Age: 29

Sun Sign: Libra

Chinese Sign: Metal Monkey

Location: London

Introduction:
My name is Arié Eliyahu (Elie in English) Moyal.
Arié means lion in Hebrew, which as it turns out is my mother’s astrological sign as well as  the symbol for the tribe of Judah which is her father’s name. It is also a combination of the first two letters of my father’s name and the last two of my mother’s first name. (Not bad for a woman recovering from C-section anaesthesia!)

My father added Eliyahu because he says Elijah the Prophet came to him in a dream the night before I was born. The day I was born was, incidentally, the day before I was to be prematurely induced so I wouldn’t miss the deadline for school registration. How’s that for divine intervention?

Faith/Way of Life/Beliefs:
Anyway…as you may already have guessed I am Jewish. My parents were born in Morocco but they met in Canada and I was born in Montreal. I believe myself to be a citizen of the world and not of any one particular country. I don’t realy believe in labels and I especially dislike any sort of us-versus-them mentality and that includes the sort of nationalism that limits responsibility to physical borders or group members.

I chose to keep Judaism as my faith/way of life because in my view the core values of respect (of self, of others and of nature), humility (that comes for self-valuation not self-effacement) and moderation are very relevant to my way of life and that the practices help me stay focused on those values. Sometimes limiting yourself sets you free. I think it was the Dalai Lama who said: If there’s nothing you can do about something, why worry?

It was actually my exploration of spirituality that lead me to
understand the need for social justice and environmental responsibility which are now what drive my professional aspirations.

My motto is “Learn the system, get in the system, change the system” and I think it’s how I operate.

I also realise that a career is an integral part of one’s life and while business is business, balance must exist in life and so we must be fair and do work we love without forgetting to make time for friends and family.

Career:

I am currently a mutli-disciplinary consultant looking to expand my sustainability and corporate responsibility practice. I have been working with businesses large and small as well as NGOs to improve their marketing (esp branding), processes and their social responsibility since 2000. More recently, I have become involved in community management and social media.

I will make my mark in socially responsible consumption of food and leisure goods and services (travel, hotels, spas. restaurants, nightlife etc) and communications because they are areas where social responsibility is lacking and because they are areas I’m passionate about. Ok ok, so I want to be the next Richard Branson. There are worse things to aspire to!

Travels:

If I could own one thing it would be a travel pass to anywhere anytime I wanted for the rest of my life.

I have a strict eco-conscious travel policy and only fly if there is a time constraint or simply no other way.

While carbon offset is a good idea in theory it really doesn’t work in practice. Especially when it comes to flying or cruises so I do my best to travel by train, bus and rideshare when possible.

I also love helping people coordinate travel. It’s fun for me so if you need any help let me know!

So far I have travelled to Israel (5 times), Morocco (twice), Mexico (Puerto Vallarta in Jan 2003 & Tulum (aka Paradise) in Dec 2003 and Playa del Carmen in 2006), London (twice), Paris (four times), French Riviera,  Amsterdam, Poland, Italy (twice), Greece, Jordan, India, Singapore (twice), Malaysia, New York (City and Upstate), Boston (3 times), Washington DC, San Antonio, Austin, Los Angeles (twice), San Francisco, Chicago (3 times), Miami, Orlando, Charleston (SC), Memphis, Nashville and Seattle and can’t wait to keep exploring!

I have lived in Montreal (1980-99, 2002-04 and 2005-2007 and 2008-2009), Toronto (99-02 and 2004) and Israel (Ra’anana and Jerusalem in 2005) Australia (Melbourne, 2007-8) and Thailand (2008). I have been living in London since mid-January.

Strengths:
If you can’t already tell I consider my strengths to be creativity and analysis. I also love pulling off the most unlikely things in the most unlikely circumstances! My friends don’t call me Mr. Resourceful for nothing!

Things I’m working on:

It may sound surprising but I actually have a lot of trouble believing in myself. I know I have a lot going for me and I know I’m here to do many great things in this world but I can’t help but assume that people aren’t interested and find reasons not to do things I don’t think will be successful. This has lead to a lot of lost opportunities and I’m trying to open my eyes to the great and capable person I really am so I can be the best me I can be.

I have great difficulty dealing with people I consider less than competent or intelligent and tend to be very critical and unforgiving of myself and of others, I lose sight of others’ feelings and intentions when I’m stressed and I tend to overthink things too much, especially things I can do nothing about. I am also working on being more conscious and conscientious.

Must-haves:
I value learning, meeting new people and trying new things but if I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life it would be sushi (organic, fished fairly and sustainably and with a low to nil heavy metal count).

That isn’t to say I don’t value my friends and family. I am so grateful for the people in my life and for the opportunities I have had and I can only hope that I give as well as I get. (No dirty jokes here please, those are for after the show!)

On the subject of jokes, I believe that laughter is the best of medicines and it is important to surround yourself with people that will help you get regular doses and not to forget that the ability to laugh at yourself is an important asset! (I mean if you can’t laugh at yourself, what right do you have to laugh at others?)

Studies:
Although my major was officially psychology, my education has touched on a variety of areas and I was lucky to experience three universities during my BA studies (York University, Concordia and McGill).

What really opened my eyes were my media classes in CEGEP  (junior college) and my science classes in high school. And like most aware beings, I continue to learn and grow.

I have studied 7 languages (I am fluent in French, English and Hebrew, my Spanish and Italian are pretty good while German and Russian need some work) and I also speak Quebecois (haha) and I’d like to learn Japanese (I already speak a tiny bit), Arabic and Portuguese. I also know a bit of hai (Sawasdee khrap!)

I have done some translating and am available on a freelance basis so don’t hesitate to drop me a line if you need a translator!

And in conclusion….
I hope this isn’t too long for people to read. Please feel free to comment. I look forward to meeting new people through Zaadz so please feel free to ask any questions you may have and/or add me as a friend!  Please let me know how you found when you send a friend request or message. (What can I say? I’m curious. LOL)

I tend to add/change things to my profile regularly so check back one in a while to see what’s new.

Peace to you,

Arié

Things I Love:

Interests:
travel,
languages,
learning,
sushi,
corporate social responsibility,
laughing,
nature,
growing,
creating,
analyzing,
food,
cooking,
singing,
archaeology,
tea,
soup,
Judaism,
ideas,
kayaking,
architecture,
holistic nutrition,
naturopathic medecine,
astrology,
healing through food,
rock climbing,
outdoors,
cats,
dogs,
horses,
organic,
holistic,
walking,
hugging,
cuddling,
kissing,
spooning

Heroes:
Ghandi,
Dalai Lama,
Richard Branson,
Elie Wiesel

Teachers:
Elie Wiesel,
Abraham,
Maimonides,
Robert Frost,
Buddha,
Ghandi,
Goethe,
Dalai Lama,
nature,
Mrs Rotholz (high school English teacher),
Benjamin Franklin,
Stephen Covey,
Richard Branson,
everyone I meet,
you

Books:
Fast Food Nation,
The Omnivore’s Dilemma,
Catcher in the Rye,
The Idiot,
The Secret History,
Hamlet,
At Swim Two Boys

Music:
Fiona Apple,
Tori Amos,
Michael Buble,
Missy Elliot,
Ella Fitzgerald,
Our Lady Peace,
Diana Krall,
The Tragically Hip,
Drum ‘n’ Bass,
Breakbeats,
Jill Scott,
Matthew Good,
Bossa Nova,
Cesar Franck,
William Orbit,
Liz Phair,
Frank Sinatra,
India.Arie,
Desree,
anything with a good beat,
Squirrel Nut Zippers,
REM. Radiohead,
Coldplay,
U2,
Garbage,
Cranberries,
Annie Lennox,
Pearl Jam,
Stone Temple Pilots,
Goo Goo Dolls,
Jack Johnson. Abra Moore,
Nirvana,
Queen,
Green Day,
Enya,
Tracy Chapman,
Eminem,
Eric Clapton,
Elastica,
Barenaked Ladies,
Sheryl Crow,
Beatles,
Aimee Mann,
PJ Harvey,
Kristin Hersh,
Etta James,
Harry Connick Jr,
Beck,
Jimmy Eat World,
Outkast,
Moby,
They Might Be Giants

Movies:
Psycho,
The Corporation,
The Yes Men,
V for Vendetta

Goals

Pray more often
Smile more
Remember to breathe
Be the change I want to see in the world
Connect
Personify the Divine within me through my actions