Four Wives Beer

We start this week’s speedlink on a rather serious note. Mike Reynolds offers us some insight into the negative self-talk that goes on in his head. When someone suffers from depression, even when they recognize something good about them or their lives, the internal dialogue can quickly turn to undermine their validity. I can completely and utterly empathize, Mike. You are not alone.

Few words irreversibly change your life more than “I do.” Perhaps the most notable exception is “I’m pregnant.” Priorities shift and your mindset is altered, but as Steven Grams points out, you don’t have to give up on your alcohol-themed vacations. Indeed, he’s been taking his kids on trips to breweries and wineries; he just has to approach them in a slightly different way. Breweries are a “science experiment” and some wineries even have petting zoos and gondola rides.

It’s almost that time of year again! Rebecca Bollwitt has all the information you need about Hats Off Day 2015 in Burnaby Heights. The one-day street festival is scheduled to take place along Hastings Street on Saturday, June 6 and it should be fun for the whole family. Check out last year’s video to get a sense of what you can expect.

Getting started with your freelance business can be daunting (shameless plug: my book can help!). Your internal dialogue can overwhelm you with doubt. However, Jane K. Callahan has clearly demonstrated that you can build a successful business and it is possible in a very short time frame. She earned $11,000 in just her first 60 days as a full-time freelancer. It starts with targeting the right clients and saying “no” to slave-wage work.

And finally, Larry Bernstein reflects on his experience these last couple of weeks when people ask him if he misses being a teacher. He had been a high school English teacher for over a decade and, after submitting his resignation letter last year, this was the first year where the “end of the school year” didn’t have a direct impact on him. We largely define ourselves by what we do, so you can imagine how profound this has been.