I don’t know much, but one thing I am learning quite a bit about these days is the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t.  Being surrounded by a bunch of people who the world would consider really successful and a few who are struggling to find that success (myself included) you can quickly recognize the difference.  One main point that always seems to come up is follow-through.

 The Webster’s Online Dictionary definition of this term is:

Follow-through: carrying some project or intention to full completion.  

I remember in tennis lessons at the Glenway Country Club in Newmarket my tennis coach insisting that the follow through was THE most important part of my swing.  Being young, naive and totally uninterested this concept did nothing but annoy me.  Why does it matter what you do after you’ve hit the ball, I would think (and sometimes scream out in frustration) I already gave my effort, it’s going to go where it’s going to go.  My coach, the patient young man he was -bless him- would explain time and time again that hitting the ball is great, but only half the battle.  The direction and the overall outcome of all of the effort rests solely in the focus and precision of your follow-through.  

It’s so funny how lessons in sport and lessons in life are so often interchangeable.  It is all fine and dandy to have an excellent idea, lots of people have those, but to be able to maximize that idea to its full potential and to actually see that idea become something real and tangible rests solely on the individuals ability to follow-through with every little thing it takes to make that idea a reality.  Becoming successful has very little to do with luck and everything to do with dedication, tireless effort, an un-wavering will and belief in your idea, goal or mission.  

I am now going to take my own advise and get to work on The Remix Project Fundraiser, GIVE MONEY, MAKE CHANGE, that I am wickedly passionate about but have been sleeping on for the past couple of days. Staying focused an on task is getting exceedingly difficult in our world of constant digital interruptions (twitter, fb, instant messenger) so just make it simple for yourself and make a deal to always try your best to finish what you start to the best of your ability *repeats over and over to myself*..  Sometimes we all need to check ourselves before we start to complain about why things aren’t working out and look to ourselves to be the difference.  No one is going to make success happen for you because personal success can only ever be measured by yourself.  

Nana and Bryan I am emailing you back NOW!  

Let’s goooooooo!

xoxo,

Coco

Dear Coco,

I have this guy friend who I’ve known for years. He’s a really good friend, so fun and caring I would even go as far as to say he’s my best friend.  He just broke up with his girlfriend of 4 years and has been on a dating RAMPAGE!!!  He has talked to me about all of them!!  Last month he came to my house after we went out (something he always does) and somehow we ended up having sex…  I thought I could forget about it and him (in that way) but he doesn’t make it easy.  He sends me cute ‘I miss you texts’ and ‘good morning beautiful’ bbms and I just can’t help but think he would be THE perfect boyfriend.  The only problem is he has told me repeatedly that he doesn’t want a girlfriend.  Why if he doesn’t want a girlfriend does he keep calling me and why does he always want to hang out?  Do you think if I play it off cool and keep our relationship casual that maybe he will soon realize that maybe he might want to settle down with me?

Sincerely,

Serious state of confusion 

Dear Serious State of Confusion,

NO.  Seriously, dude already knows how cool you are, how sweet you are, how awesome you are, because before you guys ‘did the deed’ he was your best friend remember?  Let’s be honest with ourselves for a second, if he has told you straight up that he doesn’t want a relationship, what voodoo magic are you packing in your back pocket that you think you can unleash to convince him to be yours?  Better yet, what are you doing getting tangled up with a guy on a dating rampage fresh out of a four year relationship?  If you want to keep your friendship with him I suggest kissing sleepovers and ‘accidental sex’ goodbye.  If he’s your best friend then you shouldn’t be afraid to tell him how you feel ie, ‘lay off on the I miss you messages homie!’.  And if he’s your bestie he should totally understand.  I know it’s going to be super tough because from what I’m gathering, you might have had feelings for this guy long before the night of the ‘incident’.  Take a few paces back, collect yourself and remind yourself how awesome you are.  There are millions of dudes out their, let’s give a few of those boys who don’t fall under the categories ‘best friend’, ‘rebounder’ and ‘serial dater’ a fighting chance.  

Never forget that you cannot (and totally shouldn’t want to) trick a guy into loving you.  Just listen to a few classic love ballads, none of them have anything to do with scheming and trickery (those topics are reserved for the revenge songs).  If he loves you, he loves you.  No cupcake with special icing, no being super dope in the eye’s of his buddies, no crazy porno sex is going to make him think different. YOU CAN’T MAKE SOMEONE LOVE YOU!!  And hanging around trying to ‘make’ him realize his love for you is a  waste of your precious time, it could possibly ruin your friendship and eventually make you look foolish.

I love Adele’s album 19 and when she wrote this album she was breaking up with her boyfriend.  I think she might have been feeling like you’re feeling now.  Although this song isn’t the most motivating, sometimes it’s nice to know people are feeling the same way you are.

Make You Feel My Love – Adele

xoxo,

Coco

I watched Doubt last week and I felt it was a very timely commentary on the way we gather, interpret and dispense information in the world today.  How we form opinions, make judgements and base beliefs most times on gossip, rumors and hearsay.  It’s true of our media systems, rampant in our social networks and even lingering in our home and family lives.  I read some very hurtful words on our friend Will’s blog about The Remix project yesterday and was moved to speak on it, maybe not their particular situation,  but the situation we find ourselves in today as a society, as a people.  

I’m not trying to preach, wax on about the damage that gossip and assumption can do, I just want to use this post to act as a reminder of how hurtful it actually it is.  There is always an excuse for people who gossip about others, “well she puts herself out there like that then…”  ”Oh please, he’s got tons of cash he must be an ass therefore deserves a little judgement…”, “I’m allowed to have my opinion about anything and anyone I want…”  Well yes you are, you can have all the opinions you want, all I’m saying is try to back those opinions up with fact.  Try to stop judging people on first glance, if you care enough to waste any of the time in your super busy day to actually devote minutes (sometimes hours) to someone else’s life, take that extra step to sort out what’s fact and what’s fiction.  Especially when your words can be damaging to the subject’s life…

The part of Doubt that moved me so much was the story of ‘the pillow’.  I will give you the gist of that particular story.  

A woman goes to her priest to confess that she has committed a sin.  The sin she says she has committed is gossip.  The priest, angered by her seemingly innocent confession gives her a penance.  He tells the woman to take a knife and a feather filled pillow to the top of her building and cut a hole right down the middle of the pillow and then come back to see him at the church.  Confused, she goes home and does what she is told.  Later she returns to the church with the empty pillow telling the priest she has done her penance.  The priest says “now go out and collect all of the feathers and stuff them back into your pillow.”  She says that it’s impossible, the feathers must be all over town by now, it would be impossible to get them all back.  He replies by saying THAT IS WHAT GOSSIP DOES! Once it gets out, there is no control over where it goes or what it becomes and it is impossible to recover.  

All I’m asking anyone who’s listening to do, is to take a minute, think about what you say before you say it and know that if you aren’t sure that the information you have is true, it’s better left unsaid.  

I think this will act as my Dear Coco this week…. 

Loves you!

xoxo,

coco 

and just to p.s. all you peeps out there who have their own gossipy ideas of moi, I’m not mean, I’m actually really nice, honest and open so if you have anything you want to clarify please feel free to email me. catriona@cocoandlowe.com

oh, and no, I don’t only date rich white guys…. and Lowe isn’t a lesbian… LOL! 

pps watch this movie, philip seymor hoffman, amy adams, meryl streep… SICK!!!

DON’T HATE, APPRECIATE!  

ALL WE NEED IS LOVE

ZANG!

Dear Coco,

I just came out of a very destructive 4 year relationship and I am ready to just have fun and meet new people. The problem is is that I live in a very small town about an hour west of Toronto and its hard to go somewhere without the possibility of running into him. Everybody knows everybody here and its so annoying! Plus, 98% of my girlfriends are married, engaged, and/or have kids so its like none of them want to party anymore. I love my girlfriends and its cool that they have settled down but I clearly am still wanting to get out there and paint the town red! I don’t wanna party hardcore but at least have something fun to do 2 weekends out of the 4 in a month lol! I’m only 25 and shouldn’t be spending my Friday and Saturday nights inside…alone. My life for the past 4 years has been all about my ex and I now that we’re over, I need it to be all about me and I just wanna have fun!! 

Any advice???

From: Desperatley seeking fun!

Dear Desperately Seeking Fun,

Breaking up is not an easy thing to do, but getting out of a negative relationship in a some-what negative environment can be even harder.  As a matter of fact, one of the major reasons people stay in bad relationships is because they feel like it’s better than being alone and having to start all over again. So kudos to you for recognizing the problem and moving on!  When I broke up with my high school boyfriend I had just moved downtown to go to U of T, my two closest friends didn’t live in Toronto yet and at times I felt soooo lonely and a little lost.  I eventually got a part time job as a bartender and would tag along with some of the girls from work every now and again just to get out.  I also joined a club at school just to feel a little more connected.  At first these situations felt really foreign to me, not being protected by my inner circle of friends, having to put myself out there. But I got to know a ton of new people and these people are now some of my closest friends. Lowe for example was a customer at my bar and now I pretty much see her everyday!

You need a fresh start, new friends and a new scene. I think your best bet is to meet some people and this is where we can help.  Our friend Shannae of What Women Want (www.ilovewhatwomenwant.com) holds these great events for women and they are amazing!  She has done shopping events, a book club dinner, parties and her newest event is a called All About Me being held at Hammam Spa.  The good thing about these gatherings is all of the ladies come with a positive attitude and are there to meet new people.  I have made a slew of friends at these events and wouldn’t hesitate to go alone. 

You have to put yourself out there just a little and I know you will be happy with the results. I think you have the right attitude and are totally correct in saying that you are too young to be spending your Friday and Saturday nights alone.  Getting as far away from the destructive relationship of the past is the best thing you can do.  You just need to find the confidence within yourself to allow yourself to brush your shoulders off and get back out there.  Continue to look at the positives and don’t get bogged down by the negatives.  But keep in mind that you shouldn’t completely cut yourself off from your surroundings and your friends just because there might be a chance that you will run into your old dude.  You know you’re officially over it when you can be in the same room as him and it doesn’t even phase you.  The only way you’ll get there is complete focus on YOU!  Be selfish for a little while, get to know who you are again and you’re off to the races! 

Hope this helps!

Lots of Love,

Coco

Also, you are also more than welcome to come to the fashion Brazen Hussy fashion show we are hosting on Thursday March 12 at Circa.  If you don’t have anyone to come with, you can hang with us, we know a ton of super nice people and we will introduce you to everyone! 

P.S. check out www.chickadvisor.com, they also have some super fun events for women that are good for networking and meeting new peeps!

I dedicate this song to you!  Because you need to DANCE WITH SOMEBODY!!!! YAYA!

i wanna dance with somebody – whitney houston

This week our question comes from our reader Jazmine.  I think it is soooo relevant because not only have I done this before, I know a few of girls who are in this position as we speak.

Jazmine Wrote:

I can’t seem to stop looking at my ex’s Facebook pictures and googling him to see what he’s up to.  We broke up over a year ago and it’s like I look to see if something’s bad and then when I do, I get upset. Then I end up looking at old pics of us on my own page and it goes downhill from there.  I even lose hours at work doing this!  I know it’s stupid but I don’t know how to stop!  What can I do??

Dear Jazmine,

This might seem a little harsh, but desperate times call for desperate measures… DELETE HIM!  And when I say delete, I mean erase him from everything, myspace, facebook, twitter, bbm, msn etc etc.  As our lives have become so wrapped up in these digital spaces, we can find ourselves lost in the maze, a maze we control, that we sometimes can’t find out way out of.

Unfortunately, because no one controls our personal forms of communication (ie computer and cell phones) we have to be strong enough to monitor our own behavior.  Jazmine , no one is going to come along and stop you from checking up on your ex, buuut if you don’t stop yourself, you are really only holding yourself back….  The easiest way (and I speak from experience ) is to not allow your self the access by simply removing him from your friend lists.  He’s moved on and you should to!  Always checking up on him can become like torture to your self worth and your spirit. Think of all of the new people and experiences you are not letting into your life by constantly being tied up in the emotions of a relationship that no longer exists.  

I find in times like this, nothing helps more than a little Kelly Clarkson!   Turn it up and shake him off!!

  

Since Youve Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

What do you guys think?  Do you, or any of your friends have cyber stalking issues?

xoxo,

CoCo

 

For some reason a lot of people ask me for advice…  To my friends absolute annoyance, it happens everywhere.  At clubs, the gym, the grocery store, even Dollarama?!?!  Maybe it’s cuz I reaaaallly like to listen and usually come up with some kind of decent opinion after I’ve taken it all in? Maybe bc I think its rude to rush people when they’re talking, or maybe I just appear to be the only person around that actually has quite a bit of extra time on my hands….  LOL! What ever the case may be, I love to listen and Love to help!  That being said, every week I will answer one of your questions on the blog.  I have a ton of resources, so don’t worry, if I don’t think I am capable of answering I will get expert advice from someone who can.  You can ask a question via email: catriona@cocoandlowe.com and I will give you a new name so you don’t have to worry about anonymity. I was emailed and asked for advice for this problem a couple weeks so it will act as our first Ask CoCo.

Jenny Wrote:

Ok so I’ve met a guy who broke up with his girlfriend he loved for 5 months

Then within 2 months or so, we started dating… Everything was going great… i have met his friends and parents.  BUT
 there’s is always a but, things started going downhill, from calls, to visits, to the crazy ex, to facebook and the list goes on.


I couldn’t trust him because he gave me many reasons not to… You know, just lying and girls calling him or texting him.
 So 2 weeks ago we broke up 
the first time I told him I didn’t want to be with someone who doesn’t come and see me or call me anymore. he said no he still wants to be with me but isn’t ready to make full effort but I’m his favorite girl, he says his family loves me and I could be the one. So I gave it another chance and notice no progress…  I texted him telling him that he needs to get his things because there’s no reason for it being here… He refused to get his things back, then he finally said to me ok how about we just be friends for now, a lil break thing
 
 
So I wasn’t upset about it but now I miss him a lot but at the same time I feel like a fool. 

He popped up at my place a week ago and we talked and when he was leaving he took a while to go like he wanted a kiss. So I kissed him… I know I know… argghh such a fool! After we kissed I said to him talk to me when he is done talking to those girls, his response, he’s not.  After a little time passed I went by his place and I was chilling with his sis and cousin playing pool and I sat beside him. He started to touch me in inappropriate places so I said to him don’t touch it’s not yours. Then he got all mad and started saying oh then whose is it? … 
 
I know I know I was a fool but we had sex that night n when I was about to leave he was gonna give me a kiss and his phone rang and his ring tone for that “certain person” was by that artist Eric Benet-You’re the only one then I stopped n said no kiss… then as I left it just hurt me … arggg I don’t know what to do.. So at this point I’m not texting or calling  him I  just don’t know what to do!!! Oh yea by the way he is a year younger then I am. (Lil advice from my mama… he just wants to have fun…  all people cheat… he wants to have his cake and eat it too, but once he gets greedy he might end up with nothing in the end…)

Dear Jenny,

Ok so this is what I think, although I think you already know this yourself…  To quote the title of the movie I just watched, He’s Just Not That Into You, now RUN!  I say this Jenny because not too many years ago I was in a similar situation, and to be honest I don’t think I have a friend in the world who hasn’t found themselves in the position you are in today.  From what I have read from your emails you seem like a really nice girl, and the fact that he wants to keep you around means to me that he is just afraid that a better candidate will come along and snatch you up, but  Jenny, let em snatch away.  Any guy who doesn’t even try to hide the fact that he is talking to other girls is not only unfair, but utterly disrespectful.  You need to realize that you are worth far more than the sum of your parts and being treated as someone’s occasional ‘play thing’ is wrong from every vantage point.   Unfortunately, we as women allow men too often to treat us just as they wish and it’s high time that we start expecting better treatment.  Trust me, it may be hard at times when you are first alone and away from him, hard not to answer his calls, his texts, his invites to his place, but you have to move on and to truly move on and get him out of your system you got to cut all ties.  His family may be nice, his friends may be great, but he isn’t and there are a million guys out there that have nice families and friends and will treat you like the woman you are minus the BS!! 

Take this time to better yourself, read some books, hang out with good girlfriends write in a journal or even create a vision board(see Lowe’s post on them, we swear by them!) of your ideal man and start to put your life back on track post Weirdo Rebound Man because that is his official new name!! 

xoxo,

CoCo

P.S. dating a guy that was in LOVE with a girl for 5 months probably isn’t a good idea because 1.being in love after 5 months and then breaking up is a little suspishh and 2. Rebounds are never good. 

P.P.S. sorry if this was a little harsh, but I think you are worth waaaaaay more!!!  

Maybe this song will help

  

Stepping Stone – Duffy

xoxo,

CoCo

p.s. what do you guys think about Jenny’s situation?