Nope! There is nothing wrong with your email program. I am sending the November newsletter on December 11, 2020. The full moon of last week has come and gone. I am a week late. Sorry.

Wasn’t that moon fantastic? It made my evening walks superb. Along with a beautiful moon – my sister has also joined me for my walks. We never did this pre-COVID. Got to love COVID.

This newsletter highlights Thierno Diallo. Here is his story as a new entrepreneur. He first introduces himself and his company, then I continue his story.

After my studies in Moncton (New Brunswick) and Montréal (Québec), I started my career with PepsiCo in Winnipeg as Supply chain Analyst, then moved my way up the corporate ladder to become Service Manager in Val-d’Or (Québec). After six wonderful years with PepsiCo, I decided in August 2020 to go work full time on my side gig TSD TELECOM. (www.tsdtelecom.com).

TSD TELECOM is a company that offers you a quick, easy, and reliable way to give airtime to your loved ones and stay connected to them back home in Africa. We make it easy to surprise your friends and family back home by recharging their mobile phones directly, so no more worries to keep in touch with them by phone, SMS, or WhatsApp.

I am a fun and easy-going person. My favorite ice cream is a mix chocolate and vanilla.

Thierno initially sought out my services as a speech-language pathologist, wanting to improve his accent. It quickly evolved to simply, well, friends. Why? Because he is just that kind of guy. You want to be his friend. Here is why.

I greatly admire him and his story. Thierno hit a point in his comfortable career as a Service Manager, in which he realized he was no longer learning and growing and wanted more out of life. If he is not gaining and rather just existing, then it is pointless to continue. Despite the company pleading for him to stay, he made the difficult decision to end his position.

Now striving to better himself was not the only reason for him to make the decision to leave. He is also money hungry. Thierno had no problem admitting this to me and I think it is great! Society often shames us into thinking it is bad to want to be rich, but honestly – who the h-e double toothpicks does not want financial freedom? That is his choice. The third reason he quit his ‘day job’ was because he does not have any dependents; he is young and has the energy to do more with his life. NOTE: In his spare time Thierno loves to travel. He has visited all the provinces of Canada except NFL and the territories! He also loves to read and often offers tutoring at the University of St. Boniface in Accounting, Finances, Math, and more.

What really makes Thierno a fella I want as a friend for life? His contagious, infectious attitude. This guy is a happy magnet. You cannot be with him and not have him bring your mood from mediocre to on top of the (full) moon. After our sessions, I often felt I should be paying him! He is a breath of fresh air, a beam of sunshine, a big hug, a cup of hot chocolate. He is so positive about life in general, you cannot help to feel similar after spending moments with him. He laughs a lot!! And it is not a nervous, sub-clavicle, or frivolous laugh. It is the laugh you would hear from a 6-year-old boy that had just tricked his brother into sitting on a whoopee cushion. It is guttural and highly addictive.

Thierno is a person who when faces a roadblock, views it instead as an adventure, rather than a reason to stop. He cranks the steering wheel to take on what might be a bumpy, winding detour and does so quickly. He makes that decision and sticks with it.

As a reader I am predicting you too had, or still have, thoughts of entrepreneurship. Therefore, I posed the questions to him I know you are asking yourself right now: ‘Should I keep my day job or leave it for my dream job? How do I know when to actually commit to it? Was it a sign from the heavens? Perhaps a little voice inside you, that you couldn’t tame? A dream or spiritual awakening of sorts?’

I wish I could tell you it was all those things and more, but rather, as it was in Thierno’s case, the answer will come to you when you simply ask yourself, “Is this what I want out of life?”. Thierno’s answer was ‘NO’. He also took into account his risk assessment, or what I have my clients ask themselves: What is my risk/benefit ratio? His risk is forever regretting not following his passion, a reason to get up in the morning, a flexible schedule, and doing something that completes him as a person.

He also knew that he identifies himself as a helping person. He loves to help people. His adventure is allowing him to do this, thus feeding his soul. He is also someone that distastes mundane rituals of behaviour. Predictability is boring. He craves flexibility in his day. In fact, when I asked what really drove him to partake in the business adventure, his answer was this, “To do what I want, whenever I want”.

I call people that describe themselves as Thierno did as ‘everything but vanilla’. I love using flavours of ice-cream to describe people. Thierno’s personal favourite is ‘a combination of vanilla and chocolate’. I think this describes him very well. He blends in very well. How would you describe yourself? Personally, I see myself as Maple Walnut. This flavour is different (not typically in your freezer?), loyal (Oh Canada), stable (hasn’t changed over the years, yet tough to get rid of), aged well (let’s face it – only old people like walnuts in their food), uncertain (risky behaviour - you’re taking a chance every time you take a scoop – will it have a walnut? Will it have lots of maple sweetness, or… just a tad?), introverted (would have gone unnoticed until you glanced in the corner section of the freezer), and finally, rarely ‘out of stock’, as I am truly a homebody.

My point is, it’s better to be different than better. I am not better than anyone else or any other flavour under the glass display, but I am different. Different is better than better. That is a quote that I took directly from the book Fascination by Holly Hogshead. How do you like that for a surname? You can see why she wrote the book. I pride myself as not being ‘the traditional therapist’. That is so last century. It is sooo Intro to Psychology – God I hated that class.

So, what makes you fascinating? Let me know. What makes you different? What are your unique traits or qualities that make you - YOU? There is no one else in this Universe that is you. And guess what, the Universe needs more of YOU. Get out your journal or napkin and start writing out why the world needs more of you. Marie Forleo exclaims this in her book, Everything is Figureoutable. You might surprise yourself. You actually might even love yourself more. I sure hope you respect yourself more. To have self-compassion and self-love is one of the most essential qualities you can have as a person. To become curious about yourself is not only exciting, it is addictive. Dig in. Have a go. Take a scoop. And once you are done with yourself, tell your child why they are fascinating. Heck - tell anyone around you why you are in awe of them.

P.S. Ice cream is one of my favorite foods, which ties closely with peanut butter depending on the day, so that is why I chose to describe myself as a flavour of ice cream. You might be different? Maybe it is a specific coffee blend? A wine? A breed of dog? Try describing yourself in any way that suits YOU. It is fun. We need more fun – more laughter – more people like Thierno. I know for a fact that he will do very well in his venture. Bring it on!