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Posts Tagged ‘determination’

Single On Valentine’s Day: One Woman’s Story of Tragedy, Triumph and Resilience

Thursday, February 14th, 2013

By Guest Blogger Helen Georgaklis

My name is Helen Georgaklis. I have been an entrepreneur for over 20 years. I have started up companies in the computer industry, to insurance, to retirement planning, to where I am today- an educator who works with children full-time teaching them how to become authors of their own stories. I have dedicated my entire career as a financial specialist to women, both young and old, in building their own financial wealth. I made a living managing their money, but my work was far more as a counselor than anything financial. This is my story.

I was born an Expo baby, 1967, to Greek parents; my father a Greek immigrant, my mother a first generation Greek born in Canada. I learned early on in life what survival meant, and have been doing just that since the tender age of 5. It’s from that point that I remember the very first beating I got from my father. I was physically abused as a child, to the age of 22, and had spent my adolescent life lying about the welts and bruises I had on a weekly basis right up until I got engaged to be married, but still living at home.

child abuse

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A Reminder of the Strength of the Human Spirit

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

A found this letter on Twitter today that Terry Fox wrote in October 1979, about his Marathon of Hope, and his fight to end cancer. I found it very apropos, as this weekend is the Weekend to End Breast Cancer Walk here in Montreal. Read this…

terry_fox

The night before my amputation, my former basketball coach brought me a magazine with an article on an amputee who ran in the New York Marathon. It was then I decided to meet this new challenge head on and not only overcome my disability, but conquer it in such a way that I could never look back and say it disabled me.

But I soon realized that that would only be half my quest, for as I went through the 16 months of the physically and emotionally draining ordeal of chemotherapy, I was rudely awakened by the feelings that surrounded and coursed through the cancer clinic. There were faces with the brave smiles, and the ones who had given up smiling. There were feelings of hopeful denial, and the feelings of despair. My quest would not be a selfish one. I could not leave knowing these faces and feelings would still exist, even though I would be set free from mine. Somewhere the hurting must stop… and I was determined to take myself to the limit for this cause.

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The One Thought That Could Change Your Life

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

“You are always only one choice away from changing your life.” –Mary Blochowiak

I came across this quote yesterday in an email and I have to say, it has changed me. Just imagine. Think about this concept. You are one choice away from changing your entire life’s direction. ONE CHOICE. If you reflect upon your life, you’ve come to where you are through a series of choices, no doubt. But each one of our long and windy paths started with one choice. A single choice. And if this concept seems too abstract, let me give you an example very apropos to this week…. You are on a business trip, sitting at the bar in a strange country. A man propositions you to go up to his room. Your answer at that moment, that yes or no, that ONE CHOICE, could change your life.

change your life

So, now that you see the power of one choice, what would your life-changing choice be? Think then about how in control you are of your life. Powerful stuff. So what this means in essence, is one choice, just one, can change your life forever. Your life up until today is a result of a series of choices you have made. But the person you will be tomorrow, is still up to you, in your hands. With NEW CHOICES, you can actually change your path, change your direction. And you can do that today, April 15th, 2010.  How incredibly encouraging. How hopeful and optimistic for the future, regardless of where you’ve come from. That means that should you be a struggling alcoholic for the past 25 years, your one decision today to stop drinking, could change your entire path. (more…)

A Single Mom’s Valentine’s Day. One Woman’s Story…

Monday, February 15th, 2010

By Guest Blogger Helen Georgaklis

My name is Helen Georgaklis. I have been a Financial Counselor for over 10 years. I run my own company full time while raising 2 children as a single mom both with little or no support at all. I have dedicated the past 6 years to helping women, both young and old in building their own financial wealth. My living is in managing their money, but my work is far more as a counselor than anything financial. This is my story.

I was born an Expo baby, 1967, to Greek parents; my father a Greek immigrant, my mother a first generation Greek born in Canada. I learned early on in life what survival meant, and have been doing just that since the tender age of 5. It’s from that point that I remember the very first beating I had from my father. I was physically abused as a child, to the age of 22, and had spent my adolescent life lying about the welts and bruises I had on a weekly basis right up until I got engaged to be married, but still living at home.

child abuse

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If You Think You’re Stuck On The Fence…

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

The Story

A son asked his father, ‘Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?’
The father who, despite having a heart condition said ‘yes.’ They went on to complete the marathon together.

Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying ‘yes’ to his son’s request of going through the race together.

One day, the son asked his father, ‘Dad, let’s join the Ironman together.’ To which, his father said ‘yes’ too.

For those who don’t know, the Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometers) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometers) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometers) marathon along the coast of the Big Island.

The father and son went on to complete the race together.

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