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The Passionate Voice

Saturday Morning Inspiration

April 21, 2018 • Inspiration

Happy sunny, Saturday friends! That’s if you’re in Ontario I guess but if you’re like me, you are SO freakin’ happy it is sunny and warm. This delayed Spring has been so hard to deal with but I think it is safe to say that Spring may finally be here to stay.

Before I spend the rest of the day outside enjoying this fresh air, I had some creative juice to get out this morning. So to my computer I went to write…

I don’t know about you, but I always need to be in a creative mood to write. We all need something to stimulate us. And while I’ve been bad here on the ol’ blog of only blogging when that creative spirit is in full force, I’m continually reminded of this message:

Writing is like a muscle, you must work at it to get stronger.

One thing I’ve tried to do in the last little while is create habits around fostering creativity especially around my writing deadlines. For anyone who designs, wordsmiths, brainstorms or works in the creative/marketing/communications field, we all know that being in a creative mood helps to make the words and ideas flow easier. Or a glass of wine or rye always helps too 😉

And of course when deadlines are impending, that is when creativity usually decides to take a hike.

That’s when habits come in to handy.

One of these habits I’ve been trying lately is creating ‘mood boards’ to help me visually get into the creative spirit. Sourcing photos from fellow bloggers, things I find online or social and capturing my own photos has certainly helped me at referring back to these mood boards whenever I’m in a rut and need inspiration. You could also call these vision boards. Here is an example below of the cottage vision board I created when I knew I’d be tasked with the interior design for our little cotty 🙂

I had mentioned this idea of mood boards/vision boards to a colleague a while ago and she loved this idea and asked that I share an example here on the blog. So voila, here is a spring mood board above I created just this week that may help inspire you as well, like it has for me this morning.

Let’s be serious though, just waking up to this sun and warmer temps this morning was enough inspiration itself. Thank you Spring for making your very late entrance to the party, regardless, we are so happy to see you!

{tulips/robins eggs/split leaf philodendron/coffee/wisdom begins in wonder}

Leave a Comment Inspiration 2018, Blog452, Christina Crowley-Arklie, Communication, Cottage, Creative Juices, Creativity, Deadlines, Inspiration, Interior Design, Magnolia Journal, Mood Board, Passionate Voice, Spring, The Passionate Voice, Unsplash, Vision Board, Writing

The Power of Unity Through Social Media

April 18, 2018 • Communication, Social Media

I’ve been finding this post hard to write. For someone who wordsmiths for a living, I found the words hard to come by – to properly formulate thought into sentences. It reminded me though that in times of crisis, sometimes all we have is our words.

Thirteen days ago, we witnessed anyone’s worst nightmare. The tragic bus accident that resulted in the death of 16 people who were part of the Humboldt Broncos hockey organization. It is something that no family, friend, team, community or country should ever have to experience. They were a team of passionate individuals on a bus travelling together to play hockey, the sport they love. Its a sport that our country loves – a sport that is ingrained in our cultural fabric as Canadians.

As things unfolded that night as I watched on social media and in the days following, our country came together, united, to help a small Saskatchewan town mourn at an unimaginable time. It really was incredible to watch as everyone dropped what they were doing, to mourn together. It didn’t matter who you were or where you lived, no matter where we were across Canada, we mourned and showed our support together in any way possible. Because of the physical distance, a lot of that was done through social media.

It dawned on me that Monday morning after, as I walked past the local Canada Post office that had their hockey stick taped to the window in support of the Broncos, just how powerful social media really was in this time of grief.

I use social media on a daily basis and for work, but never before had I witnessed something like this on social media that brought us together in the way this did. Social media really played a crucial role in how information was not only shared, but how it brought people together. Here are just a few incredible examples of just how powerful social media has been:

  • Watching the initial updates from people posting about the accident late that Friday night, Twitter seemed to be the platform as to how parents, friends and organizations were initially communicating about the accident.
  • Once news began to break about the horrific accident, social media was where people began to mourn publicly and share their memories of the people who had passed.
  • It was how information was being shared publicly for those who needed to seek mental health assistance to cope with the tragedy.
  • The Go Fund Me page, that has now surpassed $13 million, was created and it became the place that people could go too to help provide financial support, which so many people have did.
  • People registering for organ donation spiked after one of the players, Logan Boulet gave the incredible gift of life through his organ donation. This was shared throughout social media and it reminded all of us to consider organ donation {If you would like to check if you’re an organ donor or to register, you can visit beadonor.ca. I just checked the other day and had thankfully already signed up as an organ donor}
  • Those from near and afar, from all around the world, put out hockey sticks on their porches in solidarity to pay tribute to those lost in the accident and pictures were shared using the hashtag #SticksOutforHumboldt
  • Last Thursday on April 12th, everyone across the country wore their hockey jersey using the hashtag #JerseysforHumboldt which was documented across social media. Even Drake wore his Broncos jersey at the Raptors playoff game.
  • And social media is how the team is honouring and remembering its loved ones who were tragically lost. A website has now also been created and shared online to honour their memories.

In an unimaginable time like this, I couldn’t be more proud to be Canadian. I also couldn’t be more grateful for social media and the positivity that was harnessed throughout social media platforms to bring us altogether, united as a country at a time like this. It truly is incredible how powerful our words have been and how they have been used on social media to bring us together. Humboldt, we are with you!

#HumboldtStrong

Leave a Comment Communication, Social Media

The Sunday 7

April 15, 2018 • Inspiration, Lifestyle

  1. Well hello there, it appears it has been a while! The past couple of weeks have saw me on the road and really what feels like this, there and everywhere. I proudly became an aunt on April 2nd to sweet baby Claire (congrats Justin and Meghan!). I can’t believe what this year has brought for our family #Blessed
  2. If your in southern Ontario this weekend, your probably experiencing the same freezing rain/snow storm we are, which has had everyone indoors for the past 48 hours :S We are actually now currently siting here without power which means all our candles are out and lit up. Its actually quite romantic for a Sunday evening 😉 But really, where the heck is #Spring?!!!!
  3. I’ve been meaning to blog lately but I’m been finding it hard after the Humboldt Broncos tragedy that took place last week in Saskatchewan. I’ve sat down so many times to try and put words down and for some reason, I can’t put the words together to express my emotions and the emotions of so many of us Canadians after seeing something like this shake our country to its core. But I want too and I will this coming week. At least I know one thing – we are truly an incredible country after seeing how we’ve rose collectively as a country in a time like this #United
  4. One thing that the Humboldt Broncos tragedy reminded me to do is check my organ donation status after one of the players, Logan Boulet saved 6 lives through his organ donation. I checked tonight and I was already signed up, thankfully. Sign up today to give the gift of life #BeaDonor
  5. Keeping in the hockey spirit, now that the NHL playoffs are here, we’re cheering on our favourite team #GoJetsGo
  6. I recently finished this book and it is hands down, one of the best books I’ve read. I’m now on to this book.
  7. Today, I listened to this podcast on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday with Gretchen Rubin (Author of The Happiness Project). So many good lessons in this one, it wanted me to pull back out my Happiness Project book and read it again. The biggest take-away? Happiness is like a muscle, you must work at it and exercise it. It was a perspective I needed to hear and be reminded of right now.

{Photo Source}

Leave a Comment Inspiration, Lifestyle 2018, April, Aunt, Be a Donor, Blog452, Christina Crowley-Arklie, Gretchen Rubin, Happiness, How to Get Shit Done, Humboldt, Humboldt Broncos, Inspiration, Life, Life Lessons, New Power, NHL, NHL Playoffs, Ontario Storm, Oprah, Organ Donation, Parenthood, Passionate Voice, Podcast, Saskatchewan, Spring, Super Soul Sunday, The Happiness Project, The Passionate Voice, Winnipeg Jets

The Sunday 7

March 25, 2018 • Lifestyle, Travel

Oh, Sunday’s. 

1. We saw Nelly this past week. Like the rapper. Who say ‘Hot in Here.’ Yes, it was epic. Like circa 2004 epicness that made my high school-University self sing WAY too loud. It was the best $45 I’ve spent in a while. It reminded me how we need more of those random nights out with friends that turn out to be the best nights.

2. I have a day in Toronto planned for some work-related things and meet-ups.. a day in the big city sans babe is what my heart needs right now.

3. This tote has my heart swooning. I’m just wondering if it’s big enough to hold all of my stuff.. and Blake’s stuff :S

4. Now that Spring may be here (the last two weekends have been sunny and made me hopeful here in Guelph!), I’m wondering where the Instagram spring stickers are now?!! Come on #Instagram!

5. If we’re talking about Spring, a good ol’ ‘Spring clean’ of the house is necessary. I found this handy list of one item you can do each day for a month to get your place clean super helpful.

6. A place we forget to clean that we use daily? Our smartphones. I used this list to give the iphone a good clean tonight!

7. Talk about a fun-filled week, we celebrated the upcoming nuptials of my girl Mac at The Fancy Design Co with a girls night out. It was wildly fun, I wouldn’t expect anything else from our group of friends. A night out with the gals celebrating one of the best people I know was SO needed after a week of Blake being sick with a cold. We had dinner at Gilt in Kitchener and oh yum, was that menu amazing.

{Photo Source}

Leave a Comment Lifestyle, Travel 2018, Blog452, Christina Crowley-Arklie, Cleaning, Discover Ontario, Evernote, Gilt, Instagram, iPhone, Kitchener, Nelly, Passionate Voice, Smartphone, Social Media, Spring, Spring Cleaning, Sunday, Sunday 7, The Fancy Design Co, The Passionate Voice, The Sunday 7, The Sunday Seven, Toronto, Travel

Snowstorm, Pea Coats & 2 a.m. Chaos: What is Your Character Defining Moment?

March 16, 2018 • Career, Leadership, Lifestyle

It was 10 years ago last weekend that I was College Royal President at the University of Guelph. Where did that time go. Seriously.

Among the many awesome things that took place that year, I think everyone will always remember 2008  as the year of the ‘snow storm and coat fiasco.’ It is a memory that while I cringe at first, it really was a character defining moment for me and my team of volunteers… and something I {now} laugh at when I look back.

It was early March and it had been beautiful weather until that Saturday when we were holding the annual ball. 2000+ students ascend on the University for a formal night known as the ‘College Royal Ball.’ That Saturday it started snowing. And it continued. All. Day. Long. To point that we had to meet late that afternoon and decide whether, for safety precautions, to cancel the ball after consulting with University administration. We decided to go on and hold the ball. If only had we known, that it would be our outsourced coat check that would be our dreaded nightmare, not the snow.

Because it was snowstorm of the century, everyone came in their formal suits and ball gowns in what felt like their snow suits. There were a lot more snow pants, boots and snow jackets that I ever remember seeing at any other ball. By the end of an epic night of dancing and drinking, 2000+ students (give or take) lined up all at once to get their myriad of clothing apparel. And what we realized quickly as an executive, was that the group we had outsourced coat check responsibilities too had not been as *organized* as we had thought – stuffing jackets here and there, not in numerical order.

It was a nightmare. Seriously, the worst nightmare of its kind.

What it turned out to be was a bonafide mess of huge piles of snow pants and jackets all unorganized – and of course, all the men’s black pea coats looked all the same that year, making for an even tougher time to decipher whose jacket was whose when we were trying to rally and help.

It was a nightmare. Have I mentioned that already?

When I called my parents that morning at their chore time, 6:30 a.m. to explain what had happened, I think they could tell in my exhausted voice that I hadn’t went to bed yet. 24 hours later.

To say I had to keep my composure as President; put on a brave face; role up my sleeves and go to work to help hand back jackets; all while {trying} to remain calm and stay positive for everyone around me was one of the hardest things I’ve done to date.

It truly was my first ‘adult-like’ experience where I had to put on my big girl pants and think and act like an adult. It really was a character defining moment for me as a person but also, a future glimpse into how to pull yourself together and how you have to act as a professional in the workplace when $*** hits the fan (in not so nice terms).

We all have our character defining moments. That moment that will forever be etched into your memory as the time you had to become an adult and act like one, whether you liked it or not, or whether you expected it or not. I’d love to hear your character defining moments, share below!

Happy Friday and happy College Royal weekend to those I may see back on campus this weekend! Oh and Happy St. Patty’s day from your Irish friend 🙂

[Photo Source]

Leave a Comment Career, Leadership, Lifestyle 2018, Blog452, Career, Christina Crowley-Arklie, College Royal, Inspiration, Leadership, Life, Life Lessons, Passionate Voice, The Passionate Voice, University of Guelph

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