Getting it Done

Being someone who is not always sure of himself, trying new things can leave me feeling very wired, so being asked to plan a premiere event seemed overwhelming.

I am also one who will not back away from a challenge. Starting very small, as it started to grow, so too did my anxiety, questioning whether I was up to this. Wired all the time, anger, sleeplessness and restlessness were taking a toll. Starting with six planners, we quickly whittled it down to two, with one who had to give approval. They say, “Too many cooks spoil the broth” and we found that to be so true. Within the hour, the format was established.

Planned for November 9th , we found that Santa Claus was planning his parade for that day. A quick change of dates to November 23rd, but oops! Santa changed his date to the 23rd also. Finally, the 16th was chosen with an ‘all clear’ from Santa.

Angele D’Alessio and I were running from pillar to post to get this done, in hopes of making this premiere event an annual one. We got set up, ready to go, all t’s crossed, and then someone would throw a curve ball, but we were prepared for the latest challenges.

Chantal Tessier from CMHA started to do the advertising, creating incredible posters and posts on social media.

What amazing work she did. Angele and I continued to put it all together, tying up loose ends, and getting everything ready. My heart and my mind were racing all the time, as were hers, worried about this and that, worrying about the outcome over which we had no control.

Minor annoyances were ongoing, but we dealt with them, one at a time. This Summit event was on Men’s Wellness, something never done anywhere before, so there was no model to follow and no pressure. LOL! Angele and I continued to spend hours on the phone and continued our running here and there but finally, we were about to see whether the event was all we hoped it would be, down to the final stage, opening the doors and seeing who would come in.

Scheduled to start at 10, the doors opened at 9:30 and three people were waiting to come in. By 9:45, there were about fifteen people in the hall. My heart was pounding along with my head. Being a stickler for being on time, and for starting on time, there was a long lineup to get through the doors so I told everyone that we would give a few extra minutes for these people to come in and get settled.

One hundred and five people came through that door! The Summit event was a huge success, from the speakers to the panel discussion, (the Panelists are seen in the header photo LtoR: Alex Moussa, 15, Gen Z; Ryan Forsyth, 32, Millennial; Victor Lalonde, 53, Gen X; Ivan Labelle, 62, Baby Boomer and Stephen Douris, 75, Baby Boomer) and ending with a delicious pub style meal. With a dream or an idea, and the right people with a similar vision alongside of you, almost anything seems possible.

So important is someone like Angele, not trying to put herself in the spotlight, not vying to bring attention to herself, just a wonderful individual who wants the best for others, no showmanship, just dedicated to the cause and sharing my dream. Along with Chantal, these are the people I know I can call on again, reliable, kind and committed. ©