Colin Ash

         

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 444 Monday 10/09/18

 

Hi,the thing about birthdays is they can come and they can go just like any other day if you let them. That’s why it is important to make a fuss of family and friends regardless of the number of candles!

It’s the day you entered the world and the day the world continues to measure you by both positive and negative.Its also a milestone that none of us know will be either the last time or one of many more we will have the luck to celebrate again so it is vital we all make the absolute most of every one!So wish I took my own advice last week and had the day off instead of working(always a must!).

Fletcher reckons; he is extremely lucky to have such generous and loving family whose gifts of birthday cash have swiftly elevated him to Shylock money lending status at 48…tough negotiator!!

Something funny about shopping for eau de toilette is you work out pretty quickly you don’t have to pay the outrageous prices when there are plenty of testers you can use daily for free (great idea)!!

The undoubted highlight of our week was helping my Mum celebrate her 88^th  year young birthday (see pic holding great grandson Daniels hand)an outstanding milestone for our Jonesey family!!!

I hope you also make the effort to celebrate every occasion of the people nearest and dearest to you too….Enjoy your life and make sure all those important to you do too…..Cheers Jonesey!

 

Kate and Lily reckon hoovering up after family functions is their present to us all hmmm!!

 

 

 

 

“The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living doing what they most enjoy.” Malcolm Forbes

 

As you may or may not know the show ‘American Pickers’ is one of my favourite.

I love watching as they go through other peoples memorabilia collections hunting for treasure!

I am also a bit of a collector/hoarder and have built up a bit of a stash of stuff!(as you do)!

I thought I might invite the pickers to NZ and see what we could find ‘free styling’ as the do!

Then I thought, maybe not, this could be a golden opportunity for me instead…..how so??

Well the first thing was to make the emotional decision to sell some of my treasure!

Then how to make sure I could give others the opportunity to get the same enjoyment I have.

So my master plan is to take a stall at the Avondale Market and to sell heaps of treasure Arrrrr.

My rule of thumb is to keep the stuff that I can display and that still gives me pleasure and to move the rest on to fellow treasure hunters who can and will do the same.

I have heaps of stuff that is not displayed and just stored so why not turn it into cash?

The market is a fun environment to move this on while fine tuning my bartering and sales skills.

We wont go every week just once a month to meet the locals, have some fun and take their cash!

Fletcher has indicated he is a starter and has plenty of used toys and treasures to sell too.

Who knows it could be the start of an exciting career in sales for him……..or not !!!

We have 1000 golf balls carefully collected over the years….good 2 for/3 for specials to entice buyers.

We are raring to go….no electronic ‘trade me’ carry on for us…..its the real face to face deal.

We cant wait, I reckon it’s the coolest most sizzling,fun sales plan/strategy I’ve ever had!!!

We look forward to bringing you ‘selling the sizzle’ updates from the heat of the Avondale market coal face.

 

“Today was good,today was fun,tomorrow is another one.” Dr Seuss

The King of wing

 

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 443 Monday 03/09/18

 

Hi,recently I missed the funeral of someone who had been an important mentor to me.I had got to know his wife and his kids and grew up with them all in my community.To this day I cant explain why I didn’t make the effort to pay my last respects to him and his family. I have thought about it often and regretted it ever since.So last week I made sure it didn’t happen again and was extra sure I attended the funeral of someone else who had played a big part in my life.The sense of peace it bought was immense allowing myself to drift off down memory lane as I sat in my rugby club,with my friends,celebrating the life and achievements of someone important to my life.

Fletcher reckons;he is lucky to have a Father and a Grandfather to celebrate Fathers Day and birthdays.He just hopes Poppa’s false teeth don’t come out again when he is blowing out candles!

Something funny(apart from Poppas teeth)…’they’do say that things happen for a reason and are therefore meant to be. So forgetting the laptop and downloaded power point last week actually enhanced rather than ruined my presentation.Of course subject that is to one being able to get over the initial shock and press on when cutting and running is the immediate urge J.

Happy Fathers day to all the Dads passed and present and thanks for being there when it counted!

Memory Lane what a cool spot,hope it is a happy place for you too,have a good one,Cheers Jonesey.

 

Kate and Lily reckon every day should be ‘Pet Day’…..just putting it out there!!

 

 

 

“Im gonna wing it.” –me about something I most definitely shouldn’t wing!!

 

Power points are the lazy presenters crutch and serve little real purpose at all!!?

A powerful statement that I firmly believe is more true than false.

I am sure we have all been to ‘Death By PPT’ conferences and training seminars!

These are events where presenters turn up with 30-40(sometimes more) slides most containing far too many words and few pictures and proceed to put us all to sleep.

Occasionally a presenter will get it right with a handfull of interesting/stimulating slides which he or she will skillfully build a powerful/entertaining presentation around.

Presenters who are not prepared rely on slides and reading word for word from them to get through!

C’mon people your audience deserves more than that from you.

If you have been invited to speak then you need to make the effort to do the best job you can!

That means researching your audience, your topic , your information, and implementing a plan.

Yes you can have ppt slides but keep them brief and bouncy, include a lot of pictures…we like those!

As mentioned above last week I was guilty of not preparing and had a ppt safety net/blanket.

I forgot my laptop so was left without my security blanket so after an initial moment had to press on.

My audience was approx 70 retirees at a village who had rocked up to be entertained and informed.

They received the best of me because I spoke from experience and from the heart which they loved.

It proved to both me and my audience that had I relied on my ppt they would have lost interest fast.

One dear lady came up to me afterwards and congratulated me for forgetting my ppt…how true.

So my challenge to you all is to make sure you respect your audience by focusing on quality.

Don’t think you can ‘wing it’ because no matter how good you are or think you are it will bite you!

Your audience deserves the best from you and nothing less will do……..got it…….good luck!

 

“Stop operating without a plan.Winging it works for a while,you need/deserve more.”

The odd couple

         

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 442 Monday 27/08/18

 

Hi,how hard can it be keeping track of two matching socks?Two go into the wash, get hung out yet seldom ever make it to the folding table or back to the draw together!!!?The more people I talk to the more I realise this phenonemon is not restricted to us here at 48….it happens elsewhere too.Ever noticed it’s the most sort after socks often required last minute in a hurry (footy or work) that go missing most regularly?aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh. Ahhh the trials of being in charge of that stuff!!!

Fletcher reckons;being made to wear different rather than matching socks to school is ok with him and in his opinion should bear no reflection on our socio economic standing in the local community.

Something funny….about my obsession with socks this week is that whilst investigating the story I discovered our relentlessly active puppy Lily is equally obsessed with them.To the point where she was apprehended with a stash of missing socks she had secretly and silently chewed and hidden!!!

Apart from losing my socks I found solace in the simple pleasures of life like reading my weekend Herald,cleaning my car,mowing my lawn sustainably with my recycled push mower and capping it all off by watching the Aussies get trampled into the hallowed turf of Eden Park yet again!

Life doesn’t get any better,hope the same goes for you,have a good one……Cheers Jonesey.

 

Kate and Lily reckon you should try keeping track of four socks if you think two is hard!

 

 

“Excellence is a continuous process not an accident.”

 

‘They’ do say that “getting to #1 is the easy part, its staying there that is the hard part!!”

I think ‘they’ are right its certainly easier being the underdog than it is being the incumbent.

Take the All Blacks for example, they are continually looking for ways to improve and be better.

Coaches and management recently travelled to the US visiting highly successful professional organisations asking questions, observing and noting things they can add to their formula.

They did this because they cant afford to sit still and rest at the top of their sport/profession.

The chasing pack are never far behind and it is the little extra bits that keep them in front.

Rest easy, become complacent and arrogant and you set yourself up for failure.

So……it was with great pleasure this week that we announced our latest innovation.

In fact we went one better and got the Associate Minister for the Environment to do it on our behalf!

We have applied for and been granted over $3million toward an extension to our unique facility.

Instead of standing still out in front we are seeking to extend our lead on the chasing pack.

We know with the rapidly evolving sustainability industry we work in we need to move quickly.

We have been ahead of our time and flown under the radar but things are changing daily.

Our major competitors are finally getting serious about diverting waste away from landfill.

We have a head start but know the gap is closing hence the need to innovate to new levels.

Time to change it up and get into overdrive while our competitors are still designing gearboxes.

That is the difference between getting to#1 and staying there,commitment to continual improvement.

We are excited about our work being recognised by our own Ministry for the Environment.

We are not naïve, we know others will apply for and be granted funding for innovative ideas too.

That is why we need to keep having more brain waves than them….that needs to be the difference.

More brain waves =not being complacent or arrogant and genuinely loving what you do!!

On a par perhaps/maybe with keeping two socks together for their entire lives???

 

“Don’t be the same, be better.”