Rik Leaf's Blog, page 9

Traveling with Kids

The Dangers of Traveling The World With Kids

Lots of people have asked us if it’s dangerous traveling the world with kids? Of course it is! Which is why every parent should think long and hard before heading out on the open road with their kids.

To begin with, your kids will be exposed to new cultures and new ways of thinking and living, which will have catastrophic consequences on the preconceived notions of our consumer-centric society.

Is this what you want for your kids? Do you want them to see themselves other than consumers? To find their self worth in something other than their purchasing power? Is that even responsible parenting?

Cause here’s the thing, corporations have spent millions of marketing dollars educating our children…so don’t you think it’s pretty irresponsible to just throw that education away?

If you travel with your kids, they will realize how much they have in common with people from other parts of the world. And before you go thinking that might not be so bad, consider your own life and the way you would live if it weren’t for the prejudices and bigotries that govern your behavior. Would you even recognize yourself without them?

One of the most serious dangers…and I can’t stress this enough, is that you will be setting your children up for a lifetime of being out of step with the herd, dancing to their own rhythm…mind, spirit and soul falling in step with the heart made whole. Imagine what it would be like going through middle grades and high school without embodying the overly rendered cliche of a surly teen.

If you travel the world with your kids they are going to start to ask the ‘big’ questions. Uncomfortable questions…the kind of questions that just wreck things for the herd. So don’t get me wrong…I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it. I mean I’ve done it myself…in fact, we haven’t stopped doing it. I just think you should know that nothing will ever be the same again.

As long as you’re OK with that…I can’t see a downside.

If you would like to read more, Four Homeless Millionaires How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind is available In Stores Now or can be Ordered Online. If you are interested in booking Rik as a speaker or facilitator for your literary event or conference, please contact info@rikleaf.com or call 250-896-2572.

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Dangers of Travel

The Dangers of Traveling The World With Kids

Lots of people have asked us if it’s dangerous to travel the world with kids? Of course it is! Which is why every parent should think long and hard before heading out on the open road with their kids.

To begin with, your kids will be exposed to new cultures and new ways of thinking and living, which will have catastrophic consequences on the preconceived notions of our consumer-centric society.

Is this what you want for your kids? Do you want them to see themselves other than consumers? To find their self worth in something other than their purchasing power? Is that even responsible parenting?

Cause here’s the thing, corporations have spent millions of marketing dollars educating our children…so don’t you think it’s pretty irresponsible to just throw that education away?

If you travel with your kids, they will realize how much they have in common with people from other parts of the world. And before you go thinking that might not be so bad, consider your own life and the way you would live if it weren’t for the prejudices and bigotries that govern your behavior. Would you even recognize yourself without them?

One of the most serious dangers…and I can’t stress this enough, is that you will be setting your children up for a lifetime of being out of step with the herd, dancing to their own rhythm…mind, spirit and soul falling in step with the heart made whole. Imagine what it would be like going through middle grades and high school without embodying the overly rendered cliche of a surly teen.

If you travel the world with your kids they are going to start to ask the ‘big’ questions. Uncomfortable questions…the kind of questions that just wreck things for the herd. So don’t get me wrong…I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it. I mean I’ve done it myself…in fact, we haven’t stopped doing it. I just think you should know that nothing will ever be the same again.

As long as you’re OK with that…I can’t see a downside.

If you would like to read more, Four Homeless Millionaires How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind is available In Stores Now or can be Ordered Online. If you are interested in booking Rik as a speaker or facilitator for your literary event or conference, please contact info@rikleaf.com or call 250-896-2572.

The post Dangers of Travel appeared first on Rik Leaf.

Book Reviews

“Reading And Laughing Until I Was Crying”

From the moment I opened the cover and gently broke its spine, I was hooked. The first thing that delighted me on a personal level was that every single chapter I could hear Rik’s voice and picture his family and it was like I was there with them as they delighted in scenery, and screeched together over giant spiders under pictures. Rik’s wry and self-deprecating sense of humour was evident in every chapter.

At one point, my daughter came downstairs while I was reading and laughing until I was crying, to ask me if I was alright. I assured her I was and got more Kleenex. The entire time I was reading Four Homeless Millionaires I was transported to where ever Rik and Zara and Riel and Zion were in an instant by the real and human way it was presented.

There was no pretense- it was real people, in real times, enjoying completely and utterly, each other’s personalities, and sometimes not appreciating each other personal space – but completely in the moment with each other. Something we all aspire to do.  – Alix McLachlan –

“Rik is as amazing a storyteller in conversation and performing as he in his writing! Four Homeless Millionaires is witty, insightful, inspiring and hilarious! “‘Wow Mom, you’re really attacking your food with your face.’ As we all laughed, he turned to me. ‘You should write that down.'”

He has fabulously passed on his very personal, ridiculous and courageous stories of letting go, leaving everything behind and finding true riches in the craziest of places and moments around the world. Highly recommended to everyone looking for lots of light and love in this often dark and heavy world!” – Ruth Stadelmayer –

“What do you get when a family of four decides to take on the world together? This delightful book! Rik, the book’s narrater, cleverly pokes at your funny bone as he describes his endless forays into involuntary self harm with his own fist in Canada, encounters temperamental water elementals in Hawaii, is accosted by a bathtub in New Zealand, has run ins with giant spiders in Australia and barely escapes feral dogs in Malaysia.

Throw in dealing with dodgy accommodations, the importance of Lego, boundary expanding adventures, Zara’s pithy one liners, Zion’s blasé diatribes and sweet Riel’s profound growth and you have a picture of a family who truly treasure each others company and are engaged in what it truly means to bond. Four Homeless Millionaires

A tender and funny treasury of memories that tackle the realities of living the dream while loving the moments that make it happen. If during this read you don’t find yourself laughing out loud at least once per chapter then you may need to get that funny bone checked out.” – Korri Scott – 

If you would like to read more, Four Homeless Millionaires How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind is available In Stores Now or can be Ordered Online. If you are interested in booking Rik as a speaker or facilitator for your literary event or conference, please contact info@rikleaf.com or call 250-896-2572.

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Awesome Book Review

“Reading And Laughing Until I Was Crying”

Just received this super-duper, spectacularly awesome Four Homeless Millionaires book review from Alix!

From the moment I opened the cover and gently broke its spine, I was hooked. The first thing that delighted me on a personal level was that every single chapter I could hear Rik’s voice and picture his family and it was like I was there with them as they delighted in scenery, and screeched together over giant spiders under pictures. Rik’s wry and self-deprecating sense of humour was evident in every chapter.

At one point, my daughter came downstairs while I was reading and laughing until I was crying, to ask me if I was alright. I assured her I was and got more Kleenex. The entire time I was reading Four Homeless Millionaires I was transported to where ever Rik and Zara and Riel and Zion were in an instant by the real and human way it was presented.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

There was no pretense- it was real people, in real times, enjoying completely and utterly, each other’s personalities, and sometimes not appreciating each other personal space – but completely in the moment with each other. Something we all aspire to do.

I was going to throw a few quotes out there and finish off my review with a flourish – went to look for my copy of Four Homeless Millionaires and realized that in a moment of great generosity and possibly great amounts of wine – I have shared my copy with someone and now sit here wavering between huge disappointment because I no longer have my own copy of Four Homeless Millionaires and immense happiness because someone else is enjoying the great adventure of a lifetime. A definite “good read”. And now I have to go out and buy another copy.  A. McLachlan, August 2015

Thank you so much Alix for taking the time to write this review!  Book reviews on sites like Amazon and Chapters/Indigo or any social network for that matter, are incredibly valuable for little authors like me. It makes such a huge effort in spreading the word to readers who love wild and hilarious tales of adventure! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We traveled for 13 months together and truly had the adventure of a lifetime. If you would like to read more, Four Homeless Millionaires How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind is available In Stores Now or can be Ordered Online. If you are interested in booking Rik as a speaker or facilitator for your literary event or conference, please contact info@rikleaf.com or call 250-896-2572.

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Traveling With Kids

Be Safe! Peyrepertuse Castle

Humour And Hilarity Traveling With Kids

For one year, pretty much 24/7 we were in each other’s space. Zion was 13 years old, Riel was 9. Possibly the most important skill and ability to ensure success and enjoyment when traveling with anyone, but especially with kids, is a finely tuned and well exercised sense of humour. There were many hilarious moments that have provided lots of memories and stories we’ve retold so many times they are permanently etched on our funny bone.

Backing Zion into the bushes

1. After driving for five hours we stop at a gas station at Lyon. I’ve spent the last several weeks trying to get Zion to get out and stay out of Riel’s bizness. Of course as the oldest child, Zion believes it is his God-given right to provide a running commentary on everything Riel says and does. While I’m filling the tank Riel is cleaning the windshield and Zion is standing there giving a play by play, on how she is doing it wrong.

“Go critique Mom,” I suggested, “see what kind of reception you get.” He ran around to the other side of the car and started screaming in Zara’s face. “You suck, you call that washing!”

“I said critique, not criticize!” “Oh,” he paused dramatically in mid rant. “Mom, now can you see the danger of words.” (excerpt from chapter 36 ‘The Bee’s Knees Is Now The Cat’s Ass’)

2.During today’s car ride we started talking about things we miss back home. Riel didn’t remember what it was called, but tried to describe a Christmas memory and the advent calendar of the manger scene in Bethlehem that her and Zion loved to open during December. She reduced us to tears when she said, “I remember when Zion and I would take turns opening those envelopes and sticking those animals on that cloth with Mary and Pippin.” (scribbled travel note found in my backpack)

3.From Dijon we hit the road and drove to Offenbach, Germany. We were only a few miles across the German border when we saw a sign that said ‘Ausfahrt.’ As soon as we passed it, I heard Zion giggling in the backseat. “Hey Riel, I just saw a sign that said ass-fart,” he said. As he leaned forward I said, “You just saw the sign didn’t you?” “Yeah” he laughed, “what an awesome sign. I love this country.” (from chapter 36)

4.I was standing outside the women’s change room in Helsingborg, Sweden, waiting for Riel when she came out shaking her head dramatically, “that change room was disgusting,” she stated emphatically with a grimace. “All those women walked around naked…and they have all hit puberty!”

I was still laughing when I got to the car, which made Zion want to know what was going on. When I told him he turned to Riel and said, “that’s going to happen to you too Riel…it’s going to hit you right in the crotch!” I marked this conversation down as a homeschooling health class taught by a guest instructor. (excerpt from chapter 37 Embryonic Building Blocks & Lego Genetics)

We traveled for 13 months together and truly had the adventure of a lifetime. If you would like to read more, Four Homeless Millionaires How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind is available In Stores Now or can be Ordered Online. If you are interested in booking Rik as a speaker or facilitator for your literary event or conference, please contact info@rikleaf.com or call 250-896-2572.

 

 

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Passion & Creativity

Passion & Creativity Make You Live Better, Love Harder and Laugh Longer Than Anyone Else

OK so last night we were at a dinner party. We hardly knew anyone. In every conversation we were finding out who people were, what they did, what made them tick…basically what they were passionate about.

And as you would expect, it was all over the map. One guy was an urban planning consultant. Honestly I never knew designing urban spaces for pedestrians, cars and bikes could be so interesting. Another guy renovated heritage homes, someone else was a tugboat captain…there was tons to talk about.

And then there was the guy beside me. He was 44 years old. Got a job with the government right out of college and been there ever since. He was, by his own admission, a cog in an uninspiring machine. He didn’t really like his job or have anything to say about it…but more interestingly, he didn’t have anything to say about his life.

Now I totally understand the person who has a job they’re not passionate about, because it frees them up to pursue what they are passionate about when they’re not at work. But that wasn’t the case for this guy. He was just punching a clock on his entire life. I would have felt sorry for him if it wasn’t his choice.

The Perfect Moment

We walked home feeling inspired because passionate people are inspiring. They live better. Love harder and laugh longer than anyone else.

Then this morning I saw this video of a thousand Italian musicians who traveled across the country to play one Foo Fighters song together in the hope that Dave and the boys would see their passion, and come and play a concert in Cesena. The organizer at the end makes such a great speech. “Italy is a country where dreams cannot easily come true…but it is a land of passion and creativity.”

Make this true of yourself, wherever you live and whatever stage you are at. It may not be easy, there may be many obstacles, many reasons your dream seems unlikely to come true, and there may be lots of reasonable sounding excuses on the tip of your tongue…don’t make them. Don’t give in…don’t give up and coast. Don’t be the one at the party with nothing to say about your life cause you’re not really living.

And here’s hoping the Foo Fighters play Cesena!

Rik Leaf is WRITER, RECORDING ARTIST, SOMMELIER and public speaker. He produces creative capacity building workshops for schools, communities and corporations. Contact info@rikleaf.com or 250-896-2572 to book your event. 

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You’re A Gift

Creativity Is A Gift To Make Your Life (And The Lives Around You) Better

Forget every expectation reality TV shows or social networks have led you to believe about fame and fortune…your creative gifts, talents and abilities were given to you to make your life better. Fame and fortune pale in significance to the real value of being creative.

Sometimes we burn bright and our internal light, lights our path and shows us the way. But sometimes our light grows dim and we lose our way and forget who we really are. If you’re in a time like that, you need to go that place where you connect with your inner light. Maybe you need to write or play music, cook, bake, build, paint, carve, dance…whatever your creative thing is – you need to do it, because it makes life better and brighter and brings light to the lives of those around you. It can bring peace to your mind and emotions when you’re stressed. It can let you express love and excitement when you’re up, and channel discouragement in a positive way when you’re down. It lets you create instead of self destruct.

There are three things that seem to keep people from being the most creative version of themselves,

Fear of failure
Unrealistic expectations
Self doubt

Fear of Failure – I’ve never been the best guitar player, lyricist, vocalist, songwriter or producer I know…but I have always been one of the most courageous. Creativity saved my life after I almost died in a car accident. I woke up in ICU on life support to an uncertain future and a painful year of rehab and physical therapy. I started playing keyboards and writing songs as a way of working through my mental and emotional healing. Sharing those songs with others was all about sharing my journey…it wasn’t about fame or fortune. Seeing how a song written from a dark time of my life could comfort someone going through a dark time in their life, changed everything. I saw how creativity can bring a light to the world and gave me the courage to carry on.

Unrealistic Expectations – If your idea of success means record contracts, airplay, fame and fortune…then it’s easy to fail and you probably will. Most of us who hinged our success on the unrealistic expectation of that formula working for us and the validation of others have failed. But if success means sharing your light and creativity with someone else, then it’s almost impossible to fail. Because the power is yours…you can choose to be that spark of inspiration.

Confidence and Self-Doubt – If you’re sharing your creativity with those around you, you’re taking a risk and sharing your thoughts and ideas and perspectives, emotions and dreams. You’re being vulnerable, and that produces intimacy. The other person gets to see you with your walls down. It’s powerful…but not because you’re in a position of power over them, but because you’re letting them in, and giving them a position of power by showing them trust. That kind of vulnerability is powerful. It’s compelling and inspiring.

Our kids have spent their entire lives watching my wife and I pursue our creative dreams. They hear me writing (or trying to write) songs. And I’ll be the first to admit, some work and some don’t. But the process of being creative is always a win-win…even if the finished song leaves a lot to be desired. Some of Zara’s painting and tattoo designs seem to fly effortlessly out of her fingers onto the canvas…and others she has to work hard to get where she wants to go, drawing them over and over again until she gets it right.

Herein lies the magic of creativity. You end up creating an environment that is emotionally supportive and conducive to taking risks whether you mean to or not. And that’s the kind of environment we all want for our kids right? Creativity produces compassion and empathy, and can empower us to face our insecurities and self-doubt. That’s what we want for our partners and friends and ultimately for ourselves. That’s why it’s in your best interest to be creative.

A couple days ago I started playing a new little melody on my guitar. Words from a song that had never really worked popped into my head, and I started to sing them over this little melody. It worked! So Saturday night I plugged a mic into my laptop, grabbed my guitar and recorded Let There Be. It was super fun night, tucked away in the back of the Big Yellow House with melodies buzzing around in my head. It was a great creative moment that I think produced a great song that I want to share with you.

When we lose connection to our own creativity, we lose our light. And not only does our own path become a bit darker, colder and oppressive…our world does too. So I offer this song to you with the hope that you will continue to explore and enjoy your creative gifts and share your light with all those around you!

Rik Leaf is WRITER, RECORDING ARTIST, SOMMELIER and public speaker. He produces creative capacity building workshops for schools, communities and corporations. Contact info@rikleaf.com or 250-896-2572 to book your event. 

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A Book Review!

Ridiculous And Courageous Stories of Letting Go

I want to share a recent book review of FOUR HOMELESS MILLIONAIRES from Ruth Stadelmayer. My friends, family and a handful of readers know what an uphill slog it can be trying to market a book. Reviews from readers are almost the only way Amazon and Google recognize value. With a brand new second edition just released, I am more thankful than ever for readers like Ruth who take the time to share their thoughts on the story. Two months ago I had 0 reviews and now I have 4…I see this as an impressive 400% increase! 

“Rik is as amazing a storyteller in conversation and performing as he in his writing! Four Homeless Millionaires is witty, insightful, inspiring and hilarious! “‘Wow Mom, you’re really attacking your food with your face.’ As we all laughed, he turned to me. ‘You should write that down.'”

He has fabulously passed on his very personal, ridiculous and courageous stories of letting go, leaving everything behind and finding true riches in the craziest of places and moments around the world. Highly recommended to everyone looking for lots of light and love in this often dark and heavy world!”

A month ago I posted this video offering a creative exchange with readers willing to write a review. This offer still stands!

Rik Leaf is a world traveler, slam poet, songwriter, storyteller and author of Four Homeless Millionaires – How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind.

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Be A Phoenix

Be A Phoenix When You Grow Up

We’re all asked at some point, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ Raised in a small prairie town, the fertile field of my imagination was sown with simple seeds of being a pig farmer, welder or a driving a bulldozer. (Thank god for unanswered prayers is all I can say!) I much prefer to ask ‘who’ you want to be when you grow up.

‘Who’ you are matters a lot more than ‘What’ you are, when your Master Plan for a Great and Glorious Life gets derailed. When you have to cross the Barren Wastelands of Disappointment and Disillusionment and life forces you to scale the Dark Mountains of Despair where you scream from the summit that everyone sucks for not recognizing your awesomeness.

After years of crossing and climbing these wastelands and mountain ranges myself, I’ve discovered how powerful it can be to simply share our stories with each other.

The people who inspire me most are the ones who sifted through the smoking ruins of their best laid plans, salvaging the scraps and had the courage to dream it all up again…like the fierce badass phoenixes they are! It’s not about ‘what’ I want to be when I grow up but ‘who’ cause I want to be a fierce badass phoenix too!

If your story is full of U-turns, dead ends and white-knuckle financial pile ups and you’re still carrying on in spite of all the reasons not to…I guarantee your story will inspire others, cause we all understand discouragement. We can all relate to failure and toiling away in obscurity. We have something to contribute to the conversation about not giving up or giving in and hanging tenaciously to the dream that inspired the first step out the door.

Most days are amazing, or at least they should be. And people are too…at least the ones who choose to be. I wrote, THE MIRACLE, to remind myself who I want to be when I grow up and to remind myself of all the fierce badass phoenixes I’ve met along the way who inspire me!

Rik Leaf is a world traveler, slam poet, songwriter, storyteller and author of Four Homeless Millionaires – How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind.

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Fierce Badass Phoenix

‘Who’ Not ‘What’ Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

I’m sure at some point we were all asked, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ Raised in a small prairie town, the fertile field of my imagination was sown with simple seeds of being a pig farmer, welder or a driving a bulldozer. (Thank god for unanswered prayers is all I can say!)

What I’d ask now, is if your Master Plan for a Great and Glorious Life was derailed (like mine) by those pesky little details like needing to pay rent and buy groceries? I’d love to know how old you were when you first crossed the Barren Wasteland of Disappointment and Disillusionment? How long it took to scale the Dark Mountains of feeling sorry for yourself, and how many nights you spent screaming into the abyss that everyone sucked, because they weren’t in awe of your awesomeness.

As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to see the awesomeness in lives other than my own, and am amazed at how powerful it can be to simply share our stories with each other. I love to be inspired, and sometimes that comes from being inspiring to someone else.

To be honest, the people who inspire me most are the ones with stories where they had to pick through the smoking ruins of their Great and Glorious Life plans, salvaging the scraps as best they could so they could dream it all up again…like the fierce badass phoenixes they are! At my age, it’s not about ‘what’ I want to be when I grow up but ‘who’ cause I want to be a fierce badass phoenix too!

I’m trying to say, that if your story is full of U-turns, dead ends and white-knuckle financial pile ups and you’re still doggedly carrying on in spite of all the reasons not to…I guarantee you will inspire me and many others, cause we all understand discouragement. We can relate to failure and toiling away in obscurity. We have something to contribute to the conversation about not giving up or giving in and hanging tenaciously to the dream that inspired the first step out the door.

Most days are amazing, or at least they should be. And people are too…at least the ones who choose to be. I wrote, THE MIRACLE, to remind myself who I want to be when I grow up and to remind myself of all the fierce badass phoenixes I’ve met along the way. You inspire me!

Rik Leaf is a world traveler, slam poet, songwriter, storyteller and author of Four Homeless Millionaires – How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind.

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