Sometimes we feel we need a change in our lives, and we start thinking about what we should change — perhaps a new location, a new job, or a different direction.

The grass often looks greener on the other side, but before making a big change, it may be wise to ask ourselves a few honest questions.

Please reach out to me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

One person can make a difference.

In a recent chat, I was reminded of a TedTalk video I had watched entitled, “The anti-CEO.”

Hamdi Ulukaya, the founder of the largest yogurt company in the USA says, “Business can be a force for good, it’s more than profit.”

You can find information about Hamdi on the Wikipedia page – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamdi_Ulukaya

Watch the TedTalk by Hamdi – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGTMSV8QUrs&t=7s

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Participating in sporting activities offers many benefits, but can also have drawbacks.

Some countries offer their citizens excellent assistance to encourage and assist with sporting activities.

I believe the goal is to help others to become the best of what they are capable.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Moving from Toronto to Victoria BC on the west coast of Canada in 2008 was a great move.

It not only has the mildest weather in Canada, but the way of life is more conducive to my liking.

The place we live in can have an impact on us and sometimes a different location can have a positive effect.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

This past week I attended a celebration of life for a person who spent her life wholeheartedly helping others.

Her legacy reminds us to honour her to be fearless and help wherever we can in the world.

It is rewarding.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Last week was a hectic week for me.

It started with finishing looking after pets, between seeing some nurses and a doctor, until Wednesday.

The following day, I took the ferry ride from Vancouver Island to Vancouver to visit two of my daughters and family.

Then it was an early ferry ride back to Vancouver Island with my oldest daughter to meet up with my oldest granddaughter and friends.

On the weekend, I was involved with two emergency callouts to help evacuees from house fires. So overall, this old man had a busy and exciting week.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

As 2025 winds up and 2026 is about to begin, it is a good time to review what happened last year and what to look forward to next year.

I wish you, your family, and your friends a lot of love and laughter in the coming year.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

People appear to be meeting and connecting less in the past few years.

This is likely the impact of COVID-19 and the increased use of artificial intelligence.

As future jobs will be defined by connection skills we need to encourage people to rebuild human connection.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

It is the time of year when those who celebrate Christmas share gifts.

It can become stressful for some to find appropriate gifts for others.

In some cases, people may go overboard, and in other cases, no gifts are shared, but charitable acts are done.

I share some of my thoughts and experiences about gift-giving during this time of year.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

No matter what job you have in life, your success will be determined by up to eighty percent by your communication skills.

Good communication impacts our leadership skills.

The Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, is demonstrating outstanding leadership skills.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Some stories are challenging to talk about.

The prisoners in a local prison presented their play, “Dance of the Family,” in which they shared their true family stories.

At the Q&A session after the play, it was noted that some stories had been bottled up, but that when shared, they were healing and liberating.

This was an opportunity for those inside and outside the prison to better understand each other.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

In a recent interview on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, a former radio host, Michael Finnerty, talks about his new career as a cheesemonger in London.

Michael states that there’s a lot more you can do than you thought you could do, and that he is richer now, not financially, but in happiness.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

“Find your passion” can be an interesting and even challenging topic.

At a recent Agora Speakers meeting, the theme was passion, which resulted in many interesting comments.

If you keep working on improving yourself every year, you likely will open more and more doors and find passion in your life.

Please reach out to me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Without trust, everything starts to fall apart.

Trust is one of those things we rarely think about until it’s gone.

Every time we act with integrity, we inspire others to do the same.

If this message resonated with you, share it with someone you trust — and let’s keep building a world that believes in trust again.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Two hundred years ago, on 25 September 1825, the first steam-powered passenger train ran from Stockton to Darlington, England.

This fact prompted me to reflect on some of my experiences with train travel around the world.

Train travel has undergone significant changes over the past two hundred years.

Contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

I met David on the recent flight from Victoria and Seattle.

During our brief discussion, he mentioned that he uses artificial intelligence, including to check his health regimen.

This week, I asked ChatGPT to review my health status, and after asking me several questions, I received a comprehensive, step-by-step plan tailored to my specific needs.

It is unlikely that I would receive such a comprehensive plan from a doctor.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

I was speaking with a friend who had a great, relaxing vacation here in town.

There are many advantages to having a staycation.

It can be very affordable, maximises your time, supports the local economy, and is eco-friendly.

I plan to visit some local spots that I haven’t visited in a long time.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

I recently returned from a week in Newcastle upon Tyne in north-eastern England.

It was a week of meeting people, sharing ideas, and visiting some interesting sites.

This visit reinforced my belief that when opportunity knocks, we should answer.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

A friend of over 25 years recently sent me a suggestion about what he has been doing, and I might want to try it.

His suggestion has worked out very well for me, and I greatly appreciate it.

It is never too late to teach an old dog new tricks.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Trust is the foundation of building relationships, effective organisations, and functional institutions.

Politicians often make promises that they do not keep, thus they build little trust.

I think the new Prime Minister of Canada is not a politician, but a leader who holds a political position.

Contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

I received a recent email outlining how AI suggested we could destroy the new generation.

This prompted me to consult with AI on what we could do to help the new generation succeed.

This exercise made me realise the positive influence the Scouting movement had on me.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

This week, I had the pleasure of receiving recordings of four students in Romania about their Agora Speakers experiences.

If you listen to Maria, Yustin, Teodora, and Ariana and know anyone else in Canadian schools who would be interested, please share.

Gathering voices from people involved with Agora Speakers in schools is part of my project to introduce Agora Speakers into Canadian schools.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions,

Yesterday was an enjoyable day. The ability to enjoy our lives is wonderful.

My friend Ken and I left Vancouver Island to visit our friend Dave.

We enjoyed a meal, played cribbage, and shared our experiences as we age.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

When I was young, I was terrified of speaking in front of the class, and for over twenty years now, I have been helping young people develop their communication skills.

This younger generation faces more challenges than previous generations, and they require self-confidence to cope with the rapidly changing world.

Please share this video with anyone you know in the educational system who may be interested in a project to support our youth.

Last week, I attended a theatre production celebrating the Canadian songs of the iconic Gordon Lightfoot.

It was wonderful to hear these glorious, personal, and emotionally complex songs afresh.

The five actor-singer-musicians revealed new beauty and meaning in the words and music.

It reminded me that there is so much beauty in the world that we must take time to celebrate!

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

For the past eight years, I have not had a permanent residence.

As of last week, that has changed when I found a suite to rent.

This change will enable me to devote more effort to introducing Agora Speakers to more population segments.

I am looking forward to this change.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Working together in our communities can result in some amazing results.

I attended the Great All-American Youth Circus show, which has been around since 1929.
These shows demonstrate what we can achieve when we connect and collaborate.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Canada is at an important crossroad in its history.

I believe with great leadership, Canada will become a shining light where our citizens will experience happy and successful lives.

Humility is the foundation for effective leadership.

Let’s aspire to practice effective leadership in our lives and help make Canada a shining example in the world!

Please reach out to me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

I was introduced to Gordon Lightfoot’s music in the 1970s while living in South Africa.

He was an accomplished Canadian singer-songwriter in the 1970s. His music made me nostalgic for Canada.

If you wish to learn about him, check out Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Lightfoot

If you want to hear one of my favourite songs by Gordon, find it at https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=PXzauTuRG78

Please reach out to me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

This past weekend, I met my friend from Nepal, Ravi, and we went on a desert road trip in Southern California.

We visited the Salton Sea, Salvation Mountain, East Jesus, and Joshua Tree National Park.

The following day, we explored two unique museums before Ravi flew to Texas.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

At a recent meeting during the impromptu speaking session I was asked, “What would you tell your younger self?”

Since I had been married and divorced twice, I had something to share that I had learned.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

“The Money and the Status Game” was mentioned in a recent podcast I listened to, and it resonated with me.

The human drive for social status and wealth accumulation often is not satisfying.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

What are some of the finest places to visit in Canada?

A radio programme inquires about people’s favourite locations to explore in Canada.

I share my experiences and reflections on discovering the magnificent country of Canada.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Wow! The world had many challenges in the past month and the news is full of discussions about what may happen.

For a change, join me and review a series of principles and let’s imagine what the world might be like if more people adopted these principles.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

This past week it was time to leave Australia and move to southern California.

I had three flights flying around 18 hours and all went well.

I had some discussions about Agora Speakers as good communication skills are important.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

My voice has partially reappeared, so this week you can hear my raspy voice when I discuss the importance of finding and using our voices.

We are facing many changes such as Artificial Intelligence, climate change, and political changes.

We must discuss and work with others to find the best ways to cope with all these changes and improve our world.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

I have not spent a night in a hospital for over fifty years. This week I saw a doctor about my persistent cough and “fat leg.”

The result was two nights in hospital.

After many tests, it appears that I have a blood clot (Deep Vein Thrombosis) in my right leg.

Also, I lost my voice due to the cough, so I had to use text-to-speech in this video.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

In 1971 on the hit parade was a recording of the poem “Desiderata” written by Max Ehrmann in 1927.

Desiderata (Latin: “things desired”) delivers wisdom and guidance, offering directions on how to navigate life with grace, integrity and inner peace.

Search the Internet for copies of the poem and recordings.

In this new year, I hope you can practice some of the ideas of this poem and find peace and contentment.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

It has been a wonderful year, and I have so much to be grateful for, such as travel and people!

If you are interested in a list of my videos with links you can find that at https://www.notesofanomad.ca/list-of-posted-videos/

Please reach out to me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

In the past week in Melbourne, I was put in a car and ten hours later arrived somewhere north of Melbourne and south of Sydney on the South Coast of New South Wales.

It has been an enjoyable time meeting and catching up with people who I have not seen for years.

Please feel free to contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Life never stops and retirement is just the beginning of a new phase of life.

We review some approaches that can positively impact extending your life for a decade or more.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

I listened to the actor Hugh Jackman highly recommend the Concept2 indoor rowing machine.

As I have been using these machines for over 20 years, I can only agree.

They offer many benefits, such as strengthening and toning the upper and lower body and improving power and endurance.

Please get in touch with me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Robots, drones, and smart technology driven by artificial intelligence are about to have an enormous impact on our world.

I will share with you some ideas on what you can expect in the next ten years and think about the year 2034.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

I arrived in Melbourne ten days ago, listened to podcasts, and joined international meetings where friendship, mentorship, and leadership were mentioned.

The suggestion to create community-based friendship and mentorship hubs would assist in tackling mental health and civility issues.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

This past week I left the Sea Holly behind in the Ladysmith Marina and am now settled in the pool house at my daughter’s home in Melbourne.

The trip was long but all went well.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

I recently shared a Template for Effective Presentations with a group who need to give presentations occasionally.

The purpose of this template is to assist those who need a checklist/guide to review as they create and present their presentation.

Please share this template with anyone you think might be interested in keeping it on file to assist them when they are preparing a presentation.

The template can be found at the link included in the description below the video.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

The more things we try, the more likely we can stumble upon what we enjoy.

This can help us find our purpose and realise why we are here.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

There are days when we don’t feel like doing some of the things we want to do.

If we just start going to that meeting, start that exercise, save that money, and look for that new job, we will feel glad that we did it.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

This past week I spent four days in a beautiful spot with Yogi.

I was in East Sooke on Vancouver Island where I could see the Olympic Mountains in Washington State.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Recently I have been staying on my friend’s boat and it was Thanksgiving in Canada.

This has had me consider friends, family, minimalism, and being a nomad.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

The phrase, “We’ve always done it this way” is heard regularly in our conversations.

This approach has positive and negative aspects as it preserves some great traditions, but also can prevent us from thriving.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

As I work with Agora Speakers on creating their leadership educational paths the subject of what and who are leaders arises.

Our world needs leaders who can actively build a better world at all levels within our communities and our countries.

Please reach out to me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

Improve it

I had a recent conversation with a person in Cape Town who I met recently at Agora Speakers.

We discussed how small the world can be.

Please reach out to me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

What goals or changes do you want to make?

Finding like-minded people you can work with to help each other become the best you can be is key to achieving success.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

I had an outstanding past seven weeks experiencing the west coast of Canada and the Arctic plus being in Romania during the Agora Speakers convention.

Lifelong learning is a key to enjoying and experiencing the world.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

The past week has been busy with my arrival in Romania, and participating in a public speaking summer school, and the Agora Speakers International convention.

I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting the amazing team of people at Agora Speakers Romania!

Please contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

After over 11,000 kilometres in the past month, the road trip to the Arctic and around British Columbia has ended.

It has been a wonderful opportunity to learn more about British Columbia, meet interesting people and learn more about road-tripping.

Here are details about my past week and some things I learned.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

The journey from Whitehorse, Yukon to Bella Coola on the west coast of British Columbia was wonderful and informative.

I spent some time in a cottage at Atlin Lake and visited Liard River Hot Springs which was on my revisit bucket list.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

The journey from Whitehorse, Yukon to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean and back was a six-day journey covering over 3000 kilometres.

The Dempster highway was interesting and so were some of the people I met and my car Charlie, was outstanding.

So far I have driven 6,785 kilometres since leaving Victoria on the 16th of July.

Please forward me your comments, questions, or suggestions.

This past week I travelled to the capital of the Yukon, Whitehorse.

So far I have driven 3750 kilometres and one of the amazing side trips was to Telegraph Creek in northwestern British Columbia.

Please send me your comments, questions, or suggestions.

This past week, I spent most of it with my best friend, Ken, and we celebrated my birthday at my favourite place.

We visited our old scouting friend Dave and then went on his boat to Ganges harbour on Salt Spring Island.

Please send any comments, questions, or suggestions to me.

I am excited as I am about to embark on an extended road trip to Tuktoyaktuk in the Canadian Arctic.

I hope to at least put my feet in the Arctic Ocean and meet some of the approximate one thousand inhabitants in Tuktoyaktuk.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

In a recent book, “Get Better At Anything” Scott Young refers to an approach that has been used for over 130 years in teaching surgery.

This See, Do, and Feedback approach is very effective and is used in many fields, including learning communication and leadership.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

In the past few months, I have watched someone in the United Kingdom grow and do exceptional activities.

We have a weekly meeting with people from around the world and this nine-year-old girl has accomplished wonderful results to date.

It is exciting to see and watch her grow.

Contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

What can be done about the challenges that our younger generation are facing?

I suggest that the outstanding work of Dr. Marilyn Price-Mitchell is very relevant where she highlight 8 core attributes.

You can find details about her work with free surveys and many articles and printouts that can be used to assist our younger generation on her website at https://www.rootsofaction.com/about/

Contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

In my downsizing effort, I came across a folder with notes my father wrote.

The notes contain details about a story he often told about an incident in 1930 when his stepfather was driving his 1925 Ford Model T Touring car.

I hope this may be of interest to hear a little information about what the world was like in the 1930’s.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

At thirty years-old, it was time to treat Charlie to a nice birthday present.

I arranged a “spa” day for Charlie; he is looking and feeling much better now.

After spending the previous six months outside, my chariot, Charlie, my 1994 Toyota Corolla station wagon has been faithful to me and deserved the “spa” treatment.

If you are interested there is a previous video where I show Charlie loaded with my rowing machine and other belongings which is found at Notes of a Nomad Video #91.

Reach out to me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

Attending two Celebrations of Life for Bob and Heather made me think about life, its fragility and impermanence.

Listening to the stories about others’ lives encourages us to review our values and priorities and have gratitude for what we have.

Also, it can be motivating and makes us think, “What would Bob or Heather do in these circumstances?”

Contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Life has been interesting in the past 80-plus years.

The changes have become obvious as I go through the collected memorabilia as I downsize.

Each decade is so different as we age and the world evolves.

This video may be of interest to historians.

Please contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

We tend to accumulate many items during our lifetime which can become burdensome for those who sort out our estate.

I have returned to Canada and have the challenge of downsizing some more.

There are some reasons why this works for me and it is liberating to own fewer things as they can control you.

Contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Travelling can teach us so much.

We learn to be adaptable, patient, independent, self-aware, open-minded, and grateful.

However, we don’t have to spend a lot of money and time to gain these important skills.

Contact me with your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Mental health is often not spoken about and considered shameful, but it is becoming more of a challenge in our changing world.

This past week I visited a museum at a large state mental health hospital in California and listened to three speeches that helped prompt this video.

I refer to a TEDtalk by Vikram Patel, “Mental Health for All By Involving All,” which can be found at the link found in the description of this video.

Contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

Today there is so much access to the ‘news’ that if we are not careful we can become obsessed and even addicted to watching the news.

It has been shown that too much negative news can harm our well-being.

There are some ways I have tried to control going down the never-ending news channels.

Contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

Encouraging youth to speak in front of a group and even make presentations is something I have been doing for around two decades.

I have learned a few things and recently sent an award to a young 9-year-old participant for giving her fifth speech.

Having a variety of ages working together also adds some magic to the process.

Contact me if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions.

I was impressed seeing the different generations collaborating at the recent rehearsal of the Great All-American Youth Circus here in Redlands, California.

This reminds me of what happens at many of our Agora Speakers meetings with young and old people working together to improve our interpersonal skills.

Today we have the wonderful opportunity to work with people of all generations to help each other become the best we can be.

Contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions.