For example, when trying to achieve excellence in a certain area, mistakes will happen along the way.  However, I know many individuals who only put in a minimal effort so no mistakes are made. My friend Adam Panacci shares an account of this situation.

I came up with the idea to interview individuals while walking by the water this past Easter weekend.  Instead of only asking people to share their stories, I’m also asking them the following questions that have been featured on my blog.  To kick off the series, I decided to share my personal answers to the questions.

I connected with Art Butcher a couple of months ago, and I am delighted that he agreed to write this post.Thank you, Art! Please check out his bio and the link to his website, which are included at the end of the post. Building on my post from yesterday about the importance of social support in goal setting, I think Art's post is a wonderful follow-up to the question. Read Art's guest post below!

I have decided to start a new feature on my blog, “Question of the Day.” Every so often, I am posed questions; I thought I would start to share these periodically with you before doing related follow-up posts.

I was emailed a question this week that I have heard many times; I would appreciate your input.

The email was from a reader who has a friend who has been struggling with living a healthy lifestyle for several years; as a result, the friend is severely overweight.  The reader wants to be supportive and a good friend to the other.