Walking the Shoreline

The journey of someone just like you, on a journey just like you

Category: Leadership (page 1 of 5)

10 Questions I Always Get Asked About Writing Online

July 23, 2018 / / 1 Comment

Whether you’re a fellow writer, a regular reader, or looking to get started yourself, I get asked about the world of blogging on a regular basis. Here are 10 questions I always get asked about writing online.

Questions I Get Asked About Writing Online

Walking The Shoreline started way back in 2014 after I had told a group of men my age that I wanted to write online in a more public capacity one day. I had been writing online on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, and other little places here and there and had a lot of people quite interested in what I would have to write. I went home that night and started the site . Fast forward to today and my public presence on this site attracts 400-500 readers every day from all over the world, having had over 430,000 hits and hundreds to thousands of reshares, comments, and mostly positive responses.

However, that makes me a relatively medium sized fish in a huge pond. There are no doubt many more prominent writers out there than me, and an overwhelming number of blogs you could follow on any topic, especially the growing number of health and fitness blogs, each doing numbers successful enough that the authors can quit their day jobs and spend their days writing articles by the pool. Continue reading

My Problem With “Don’t Judge Me”

October 3, 2017 / / 0 Comments

Everyone wants justice, but not everyone wants to be judged… here’s my problem with one of the most frequently used sentences in the entire world: “don’t judge me”.

Don't Judge Me

Judgmental frog is judging you…

Never before in history have the terms Nazi, racist, bigot, or “X”-ophobe (insert your phobia of choice here) been more prevalent in the common lexicon of our society. Well, perhaps maybe during World War 2 where those terms really did apply and some would wear those with a badge of true honour, but I digress. We live in a world that is very much up in arms about standards towards morality, legality and acceptance.

In truth, these issues have always been present throughout history. Recently I went on a big history binge on the history of the Ottomans, the origins of Russia from 2000BC, the history of China, and all the different wars and conflicts that have broken out over the last few thousand years. Ideals and a common set of standards have been heatedly contested to the point of bloodshed for millenia. So I guess the relative (and I use “relative” very loosely) lack of global scale conflict is quite welcome given how many millions of people have lost their lives in the larger scale conquests and conflicts (although many lives are still lost).

As individuals, we strive for harmony and acceptance in our way of life. Rightly so. Who enjoys living their lives in fear or being ruled by some tyrant who suppresses their people?

But on a micro-relational scale, we strive even moreso to have the love and acceptance of people in our circles. Continue reading

What Do You Do When People Don’t Change?

September 14, 2017 / / 0 Comments

Is it my fault, was there anything else I could’ve done, or is there something more going on? What do you do when people don’t change?

What do you do when people don't change?

One day on my Facebook page I started posted some thoughts that had really helped me in my life. Whether it be negotiating work decisions or one of the leadership lessons that stuck with me, I just thought it’d be worthwhile to share a few things that made a marked difference for me. The response was quite overwhelming, and since then, I try to post as often as I can, with many people telling me even to this day they’re still enjoying them (people still read them even if they don’t always react to them).

This week I posted a short thought answering “What do you do when people don’t change?”. It was a topic that resonated with a great many people. So, in response I thought, well, let’s give it a longer look. Continue reading

Our Obsession With Outrage and Being Triggered is Destroying Society

August 17, 2017 / / 0 Comments

Hyperbole is the order of the day, “civil discussions” are characterised by yelling and name calling, and people are losing their lives – we need to stop with the outrage and being triggered.

Outrage and Being Triggered

Source: Evelyn Hockstein/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Many people will have seen the recent riots in Charlottesville. Truly a tragedy in the midst of what has already been a tumultuous year on the Earth. Where there is disagreement on views, unfortunately violence soon follows. In this case, the ugly shadow of racism looms large in the wake of these recent events.

I’m not a sociologist. I’m not a full-time student of international human rights. I don’t fully understand the motivations behind many of the marches and protests that take place in our global community. I’m not even an American. But from my vantage point, I can say this:

Our obsession with outrage and being triggered is destroying society. Continue reading

5 Reasons Millennials Struggle to Find Mentors

July 16, 2017 / / 0 Comments

When you’re in your 20s and 30s, sometimes all you want is someone older to help guide your way. Here are five reasons millennials struggle to find mentors.

Millennials Struggle to find mentors

Source: Warner Bros., and an amazing film on this topic

One of the biggest issues I get raised to me by people in my age group is the question of finding the right mentors for this season of life. The ages between 20 and 40 are drastically diverse, and seeking direction from your peer group who are struggling with divergent issues to your own can be difficult. Sure, at the start of our 20s, all of us are in a similar boat – getting set into full-time work, completing university or college courses, stepping out after a few years in our apprenticeships, starting relationships at the same time. But once you go over the age of 25, all of a sudden finding people who are similar to you is a major struggle. Some already have kids, some have never dated anyone, some have been married, some have been divorced, some have started thriving businesses, some have already filed for bankruptcy, some consider themselves professionals and are well established in the path of their choosing, some have no idea where the path even begins.

Continue reading

Are You Actually A Christian?

March 18, 2017 / / 0 Comments

She’s doing all the right things, but her heart is far away… he’s a church leader, but he unapologetically abuses his family… are you actually a Christian?

Are you actually a Christian?

NB. The following post is intended for a professing Christian audience and addresses some very raw subject matter. You have been warned.

Continue reading

7 Reasons You’ve Gotta Just Do It

February 12, 2017 / / 0 Comments

You’ve wasted enough of your life. Stop putting it off, making excuses, or avoiding it – it’s time to just do it.

Just Do It

Source: Just Do It

The start of the year is the time when most people receive the most call to action. Everyone starts with new resolutions and dreams for the year. Valentine’s Day in February calls on people to reevaluate their choices and actions in the area of relationships. Businesses, schools and families all get back into the swing of new routines and patterns that will frame the course of the next 365 days. For the first two months at least, it’s the common thing to have people pressuring you into actually following through on the things you said you would do, or taking a hold of the things you’ve said you’ve wanted.

And yet we’re already in February in another year that we said we’d finally do a lot of the things we said we’d do. We’re already in 2017 and doing without a lot of the things we said we wanted. Complaining to everyone else about how sad it is that we don’t have all these things that we wish we had. Well, it’s time to stop blaming everyone else and to start going after what you’ve always wanted. Here are 7 reasons you’ve gotta just do it. Continue reading

A White Male Conservative’s Thoughts On Donald Trump

February 8, 2017 / / 0 Comments

I’m a white male conservative, making me one of the most hated combinations on the internet today. Here’s my thoughts on Donald Trump.

Thoughts On Donald Trump

It’s true. I’ve discovered recently thanks to the likes of Social Justice Warriors, Buzzfeed and MTV that I am just a deplorable human being. SJWs and Buzzfeed in particular have really highlighted just how horrible it is that I’m male. Men suck. We’re derogatory, we’re inconsiderate, we’re self seeking, we have no value for anyone other than ourselves… or at least that’s what they tell me. That’s what they told Hugh Mungus, and sent the internet into meltdown with the very public beatdown of the male species.

On top of that, I’m white. So, on top of my male privilege, I also have my white privilege. It means everyone is below me. Right? Apparently. I didn’t think so, but now I’m told that by virtue of the colour of my skin, I have a certain set of attributes about myself. In the heyday they would’ve called that racism, but apparently when you’re white, it’s just “truth”. Add to that, my political views are much more conservative. Pro-life, preservation of the family, all the rest of it.

And so Donald Trump as president pretty much means I’m screwed. Continue reading

8 Pros and Cons of New Beginnings

December 28, 2016 / / 0 Comments

It seems with another new year, everyone is ready to start again. But is that such a good thing? Here are 8 pros and cons of new beginnings.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we’ve made it into the most reflective portion of the adult calendar. The advent of another new year. 2017 approaches.

Most of the feedback I’ve heard on 2016 has been that it was a pretty terrible for people. It’s certainly been marred with a lot of unfortunate passings, including the recent passing of Carrie Fisher. The Republicans won the Election, Pokemon Go came and went, and Harambe was and still is a thing. Continue reading

I’m Just A Man (2016 In Review)

December 3, 2016 / / 1 Comment

There’s been so much to happen across this year…. but I’m just a man. Here’s a very open look at my 2016.

Walking the Tweed river/ocean shoreline

Walking the Tweed river/ocean shoreline

Continue reading

Why Are People So Immature?

October 26, 2016 / / 0 Comments

This is definitely one of the biggest complaints that people have for the opposite sex, for coworkers, for so called friends and for those gone by. Why are people so immature?

Why Are People So Immature?

Source: Disney

I think it’s always interesting to consider how there are two sides to every story. If you know two people who are having a disagreement or a falling out, chances are, like me, you end up hearing the complaints on both sides of the fence. He says that he wishes she would just grow up and stop playing so many emotional games. She says that she wishes he would stop being so immature and starting taking responsibility like a man. He’s annoyed that he can’t demonstrate any sort of consistency in his behaviour. She’s annoyed that her friend seems to still act like she’s 5 years old.

You ever been there? Probably. That’s probably how you ended up here. The truth is, we’ve all been in this place before. Continue reading

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