Lemonade Break

You will get to hear about another one of our beloved Lemons soon enough, but right now I want to talk about what got me to where I am in life, right now.

     Four years ago, I was working at the Foothills Hospital in the kitchen, pushing an extremely heavy food cart up and down the halls of Unit 37. Now, when I say extremely heavy, I mean it was the size of a smart car, and in order for me to get it moving, I had to kick off from the wall. I worked there for a year, serving food to renal patients who sometimes could only eat jello and popsicles. This wasn't a glamorous job by any means; I had to wear hospital scrubs that were two sizes too large for me, and a hair net, but after a year there, I got pretty good at this job. It was the kind of job where you actually wanted to work faster, you wanted to beat the clock, because that meant you got more of a break. So, I started everyday at 10am, when my shift was supposed to start at 10:45. I got the cart up to Unit 37 by 11, and was out of there by 12, ready for my lunch break while everyone else was still in the kitchen, sending food down the conveyor line for the rest of the Units whose patients didn't have specialized diets like the renal patients did. Sometimes I ended up having two hour breaks because I worked so fast. The only downfall to how fast I worked was that I still couldn't start serving supper until about 5:30, which meant that I was usually back down in the kitchen by 6:30, or 7, which meant that, if I started at 10, I was always working longer hours than I should have. Even after only a year, being the most efficient food cart operator at the hospital still managed to take a toll on my body.
      In February 2008, I got carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist. I couldn't lift a pencil, let alone push a small car through the hospital, so I had to stop working. I lived off short-term disability for a few months while I went through the lengthy, bureaucratic process of applying for worker's compensation, to finally find out, in April, that I wasn't eligible. At the end of April, I headed to Europe, and while my wrist wasn't perfect, it had drastically improved thanks to the amazing work of my Active Release Treatment chiropractor. When I got back from Europe in June, I had the choice to return to the hospital, but two things were a deterrent for me: one, that job gave me carpal tunnel, so why would I want to go back? And two, I had just come back from an amazing continent, so the thought of donning baggy scrubs and a hair net a few days after climbing a mountain in Greece to see where the Delphic Oracle used to reside was out of the question. Amazingly, I'd saved up more money for Europe than I needed, so I decided not to work for that summer, because I could afford not to. This proved to be the best thing for my wrist. Without the stress (physically and emotionally) of work, my wrist was able to heal nicely and I barely had an issue with it all summer.
     By September, I was broke and bored, so I got a job as a receptionist at a talent agency. Exciting, right? Well, at times, yes, if by exciting you mean both mine and the talents' checks bouncing, angry extras barging into the office demanding payment and someone else, other than my boss, having to sign the bottom of the cheque before the extra's angry eyes burnt a hole through our skins. Oh, and not to mention all the computer work causing my wrist to ache all the time. I lasted at that job until late November and because that was the year when the economy crash hit us pretty hard, I didn't find another job until February. And get this, I was doing administrative work for an oil and gas company. So, in other words, a lot more computer work.
     First of all, I still don't know why they hired me considering I had zero experience or interest in the oil world, and second, I don't know why I stayed as long as I did (only two months, but still) at a job where I was the only girl, the only one who hadn't a clue what was going on, and where my boss was so absolutely rude and disrespectful that I don't know why he even wanted me there, and then proceeded to try to guilt me for quitting. Anyway, yet another job I had to quit because my wrist just couldn't handle it. By the way, it wasn't really just my wrist feeling it, either. The pain spread up my forearm, into my shoulder, and down my back as well. I had to enlist many a friend and family member for massages almost every day I got home. Miraculously, though, because I worked for an oil and gas company, I was paid a lot more than I should have been considering how inexperienced I was in the field, and was once again able to take the summer off. The pain almost instantly eased up and I felt happy and healthy again.
     But, once again, by September I was broke, so I got a job at a coffee shop downtown, called deVille. Now, this was one job I wish I didn't have to leave. I adored working there. I loved being on a first name basis with the customers; I loved wearing whatever clothes I wanted to wear, and drinking as much coffee as I wanted to drink; I loved knowing how to make latte art, and knowing we were making drinks far more delicious than what was across the street - Starbucks. I would have stayed there forever, but not only did working the espresso bar all day activate my carpal tunnel, but my right hip/leg/back started giving me trouble. It got to a point where I would limp around the store and it took me hours to fall asleep because sharp pain would shoot up and down my I.T. band to my knee to my calf, and back up again.
     By then, I was dating my boyfriend Sean, and he bore the brunt of my pain because he was around me the most, and eventually he convinced me I had to quit. He told me he would pay for all my chiropractor appointments and massages until I got better, but he insisted I stop working until then. It was a hard decision because I loved my job, but I knew he was right. When I told my boss I had to quit, he knew it was coming. Apparently I'm more obvious with my emotions than I thought, because he could tell something was wrong, and that I wasn't happy anymore. One of his recommendations was yoga, which at that point I had never done, and I truly valued his advice and opinion, so the very next day I went to a Hatha/Restorative class at Yoga Passage with Gord, who Stacey refers to as the yoga auctioneer, and fell in love with all of it. I left the studio with a literal newfound stride in my step. Before, I used to walk so awkwardly, trying to balance out the unevenness in my hips by leaning more to my left side, but after that yoga class, I walked straight, I walked even, and my steps were wider, more intentional. I also felt happy. I didn't even realize how unhappy I was before that class until I noticed just how happy I was afterwards. The sun seemed brighter; the smiles of the strangers on the street were friendlier; and the vice that seemed to clench around my chest was released. I knew I'd found a type of healing, different than chiropractic and massage, that I couldn't let go of.
     The only problem was, I didn't have anyone to go with. I went that first time on my own because I knew it was extremely important for me to do, but I've always been the type of person who, if I don't have someone there motivating me, I'm much less inclined to go. Sean wouldn't go with me because he refused, and still does, to work out in front of me. I think he's either afraid of me seeing him all sweaty, or the other way around. And, while he obviously wanted me to get better, he was way too understanding of me if I didn't end up going. He was almost too loving, if that's possible. I needed someone who was going to hold me accountable for the change I wanted to make.
     The summer went by, and I went to a handful of classes, and I always felt better after them, but I still wasn't going religiously enough for there to be a permanent change in my body. Then, I was introduced to Dr. Kevin Toth. He was a chiropractor my friend recommended to me because he had worked wonders on her after she hurt her back in a car crash. I wasn't getting the desired results from my current chiropractor, so I decided to check out Dr. Kevin. After a consultation and X-Ray, he set me up on a year-long plan that would end up costing almost 4,000. Luckily, I could pay monthly instalments, and luckily, I had a boyfriend who loved me enough to pay them for me (I still wasn't working at this point).
     Months went by, I started school, and I improved tremendously. My right hip started lining up with my left hip; my wrist was rarely sore, even after hours of writing essays; and the thought of being on my feet again for extended periods of time didn't make me nervous. It was high time I looked for a job again, not only because my student loans were running low, but because Sean was running out of money to help pay my monthly chiropractor fee. That's when lululemon came into the picture. I had never tried the clothes on before and I didn't care whether or not there was a discount; I wanted to work there for the community, the culture. I wanted a job where like-minded people would light a fire under my butt.
     Still at this point, I went to a yoga class once or twice a month, but I knew I needed more. Going to the chiropractor every week was helping me a lot; it was the reason I could even get a job again, but I still needed that extra little bit of healing to feel 100% again. I needed to know people who motivated me to go to a class and who didn't love me too much to not care if I didn't. I should also mention that while I was taking that last summer off to get better, I gained a lot of weight. I was eating healthy enough, but because I spent most of my time inactive, watching tv all day because it hurt to stand or walk, it was inevitable that I would put on the pounds. I would not go so far as to say I was overweight, but I was definitely bigger, and you could tell I was unfit. I had no muscle definition and very little stamina. Meeting everyone at lulu, from all walks of life, all with a similar goal, to be active, was a real breath of fresh air.
     I will never be a competitive athlete. I have never had an interest in that (except for the odd time that I dream of being a prima ballerina) and so it never upset me that I couldn't run the fastest, or swim the longest, or go deepest in a yoga pose. But being active has always been important to me. I'm a very jittery, hyper person. As a young kid, I was the one bouncing off the walls, dancing around the room at all my parent's parties, climbing trees, spending long hours in the sun biking and swimming and rollerblading. And when none of that was available, I was rolling around in the huge mounds of dirt left on our street after all the construction men went home, leaving their bobcats and backhoes to sit silently throughout the night. Like I said, I'll never be an athlete. I was in track and field in grade five, and placed last in my race, but I'll always be a person who needs to constantly move.
     Before I came to lulu, I wasn't moving anywhere, and I'd lost the motivation to start. Since coming to lulu, I've done a 30-day yoga challenge, been wiped out for the afternoon after an hour of jumping and kicking and skipping with Phillip at Fitness Palooza, swam 30 laps at the Mount Royal pool when I swore I could only do 12, and sweat out of every single one of my pores to 'Moves Like Jagger' at Zumba. Now, I'm on day 49 of P90X, more than halfway done, and while I still wake up every day and try to bargain with myself a way out of doing it, I still check off each day on my whiteboard with a sweaty hand and a smile on my face.
     A year ago I wouldn't have considered starting P90X; I would have laughed it off as something I could never do, would never do, and leave it at that. Now, the thought of NOT doing it is laughable. Not when I have a group of athletes encouraging me every day; not when I have a group of athletes pushing me one step further; not when I have a group of athletes who love me too much to let me quit.

The Fourth Lemon

Sydney Guevremont

Want to know a secret about Syd? She makes white tea-stained jeans look good.

Maybe ten minutes after we sat down at the Vendome Cafe, in Kensington, with our food and drinks, Syd reaches for a sip of her Earl Grey Latte, and instead the whole cup spills all over her pants.
I grab a towel from the baristas up front and we try to soak up as much of the tea from the table, the floor, the booth, and, of course, her pants. How one single cup of tea can cover so much surface area is beyond me.

"I'm sorry. We can reschedule if you want to go home and change," I tell her over and over, as she wrings tea out of her shirt.
"No, no. It's okay. I'll be fine. This is so typical of me. I'm going to come home and Sean's going to see me and say 'Of course you did.' "

As much as I would never wish for anyone to sit through a coffee date while feeling like they're sitting in a puddle, I gained two pieces of insight about Syd at the Vendome that I probably would have learnt regardless, but the tea-stained pants really drive the metaphor home.
Syd is committed. Not only did she sit through an hour of answering my questions while secretly dreaming of a shower and dry clothes, she's made a commitment to her goals, as well.

"I'm sitting on the porch of my home in California, drinking a cup of tea, watching the sun set, and feeling content." While Syd talks about her vision I sit with my chin in my hands, gazing admiringly off into the distance where her life is going to be. "I know that there's music and laughter in my home. There's a feeling of love and connectedness. I'm fine with the close of the day."

I was so wrapped up in the perfection of her vision - I would not say no to beginning and ending my day in California - that I could have foregone the rest of my questions and just talked with her about our futures. But the questions remained. What goals will she achieve to land her in that tranquil spot on the porch of her Californian home?

"Well, my Master's, obviously." And, for those who don't know, Syd was recently accepted into the Master's of Leadership at Royal Roads University. "My goal is to finish at the top 5% of my class, which will be a challenge for me."

Hard to believe it now, but Syd claims not to have done well in school. What's easy to believe, though, is that she will finish her Master's at the top of her class; she will manage a lululemon in California; and she will run a Leadership Development Company.

"I want my company to contract out to other companies. The idea of sitting in a coffee shop anywhere in the world to work on my laptop, or to work from home, makes me very happy. Better than sitting in some stuffy office."

Syd has been with the company for a few years, now. She left and came back, switched stores a couple of times, settling in with us at Chinook, but while she may have jumped around a bit, her goal within the company has been the same. Store Manager. This is what I mean when I say she's committed. She saw what she wanted and did whatever she had to to make it happen.

"I surrounded myself with people who put me into action," Syd explained, "I spent a lot of time with the people whose role I wanted. Jill White and Lindsay White O'Neill, for example. These were the people who held me accountable for my development and integrity."

Aaah, yes. That's another thing. Insight #2. On Thursday, the day before I met with Syd, I went to Yoga with Anna and I confessed how nervous I was about the interview. "She's just so perfect, you know? She's so cool, and she's got it all figured out." When I professed this to Syd, she laughed and gestured to her soaking wet pants as if that proved she was the exact opposite of cool.

"I perceive you as a very confident person," I told her, "Where do you get it from?"
"I wasn't always confident," she admitted, to my surprise. "I flew under the radar at school. I wasn't so bad at school that I attracted attention, but I wasn't really good, either. I coasted. But I didn't think I was that smart. I didn't have a lot of conviction in what I had to say."

That's such a shift from how I think of Syd. To me, everything she says, she says with conviction. But it all goes back to who she surrounded herself with. She finds inspiration in everyone in her life: Sean, her mom, her co-workers. And all these people told her enough times, "You're smart. What you have to say is smart," that it finally brought the confidence out in her and it brought us the Syd we know and love. The Syd who is confident enough in herself to sit for an hour with soaking wet pants. The Syd who is confident enough to power through an uncomfortable situation.

When I told Anna about my nervousness, she nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean. She is cool, and she seems to have it all figured out. But don't you think that maybe the reason why she always passes that knowledge on to us is because she was in a position once where she had to learn it, too?"
It's interesting that Anna said that, because when I asked Syd how she considered herself an inspiration to others, she had it was her ability to share and connect with others what she'd learnt and her awareness of her life around her. The fact that her answer was so similar to Anna's means that she was right on the mark. It also means that Syd has as much to learn as the rest of us. I admired Syd because I thought she knew everything, but now I admire her more because she doesn't. But she still learns new things like a pro. She takes all her experiences in with a kind of grace and certainty that had me believe she knew it all before.

This is why she's a natural leader. This is why she will have that house filled with family and laughter and a porch facing sunset. She teaches us it doesn't matter if you spill tea all over you pants; what matters is the way you deal with it afterwards when you do.

"If you look close enough, there is inspiration in everything." - Syd G. 

                                          

The Third Lemon

Eldrine Soriano

Imagine walking into lululemon, either as a guest, or as an educator starting your first shift. The dance music is pumpin’, the energy is buzzin’, and right when you walk in you’re greeted by Eldrine, or, as you first recognize his as, the strong guy up at the front with a dozen tattoos and biceps the size of your head. But, as soon as he looks at you, smiles, and greets you with that polite “Hi there, how’s it going today?” any assumptions you make about Eldrine all wash away. 

This guy, who could break your wrist with a simple high five (but never would), is 100% pure heart. If you know him long enough and if you barrage him with questions about his life, you will know that he didn’t have the best upbringing. He grew up around domestic violence, bullying, and drugs, and for the majority of his teenage years it looked like his life was going to keep spiralling down in that direction. But then, he met lulu. 

Lulu allowed him to take all his pent-up negative energy and turn it into a positive goal. When he was eighteen, Eldrine fought to stay alive, but now, at twenty-two, he fights to make a life. Not everyone gets the chance to turn their life around, and there are people who Eldrine knew back then who still haven’t turned around now. Not everyone is lucky enough to find a job that cultivates possibilities the way lululemon does. But it’s not just luck. It’s also choice. Eldrine made the choice to look at his life and realize he needed a change. And it also took a lot of courage for him to step back from his life, pick up all the scattered pieces, and build it anew. He is an inspiration to anyone who ever has thoughts about throwing the towel in when life gets too hard.

He always had this courage – growing up the way he did, he had to be strong – but it didn't hurt that he had one solid source of strength and motivation to guide him through: his mother. Her unconditional love and support is the reason he ditched fighting on the street for Muay Thai fighting, but he himself is the reason why he continues to fight, and win. He’s the reason why his goal is to become the 2012 TBA Muay Thai Classic Champion of the 137-142 Novice Weight Division. He’s the reason why he’s going to Iowa in July to claim his belt. And he’s the reason why he trains seven days a week: strength sessions three times a week, Muay Thai four times a weeks, and running all the other days. Sure, it helps that he has his strength coach, Morgan Alexander, and his nutritionist, Lorraine Cocolicchio, to support him through his training, or the fact that he is recognized as an athlete worth sponsoring by Jaco Clothing, but at the end of the day, the life Eldrine now leads is all thanks to the choices he made. 

He picked his goals so that he can provide for his mother, future family (wife and kids) and get his family out of their hostile living environment. Crazy, isn’t it, how his negative upbringing is what’s inevitably going to save his family from it? So, maybe when you first step into lululemon and see Eldrine at the front, you don’t initially think “Family Man.” But talk to him for five minutes and you’ll know a guy who loves his mother more than anyone, gives the best hugs, can recommend amazing restaurants, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. And we all have Muay Thai to thank for that because the more he directs any negativity he has into competing, the more of a loveable teddy bear he can be on the floor. Just like lululemon is about more than just stretchy pants, Eldrine is about more than just brawn. All you have to do is come in for a chat. 

"Most importantly, not only as an athlete, but as an individual, you have to have the confidence in yourself and your abilities. Dream. Believe. Achieve."

-"The Filipino Bad Boy"
Eldrine Soriano

The Second Lemon

Kimberly Dykes

Kim walked into the Marda Loop Phil and Sebastian's like she was ready for a run. She actually met me just before a closing shift on Thursday, but we all know that whenever we're dressed for work, we could be dressed for a Half-Ironman. I felt weird and uncomfortable with myself when we both sat down with our food and drinks to talk. I had my notebook out like I was interviewing a stranger, not chatting with a good friend about her goals. Weirder still would have been if I brought a voice recorder.

I couldn't start asking her questions right away. I couldn't shake how formal it felt and, honestly, I just wanted to have coffee with Kim and talk about nothing. So, we started off talking about nothing. How our days were, what our plans were, what was new, etc. etc. But somehow, without even trying, without me even having to ask, the Ironman crept into conversation.

"I did the Half Ironman camp last week, " Kim mentioned, between sips of her green tea latte.
"Oh yeah!" I exclaimed, always feeling the need to let everyone know how pumped I am about their lives, in case they ever forget. "How was it? Was it hard?"
"Well, the weeks leading up to it I was really worried because I hadn't been feeling motivated about the run at all. I was worried about the camp because I honestly didn't think I had trained enough for it. But the camp was amazing. It totally reinforced for me that I had formed an amazing base with Charles' training. I realized I was actually stronger than I thought I was."

Since we were on the topic after that, I dove into my questions. A lot of what I asked her, I felt like I already knew about her, but it was fun to let her just talk freely about it without any interruptions. No matter what kind of person you are, it's always nice to feel like what you have to say is worth being quiet and listening to.

I already knew that her favourite goal right now was the Half-Ironman, but what I didn't know about was her goal to save money. It was obvious once she brought it up, but when you don't think about how much it costs to participate in an event like this, how could you even fathom the cost? The race itself cost money to enter and then there are the classes she takes everyday to train, which after months of training, can add up.

"I made a budget and I need to stick to it," Kim tells me. "After six months of saving I want to have $3000 to buy a new bike." The new bike, I can only imagine, will be for the Full Ironman she inevitably decides to run. "Triathlons teach you what you're capable of. Your worst enemy is the enemy in your head. You come to realize that your boundaries aren't really your boundaries at all. You can do it. You can swim farther, run faster, and it didn't kill you, your body is still just as strong."
"And, speaking of which, I have to ask why the Triathlon? Why the Half-Ironman?"
Kim was coy as she answered this, "I wrote it down as one of my goals because it sounded cool. And then I was just randomly shopping for a road bike one day and found one that I fell in love with. It made sense because I had this amazing bike and I've always been a swimmer, so I thought I would just learn to love the running part. I decided I needed to find a really fun Triathlon to do, and I fell in love with the Canmore one."
"You weren't much of a runner then, but how has that changed? Is it still just as hard as it used to be?" I asked, curious and impressed because running has never been my thing, either.
"Like I said, I'm learning to love running. Training with Charles has made me learn to love it. The first twenty minutes is the hardest. After that it clicks and it's magic and the next time I look at my watch an hour has gone by and I didn't even notice. I figured there was no reason not to do it, because if people in their forties and fifties could do it, why couldn't I?"

Kim trains with Charles Miron and fellow Triathletes seventeen hours a week. Everyday, she does something. There are no rest days, just recovery days where she doesn't have to train quite as hard. She swims, she spins, she runs. Lather, rinse, repeat. And she doesn't miss a beat. I've hung out with her on Friday nights when she has to duck out early to get her swim in for the day. I'd just be waking up on Saturday mornings by the time she was done her three hour spin class. She even had to give up giving up meat for a few weeks, to get her body into tip top shape, a choice she struggled with daily, but a choice that proves to all of us that the best goals aren't always going to be easy to achieve.
"There are some days I wake up and I don't want to train," Kim confided in me, "I still have to force myself to get out that door, but I do it anyway, because life is all about choices. We can choose what makes up happy and at the end of the day I would be happier knowing I got out of bed and ran twenty-one km than not. And other people's goals inspire me to keep going, too. I look around at everyone achieving their goals and it motivates me even more to achieve mine. And then I realize that my goals are just as cool as everyone else's."

Our coffee date was nearing an end; Kim had to work at three and I had to pick my brother up from school, but I had one more question to ask and it's my favourite and the hardest to answer.

"How do you inspire others?" I asked, which was greeted by a laugh and groan from Kim.
"That's so hard," she said.
"I know! That's why I like it. It forces us to realize our self-worth and say it out loud."
Kim thought about it for a minute. She hemmed and hawed, but looking at her, I could tell that she knew what she wanted to say, she was just scared to say it. But, finally she did.
"I'm willing to take a stand to make myself happy. I'm not willing to compromise or make excuses. It's like that quote 'If you want it, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse.'"
I smiled as I finished writing what she said. "I totally agree."
And I really do. In all the time I've known Kim, I've never seen her back away from something she said she was going to do. She's put more effort into this one goal than some people put into their entire life.

I remember the first time I really talked to Kim; it was my third day at lululemon and she had been called in to work a Saturday night close because we were short on the floor. Her and I worked the last hour of my 11-7 shift in DOFI together and we got to talking about all the things she had to go to physio for. I honestly don't remember what they were - something about her knees and achilles tendons or something (sorry if that's totally wrong, Kim). Either way, it sounded like a lot to deal with.
"Oh, yeah, I'm a mess," she said, but she said it with a laugh and good humour that a lot of people wouldn't have approached her injuries with. Even I have had to deal with my fair share of injuries - carpal tunnel, hip/back/neck misalignments - and there was a time long before I started at lululemon when I approached my pain with a lot of negativity. But Kim managed to laugh it off. She recognized the pain as being annoying, and probably frustrating, but she didn't see it as a boundary getting in her way.

"You can choose happiness, or not," she told me. "You can choose to go for that run, or not."
And isn't it interesting how choosing to go for a run, something she's never loved doing, still makes her happier than the alternative?

I saw this on the sidewalk when I was leaving Phil and Sebastian's. I thought it was appropriate to snap a shot of it after the talk I'd just had with Kim.

"If you're not busy working on your goals, what are you busy doing?" -Leah Lindsay, via Syd G.

The First Lemon

Paige Dean

The idea to put Paige in the spotlight first came from Leanne because she knew Paige had her fingers crossed for the Women's Marathon in San Francisco. I instantly agreed, already excited for her simply on the prospect of running this marathon, so I sent her a message later that day. Paige, being the positive, down-for-anything-fun girl we know and love, was all for it. I couldn't wait to hear what she had to say about her goals, and my anticipation doubled when, on her birthday (Best Birthday Ever) she found out she was accepted to run the marathon. The energy buzzed around the store and on facebook. Paige achieving her goals was yet another push for the rest of us to go out there and achieve the big, the hairy, and the audacious. But, enough of my rambling. Let's feel the energy from Paige's own words.

Current goals:

Training for and running, on October 14^th, the Nike Women’s San Francisco Full Marathon this year.

-          This is a ‘bucket list’ item I am PUMPED about! After graduating university this year and not returning back to play varsity volleyball for Mount Royal, it is the perfect opportunity for me to devote myself to this goal for the coming 6 months!! I am not running for first, I am running to finish.

Attend accounting recruitment this coming September and successfully be hired on by a CA (Chartered Accountant) firm as a CASB (Chartered Accountant School of Business) student.

-          Graduating this year with my BBA – Accounting, the next goal I have for my education is to successfully complete the CASB program with a CA firm here in Calgary. Although I will be attending recruitment this September, it will be for a full time position beginning in September of 2013. This will allow me to do something that I did not think I would do – take a year off!! I am very excited about itJ

Travel and backpack, location to be decided! Europe looks nice….

-          Upon graduation and successfully being hired on with a CA firm, fingers crossed for PriceWaterhouseCoopers, it has recently become a big dream to go travelling. I am going to make that dream happen and have designated it as a one year goal to go backpacking abroad and divulge myself in another culture somewhere in the world!

There are many things in my life that inspire me and I like to think that the majority of that inspiration comes to me from the people I surround myself with on a daily basis. At the top of that list, my family is the most important to me and I want to achieve my goals so I can look back and say that it was in large part due to the opportunities I’ve been given throughout my life, big or small.

Playing on a varsity sports team for 5 years, inspiration comes from the girls on my team and certainly my coaches. Surrounded in a competitive atmosphere on a daily basis, the world of sports, and with a few fabulous quotes along the way, inspiration is not hard to come by! Whether or not it is possible, I like to think that some of my inspiration comes from myself and wanting to be successful! Having concrete goals in mind, and an idea of what I want my life to look like, pushes me every day towards achieving that outlook. Where I see myself, what I want to achieve and how I plan to get there all factor into the inspiration I need in working towards those goals.

Looking at inspiration and how I may be able to inspire other people is something that I’ve definitely thought about. I don’t think there is one particular thing about me that inspires other people, but the fact that I am who I am and that’s kind of the way I’ve always thought about things. I like to think that my personality and passion for the things I am doing can inspire other people to live their life in a similar way. Being infectious and enjoyable is something that I hope has rubbed off on other people, and of course my competitiveness. The thought of being beat is not something I enjoy, and if it happens, I want to work harder to make sure it doesn’t happen again  - the athlete mindset in me I guess! I hope that serves as inspiration for other people to know that there are things worth fighting for and when you achieve what you want it is totally worth the sacrifices it took along the way to make them all happen!

Most importantly, I think it is nice for everyone to remember the words of one of my most favourite people, Ellen Degeneres: “Be kind to one another.” Something so simple can make a world of difference in so many people's lives. 

When I got to the end of Paige's goals, I was reminded of something I saw on TV once (this is what I love about this blog - one cool story spawns another). I was watching Ellen's show and she was showing a video of her and her crew in Disneyland, I think. The location doesn't really matter; what matters is what she did. She rallied up a group of about twenty people, young and old, and had one of them ask a random stranger to take a picture for them. Ellen was off somewhere, hiding and watching the whole thing on camera, as the group of people fidgeted and fussed and babies cried and the person asked to take the picture was forced to wait until they had everything together. Some of the people got fed up and handed the camera back to them, saying they had no time, and probably muttered something rude under their breath. Actually, most of the people did that. But a handful of people stuck it out the whole time until the group was finally good to get their picture taken. When that happened, Ellen came running out of seemingly nowhere, shook the person's hand, presumably gave them some kind of gift, and said, "Thank you! We always like to reward kindness. Thank you."

This just goes back to what Paige said, "Be kind to one another." Something so simple, yet something that doesn't happen as much as it should. I think there's something very inspiring about a person who's genuinely kind and also something inspiring about a person who is kind to themselves. And I don't just mean eating well and taking self-deprecating words out of their vocabulary, but also someone who allows themselves to be the best person they can be. And I think, along with all the amazing goals Paige has achieved and has yet to achieve, what we can really admire about her is her kindness and her determination to stick tough situations out to the very end. 

Thank you, Paige, for being the first person to plant the inspiration seed :)

Planting the Seed

    It should be no secret to anyone that my first passion is writing. Lately, when anyone at work asks me what's new and exciting in my life, I tell them I'm moving to Victoria in August to attend UVic’s Creative Writing program. No big deal, only one of my BHAGs being coming true.

     But now, I’m done school at Mount Royal (forever!) and I have four months before Victoria, which means, as much as I love writing, I’ve hit a writing lull. What should I write when there are no deadlines breathing down my neck? Which of my hundreds of story ideas crowding my mind should take precedence over all the others? The result is that, unfortunately, I usually end up writing nothing at all. My summer was looking pretty barren of words until Leanne came along and gave me this idea. 

     Being as goal-oriented as we are at lululemon, Leanne recently gave me the job of writing about our goals and what inspires us and, most importantly I think, what’s inspiring about us. All you need to do is step foot in one of our stores and spark up a conversation with one of us to get a sense of why lululemon is inspiring, but nobody will ever have enough time to hear about everyone’s goals in one trip to our store. So, this blog is the answer to that conundrum. Weekly one-on-one interviews with our glorious staff.

     A few weeks ago, on a Saturday morning at the store, Leanne asked me if I had any writing of mine I could read at the opening meeting. I didn’t have anything short enough to read, but I instantly had a favourite poem in mind, so she had me read it. Sometimes at work we only see our educator's physical goals and passions - yoga classes and events, marathons and half ironmen - so it was really special for me to share with the opening team something a little bit different. Leanne knew I loved writing and she wanted to showcase that. 

     I read If by Rudyard Kipling and, for a brief moment, all eyes were on me. I got to read and then talk about what that poem meant to me. For about five minutes, I was it. But the cool thing about that morning was, once I was done talking, Cara jumped in and shared a humbling experience with us. The poem affected her in a certain way and we got to hear why. So, for five minutes, Cara was it. She was the main event. After her, Jess Martin had something to say. Then Christina. I loved being able to share something that was very personal and meant a lot to me and find out how it affects the people around me when I’m showcasing my passions, my goals, my inspirations. 

     So that’s what this blog will do. It will showcase one person a week and then we’ll see a ripple effect of how each person inspires the next. That’s what makes lululemon exceptional. Scratch that. That’s what makes people exceptional.