Meeeeee.....OWWWWW!!!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 292 Monday July 27th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,we have lived on the West Coast for nearly twelve years and never seen a whale so were pretty blown away to make our first siting this weekend. As an added bonus there was a Mother and Calf who entertained the locals passing quite close up and down our stretch of the coast! It was magical!

Fletcher says; being promoted into the ‘pre school’ swim squad is the first step toward Olympic stardom.He reckons the flotation devices are a standard precaution and will be gone by lesson 2!

The added bonus is that Dad no longer has to pull on his speedos as parent support!

We were enjoying a pre dinner drink in front of a raging open fire at a friends recently when a large log rolled out of the fire on to the carpet!!Sparks flew everywhere including on to their precious persian cat!!We assisted to get the situation under control including calming and extinguishing the smoldering feline.There was a distinct smell of burning carpet and cat fur in the air however specially trained personnel were present…….crikey it was funny(unless you were the cat or the distraught owners!),I have never laughed so much in my life and I had only had one drink !!!! meeee….OW!! J.

The August/September Joneses birthday season is upon us and we are looking forward to taking some strategically placed leave to ensure we enjoy the occasions rather than stress unnecessarily!

Birthdays are special days made for celebrating with family and friends so why not make the most!

Go the mighty All Blacks on the road to Rugby  World Cup 2015!!!Loving the ruggers!!

I hope you are happy and well, have a great week ahead……………….Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon freedom campers need to carry doggie doo bags!!!

 

 

 

“It is the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing what you have wanted to do so badly. You almost feel like you could fly without the plane.” Charles Lindbergh

WAW…..What A Week!!! An amazing roller coaster ride of buzziness!!

As mentioned last week it was going to be a huge one and it didn’t disappoint , delivering heaps of challenges and even more rewards.

No matter how much planning and preparation you do there is always stuff that will come out of left field to extend and test you ‘on the run’.

This was a pot pourri of deals to be done,messages to be delivered and events to be successfully run. I am lucky to have been supported by fellow team mates who were as committed to the cause as I.

The Elearnz conference I MC’ed represented the cutting edge of the e-learning industry assembled to compare notes on the latest advances in this industry.There was a diverse range of speakers to introduce,sponsors to acknowledge and above all, 85 delegates to deliver a quality product to.

I was thankful for my Toastmasters training and relied heavily on my impromtu skills and my ability to turn the mediocre into the magnificent….yes I am good at that and this was a chance to prove it!

I was fascinated by the continuing emergence of social media as a business and e learning platform and was inspired and motivated by the leading proponents of this rapidly developing industry sector!

Whilst the conference was a huge challenge the highlight of the week was undoubtedly MC’ing the official opening of our very own Resource Recovery Facility. I was honoured and proud to introduce ‘The Right Honourable Dr Nick Smith’, The Deputy Mayor of Auckland Council Penny Hulse and our own non Executive Chaiman to speak and officially unveil a plaque to comemorate the occasion!

I enjoyed getting outside my comfort zone and doing stuff I have had more than enough training over the years to absolutely nail….so I did and it was a huge adrenaline rush, I had a ball!

My message is ‘Better never stops’ so we need to always be seeking to extend and challenge ourselves to get better,smarter and more successful……seek it,try it, love it…..never regret it!! J

 

“It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.”

Clinton Jones MC!!

Buzz Lightyear rules!!!!

                                                                                     Edition 291 Monday July 20th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,being a parent is rewardingly exhausting!,being a solo parent is exhaustingly rewarding!The proof of that pudding became reality this last weekend as I flew solo (temporarily)with our energy battery preschooler!Christine seized the opportunity to gain more search and rescue quals whilst for me it was another chance for quality full on time with our son……yes exhaustingly rewarding!zzzzZZZZ

Fletcher says; whilst plenty of game time at the local BMZ track was cool,the highlight was undoubtedly second helpings of hokey pokey icecream in front of Disney movie Toy Story 2!

In fact he reckons Dad might have enjoyed the exploits of Woody the Cowboy and Astronaut Buzz Lightyear in that movie more than he did….(and he would be right….check it out sometime!!).

I scoffed and said I would never use it however I am a regular user and proud of it.Yes my two speed  heated carseat is getting a work out on these cold mornings!I would be lost without it!

Continuing on my good samaritan roll I met a foreign chap with a limited command of the Queens english last week.Seems he knew enough to tell me he had a flat tyre but did not have a jack or a wheel brace(how does that happen?).Anyway even though I was pressed for time I willingly assisted by providing my jack,wheelbrace and labour(as if I was going to stand there watching and waiting for him to figure out how to use it!).Two greasy black skinned hands later I bid him farewell after trying to explain that the toy space saver spare he had wasn’t designed to drive any further than the nearest tyre shop with!I felt good for helping but couldn’t help thinking he was still an accident waiting to happen!I shouldn’t say but he was on his way to an Auckland house auction….LOL!!!

Great to be watching the mighty All Blacks again as they build toward yet another Rugby World Cup campaign.Some early morning fireside tea and toast  sessions and plenty of good footy to come,YAY !

I hope you are safe,well,’upbeat’ and happy. Have a great week………………….Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon the toy dogs(especially slinky)in ‘Toy Story'were legend!

 

 

“If you try to follow everyone else's mold, you'll probably fail at some point because God created us uniquely for a reason.”Queen Latifah

Comfort zones are overcrowded motorways or parking areas for the complacent and arrogant.

That’s why we need to challenge ourselves to get outside them because that is where the fresh air and open highways are.

So I have done just that in the coming week and will be extending myself to perform on three different stages as a Master of Ceremonies for a conference, an awards dinner and a grand opening!

Crikey I cant believe it myself but all three have fallen on the same week which is even more of a challenge in itself to manage my time professionally and productively.

Two other ‘P’ words also feature prominently those being planning and preparation. There is no doubt that the key to success in all three roles will come down to how well I have done these two!

As you will know my ‘modus operandi’ is ‘never turn down an opportunity’ but no one ever told me what to do when I got offered three in one week so I accepted them all!!!

On top of that Ladies and Gentlemen yours truly will be attempting to also do my own job as well....I feel like one of those daredevil performers where they then say,folks this is risky,best you don’t try it.

Instead of being worried I am excited about stepping out of my comfort zone and having a crack at something I know many others would hesitate to do. It is a thrill and I cant wait to feel the fear and do it anyway and do it well because I know I can and I want to prove it to myself and others.

That,Ladies and Gentlemen is what adrenaline does when it pulses wildly through your veins.It thrusts you into the limelight you normally shun or avoid. Hero or zero it is entirely up to you and there is a thin line between the two. How big will you play?....dont die wondering…I wont be!!!!

 

“We need role models who are going to break the mold.” Carly Simon

Faves!!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 290 Monday July 13th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,as you all know,for me,being well behaved for at least 110kms too and from work everyday has its challenges.I have had the odd complaint from my fellow motorists however I am pleased to report driving a marked car continues to make me a better driver!I was however, alarmed to read some negative comments recently about the ‘Green Gorilla’ on our community facebook page!!Clearly there is more improving to be done and I am determined to clear my name which can only be a good thing!

Wait till they get a load of my new UPBE4T plate about to hit the road (nice and politely of course!!).

Fletcher says; Being the tallest nearly three year old kid at his mates four year old birthday party on the weekend was pretty cool….clearly his Mums genes kicking in early,enjoy it while it lasts mate!!

Funny file……saw a guy waiting to turn on to the highway last week who had obviously forgotten to take his wheelie bin off his towbar at the top of his drive!!!Also, thought I had lost my wallet while parked in Onehunga the other day….after abusing everyone who had ever lived in the area since it was settled and cancelling all my credit cards etc I noticed the wallet nestled in the gap between the bonnet and the windscreen!!My sincere apologies to the honest citizens of Onehunga for ever doubting you….yes I felt terrible and more stupid than normal!

Clear,crisp,sunny winter days as good as any in summer combined with a birthday party,a visit from Nana and Poppa and fish and chips amongst the vines at Matua Vineyard were some of our favourite things this weekend!No matter what you have to do around the house and property it is important to work in some faves,weekends are for living too,make sure you plan to get out and have some fun!!

Loving the school holiday traffic flow, hope you are cool too, have a great week…….Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon dogs should have birthday parties as well(see photo)!

 

 

 

“If you want to stand out from the crowd, give people a reason not to forget you.”

Richard Branson

 

Auto messages can bring out the best and worst in people!

Take phone voicemails for example,some messages go on forever and don’t do a lot to inspire people to want to leave a message or even worse want us to call them back at all!

A voice mail or email/text/foot note are all excellent opportunities to add value to our contact with friends, family or business associates.

I have tried to do something a little bit different on my voicemail message. Firstly I have attempted to keep it as brief as possible(hard for me) and to try to relate it to what it is I do (save the planet!!:)

You know if you are on to something when people A)leave a message and B)comment on your message on theirs! I get a least a comment a day from people re my message which I believe makes me stand out from the mediocrity of most voice mails people encounter.

For me its about being different and getting that difference across to callers withourt being too smart!

I also customize the footnote on my phone email message regularly and receive positive comments daily to my advantage as a result of making the effort to do so.

Recently the CEO of a large organization was so impressed with my simple message that she adopted it herself!

This message and the discussion about it between us did more for our business relationship than a couple of meetings had previously.

Small stuff like this can make a noticeable difference,its about having the courage to give it a crack!

Being a bit different can be scary but its worth it if it makes you stand out from the crowd!! Go On !!

 

“Stop trying to fit in when you were born to stand out.” Jon Bon Jovi