Kicking Arse

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 283 Monday May 25th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,for as long as I can remember I have been telling anyone who will listen to sign up for kiwisaver!

I can’t ever remember a time where the Government has or are likely to ever  again offer us the common folk $1000 for nothing! I normally procrastinate about stuff like this but am glad I didn’t in this instance.Compulsory saving is good for me as I forget it is going on behind the scenes and then get a  pleasant surprise annually when someone taps me on the shoulder with an update.

Fletcher says; by his calculations his kiwisaver grand should be worth nearly three times its original value when he is 18!He is grateful he overheard a couple of other kids talking at daycare about compounding interest and decided to sign up!!

Talking about procrastinating….I have been trying to figure out what is wrong with my knees (apart from them being nearly 56 years old!) It was suggested by my learned wife that perhaps my running shoes(a new style) were contributing to the problem? I consulted the experts who all dismissed this as a possible cause and continued to pursue the illusive clinical cause for my discomfort. Many ultra scans and a far too claustrophobic MRI trauma later both me and my panel of experts were none the wiser…..so with no where else to turn I grabbed another pair of my old favourite billy basic Brooks ‘Adrenalines’ and ….you guessed it, my knees started improving!!hmmmmm

Christine is not the type to say “I told you so” but in this case she could not contain herself given she has witnessed months of grumpy old sore knee runner man cursing and moaning at 48!!!

I tried hard to be humble but it isnt in my genes so I had to chase her around the house with the old pair of  shoes to get her to stop rubbing it in!!! funny!!!!!

Apart from that, the good old Breville keeps cranking out quality flat whites, the Blues are about as useful as a one legged man in an arse kicking contest and cosy fires and comfort food rule !!!!

I hope life is equally exciting and enjoyable for you and yours!!Have a good one…..Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon there is a fine art to arse kicking!!

 

“Carpe Diem,seize the day,make your lives extraordiary.” Robin Williams(Dead Poets Society).

 

I have always lived by and encouraged others to live by the mantra;

“Never turn down an opportunity to learn, improve or develop your skills “

When you focus on this as a ‘life objective’ you notice how many opportunities for growth and development come your way.

The opportunities I get are speaking invitations from family,friends,Schools and Businesses.

Topics can and do range as do audiences and reasons for being there however the key thing in my view is to never turn an invitation down.

1. Because acceptance will enhance your skills and possibly lead to other opportunities and more business leads.
2. Because a declination will result in not being asked again and no future referral or business.
   That’s great Mr Toastmaster, but  what happens if you don’t get these invitations?...good question!
   Well if they are not happening then you need to make them happen!!!
   How?
   Recently I received notice of a forthcoming conference calling for submissions from people interested in presenting(normally called a ‘call for papers’). Why wait to be invited as chances are that invitation will never arrive.Like a lot of things in life they wont happen unless you make them happen.
   Sick of being put to death and boredom by power point at all the workshops and conferences you attend?....then this is your chance to do something about it….good luck, go for it, seize the day !!!!
    
   “That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse,what will your verse be?”
   Robin Williams (Dead Poets Society).

'Free' piano!!!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 282 Monday May 18th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,’piano,free to a good home’, how bad could that be? Very,as it turns out!We jumped with excitement(sort of) when a nice old local lady offered us her redundant piano for free.Beware nice old local ladies and the word ‘free’ nothing is ever ‘free’.The devil was in the pick up and relocation as it turned out.Also best not to tell too many people as they quickly disappear in anticipation of being asked to assist!One borrowed truck,two strained back muscles and the only neighbour who didn’t get advanced notice later the piano was sitting proudly in our lounge getting thrashed by its newest pupil(see attached photo).I now know why the late Peter Fatialofa was so strong and why people struggle to even give away pianos (for free!!!).I admit I actually like the sound of having it around!!

Fletcher says; It might sound a bit dusty and rough at the moment but hey if Beethoven was deaf and he was a legend then there is hope for him on his new toy before others become deaf too!!!!!

Crikey,how many times must I tell myself…when you see something in a second hand store you like then buy it…or you will rue the day!Sure enough last week I missed out on two pieces of pre loved treasure because I hesitated!!...yes,yes he who hesitates has to look elsewhere for good junk,grrrrr!

STOP means STOP however when not observing this rule last week I came within a whisker of hitting the local golfcourse head greenkeeper at a T intersection!Now I could have dwelled on it, made excuses (dirty windows),blamed him or denied it even happened or that I was even in the wrong but instead I took the initiative and,called the golf course from the  car, apologised to him in person, plus made the effort to clean my side windows and wing mirrors for better vision(good idea folks).

I hope you had an equally enlightening week/weekend and managed to have fun whilst spending plenty of time with family and friends. Have a great week ahead……………..Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon Fletcher will have them up and dancing jigs in no time!

 

“It’s easier to explain price once than to apologize for quality forever.” – Zig Ziglar

 

After putting up with leaking swim goggles for far too long I finally decided enough was enough!

So I asked the nice(?) lady at pool reception to assist me to figure out which of the hundreds of pairs displayed would be best for me….her reply was unhelpful and unbelievable!!

She said, “every pair has a detailed description on the packet,I am sure you will sort it out”!!!

There were several things wrong with this piece of sales asssitance……firstly I didn’t have my glasses or a magnifying glass to decipher what was written on each package! Secondly there were so many pairs and at all sorts of different prices they all blurred into one for me and further frustrated my efforts to find  the most simple and quick solution for me!

So I decided to have a crack at serving myself and hope for the best, not ideal, but I was in a hurry and needed something fast. I eventually ended up with a medium priced goggle solution that fitted my needs(and my head/eyes) as well as a new swim cap (one size fits all thank goodness J).

I should not have had to do this so I thought about it (as you do when swimming) and decided I needed to let the pool management know they were letting their customers down and missing out on plenty of opportunities to make sales. I duly did this much to their gratitude and appreciation!

If I had received expert advice I would have trusted it and likely spent a lot more than I did as well as saving the time and stress.

It made me think about how other organisations must miss out on sales every day for the same reason, lack of training and staff motivation to assist customers to get what they want…..quick, simple,friendly and expert solutions to their needs.

It also made me think about doing things differently at our place to ensure our people have the tools they need to assist our customers expertly and profiiably to us and them….good lesson for all !!!

 

“Stop selling. Start helping.” – Zig Ziglar

LOL

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 281 Monday May 11th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,the air of anticipation was almost overwhelming as we packed the car before departure!Yes our ‘Mothers Day mini holiday weekend’ was about to start and we were seriously buzzing with excitement!Yes our wheelie bin does go out more than we do and yes we should make an effort to get out more!Harry and the Hendersons were given strict instructions not to party too hard and we were off.A mates rates Scenic Hotel (Christines outfit)in the City was our base camp as we completed special Mothers Day missions to the spectacular Devonport (via ferry and bike) and Eastern Bays (via bus and bike)waterfronts over the weekend.We are lucky to still be able to spend Mothers Day in person with my Mum who is also of course Fletchers Nana and lunch on Saturday was another special occasion for us.The highlights of our Saturday night in the City were undoubtedly the $4.99 local pizza special,the bright lights, sirens and Fletcher mixing it up with the homey skateboarders and full time residents of Aotea Square whilst entertaining them on his bike.

Sunday was cool as we enjoyed a Mothers Day roast lunch expertly prepared by our ‘master chef’ son Matthew.No queing at restaurants or cafes for us relaxing in the warmth of the late autumn St Heliers sunshine and gentle hue to round off another special occasion for a special Mum.

Fletcher says; thanks Nana for the cool Westpac rescue helicopter money box and to Poppa for his first deposit of Aussie coins!!(at least he wont be able to withdraw & spend them!)

We retreated to the West Coast tired and weary but totally satisfied that our Mothers Day missions had succeeded in specially recognising amazingly important people in our lives,our Mothers!

I hope you also enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with or by remembering your Mothers and Grandmothers on their special day.

Have a great week ahead you good children!!……………….Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon they would have enjoyed meeting their City cousins!!

 

“To Do Today, 11/05/15,1. Sit and think,2. Reach enlightenment,3. Feed the dogs”

 

LOL used to make me cringe a bit on the end of emails and texts until I realised the ‘feel good’ value of stopping to have a laugh occasionally…..so now I laugh out loud a lot and don’t cringe!!!

The other LOL I have also learned to’ like a lot’ (LAL J) is LOTs of LISTs!!

Having spent some time examining why I never seem to have time for anything I have decided I need to have ‘lots of lists’….priority lists, good old fashioned hand written priority lists of good old fashioned stuff to do……daily and weekly……guess what….it works.

The best thing about having lists apart from having a roadmap of stuff to do in order of importance is that you actually get to tick stuff off as it gets done and see that tick as an important pat on the back……and THAT is VERY cool.

Every time I tick an item off my list I ‘laugh out loud’ because I am happy and because I know in most cases it can and does make others happy too……..happiness is infectious and worth catching!

The secret to lists is to never be far from a pen and paper because your concious and unconscious minds are always on the go and you need to be alert to the messages each is attempting to pass to the other!!!....yes you are the conduit and you need to be on your game like any ‘bright spark’ will know.You are the high speed broadband connection responsible for the LOL concept to transmit successfully….Good luck with that Upbeat crew…..have an awesomely successful week LOL!!!!

 

“Sometimes our stop-doing list needs to be bigger than our to-do list.” Patti Digh

Im "Gunna"

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 280 Monday May 4th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,there is never a dull moment in the West Coast fast lane!We are constantly reminded with the curve balls life delivers up daily.Our two immediate neighbours lost their much loved but highly sort after Toyota Hilux vehicles on Saturday night to a well organised ring of thieves!Both victims are hard working members of our community who had saved hard to own their prized machines!I am sure neither Barry Crump, his side kick ‘Scotty’ or the Toyota marketing team ever imagined the cult following they would create for the good old ‘Hilux’.Much to our neighbours dispair the demand for ownership by hook or crook continues to be unprecedented!

Our resident helicopter spotter Fletcher then alerted us to more drama developing in the swirling surf off the coast as the Westpac team hovered mere metres off the boiling surf looking for a kayaker.

Given the family focus on saving locals at 48 both the train/helicopter spotter and his Mum plus driver headed for the beach to offer any assitance we could.In a dramatic hour we observed the amazing efforts of the combined emergency services as they located and retrieved the body of the missing person.Sadly this rescue attempt ended in tragedy which was a sombre reminder for all rescuers and helpless onlookers that the sea is dangerous and must be repected at all times!

I was so proud of my wife Christine who took it on herself to comfort the female surfer who first observed and reported the incident as the drama unfolded to its sad and unfortunate conclusion!

Fletcher says; One of his heros from his favourite Noddy book,Policeman Plod,had a busy weekend at Muriwai chasing the same car thief Goblins who also stole Noddys car.He has assured our friends that PC Plod will find their cars and put the Goblins in a sack for transport to the Police Station!

Life isnt fair or for that long really so we need to ensure we live it full on in the here and NOW!!

Even with Policeman Plod’s and our expert local rescue organisations best efforts and intentions we know we wont see the Hilux’s or the unfortunate Kayaker ever again!Yet at the beginning of the weekend all concerned would not have thought twice about the possibility of either event occurring!!!

Crikey,no time to lose, lets all get cracking and make the most of what we have…Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon ‘bugger’ those Hilux low life scummy bandits!!!!

 

Im “Gunna” get round to that one day!! (A favourite personalized plate)

 

I was reminded of an old adage a couple of times in the past week;“He who hesitates has lost”

On the first occasion I was looking through my electronic and hard copy diary at a reminder entry that has been appearing for far too long(months!!!)…….so I decided to act finally!

On calling this prospective customer, I discovered that they had signed a long term agreement recently with someone else (too often the case) arrrggggghhh I hate it when that happens….so why do I let it happen…..???

On the second occasion I proactively called a potential customer identified same day.I received an invitation to meet and discuss some issues they had whilst also conducting a detailed audit prior to providing them with a complete solution to their requirements.I love it when that happens……..so why don’t I make sure that it becomes a habit and a regular occurrence!!

Clearly the difference here was created by prioritizing tasks in order of importance rather than getting overrun by stuff that hijacks or ambushes my day and the priority list.

So Jonesey what can you/ are you going to do about it???

I have formulated a KPI list that allocates sections of my day to prospecting new customers. This in turn is linked to my new business KPI and overall weekly/monthly/annual budget objectives.

So look out world,I will not die wondering if there was an opportunity to do business with YOU!!!!

 

“We are a puny and fickle folk. Avarice, hesitation, and following are our diseases.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson