Since turning to full time work as an author, I've found my niche in creating books that,
I hope, are inspirational. For instance, Shark Assault: An Amazing Story of Survival, details the life of Nicole Moore, a Canadian nurse who experienced serious setbacks in her youth that would have de-railed most of us. But she persevered, only to be brutally attacked twice by a shark while standing in the water at a Mexican beach. She very nearly lost her life, experienced the amputation of her arm and today has limited use of her leg. Yet, this is a lady who is upbeat, optimistic, happy and truly inspirational.
It has been an honour to write her memoir. (You can learn more about Nicole here) 

But it gets even better: having decided I wanted to explore the subject of happiness, I met 37 people from around the world who shared with me how being happy impacts their lives and how it's so important to them. Why Being Happy Matters: Discover How the Power of Joy Will Energize Your Life is the result.
In writing the book, I learned that people who are happy actually make better decisions, enjoy higher levels of trust, negotiate better, perform better, have more self-confidence, maintain better relationships and possess greater resilience? I mean seriously, what's not to like about that?
(learn more about the book here)

Working with individuals to shape their personal happiness stories has been an enlightening experience.  Happiness is booming right now, and it's a real thrill to be able to write about it, bringing new meaning
and depth to my readers. As noted author and columnist Allan Fotheringham said to me,
​"Peter, I think it’s brilliant that you’re writing this book because people are so down
and they do need to think about happiness."  

What's really neat is sharing ideas with Yvonne Heath, author of Love Your Life to Death.
Talk about inspirational: she wrote the book on that quality! It's a pleasure to spend time together,
trading ideas and working to make each other's books the best they can be.
Doesn't get much better than that!

Hi everyone, Here we are at the top of a beautiful mountain in Kelowna, BC.
We are visiting Tyler but sadly, as "Life is Unpredictable. Prepare for Anything"
he is not feeling well so he is missing today's adventure.  

Life is like that, isn't it? And when we think about mountains, we often have mountains to climb.
Maybe we just need to see a beautiful view. Maybe we need a new perspective, to see from a different vantage point. Or as Jadyn shared with me, "Sometimes you've got to climb to the top of your mountain,
to get through your grief." So many reasons to climb your mountain. And how do you do it?
One step at a time.

And that's what we did today...3 km up and 3 km down, and really enjoyed this fantastic day.
We wanted to share part of our journey with you and so,
​"Hello from Kelowna from the Heath Family Five." 

I hope you climb your mountain, and share your story with us.

            On September 16, 2015, Love Your Life to Death, was officially launched on Peter Jennings’
    show Be My Guest, in Huntsville, ON. It was filmed by TVCogeco, shared in the newspaper and over 90            people were present. It was one of the most exhilarating, terrifying and wonderful nights of my life.
 
        Lesson #1: You never know what you’re capable of, until you vacate your comfort zone!
 
      I wasn’t an author, and I was petrified to speak in public. But I planned, prepared and persevered.
        I sought out mentors and surrounded myself with supportive people. I took one step at a time,
                                   not knowing where it would lead. And this is what followed:

​
*Several speaking engagements
*Hosted a TVCogeco Television series
*Interviewed for Rogers, The Agenda, radio, newspaper, and magazines
*Over 2000 books in print; available on Amazon, our website, various retailers and libraries across Canada
*Website, Blog/Vlog, Twitter, YouTube Channel and Facebook page
*And so much more! 


                   I LOVE my new purpose and I will continue to support and guide people forever,
                                                 and continue to learn along the way.
 
                 Lesson #2: Follow Your Bliss. Listen to your Inner Voice. It knows the way!
 
       I share my message as an Inspirational Speaker, with heart and humour and empower communities and professionals to live life to the fullest, grieve and support others and have “The Talk” about end of life,                   long before it arrives. There have been obstacles, struggles, walls and hills to climb.
          But I know in my heart that this is my journey, and I get up everyday and keep on going.
 
 
                   Lesson #3: Believe in Yourself. Surround yourself with supportive people.
                                                                 Have fun along the way!
 
         This year we are travelling across Canada and beyond, and share my book and message with                                               communities, companies and corporations. Have book, will travel.

                                                     Lesson#4: Be proud to promote yourself.
    If you have a message that needs to be heard...don't be afraid to shout it from the mountaintop!


      Thank you everyone, from the bottom of my heart, for your stories, support, sharing my                   message and for being a part of the Love Your Life to Death Community. I cannot do this alone.
                        Together we can create a culture of change. There is so much more to come…
 

With Gratitude and Love,

​Yvonne

​As the season’s change I reflect on the continuum of life, grief and death.
I think of all the people who have been in my life, jobs I’ve had and places I’ve been and where I am today. It reminds me that change is the only constant—everything is temporary.

There have been people in my life for just a moment, like a cameo appearance, who had a huge impact
and then I never saw them again. Like Cathy who convinced me to move to Texas from Louisiana.
I thought, “Aren’t there only cowboys and cactus in Texas?” But she convinced me otherwise. 
And my life changed forever. My son Tyler was born in Texas. Cathy had a huge impact in my life,
but I haven’t seen her since. She was there for a reason.

Others are present in significant times like when raising children or going to school.
You share something so important, but then you may go in different directions. You are in each other’s lives for a season. There are those we hope will be with us for a lifetime; our spouse, our children,
our closest family and friends. Some will be there, others won’t. They may leave by choice
or their lives may end long before we wish.

 I have grieved many who are no longer in my life. I am grateful for them despite the pain I felt when they left. We don’t always have that choice, but we can choose to love them as much as we can today,
live life to the fullest each and every day with them, and carry them with us in our hearts forever.
​    And they will be there for a lifetime.