Knocking Down Silos™ - Mississauga, Ontario

I attended the April Knocking Down Silos™ event in Richmond Hill, and if you missed out on it there's no need to worry. Dave Howlett will be presenting again, this time in Mississauga at the Living Arts Centre, on June 22. If you're thinking about attending but aren't sure, here's some feedback from my own experience as a first-timer in April (originally posted on http://www.redspherenetwork.ning.com/):

"Last night my husband and I attended Knocking Down Silos in Richmond Hill. In fact, several people I know were there and it was great to see everyone. I registered to attend a while back and had been very intrigued about what was going to happen there. I mean, I've worked in career services for a good length of time now and we talk about networking – the dos and don’ts - incessantly. After all, it is proven to be one of the best methods (combined with other actions) of securing employment and building business. Yet this event was not marketed as a "networking event" per se, even though it seems most people attend (and some apparently repeatedly) to do just that: network. I kept thinking, "What could Dave possibly say that is any different than I already know??"

As it turned out, it wasn't so much that I learned new information per se. The event presented an opportunity to move important and desirable behaviours up to the forefront, and it also really made me think about diminishing negative behviours. Dave talks about "gears" and outlines the difference between 1st, second and third gear from a behavioural perspective. I realized that I have been stuck in 2nd gear for a while now. And being stuck there, over time, has cluttered my brain and my soul to the point of exhaustion. So here are my takeaways from last night's event:

• Stop worrying about other people’s actions and don’t let it drag you down.
  If it doesn’t directly affect you, leave it be and move on
• Anyone you meet anywhere can be a valuable resource to you. You simply need to be open and receptive to everyone you come in contact with, find common ground, and let it progress. Yes, people are pretty darn amazing.
• I met a woman named Angela last night who is a singer in a rock band in her
  spare time. I love rock and I love to sing (in the privacy of my own home or car, of course!) so I found what she does veryadmirable. I think I’ll get on my
  karaoke machine tonight!"

For professional moms - whether you are an entrepreneur or a career professional - the chaos of managing work and family can be very stifling in many ways. In order to move forward and progress in both work and life spheres (and each impacts the quality of the other), it's important to move yourself out of your current headspace of chaos into one that is inspiring and motivating. This event gave me that chance. On top of that, I brought my husband along and it has made a profound difference for him as well. So if you can get your partner to go along with you, it'll give you something really great and positive to talk about for a long time to come. What relationship couldn't use some of that? The event will take place June 22, 2009 at 7:00pm at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. You can learn more about Dave Howlett and purchase tickets for the event at http://www.realhumanbeing.org/.

Tickets are $80 each. If you would like to receive a 50% off code and attend this event for only $40, please email Lydia Fernandes at info(at)motivmode.com and write "June RHB" in the subject line.