Marcus Lopes's Blog, page 5

It’s Never Too Late

As I jumped on a coaching call last week, I was feeling a bit down. I’d been off work for two days (my weekend) and had to return to work that night. And of course, because of some things that had occurred in the office the previous week, I was anything but excited to return. My body, too, showed signs of that with an upset stomach, headache, and the pain beginning to manifest in my right arm (the latter recently only occurs at work). Listening to the others on the call share their challenges, i...

The One Thing That Changes Everything

Lately, I’ve been in a mood. Frustrated. Angry. Disappointed. A myriad of emotions that boiled over upon my return to work after being off on bereavement leave. And at work, it was hard—near impossible—to coax a smile out of me. I wanted nothing to do with anyone, and have been keeping to myself as much as possible. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was acting like a victim and was responsible for my self-generated misery. To pull myself out of it, I had to focus on the one thing that...

It’s All Up to You

When life becomes challenging, your first reaction may be to quit. Quit hitting the gym. Quit making the healthy food choices. Or quit working on your dream. Because it’s the negative energy of whatever is happening that is targeting your mindset. If you’re like me, you may be asking, What’s the point? The point is, your dreams still matter. And for them to come true, it’s all up to you.

No One is Coming to Save You

Late last week, I lost it at work. After being away for ten days, which included...

Make it Work

Sometimes the biggest challenge is seeing the possibilities in the situation before you. That was how I felt upon my return to work after taking bereavement leave to mourn the passing of my partner’s mother. After eleven days away from the office, I was dreading my return. Because there was something about it that had, recently, set me off. And it took me a little time to figure out that my personal values clash with my work environment. The thing is, I cannot just up and quit (like I would have...

The Time is Now

What are you waiting for? Yes, I’m putting the question to you, but it is also directed at myself. It’s a question that came up repeatedly as my partner’s mother experienced her end-of-life journey, and then transitioned from this world into the next. The recent passing of my Aunt Olga—whose brightness of life inspired me to live my life fully—again puts that question front and centre. Because too many of us, myself included, keep waiting for the circumstances to be perfect before we act on our ...

Make Time for You

Any of my friends will tell you that my morning time is sacred. That’s because, over the years, I’ve let them know that that time is sacred. If they want to meet up, the early morning hours are out of bounds. That’s the time I spend writing and runningؙ—a morning mindset ritual that sets me up for a positive day. If I don’t do that, then my day is off. It was a way, too, in the early days of my writing journey to make sure I wrote. Every day. So, it became an important life lesson: make time for...

On Perseverance

The week that I spent in Port Colborne after my partner’s mother died gave me time to think. In part because, unlike Toronto, the city is ‘quiet.’ I wasn’t caught up in the hustle and bustle that holds me hostage in Toronto. My routine was upended—as I wasn’t in my own home—so I had ‘less’ to do. What surprised me, too, was how my sleep dramatically improved; I averaged seven hours of sleep each night. And as I thought about work, life, fulfillment, and purpose, I realized [again] this: persever...

Slow Down

This past Sunday, I hurriedly raced out of my condo to catch a bus. My partner’s mother, Mrs. F., who’d been diagnosed with esophagus cancer (stage 4), was just hanging on. I had been down to visit her two weeks prior, when she was still at home. And the initial diagnosis, which had given her months to live, had been downgraded to weeks. But we knew, because of the aggressiveness of the cancer, that she only had days…if she were lucky. Now, it was down to hours. And everything that happened over...

Are You Living Your Best Life

I think that one of the hardest things you can do is to watch someone you care about suffer. Especially when all that you can do is be there for them, comfort them, and try to reassure. That was me a couple of weeks ago when I spent some time with my partner’s mother who, at the beginning of August, was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. She is on her end-of-life journey, and it is hard to watch someone who was active lose their independence. And the time I spent with her had me asking: are you livi...

Not Fitting In is Okay

When I returned to the office after a four-day break, it became clear that my job and the vision I have for my life were not in alignment. Let’s set aside the fact that the work environment is toxic. What I realized—and to be honest, I’ve known it for some time—is that this is not a place of growth. It’s not a place where I can reach my full potential. I am a lion among sheep. And while not fitting in is okay, I’m staying because staying is the easy route. But it comes with a cost…

Know When to...