The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 43: Build Something That Outlasts YouBy Alex Rășcanu Hello, While preparing to co-facilitate a historical tour focused on Toronto's Runnymede neighbourhood, I came across the story of John Scarlett. John Scarlett was born in 1777 in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England, into a world of change and opportunity.As a young man, he moved to Antigua, where he gained experience in commerce. By the time he was 32, Scarlett decided to leave Antigua and set out for Upper...
9 days ago • 1 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 42: Bend like the humble bambooBy Alex Rășcanu Good day friend, Your ability to pivot around the personal and professional obstacles you're facing right now may have less to do with having the strength of a mighty oak tree and more to do with being flexible like a humble bamboo that bends in the wind. A stalk of bamboo sways even in the gentlest breeze, yet it may be the only thing standing after a typhoon due to its roots being firmly anchored. Bamboo endures...
18 days ago • 2 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 41: If You Want Your Dreams to Become Reality, Wake Up AlreadyBy Alex Rășcanu Good day friend, You and I have meaningful dreams we’d like to achieve. How much action (despite all the friction/challenges we face) are we taking each day to achieve them? There’s an old Yiddish proverb that I’ve come to appreciate: “If you want your dreams to become reality, wake up already.” To reach the goals we’ve set for ourselves to achieve between now and the end of the...
23 days ago • 2 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 40: Susanna Moodie’s 1852 Wake-Up Call Provides a Lesson in Letting GoBy Alex Rășcanu Good morning friend,This week's life lesson is drawn from Susanna Moodie's "Roughing It in The Bush: or, Forest Life in Canada" book. When Susanna Moodie arrived in Upper Canada (now Ontario) in 1832, she and her husband John expected fertile land, prosperity, and comfort; they were shocked to discover dense forests, isolation, and endless toil. Twenty years later, she...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 39: What Toronto’s Stock Yards Can Teach Us About ResilienceBy Alex Rășcanu Good morning friend,Toronto’s Stock Yards tell a story of growth, transformation, and resilience. Once a bustling hub, the Stock Yards shaped Toronto's economy and identity. Picture this: St. Clair Avenue West in the 1940s. Streetcars clang, cars honk, and hundreds of animals move in great herds across the road, guided by lead cattle toward the abattoirs. At its peak, Toronto’s Stock...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 38: How preparation meets opportunityBy Alex Rășcanu Good morning friend,While preparing for a 5-kilometer run in support of Sunnybrook's Family Navigation Project, I’ve been inspired and encouraged by my chiropractor, who is training for a half-marathon and shared a helpful training schedule. It’s a relatively short distance, but the dedication required (doing proper stretching at least five times per week, running at least three times per week for increasing...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 37: How to navigate trade wars with the blue ocean strategyBy Alex Rășcanu Good morning friend,I'm writing to you from Ottawa, during a family trip we've taken to Canada's capital city. Ottawa is quiet in terms of pedestrian traffic (when compared to Toronto), but it's not quiet when we reflect on the ongoing trade warfare. As Greg Koabel puts it in an opinion article in Saturday's The Globe and Mail newspaper, "tariffs, sanctions, retaliatory duties and...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 36: How to become a servant leaderBy Alex Rășcanu I hope you're doing well! John C. Maxwell is the author of over 75 best-selling books on leadership, and one of the core messages he shares on this topic is that leadership is about serving others, before yourself.The challenge is that most organizations operate from a hierarchical leadership structure; in that context, being a leader refers to being in a position of power and authority. Rather than showing...
2 months ago • 1 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 35: How W. A. Baird shaped parks and communityBy Alex Rășcanu Good morning friend, While preparing to facilitate the #ExperienceTO: West Bend Historical Tour on September 6th, in collaboration with two local community leaders, I came across the story of William Alexander Baird after whom our starting point (Baird Park) is named. Research into his life suggests that he had a quiet demeanor, yet he accomplished much both professionally and had a positive impact...
2 months ago • 2 min read