July 2007 - Exciting Times! Some say the ‘good ol days’ are long gone but I think that the ‘good ol days’ are right here and right now. I started this part time business, PWPDA, to help people help themselves as that is what I am all about, Personal Development. We will post monthly P-Zines to share success ideas with those who are interested. Many are not interested and they end up driving what they don’t want to drive, living where they don’t want to live, working where they don’t want to work, eating what they don’t want to eat, married to whom they wish they had never met…and blaming Danny Williams!!!

I’m in the school system so summer time is a good time for me to take on other interests. Working on myself has been both challenging and rewarding; sharing it with others is what really inspires me. When I left Ontario and came back to finish my Masters Degree at Memorial University, I realized that every bad job and every bad choice that I ever had or made contained one common factor-ME! Then when I changed my view of life and everything in it, the revelation occurred. I was responsible as an adult in that I had created this unhappiness and I now had the power to fix it. It was revealing for me! Such a simple but powerful idea that many people never consider or think about. I know because I did not think about it either until the time was right.

This idea of responsibility is so hard for many people to grasp…I know because I have been there too. We see it all the time: people wishing their neighbors would move or wishing the government would change…blaming the school system or blaming the province for their unhappiness. It is sad really as these people are blaming all they have got to work with in life! They can’t change planets or countries…but they can change themselves.

I think we have a lot to be thankful for here in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. I was recently fishing with my dad in St. Mary’s Bay and as I waited for him to walk down the pond I sat back in the grass and looked at the sky. The sun was glistening, clouds were moving slowly and the birds were chirping happily. It was peaceful and I was glad to be there. Not a care in the world, no worries about terrorism or war there in the Mountain Woods. Then I thought how life must be hard in some of these war infested countries and third world nations. Here in Canada, Newfoundland in particular, we have a lot to be grateful for. Clean air and clean water (for the most part), family and friends that care about us, freedom to choose how we want to live and freedom to become who we want to become.

The freedom to choose is a powerful concept in and of itself. We are free to make a living or design a life, whatever we choose. I firmly believe this freedom is a blessing and being grateful is the first step in the Personal Development process. Being grateful for what we already have while pursuing what we want in the future is a starting point to self development. I invite you on the journey of Personal Development because I believe this is where true health, wealth and happiness lies. Have a great summer and most importantly, be grateful that you live in a wonderful place where you can choose how you wish to live. The ‘good ol days’ really are here and now so why not make the most of them!

Paul