During my undergraduate degree, I learned an important life lesson about caring for others. While studying for the final exam with my fellow classmates, a few of the students legitimately obtained a copy of the previous year’s final exam through a friend.  These students didn’t let anyone else have access to the previous exam, or its answers; rather, they kept it for themselves.  They thought that by not sharing this special information with other classmates, they would do better on the exam. They were focusing on their individual success, at the exclusion of their fellow classmates’.

Ever wondered how writing can inspire the journey of a professional performer? I'm excited that today my friend, Gabriello Pitman, is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing his experiences with all of us. 

Gabriello is a performer, an entrepreneur, and a professional coach based in Toronto, Canada. I met Gabriello before he became an entrepreneur and was pursuing his PhD in Physics at the University of Toronto.  We met and became friends as we were both residents of Wycliffe College's graduate residence.  You can check out the story in his own words on how he discovered his calling here. Gab used to come in the television room at the residence and perform card tricks for us.  I had to ask Gabriello to be involved in this series as he continually inspires and encourages me on my journey.  Plus, he is a fun guy to be around, and has quite the range of facial expressions (as do I :)).  

How do you connect with people who seem out of reach?

After writing the post last week, I have gotten inquiries about how a person can begin being seen and making their presence known. I get asked this question regularly, as I have connected with beautiful people from around the world. With all of them, we started as strangers; through developing the courage to express our thoughts, we built a connection.

Ever wondered how writing helps in eating disorder recovery? I'm excited that today, Anne-Sophie Reinhardt, is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing her experiences with all of us. 

Anne-Sophie Reinhardt is an anorexia survivor, body image expert, author, and blogger at Anne-Sophie. She empowers you to achieve a healthier and more successful life by returning to your true purpose and values. Anne-Sophie has really inspired me on my journey. I connected with her last year and we've been friends ever since. I look forward to meeting her in person one day soon.  She has appeared on the blog before as a Profile of Perseverance and did a guest post on how to become a better blogger.  I was on her podcast "Your Life, Your Success" earlier this year too. Regardless of the medium used, Anne-Sophie speaks from her heart and empowers others on their journey! Blessed that we encourage each other.

Each day since the beginning of time, the sun has risen from the darkness to the highest point in the sky for all to see. This summer, the early morning rays of the dawn have been waking me up as the sun rises to brighten the day. It seems the beams are at peak brightness, waking me up and causing me to pay attention to them. The sun doesn’t care if you aren’t ready to wake up, or if you dislike the intensity – it keeps its brightness – it keeps shining – it wants to be seen! We can all learn a lot from this notion.

What inspires you on your journey?

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Personally, other than deep conversations with others and beautiful surroundings, I use visual aides to encourage me. I love taking personal pictures and adding inspiring quotes to them. I think you will love this one about perseverance that I made yesterday!

Ever wondered where a professional poet finds inspiration to write? I'm excited that today, Heather Grace Stewart, is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing her experiences with all of us.

Heather Grace Stewart is a Canadian Poet and the Author of /Three Spaces, Carry On Dancing, Leap, Where the Butterflies Go, The Groovy Granny, & The Friends I've Never Met. Visit her website heathergracestewart.me and her blog heathergracestewart.com. I had to ask Heather to be involved as she continually inspires and encourages me on my writing journey.  Heather and I both grew up in the same city, and connected through blogging.  I consider her a "Friend I've Never Met" as we both live on opposing sides of Canada.  I can't wait to meet Heather in person!  

What have I spent 10+ years practising?

Sometimes it takes awhile to see the most obvious thing that has been there throughout our whole journey. We focus so much on the details and not on the bigger picture; hence why I had been stumped on my friend's question. I reflected, dug deeper, and after some serious thought, discovered what the common element was.

I am an expert in coping with transition.  Not only had I experienced a lot of transition personally, I counsel individuals and organizations on how to improve (change is a huge element of this). 

I'm excited to start the series by featuring the amazing Vanessa Grillone. I discovered Vanessa's blog, My Pen, My Voice, this past January on the Canadian Weblog Awards  site where both our blogs were nominated. I had to connect with her as we share similar interests, live/lived in Toronto, and both have self-published books. Vanessa is a writer, blogger, and book-lover looking to find her place in the publishing world. She contributes to ChicDarling.com  and Workstory.net; she also writes for her own lifestyle blog on VanessaGrillone.com . Vanessa can’t stop writing and can be annoyingly optimistic, but she doesn’t care—she loves life.

Establishing Yourself as a Life Blogger is about speaking from the heart, sharing your passion with others, and building community.

When people are looking for inspiration, instead of only going outward to others for answers, dig deep and look within. Write your posts as if you are speaking from your heart. Remember, people are coming to your blog to connect with you and hear your thoughts. Blogging is a conversation where you start talking and people respond.

During my childhood, the lyrics of Raffi Cavoukian (a.k.a Raffi, the children’s singer) influenced me a lot.  Therefore, I was delighted when I randomly encountered him recently at the Salt Spring Island Market. I took the ferry over to the beautiful Salt Spring Island with some friends to check out the Saturday Market.  Downtown Ganges (the main town) is packed with local vendors displaying their crafts.  While I was wandering around, a friend pointed out Raffi selling his books and CD’s. 

Movies are great sources of inspiration. I went to go see "Epic" several weeks ago and this quote stood out to me.  Therefore, I'm sharing it with you :) I really do recommend this movie if you haven't seen it yet - go see it - it is so powerful!