The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Seasons of Life’

Name: Tina Brillinger, President & CEO

Company Name: Global Food Safety Resource Centre Inc.

Website: http://www.globalfoodsafetyresource.com

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and other aspects of your life?

Tina Brillinger: As a fairly new business owner, this is something I struggle with daily, often feeling pulled in so many different directions. I am trying to make changes to strike a greater balance between my work/life balance. As time passes, I am getting better at this, without feeling guilty and knowing my mental and physical health depend on it.

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

Tina Brillinger: Time is spent with family, friends and my Sheltie Jewels. I enjoy cooking, travelling, entertaining, reading, movies, scuba diving, golfing, skiing and Nordic pole walking.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Tina Brillinger:

1. Regardless of circumstances, your past does not have to dictate how your life will turn out. The beauty of being an adult is that we have the freedom to make our own choices; eliminating those things or people who are not good for us.
2. A good education is a prerequisite to a life well lived, never to be taken for granted.
3. Everyone deserves a second chance – give yourself permission to have that second chance, that is, a second marriage, new job.
4. We learn more from our mistakes than the things we do correctly.
5. What constitutes a family depends on who is being asked; outside regular blood-relatives, a family can be represented through non-blood relations, friends who become family of the heart; same-gender partners – in essence anyone with whom you have a strong emotional connection that cares about you deeply.

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Tina Brillinger:

1. Research by always reading interesting books.
2. Brainstorming with others to come up with “out-of-the-box” ideas.
3. Driving in my car where I’m relaxed listening to music.
4. Scribbling, sketching or writing down as many ideas as possible .

Avil Beckford: What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Tina Brillinger: “Givers have to set limits because takers never do” (unknown). Generally all people fall into two categories: givers and takers. Most givers don’t know how to set limits opening themselves up to constant takers. Takers like to find givers who don’t have set limits because they will take advantage of them and their generosity sometimes leaving the giver in a compromised situation. If you are a giver, set a limit on your time, money or energy that you can reasonably afford to give, and won’t compromise your well-being or circumstances. Develop a backbone because once that limit has been reached, takers will challenge you to cross it. Make a commitment not to let others cross it, unless it’s life threatening. If you set limits, chances are takers will not see you as weak and exploitable.

“Be the change that you want to see in the world” (Gandhi). In my view, there is no room for armchair pacifists in this world – they will never make a change to improve their circumstances or the world around them. If you truly want something to change then you must not wait for others to take action; be the impetus for change, no matter how big or small it is. The one thing successful people have in common is the belief that they alone can make a difference and they don’t wait around for others to act.

Avil Beckford: How do you define success? And in your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Tina Brillinger: Courage + Determination + Hard work + Perseverance = Success!

Success comes from a feeling of satisfaction in knowing you’ve reached your goal.

Avil Beckford: What steps did you take to succeed in your field?

Tina Brillinger:

1. Listening to what others had to say.
2. Continuous learning, no matter how irrelevant or seemingly benign it may be at the time.
3. Determination, strong work ethic; perseverance and courage.
4. Recognizing talent; surrounding myself with people who know more than me.
5. Making a business plan.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out today?

Tina Brillinger: There is room at the top for those who do things well. Keep high standards, be creative, be open to change and opportunities. If you don’t derive a certain satisfaction out of what you do then change it up. Don’t be afraid of failing….be afraid of belonging to the status quo!

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people (living or dead) that you’ve always wanted to meet, whom would you choose? And what would you say to them? 

Tina Brillinger: 

1. Elton John – Your music comforts me and has touched my soul when I hear it
2. Nelson Mandela – Your strength and determination to fulfill your vision has made your country and world a better place. Thank you!!
3. My Great-Great Grandmother who was full-blooded Algonquin – I’d like to hear about the kind of life she lived with my Great-Great Grandfather a French-Canadian. My family dates back to circa 1642.
4. Thomas Edison – I’d Ask him about his process for coming up with brilliant ideas
5. Indira Gandhi – Ask whether she would change anything in the course of her life, knowing she would be assassinated.

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply? 

Tina Brillinger: A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah – This is a first person account of his life as a boy soldier, one of the 300,000 child soldiers living in Sierra Leone. Ishmael’s narrative voice had such clarity when describing how he became indoctrinated as a boy soldier, what he witnessed and how he survived. Riveting, yet disturbing; Ishmael’s takes the reader down his road to hell describing how the rebels use children to commit genocide against their own tribes. His determination to survive and escape, through what can only be described as hell on earth, was extremely courageous. His willingness to share his painful story with such honestly is admirable. After becoming rehabilitated, Ishmael joined the United Nations, as a Spokesperson to help end the practice of recruiting child soldiers. Surviving such hell to tell his story is inspiring.

Avil Beckford: You are one of the 10 finalists on the reality show, So, How Would You Spend Your Time? Each finalist is placed on separate deserted islands for two years. You have a basic hut on the island and all the tools for survival; you just have to be imaginative and inventive when using them. You are allowed to take five books, one movie and one music CD, and whatever else you take has to fit in one suitcase and a travel on case. What would you take with you and how would you spend the time? The prize is worth your while and at this stage in the game there really aren’t any losers among the 10 finalists, since each are guaranteed at least $2 million. 

A toothbrush, hair accessories and sun hat; two deck of cards; pens and journals for writing; Movie: Fried Green Tomatoes, Elton John’s Tiny Dancer Album, my mask, snorkel and fins plus my dive knife, and hiking boots.

If you cannot view Elton John’s Tiny Dancer YouTube video, please click here.

The five books:

1.  The War of the End of the World, Mario Vargas LLosa

2.  Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild, Steve Brill

3.  The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger

4.  Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

5.  Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell

What I would do for two years:

• Get lots of sleep until I was fully rested, enjoy some solitary time unfettered by a rushed world.
• Take my mask, fins and snorkel and explore the underworld around the island.
• Go hiking in search of edible and exotics plants, cook interesting dishes.
• I would read books, play backgammon and solitaire and write my memoir.
• Have many fires and sing songs, make up different instruments with whatever was available.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Tina Brillinger: Things that visually delight me, nature, travelling to new places, learning something new, pushing limits and taking risks, that is, sky-diving, scuba diving, starting my own company, reaching a goal.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Tina Brillinger: Being with people who comfort me (my husband, children and friends), music, and being in water (bath, scuba)

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

Tina Brillinger: Ten years of great health and the financial resources to travel and participate in greatest adventures: Europe on the Orient Express, take an underwater tour of the Titanic or orbital flight, African safari.

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

Tina Brillinger: I am underwater, scuba diving with my dive buddy and husband Randy – the serenity balances and soothes me, against an otherwise chaotic world.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Book links are affiliate links.

Elton John’s video uploaded by vikomak.

What do you think of  the Aesop‘s Fable below? These fables often have a moral to the story and they are so easy to read. I was reminded of the seasons of life and the natural order to things. There is a time for planting, nurturing, reaping and resting and you need all four. See review of The Seasons of Life by Jim Rohn.

In a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

“Why not come and chat with me,” said the Grasshopper, “instead of toiling and moiling in that way?”

“I am helping to lay up food for the winter,” said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.”

“Why bother about winter?” said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present.” But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew:

It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

What other lessons can you learn from The Ant and the Grasshopper?

Click on the comment link below and leave a note for me. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

For your research and writing needs, consider my firm Ambeck Enterprise for white papers, articles, fact sheets, anniversary booklets, you name it. Since I am the best kept secret you may not know this, but I have over 15 years research and writing experience. I KNOW content. And if you cannot figure out which books to read for professional development, I am your WOMAN. I can assist you with that too. Visit my sales page for resources such as The Invisible Mentor Toolkit to assist you in acquiring wisdom from a distance. For free white papers click here.

Photo Credit: via Apture

Jim Rohn describes The Seasons of Life as a condensation of ideas and observations he gained over 40 years to help to place life, events, purpose, opportunities and challenges into perspective. His purpose for writing this book is to awaken and unearth the answers that lie dormant deep within our hearts and minds.

The Seasons of Life is a book filled with a lot of common sense information, but it’s a good reminder for us. For example, we are in a situation where we know that we have to change and try something new because what we have been doing no longer works, but we have so much invested in old ideas, old friends, old ways of doing things or even an old belief system that no longer serves us, that we simply refuse to make the necessary changes. As Rohn explains, “We tend to accumulate and cling to ideas that limit our progress. We cherish friendships even though the friendships impede our personal growth… We wander through life allowing people and their attitudes and ideas to mold our characters – people whose attitudes and ideas have brought themselves little in the way of progress, productivity, or happiness… If our attitudes, results, or happiness is to ever improve, we must exercise the painful discipline required for “weeding-out” the garden of our life.”

The seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter are used as an analogy for the different stages and occurrences in our lives. The book explains how we all go through the different seasons of life from the harsh winter where things don’t go our way to the fantastic summer where life is beautiful. Rohn shares how we can get through the tough times and enjoy the good ones even more.

Winter – Learn how to survive: “The arrival of winter finds us in one of two categories: Either we are prepared or we are unprepared… To those who are prepared, who have planted abundantly in the spring, guarded their crops carefully during the summer, and harvested massively during the fall, winter can be yet another season of opportunity.” Winter always comes after the harvest of fall. Do the personal inner work to stay strong and positive and don’t give up. Know that spring is always around the corner.

Spring – Window of opportunity: “Springtime is the fresh air of new opportunity, amid the dissipating clouds of winter… [It] is the time for entering the bleak, empty fields given to us as a new chance… Each day is given us as a new season of spring.” This is your window when you must take action and plant your seeds of opportunity. It’s the season when your soil is most fertile so you have to exercise the discipline to plant even though there may be many obstacles in front of us. Rid your soil of weeds and rocks, which may appear as the opinions of those around us in the form of worry, doubt, or pessimism. The springtime of our lives manifests itself infrequently so we have to seize the moment and plant massively and intelligently.

Summer – Nourish and Protect: “The summer of life is a time to protect; it is a time for constant daily effort to guard against the busy bugs and noxious weeds. The spring is a time for the creation of things of value, and those things require the season of summer for growing and gaining strength that they might yield their result in the coming fall” Fertilize your new habits so they continue to develop. Pull out your weeds of bad habits. Be patient, the results may not always show immediately.

Fall – Harvest: “For those who planted abundantly in the spring, and who fought against the bugs, weeds, and weather of summer, fall can bring rewards which give cause for rejoicing… The fall tells us if we have really done that which is required… Massive action in the spring of life still is the requirement for massive success in the fall.” In all aspects of your life, the harvest will come in due time. Take a journey in your mind to where you see the harvest of your changes, having the life you want.

 Five Great Ideas

1. The formula for success for one will lead to the self-destruction of another
2. What happened even as recently as yesterday is no longer of any consequence, unless we choose to allow it to be. What is of great importance is who and what it is that leaves its mark today and each day hereafter
3. There is little difference between one who has given up his life and one who has given up his hope
4. Be grateful for adversity, for it forces the human spirit to grow – for surely, the human character is formed not in the absence of difficulty but in response to difficulty
5. The teacher is always the greatest recipient of the lessons he seeks to teach others

Related Post

A Book Review of The Five Pieces to the Life Puzzle: A Guide to Personal Success by Jim Rohn

Excerpt from August 2006 Ambeck Edge