Happy belated St.Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year to you,
 
Whooo, a lot of amazing things happened in the month of Feb!  First there was Chinese New Year celebration, then St. Valentine's Day, then I finally caught that nasty cold that was going around, and was down for the count for 10 days... finally got my voice and energy back.  These lovely pictures is a glimpse of the beauty and magic that was Mystic Romance celebration on V-day at Chai Gallery.  First picture is Ra'am & Crystel Clear sharing an intimate moment, second picture is the lovely singer Risa in her red dress holding an orchid after her performance.  Check out www.eastiseast.ca for more funky live performance nightly at 4433 Main Street Chai Lounge or Friday-Sunday night at 3239 W. Broadway at East is East.  Come experience fusion food from all the countries along the silk route and experience the ambience of another world.  It is the best vegetarian restaurant I have ever eaten at in Vancouver, with many gluten free options.  It does have some delicious meat dishes like lamb stew, seasonal fish in curry and beef kabab.  I'm in love with the boulani, mystic soup, and the finger licking dessert called "Eastern Ecstasy" that has ice cream with Kir topped with pistachio nuts.  I have a few dinner parties there with friends, and everyone loved it and have gone back to try more chai.

This was a book among a pile of books I inherited from a friend who was doing spring cleaning. What a fascinating read! It was  both entertaining and useful, and you may want to check it out and see if it reflects your own experiences.
 
Signs of Alphas:
You’re likely to be a high achiever who is self-confident, dominant, and persistent.  You’re a “take-charge” kind of person with tenacity and persistence. You love a good challenge and opportunity to break through barriers or jump over hurdles others might see as insurmountable. You tend to be courageous and are willing to take an unpopular stand if you believe it’s best for business. However you are not necessarily a gambler in business and finances.
 
You have a strong results focus and drive for achievement. You come through for the business and typically accomplish your goals. You don’t hesitate to make decisions; in fact, you move fast. You keep your vision of winning in mind at all times, and others tend to line up behind you in the effort to succeed. You very possibly operate from a place of personal vision, where you sense a noble calling that extends beyond your immediate work achievements.
 
You tend to be reasonably open to other ideas and changing your opinion based on new information. Competitiveness, impatience, and anger often show up in alphas.
 
4 types of alphas:
1.     Commander: Intense, magnetic leaders who set the tone, mobilize the troops, and energize action with authoritative strength and passionate motivation, without necessarily digging into the details.  Commanders’ noble intention is to make things happen, and they push people hard to accomplish their goals.  Their primary risk is driving so hard they run over others like bulldozers. Their leadership challenge is to learn how to align people around a common direction and to inspire and orchestrate productive action rather than mandate it.
2.     Visionary: Curious, expansive, intuitive, proactive, and future-oriented, They see possibilities and opportunities that others sometimes dismiss as impractical or unlikely and inspire others with their vision. Visionaries’ noble intention is to move an organization forward into an uncertain and unknown future. Fueled by a fertile imagination, they lead with passion and enthusiasm.  Their primary risk is becoming so overzealous that they ignore reality, bite off more than they can chew, and lead their team over a cliff.  Their leadership challenge is to become practical prophets by adding the skills of listening, planning, and executing to their intuitive gifts.
3.     Strategist: Methodical, systematic, often brilliant thinkers who are oriented toward data and facts. They have excellent analytic judgment and a sharp eye for patterns and problems.  Strategist’ noble intention is to select the optimal direction and get the best result.  They approach the task armed with data and exceptional powers of reason and analysis. Their primary risk is becoming overconfident know it alls in love with their own brilliance. Their leadership challenge is to invite others to contribute their unique intelligence and creativity.
4.     Executor: Tireless, goal-oriented doers who push plans forward with an eye for detail, relentless discipline, and keen oversight. Often surmounting all obstacles and holding everyone accountable for their commitments.  Executors’ noble intention is to get things done the right way. Masters of project management, they dig into the details with relentless determination.  Their primary risk is becoming control freaks whose micromanaging creates roadblocks and paralysis. Their leadership challenge is to create ownership, commitment, and genuine accountability.
Alphas like type A personalities tend to have more health problems, the first step is to become aware how stress is impacting your life and body.  Here are some signs:
 
Physical Signs:
·       Headaches, Digestive upsets, Heart palpitations, Muscle aches, Back pain, Rashes, Colds, Change in appetite, Finger-drumming, Foot-tapping, Fatigue, Insomnia, Accident-prone, Overuse of pharmaceuticals, Alcohol abuse, Tobacco use.
Cognitive Signs:
·       Boredom, Confusion, Dulled mind, Flat energy, Mental fog, Forgetfulness, Negative expectations, Poor concentration, Spacing out, Mental churn, Replaying old scripts, Worrying, Regret, Rationalizing, Denial, Blaming others.
Emotional Signs:
·       Anxiety, Apathy, Easily discouraged, Crying spells, Depression, Feeling “no one cares”, Cynicism, Frustration, Irritability, Lashing out, Mood swings, Nervous laugh, Loneliness, Restlessness, Envy, Distrust.

There are the four common approaches we use to defend against threats, both real and imagined.
Fight: Attack, Blame, Criticize, Justify, Interrupt.
Faint: Get confused or bored, Go blank, Get sleepy, Get sick, Eat or drink to excess.
Flight: Get too busy, Change the subject, Deny there is a problem, Dismiss issues as trivial, Make a joke.
Freeze: Stonewall, Get analysis-paralysis, Focus on minute details, Intellectualize, Feel “above it all”.
 
When Alphas get really stressed and feel under attack, they often display their hostility, as a result they experience tremendous health problems.  To counter that, they could hire a coach, who can help them see the whole picture.  They can do a 360 degree review to get an assessment of how his/her colleagues, suppliers, and family view his strength and areas for improvement. The authors of this book highly recommend regular exercise as a way to achieve more business success. It shifts the collective adrenaline-endorphin balance, and it helps improve your attitude to creativity to teamwork. As a result making the workforce more productive and congenial.  Busy executives often have 5-10 minutes breaks throughout the day instead of a chunk of time, so try stretching and breathing, and a brief meditation. They also recommend speaking to those people who work closely with you, let down your emotional wall, and authentically connect with your team members.
 
For your own alpha assessment, visit www.alphamalesyndrome.com

 

                                   Fundraising options outside of Events

 
1.     Bill Barratt at Bill@justcauseinvestors.com
2.     Keys Direct Marketing & Communications at www.keysdirect.com They have a call center that will fund-raise on behalf of the charity for a cut
3.     www.gifted-it.com When people make money from selling used stuff, they can direct that money towards their favorite charity

                           South Burnaby Neighbourhood House Diamond Ball

A beautiful night of politicians, business owners, friends and supporters gathered in a turquoise under the sea themed dinner gala that had an array of goodies for the silent auction, live auction, brought to a climax by the delightful Adam Lucas who looks and sounds just like Michael Buble.  I saw an old friend Robert Stewart, who MCed that evening in an elegant tux, and also sang with his wife as apart of the Rainbow Band for the crowd.  It's so wonderful to see a local charity like SBNH that started 16 years ago among 5 people in their living rooms, to now getting a brand new space in the Metrotown towers with full time staff and full roaster of programming.  They were the first non-profit that I had officially worked for, and will remain in my heart.  Big kudos to Antonia Beck and her amazing staff and volunteers to put on such a grand event, and I hope they raised a lot of money, to continue their great work in the community. If you would like to contribute, please check out www.sbnh.ca and www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYDZMEuwhmc

                                       Why Canada needs monetary reform

We would like to urge our Social Butterfly Club members to watch this poignant short documentary by BC filmmaker Dan Peruzzo called "Solutions Unincorporated: My name is William".

In this short film, Dan Peruzzo interviews the late Canadian monetary reform advocate William Abram, who tells the shocking truth about how changes to the Canadian money system in 1975 caused our debt to balloon from a mere $15B then to more than $700B now. Every single day, the Canadian spends $130 million on debt servicing costs alone! Abram makes a compelling case for monetary reform that would put an end to snowballing debt and place the Canadian money supply back into the hands of the Canadian people.

Watch the video here: https://vimeo.com/59553126.