Woke up this morning…

It’s hard not to love life when this is what greets you every morning.

I’ve been visiting my friends at Las Nubes, the amazing eco-resort about thirty minutes north of where I live. The proprietor Filip D’Hulster is a renowned Belgian chef and one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. So of course I stayed for dinner and breakfast…

Back on the ranch things have been coming along quite well. The cottage was in pretty rough shape when I arrived and the land overgrown with overhead foliage. After a lot of chopping and clearing I was able to get a good look at what I have to work with.

To the left is the official ‘before’ pic. Three of the four walls were infested with termites and had to go. Fortunately the floor and roof are ok and only need minor repairs. So for the moment it’s very open concept haha.

I expect to have everything closed in by the end of the week!

It All Starts Now!

January 1 is the beginning of an exciting new adventure and this post is an invitation to laugh, cry and learn with me as I embark on a three-part foray into:

COSTA RICA - Will be my new winter home-base. I have purchased a small cottage in Ojochal, a rural village on the south pacific coast. It has been vacant for some time and the jungle, like it should, has taken over. Termites, scorpions and other critters are more than likely not going to want to move out. Fortunately I have a bug-proof hammock.

SPEAKING & PRINT - To complement my work of strategy consultation and workshops (in Costa Rica now too! and no, not at the cottage…), I have begun speaking to groups and conferences and will be publishing my first e-book this spring. It's a step-by-step guide of how to align your business with your best opportunities. After years of honing the process it's time to share! I have almost completed the first draft and expect to have it available for download in the next 90 days.

MUSIC - the second full length record is out world-wide on iTunes and Prince Perry is on a bit of a roll! Our Facebook page just hit 54,000 followers and we recently signed a distribution deal for Europe. So cool…looking forward to a great year of shows, touring and writing new music.

I'll be sending occasional updates like this via email (please sign up here), but not too many, and updating the blog as often as I can. This RSS feed will pull the latest from the blog and I hope you'll share your thoughts with me there.

OK, well that's that. I leave at 6 am December 31 for CR and will be posting pics of the cottage soon. Friends say it needs to be leveled (!) so that should be interesting…

Until the next post, wishing you a happy 2012!

Perry

63,000 To Go!

Today's toy count is 87,125! We're well past the halfway mark but have only ten more days to collect the remaining 63,000 toys and need your help to reach our goal of 150,000. Please take a moment to make a donation for families and kids in need here. Traditionally the last week or so before Christmas is the biggest for donations. That said this is my first year working with The Salvation Army and I can't help but be a bit anxious about hitting the target and making the holidays better for kids in need.

Meantime the warehouse is busy with volunteers sorting gifts into age appropriate piles and trucks coming and going to shelters and agencies across the city. It's an amazing operation and an honour to be part of.

making mountains

In a live broadcast from Toronto's Yonge/Dundas square this evening, CTV in association with The Salvation Army and The Toronto Area Ford Dealers launched the 2011 Toy Mountain Campaign with the goal of raising 150,000 toys for families in need.

The mood was decidedly upbeat and the air charged with anticipation as the brass band warmed up their instruments and carolers competed with the helicopter overhead gathering shots of highly-caffeinated attendees (the coffee was free) and trucks filled with games, dolls and other goodies.

I have been involved with this project since the early spring, conceiving, developing and implementing the online donation strategy and infrastructure for all three partners.

While the project was at times challenging, it is extremely satisfying to see all the hard work begin to pay off as donors click their way towards our goal. As of 8 pm on day 1 we have registered 8,243 toys!

If you need a little or a lot

Thanks to the Transitions International Group for having me as a guest speaker at their most recent conference this past weekend. Held in Toronto for the first time, Hair Replacement professionals from several countries met to discuss the latest best business practices, techniques, products and marketing campaigns.

The invitation came about via Michael Suba at Continental Hair, a Transitions International Group member I have been working with this past year. Already the Gold Standard in Hair Replacement, Michael's commitment to create ongoing value for his customers gave me plenty of great references.

In addition to being generous hosts, the group clearly represented the best in the business and it was a pleasure to share my insights and methods for recognizing their best opportunities for growth and development.