In Memory of Selim Gabriel Saab

Dear Family and Friends - 

On Thursday, December 16th, Selim passed away. 

He is terribly missed by his wife Andrea and her daughters, Alexandra and Amanda Maw. 

There are no words....Thank God for the outpouring of love, hugs and encouragement from family and friends over these several days. Thank you for being here for us. There have been very few moments without big strong arms around us.

In his letter to me, Selim asked that we bid goodbye to all of his friends. Under the circumstances, we have done our very best to share this news with you personally and are very sorry if we have not already been able to reach you. 

Selim was a very proud man who wanted the best for us with all his heart. We were challenged with very tough economic conditions here in Arizona and we had run out of capital. With the emotional strain of the prospects of losing our home and all that we had built through the boom years, he felt we had run out of obvious options in the short term - he did not have the energy for a new start nor for the long tough road ahead. 

He loved Andrea, Alexandra, Amanda and his three precious Goldens - Charlie, Max and Lucky, and our many family and friends. 

We are holding a private memorial service to celebrate Selim's life in our home at Casa Paradiso in Paradise Valley, AZ on Tuesday, December 21 at 2:30 pm. Please let us know if we may have missed contacting anyone here in Arizona that may wish to join us. 

We send our love, and our best wishes for the holidays. This will be our time for the three of us to reflect on the 10 years of amazing love that we shared with our Prince, Friend, Stepdad, Sage, Soul Mate and our Angel - it is a privilege for the three of us to have been loved so deeply - and to hold his love in our hearts as we look to our path forward. We know that path will have many helping hands and hearts - for that we are grateful.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and appreciate your support and encouragement over the coming months. We know this will be a painful journey ahead for the three of us. Thankfully we have all of you to buoy our spirits - we are already being strengthened to move forward with full hearts and optimism!

We ask that you please not send flowers and have established an account in support of the family in memory of Selim Gabriel Saab. Please email for instructions at asaab@mac.com .

xoxo

In Love

Andrea, Alexandra and Amanda

The 'A' Team + Princess Warriors

IMF World Labor Market in Catastrophic Crisis - Calling All Entrepreneurs!

Just sent these thoughts to my partners Alexandra and Anthony who will be speaking to a high school class about "What Inspired Them" to start our company Blackbird Naturals.


Coincident, today the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Dominique Strauss-Kahn, at the Conference “The Challenges of Growth, Employment and Social Cohesion” read a document written between the IMF and the ILO, said that “the labor market is in a catastrophic situation” and he recalled that this crisis “has not ended yet,” it has changed the economic structures of the countries and tested their economic models. The report says that the unemployment rate has increased the most in those countries, U.S. and Spain, due to their excessive dependence – and abuse- on the housing sector.

“This crisis, the worst in history, has left an army with no comparison,” Strauss-Kahn said.

The Managing Director of the IMF highlighted that the unemployment among young people in Spain reaches 40%, which doubles the figure before the crisis (end of 2007 and beginning of 2008) and he stressed that if effective measures are not implemented, “we will be talking about a lost generation.”

Strauss-Kahn reiterated that the capitalist crisis is not going to stop, just as unemployment; therefore, he insisted on “the necessity of changing our way to think and our policies.”

“This crisis is not like any other. Game"s rules have changed. This acid test cannot be solved with old recipes,” he underscored."

Here are the thoughts I shared:

I think this is a very interesting situation that worldwide the labor market is catastrophic - youth in many places around the world even after graduating with degrees are not finding jobs....the article says below that it will not be inverted with "old prescriptions" or old recipes. 

Interestingly, we have seen as our mission to not only create a success with our "conscious commerce", however also help others through our mentoring and coaching on how to start their own businesses...people will have to become innovative and become entrepreneurs with other like minded people to start businesses that really start to solve some problems and fulfill needs...these are not things readily taught in school which is still somewhat of the old paradigm!

I was just reviewing, summarizing and expanding on my personal goals this week (in with my chickens) and my biggest goal of all is to teach others how to fulfill their own vision and goals, primarily by encouraging them to start their own businesses!  The information in this article is evidence, right now, here on the leading edge so to speak, of the reality of not just this country but the situation globally. It is time to take ones own destiny into ones own hands and get at it instead of waiting for jobs and for an economy to come back...it isn't going to come back...the entire financial and economic system based on old paradigms is literally breaking down...yet it is making room for something exciting to emerge to takes its place when seen this way...we are in for a transformative time...and it is time to get smart, nimble, find some genuine needs to fulfill or problems to solve, unearth and express ones own genius...and for any young people the time to start is now by creating visions and goals - and trust that the inspirations for the paths forward will begin emerging instantly!

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." W.H. Murray

Sitting Next To The Giants - Technology Is The Great Equalizer

Right Brain Left Brain

"If you're not a content creator, wait a while. The 21st century is to content creators what the Industrial Revolution was to factory workers: In a world where information is superabundant, unique and creative ideas are hot-ticket advantages both personally and professionally. More and more people are finding more and more ways to parent, make money, find friends, and generally live well by relying on creativity. I've seen this shift among my life-coaching clients. For instance: Michaela develops financial-planning strategies for stay-at-home moms. Mary runs a long-distance mother's support group via Skype. Alyssa's innovative T-shirt designs keep selling, recession or no recession. The demand for creative thinking is both a challenge and an opportunity. It requires us to use more than the logical left-brain skills we learned in school. These days, we all need to get back into our right minds." Martha Beck
http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200911-omag-beck-right-brain

‘Right brain’ thinking (Random, Intuitive, Holistic, Synthesizing, Subjective, Looks at wholes) instead of ‘left brain’ thinking (Logical, Sequential, Rational, Analytical, Objective, Looks at parts -  taught to the masses since their earliest indoctrination sessions in schools) in tandem with heart intelligence, will lead us to creating our "Heaven on Earth"!


In his fascinating book The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle describes how the brain reacts when a person develops a new skill. Performing an action involves firing an electrical signal through a neural pathway; each time this happens, it thickens the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers like the rubber coating on electrical wires. The thicker the myelin sheath around a neural pathway, the more easily and effectively we use it. Heavily myelinated pathways equal mad skills.

Throughout your education, you myelinated the left-brain pathways for thinking logically. You were prepared for predictability and order, not today's constant flood of innovation and change. Now you need to build up myelin sheaths around new skill circuits, located in your right hemisphere. To do this, you need something Coyle calls deep practice.

Deep practice is the same no matter what the skill. First visualize an ability you'd like to acquire—swimming like Dara Torres, painting like Grandma Moses, handling iron rods like Uncle Phineas. Then try to replicate that behavior. Initially, you'll fail. That's good; failure is an essential element of deep practice. Next, analyze your errors, noting exactly where your performance didn't match your ideal. Now try again. You'll still probably fail (remember, that's a good thing), but in Samuel Beckett's words, you'll "fail better."