While born in Toronto, Canada we moved soon after, to the country where my parents bought land and built our home. With limited labour and technical support my father built the house on his own while he also worked full time as a Railway Foreman. He modeled the work ethic which I am proud to have internalized. My mother encouraged personal growth which helped me tap into my intuition and to connect with people authentically. 

 

When I look back, homelife was loving, safe and frankly what might be considered a typical, hardworking blue-collar family. My foundational life skills were developed with a positive outlook and with the belief that you can do anything you put your mind to. Our future is created by what we desire and actions that we choose to take.  

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Most of the friendships I developed and maintained growing up were with people whose parents were entrepreneurs. When I visited other’s homes, I had the opportunity to experience a wide variety of lifestyles, leading me to see that life had many possibilities.   

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One life-changing discussion at sixteen was with an adult family friend that occurred just before our family relocated to the East Coast of Canada after a life altering near-death accident for my father. The significance of this conversation would not be understood for  many years – but a “seed” had been planted. Fast forward to my final high-school semester. With graduation fast approaching I realized I had no plan!  

 

Anxiety was building. I believed with only a high school diploma and with unemployment extremely high in the region, my prospects for earning a living were very limited. My resume at this point included collecting, cleaning, and grading turkey eggs, some limited baby-sitting and being the lead horse person on trail rides (that was fun!). 

 

As pressure built my reflections deepened, and a critical memory came to mind – that conversation from years before. It’s essence being “Brian you need to get a post-secondary education - you have more potential.”  That had been the only time the idea of higher education was ever mentioned to me. 

 

Respectfully, my family, on both sides, either went straight into the workforce or a trade school and neither of those options spoke to me! I recalled the feeling that there was possibly a different life path for me. Consequently, I did the 11th hour scramble and pulled together only ONE university application. Fortunately, I had good grades and was accepted. In addition, I was shocked, during my high school graduation ceremony when I learned I had received a scholarship! One of my teachers had quietly applied on my behalf. I was, and still am, grateful and inspired. 

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This was where my two roads diverged. I chose to take the path less traveled - and that truly has made all the difference.   

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Over the next four years my learning, in addition to my academic studies, were enhanced by living on the university’s campus, as I took on residence leadership roles and increased responsibilities. In the following decades, both my career and various volunteer engagements enriched and broadened my experience. Time and again I was fortunate to have crossed paths with those who saw “me” and allowed me to flourish and grow. 

 

With time I realized that partnering with another person helped me see more in myself than I did alone. This coaching gave me the courage to take considerable risks and actions I might not have on my own. I also knew these “gifts” were something I wanted to share with others. 

 

Through my lifetime I have discovered four themes which create a framework for achievement and legacy as individuals define them – This is the cornerstone for my legacy creation!  

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This is how Fullegacy™ was created. It is my passion to partner with others to help them become more courageous and realize their full potential!