Hundreds of local residents got a little inspiration from a dragon this week.
Celebrating International Women's Day a little early, Arlene Dickinson was in town for Lessons from the Den: Succeeding at Business.
Dickinson, who is known as being a dragon investor on the CBC show, is an entrepreneur, CEO, author, television host and venture capitalist. About 400 people attended the Timmins Chamber of Commerce event to hear her story.
For more than an hour, she talked about luck, and advice on how to reinvent yourself.
Timmins Chamber president Val Venneri was inspired by the presentation.
“If you’re in business, or in my case I’m managing a business, there’s always struggles, there’s always something coming up and it’s your ability to overcome those struggles that define whether you’re going to be successful or not,” he said.
One of the highlights for Venneri was Dickinson talking about what stops people from being all they can be. The answer, she said, can be found by looking in the mirror.
“It’s you that’s stopping you," said Dickinson.
She noted Canada is a place where people have chances.
"We actually have it really, really good. And we’re actually privileged to live in this country and we have an obligation that comes with that privilege of standing up and showing our values to others and helping them be all they can be,” she said, explaining that means telling the world it's not OK to bully, or to talk about the value of multiculturalism, and importance of tolerance and kindness.
“This globe is going through big changes, but you woke up in the best city in the best country in the world and you have all the opportunity in front of you,” she said.
She also shared how to reinvent yourself using principles of business.
Throughout her life, Dickinson said she's reinvented herself a number of times.
“Reinvention is an interesting thing. We tend to as humans only want to reinvent when we’re forced to,” she said, giving reasons such as divorce, sickness, or losing your job.
“Reinvention is best served when you don’t have to do it. Reinvention is something that is really about whether or not you’re happy and whether or not you’re finding yourself living a life that fulfills you and makes you be all you can be. And that’s when you need to reinvent yourself, not when somebody forces you to or when something happens to you."
To reinvent yourself, she suggests introspection, finding what you're good at, along with finding your why and knowing your core purpose.
When it comes to luck, she believes in it, but says it's about paying attention and being ready.
"Luck is taking advantage of timing more than it is somebody handing you something," she said.
