But out of all the reasons why I love Thanksgiving, the biggest one is seeing people taking the time to express gratitude towards someone or something that they are thankful for in their lives. I only wish Thanksgiving happened more often.

Happy Thanksgiving to you. And thank you so much for reading,

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants.” ~Kevin James

Whether you’re a Mac or a PC, or an iPhone or a Blackberry, there’s no arguing Steve Jobs was one of the greatest minds of the modern age. A fearless leader. A visionary and an inspiring figure. A man bold enough to think differently, and talented enough to redefine entire industries and change the world.

I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” -Steve Jobs

We was not afraid to die. In fact, that was his motivation for living a fuller life.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life,” Jobs said. “Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.” -Steve Jobs

Thank you for your legacy Steve. You were the Crazy One.

Just walked into the Starbucks at 40 Front St E, in downtown Toronto, to work for a couple of hours. Ordered a cup of coffee and some VIA for the office. Barista told me they were out of the VIA coffee I was looking for, and before I even blinked in disappointment, he told me my cup of coffee was on the house, and apologies for the inconvenience.

That’s incredible customer service. If a big corporation like Starbucks can do it, can’t we all?

Make the world slightly better today. It starts with the unexpected…

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who are alive.” ~Howard Thurman

I had the opportunity to film both the ceremony and the reception/New Year’s party that ensued. It was a fantastic time to celebrate and a great way to start the New Year.

You can watch the video in HD here.

Thanks to Laura and Troy for putting together such a memorable occasion!

Thanks to the good people at OnlineSchools.org, you can enjoy this Infographic that shows the current state of the Internet, and what it represents today in our society. Playing with some neat HTML5 technology and some real time data, this Infographic will surely shock you and give you a hint of how much the Web has grown in its few years of existence.

I grew up on a farm. We learned that there was a season to plant, a season to water, and a season to harvest. The planting and watering could be laborious, but without those stages, there would never be a harvest.” -Coach John Wooden

I truly appreciate being on my own on some of my long training runs, being left alone with my thoughts and my choice of cheesy music. However, I see these running events as a reward to all the hard work. It’s not every day that thousands of people join you on a run.

I highly recommend you get involved and sign up for a run. You won’t regret it. If you haven’t tried it before, just head to a local running shop and you will find information about races and how to get started. If you are a runner but haven’t raced before, consider adding a bit of excitement to your training and sign up for a race.

Here are some of the reasons I think you should sign up for one:

• You will get in the best shape of your life. Running is a simple sport that requires very little in terms of investment of time and equipment. I took up running to stay fit between business trips where I couldn’t pack my bike or had the time to go for a ride. All it takes is a pair of running shoes and half an hour, and you can get a good quality training run. And once you begin it, you will be surprised at how far you can go after a few weeks.
• You will have an incredible sense of accomplishment when you finish. There’s nothing like crossing the finish line after a long run, especially if you have never done it. Believe me, the feeling is exhilarating. You will feel rightly proud of yourself and of what you can accomplish in all areas of your life.
• You will feel more energetic and productive at work. This is a benefit I didn’t expect when I first started. I thought regular exercise—especially training for a half marathon—would sap my energy. It had exactly the opposite effect. I am never more focused and energetic than when I am in the middle of training.
• You will have a more positive outlook on life and on dealing with stress. The stress of modern life takes its toll. The economic realities of the past two years haven’t helped. Training for a run will also train your perseverance and your discipline, and in term you will be able to deal with any stress more efficiently. You will even sleep better. Guaranteed.
• You will gain the confidence to take on other challenges. This is one of the main reasons I love to run. It gives me the opportunity to tackle my biggest challenge—me. If I can overcome the mental obstacles I encounter on the way to the race, I can put those skills to use in other endeavors.
• You will provide an example for others. True leadership begins with self-leadership. When you lead yourself, you inspire others to want to follow. Maybe it’s a spouse, or a friend, or one of your children. They need to exercise, but they don’t have an example to follow. You can be that example.
• You can help raise money for a worthy cause. This takes running to a whole new level. It’s no longer just about me, but about something significant that makes a difference.
• A great excuse to travel. You can make running a race a weekend event for you and the whole family. Nowadays there are tons of running events in every city, and you can make a whole trip out of the event. A chance to explore a new city. How about the Rome Marathon? A 10K in Madrid? Half Marathon in Paris?

Truth is these are just a few of the reasons I love signing up and participating in running events, and they only begin to scratch the surface of the hundreds of reasons I’ve heard over the years from runners. So take advantage of the good weather and sign up today for a 5K, a 10K, a Half Marathon or a full Marathon.

A few days ago I had the opportunity to run the Toronto Half Marathon, and even though the conditions were less than ideal (wet start, light rain and a bit windy on the course), it really makes no difference when so many people are running together. Passing so many people standing in the rain waiting for their family members or friends go by, only fuels you to stay on target and keep going all the way to the finish line.

Happy training!

If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.” – Jeff Bezos