Author: Overcoming Adversity | Buteau’s Odyssey

Did you know, Blue Monday started off as a PR stunt?Based on data such as the weather, motivation levels, New Year’s Resolutions beginning to wane, and the time since the festive holidays ended, the third Monday of January was declared the most depressing day of the year.The calculations behind the date aren’t exactly scientific, but there certainly is some truth to Blue Monday. So, here are a few ways you can navigate the blues at work – whether you work in a busy team, or as an entrepreneur.1. Pinpoint why you’re feeling blueAt Calmer, we believe a happy mind makes…

Most of us were never taught how to choose a life partner. We feel attraction and assume that will be enough. Maybe we love someone and think that love is all we need for a successful long-term relationship or marriage. Many of us end up learning by trial and error without a solid framework to guide us. For most people, the relationship patterns we witnessed between our parents and the other people close to us play a huge role in who we choose. For some, that’s great news. They grew up with role models who were loving, respectful, and inspiring.…

Like many folks, I started this year by joining a gym. More specifically, I rejoined a gym that I used to go to consistently until the pandemic. For six years, I’ve regularly thought I should go back. While I continued to stay active, I missed the classes, and more importantly, I missed the community. And yet, I kept not joining, for reasons I could not articulate. Even after signing up again, it took a good friend telling me we were going to a class together for me to get back into it. There is a particular inertia that impacts our…

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye got to know Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix during the pre-NFL Draft process as each was a prospect in the 2024 class. They were looking forward to the opportunity of rekindling that connection while battling for a spot in Super Bowl LX. But after Nix sustained a season-ending fractured ankle in the Broncos’ AFC Divsional Round victory over the Buffalo Bills, they won’t have that chance. “It was heartbreaking, for the player he is and the guy he is,” Maye said a day later after the Patriots beat the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round to…

We all have expectations of our children. We are conscious of some of these — and less conscious of others. I want to talk about several issues regarding these expectations. First, as soon as we think about having a baby, we imagine what that baby will be like: what they might look like, what their personality might be like, what their abilities might be. Often we hope for a child who will be a particular way, or have particular skills and abilities. If school was important for us, we might hope for a child who is “smart” and does well…

The warning came one day through a calm conversation. I was facilitating restorative justice sessions in Cali, Colombia, working with young men shaped by gang structures that defined loyalty, protection, and survival. We met in a modest building in a neighborhood where people learned early how to read the street. Inside, we sat in a circle on old plastic chairs. For many of them, it was the first time they had been in a room where no one demanded allegiance and no one carried a weapon. We moved slowly, and we listened. Silence had room to breathe, and stories surfaced…

In 2023, I wrote about women and wine in an article entitled, “Women and Wine: A Collectible for the Fair Sex?” Queena Wong was featured as a woman in London dedicated to opening up a wider world to female wine drinkers. Since then, she has come a long way toward achieving her goals. How does the subject of wine and women’s sex lives fit into collecting? It is simple. Women collect wine. More and more are doing so. Those who collect are curious about the effect this activity could have on their lives, including their sex lives. This knowledge could…

Sam Darnold was not 100% on Saturday night. The Seahawks quarterback suffered an oblique injury on Thursday at practice, and his mobility was clearly affected.Seattle’s ground game needed to step up, and it did.The Seahawks ran for 175 yards and averaged 5.3 yards per carry en route to a 41-6 demolition of the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. Running back Kenneth Walker III led the way with 19 carries for 116 yards and three touchdowns, earning himself Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game honors.”We won all week preparing for this game,” Walker told Brady after the game as…

It can seem like everyone feels entitled to their own opinions and even their own facts. But skeptic Michael Shermer argues that reports of truth’s death are greatly exaggerated. In his forthcoming book, Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters, he shows that while our species is susceptible to self-deception, we’re not condemned to it. Imagine you’re at work, Shermer writes, and you get a call from your neighbor warning that suspicious-looking people seem to be casing your house. You call the police. They say they don’t see anything out of the ordinary. Then…

Fans are clamoring for the return of Matthew Lillard’s character, Stu Macher, in Scream 7. In the realm of the Scream universe, it is not impossible. The actor himself has always said his character was never confirmed dead, and he had always hoped for a return in the saga. In the past, writer and director Kevin Williamson originally told fans Stu Macher was definitely dead. However, Lillard reveals that may not be true citing a phone call he received from the creator. “When he asked me, I was like, ‘I thought you didn’t want me in the film,’” Lillard recalled.…