Ruff :)

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 333 Monday 30/05/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,I have never been any good at listening to my body or anyone else for that matter!

The thing I have learned the hard way is that in order to live a healthy and productive life it is important to do both.Amen,about time, as I was able to prove on both counts last week. Firstly by listening to my body I took some time out to recover from illness rather than attempting to train through it regardless like I would normally.Yes,as an elite athlete it was frustrating but I bounced back quickly all the better for the rest.Secondly by biting my tongue and listening carefully to what I was being told instead of interrupting and rudely insisting I knew best I was able to actually see and accept someone elses point of view.Older,weaker and meeker,yes,but also worldly and wise at last!

Fletcher reckons; his Daycare trip to the Sky Tower was a definite highlight and once he was able to coax his Father out of the lift on the observation deck then Dad enjoyed it too!!(sort of).

Crikey I discovered muscles I didn’t know I had after picking and stacking firewood on the weekend.

I felt like I had played a couple of games of rugby or been backed over by a bus.

As a special treat I soaked in a nice hot bath after doing battle with the pile of pine blocks in the driveway until our son thought that looked far too relaxing and jumped in too!!(grrrr)!!

Whilst I am used to not getting the call it was still disappointing to miss out on yet another All Black team however I wish Steve,Kieran and the boys all the best for the coming year!!(bring it on !!).

I also wish you and your team the best of luck for the coming week……Cheers Jonesey

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon I should also try listening to them more too!!(Ruff).

 

 

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new”. Socrates

 

There is only one constant in life today and that is CHANGE.

The problem with that is we are creatures of habit and comfort so change can be Ruff.

‘They’ say we need to embrace change and to have an open mind towards it.

Thing is ,often we think……‘if it aint broke why fix it’?

Sometimes we don’t know its broke or about to be so change is often a visionary proactive thing.

Change is happening so rapidly in every aspect of our lives that sometimes we are not introduced and used to one change before another is happening that is updating it further.

It is natural to be set in your ways and to be resistent to change however this will not exempt you.

So…..what to do????

Its best to go with the flow and to make sure any changes in your life are made with your input and feedback to ensure they benefit and ultimately suit you.

I have recently had input and ongoing feedback into a change process that I ensured will benefit me.

The thing for me to do now having had involvement is produce the results I have promised to deliver!

The thing everyone in the change process needs to understand and accept is that changes are made for reasons not for fun or to inconvenience.

They are part of a continual improvement process we must all buy into and accept is necessary.

If you accept changes without questions,challenge and push back then you cant complain about the outcome.You need to become an integral part of the process to ensure the outcome is a success with you very much a part of its future.

Yes,we all have the choice to vote with our feet however thats the easy way out and why would you?

Change agents want the best for their organisations,they are not interested in old dogs who don’t want to learn new tricks.Wise old dogs instead lead the way by providing the catalyst for change!!!

Ruff Ruff.

 

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change”. Jim Rohn

B.O.L.O.T !!!

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 332 Monday 23/05/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi, ‘they’ do say you should “be careful what you wish for” as you often end up getting just that!

This certainly proved to be the case after my reference to the missing Winter last week!!

Crikey that appears to have been the signal for the weather gods to unleash a timely reminder!

We had thunder,lightening,bitter icy rain squalls , gale force winds and  power cuts combined with a plummeting barometer so just in case we thought Winter might never come it did…..all in a week!!!

We did enjoy cranking up the log fire and hunkering in front of it in the flickering candle light waiting for the power to be restored……so brave!

I hope you all survived ok and apologise for providing a catalyst for the Wintery onslaught!

Fletcher reckons; what happens in the car on the way home from the supermarket should stay in the car however when the empty king size bag of marshmellows was found and used as evidence in cross examination by his Mother he had no choice but to come clean! Dad was duly arrested and chargedJ.Dont kids just say and do the darndest things!!

I hope you are all well and enjoying life spending plenty of time with family and friends.

Have an audacious ‘Upbeat’ week.…...........Cheers Jonesey

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon its ok to sleep on the master bed in thunderstorms..grr

 

 

“I am a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let them down”. Abraham Lincoln

 

I like acronyms and use them myself to remind me and others about important life/work stuff.

I heard a good one the other day that went like this L.T.D.

If we get people to Like us then they will Trust us and have a Desire to be our customer, friend and often both.

Sometimes we don’t spend enough time on the first two and as a result we are left wondering why the third doesn’t occur!

There is a similar acronym in Toastmasters A.I.D.A which translated means that our presentations need to concentrate on first grabbing Attention, then building Interest and Desire before ending strongly with a call to Action!If you follow this plan you will not fail to communicate more effectively!

Then there is my favourite which is O.A.R. simply translated this means that if we each accept Ownership, Accountability and Responsibility then we will see the importance of using the oar to row our own boat and do our bit without relying on others to carry the workload.We will also live above the line rather than below it in our B.E.D. where we will Blame others and make plenty of Excuses whilst Denying there is anything wrong with that!!!

I can think of plenty of examples past and present where that is unfortunately happening and where people are seemingly oblivious to it.

Acronyms are cool and don’t have to be other peoples as you can easily make up your own to live by!

What about a couple of my own like G.R.E.A.T. translates to Get Really Excited About Today and everyday we are lucky enough to be above ground.

What about one for the ‘Upbeat’ team??....B.U.D. translating simply to Be Upbeat Daily !!! hahaha so as you can see it doesn’t have to be rocket science but something simple will be enough to assist you to stay focused daily on important tasks?

Why not have a go at designing and building a personal acronym, write it down and then use it daily!

B.O.L.O.T….and of course no sizzle article would ever be complete without me making sure I had the last word by wishing you all  the Best Of Luck Out There……go for it!!

 

“The secret of success lies in the simple sentence Why not?”.Mehmet Minat Ildan

'Comfort' Zone !!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 331 Monday 16/05/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,in an unprecedented burst of organised chaos I have more firewood sorted and two new heat pumps installed compliments of a ‘two for one’ unmissable deal. So what could possibly be missing???....Correct,Winter!our seemingly endless Summer is great but I am longing for some cold nights for hunkering in front of the log fire and the footy with my favourite comfort food and tipple.....roll on Winter….soon we hope!!

Speaking of comfort food part I; we got in some serious practice this weekend via succulent tender meaty lamb shanks baked to perfection in a red wine sauce served on a bed of mashed potatoe!

No comfort food training session is ever complete without deep dish apple crumble and Maple Walnut Classic Movenpick ice cream!...I don’t think I have been so happy since I found out red wine was good for my heart!!Crikey…yet another good reason to exercise every day!!

Fletcher reckons;the 25mm he  has grown in the last 3 months should see him as tall as his Father by the time he starts Primary school!!!....probably right actually!

Speaking of ‘comfort food’ part II; we picked up some ‘triple ginger loaf’ for a good friend of ours recently.Unfortunately the loaf didn’t quite make it to its intended destination being intercepted by the Joneses for smoko…..yum nothing better with a smidge of butter and a cuppa….crikey!!!

I hope you are equally ‘comfortable’ in your skin, have a good one…...........Cheers Jonesey

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon its people NOT dogs that make life stressful Clinton!

 

 

 

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. Wayne Gretsky

 

I have been driving past a potential customers business every day for well over a year!

Every time I go past I say to myself…..I must call them but never do?!!(why do I do that?)

So….last week I said NO more…..and I called them….and guess what?..............

It felt good to get that monkey off my back after so long but more importantly………..

I was able to secure an appointment for a meeting to discuss an immediate opportunity!!

I was thrilled with the outcome but couldn’t help thinking ….what if?

What if I had done that a lot sooner?what if I had missed the opportunity? and what if I did that more often whenever I saw a potential opportunity?

‘They’ say sales is a numbers game,the more people we call on the more business we secure so why not call on more people? In my case it comes down to a five things I need to be better at;

• Time management….making the time to call on potential customers by phone and in person
• Belief….believing in myself and that every potential customer will be receptive to my call.
• Being ‘Upbeat’ in my approach and my communication with new companies and contacts.
• Following up meetings quickly with information and proposals.
• Making the most productive and profitable use of my time at all times.

I find I am my own worst enemy by talking negatively to myself too often which gnaws away at my self belief and builds wicked self doubt, so here are some ways I have devised to overcome this;

• Do 10 new prospect phone calls daily before 10am (10 by 10).
• Follow up all new prospect appointments in writing within 24 business hours.
• Use my Toastmasters membership to improve my ‘Upbeat’ communication skills!
• Instead of driving past potential customers…….call in same day as they occur.
• Reward and recognise myself for sales success (haircut,new stuff,time out..anything cool)!

So there you go….figure out what works for you and then make sure you do and it does….good luck!!!

 

“Success doesn’t come to you.You go to it”. Hanna Collins