Double shot of life please

 

                                                                                       Edition 342 Monday 01/08/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,life is a funny thing really,it delivers us a lot of lessons and curve balls and then when some of us think we have figured it out it starts running out on us!This was reinforced for me in the last week through the attendance of two reunions where I was able to catch up with old footy and school mates to share,remember and compare life experiences,scars,scares,fitness(or not) and fallen comrades.

My many discussions contained all and more and a common theme….regret that we had not made more of an effort to keep in touch!Note to self…..life is too short,get your act together in future!

Fletcher reckons; getting dragged along to Dads high school reunion in Mums absence was a bit rough although he was able to fill in missing details to stories he has heard endlessly!

So half a day and first night on our own and going strong….dont know what all the fuss was about, solo parent and so far well behaved son talking a good game twelve hours in….watch this space!!

I had an early meeting in Newmarket last week so running a bit early I ducked into the swimming pool café for a double shot of caffeine and ended up with so much more.Crikey what a contagious atmosphere,the place was chocka with all ages,both sexes post workout pumped and high on life!

It was inspiring and motivational,there is nothing better than the ‘feel good’ factor after exercising!

This café should be renamed “The Upbeat Café” ‘where people meet who love and respect life!’

Check it out if you are ever in that neck of the woods I guarantee you will either sign up or be back!!

I dropped on to some amazing rough sawn macrocapa shelving which have become project 48J

I hope you are fit,happy and well, have an awesome week ahead….Cheers Jonesey!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon more room in our bed should be shared evenly!

 

 

“Ambition is the path to success.Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”Bill Bradley

 

I have been lucky enough to score a couple of big wins recently and apart from wearing lucky shirts and underpants to most calls I have to put it down to doing the basics well.

Both opportunities stemmed from cold calls and hunches about business to be done.

Neither were sales waiting to happen or begging to be signed,the duck was certainly alive with all feathers and quacking rather than presented roasted on the plate J.

Both needed a lot of graft and plenty of meetings and strategy prior to getting close or over the line.

Above all else this was about backing myself and building trust and rapport with key people in both organisations before an invitation to submit a solution was even received.

Both cold calls could easily have been bypassed or dismissed through my tendency to be disorganised, call reluctant or jusy plain lazy!!

The success has fueled my determination to organise and motivate myself well enough to allow random hunches and strategic,targeted cold calls  to become a religious feature of my week.

The key is prioritising targets and time to do justice to qualifying them as ongoing prospects.

Selling is exciting when you have some wins, it makes the tough times worth it and restores your faith in the profession when you actually meet customers who sincerely want to do business with you.

It is easy to get despondent and depressed about the rejection we all experience however the adrenalin rush from the chase and the win are contagious and leave you hungry for more.
If selling was easy then everyone would be out there doing it and whilst there are a lot of sales people out there not many are any good……so why not be one of the best you can be!

We all have a chance to differentiate ourselves in the top percent of our careers and for sales people that can be achieved by hanging on longer than the many who give up early. Good luck team!!!

 

“Many of lifes failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison

Back to work for a rest!!!

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 341 Monday 25/07/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,firstly and most importantly apologies to all those cat owners/ lovers amongst you for my distinct lack of sensitivity when reporting the Oscar v Oscar incident last week.Our pets are important members of our families and as such we all hate the thought of any harm ever coming to them!

My personal fitness training has ramped up to prepare me for two important future events.The first is a week alone with our son whilst his Mum is off adding more fire/rescue credentials to her portfolio!

The second is a get together with old high school buddies many of whom I havent seen for far too long so it is important to me to be looking 10 years younger NOT 10 years older!!(really …OK).

Fletcher reckons; its always good to have a focus and a reason to train hard but not to worry because he is more than capable of looking after his Dad!!

Our house feels like a geriatric retreat for canines at times as our rapidly aging dogs struggle with their various ailments!Our bedroom is like a casualty ward at night as Harry struggles to breathe comfortably, Kate trys to shrug off kennel cough and Oscar’s hips lock tight restricting his mobility!

I often lie there wondering whether to laugh or cry myself to sleep although neither would work given the chaotic disruption.So when I say I go to work to have a rest I am not joking!! As mentioned above our pets are an important part of our family and we love them unconditionally (WE do J).

Super Rugby just got interesting again and I was exhausted on Friday night after what felt like endless tackles from the couch to repel the Brumbies finally….cant wait for the Canes v the Chiefs!!!

I hope you are well,that life is good and that you have a spectacular week ahead….Cheers Jonesey!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon getting old is a bitch (so to speak)!!

 

 

“Difficulties strengthen the mind,as labour does the body.” Seneca

 

I accepted an invitation to attend a site visit and tour of a large customer of ours last week.

The tour guide seemed disorganised and flustered as he showed us their range of products.

He said on a couple of occasions to excuse him for his lack of knowledge as ‘it wasn’t his area of expertise’?.....I hate it when people say things like that as if most of us would know any different?

Its also like people who start off a presentation by saying ‘I only found out yesterday I was to do this speech/presentation’? or ‘I am filling in at late notice’ or ‘I am not used to doing this’.Or as I heard recently someone prefaced their address by saying ‘you will have to excuse me but I am crap at public speaking’??

As stated earlier your audience doesn’t want to hear comments like this, the reality being most of them wouldn’t have known or suspected or cared in the slightest if you hadnt told them?

It is my belief that if offered the opportunity to present or speak then we should seize it with both hands and in doing so never look back regardless of the amount of notice we are (or are not) given.

Each opportunity is a chance to get outside our comfort zone and to have a crack at something we don’t do every day. In essence it is a ‘moment of truth’ and a challenge to proudly overcome.

I urge you to accept these challenges as they come along and to use them as an opportunity to grow and develop skills that we all have but don’t use often enough.

They are a chance to learn something and to present them in a positive and powerful way but above all else to learn more about yourself and areas you need to improve in.

They are not to be taken lightly or for you to shrug off and announce to all as last minute things you knew nothing about and have and always been crap at?!!!

Nobody ever improves at anything unless they work at it and that’s why I encourage you all to accept the challenges life throws your way and to embrace rather than avoid them, you will never regret it !!

 

“If you arn’t in over your head,how do you know how tall you are?” TS Eliot

When your number is up!!

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 340 Monday 18/07/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,if Cats really have nine lives how do they know what number they are up to at any given time and when #9 is next?Two recent events have seen me giving this some serious thought;1)Our neighbours ginger cat Oscar has taunted one of our dogs Oscar Henderson through gaps in the fence relentlessly for years.So imagine our Oscars delight when their Oscar wandered unexplainably into our yard last week.What followed was not pretty and ended in tears.Needless to say Oscar the cats #9 was up L as are Oscar the dogs years of torment J.2)One of our contractors picked up a couple of couches from their customer recently for disposal at our Waste Processing Facility.Unbeknown to any one the beloved family white Tabby Cat was hiding in one of the couches!We were notified and searched the facility high and low to no avail.Another feline who had clearly run out of numbers! L

Fletcher reckons;he was not a big fan of Oscar the cat after being attacked by him once.He knew the two Oscars were going to meet face to face one day and there would only be one winner!Lets face it as upsetting as it was for all(our neighbours and us included) if your #9 is up its up!

Having given this far too much thought I have come to an interesting conclusion.I reckon Cats know when their #9 is up and in both these cases they voted with their feet!....Fate is a curious thing!!

Apart from this dramatic and scintillating home/work action we have weathered thunder and lightning,week one school holidays,continued global implosion,Pokemon craziness and numerous other challenges to make it through another week at 48 on the wild west coast.

There is nothing better than making time for and hosting family at our humble abode….and after all is said and done,isnt that what life should be all about?Have a good one….…..Cheers Jonesey!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon chasing Cats is what Dogs do unconditionally!

 

“As you grow older you will discover you have 2 hands,1 for helping yourself and 1 for helping others”. Audrey Hepburn

 

I believe that if I help enough people get what they want then I in turn will get what I want.

Thing is I seem to be confronted constantly with people only interested in what they want and not concerned in the slightest in what I want?

Does there come a time when helping others to get what they want has to take a back seat or do I persevere on my crusade?

Do self centred people happy to walk over the top of others to get what they want eventually come unstuck? and if so should we help them or cheer about their demise from the sidelines?

Do people like me who persevere continue to get trampled and taken advantage of or do we eventually win in the end?

The answers to these and many other questions about how we approach each day cant be answered simply or succinctly,they must be answered by living and experiencing them daily.

In my life experience to date I have gained a lot of satisfaction and pride from helping and mentoring others.Some have been appreciative yet some have treated it as a right and taken it for granted.

The thing about giving is that if you are sincere then you do it without the expectation of receiving something in return and that is when it truly makes a difference.

Giving expecting gain or return is shallow,insincere and obvious to the recipient.

Thinking deeply about the questions posed above led me to conclude that my philosophy of giving is definitely ‘giving’ me what I am seeking, a deep satisfaction and pride in myself and others.

There will not come a time when I will ever discontinue or push this philosophy to the back seat.

I have seen self centred people happy to trample others end up trampled but not rejoiced.

People like me(us) certainly get trampled a few times along the way but end up winning in the end!

 

“To strengthen the muscles of your heart the best exercise is lifting someone elses spirit”.

John McNaughton

To Infinity and Beyond !

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 339 Monday 11/07/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,there is always plenty of it to do,always plenty being done and always something missing!I am of course talking about ‘the washing’….aaaarrrggghhh.Where does it all come from (me Im told) and where does it all get to and how come you can never find what you are looking for and why are there never any matching socks?Is near enough dry enough and does stuff really need to be ironed?If this sounds like your house too then you are definitely keeping up with the Joneses!!

Imagine if you could devise a way to keep socks together in the wash…could be a winner!!

Fletcher reckons; the Daycare lost property is fair game for missing or replacement socks and most kit and he always swings past there on his way home before reporting to Mum or Dad!!

I ran into a delightful old couple last week who were picking up their beloved 1972 Hillman Hunter from her annual service. I was strolling past and couldn’t help noticing the car or the couple.The car was in mint condition and the couple were holding hands and happy,two things you don’t see a lot of!

Like many others life continues to be full on for us as a blended family trying to keep up with inlaws, outlaws and inhouse goings on!We hang in there pretty well but it is hard at times if the comms isnt two way when it needs to be.I guess a lot of families are a work in progress like that and probably regret thay didn’t work harder at staying in touch before its too late….note to self…..stay in touch!!

Have an awesome week ahead appreciating and making the most of everything…..Cheers Jonesey!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon stealing,hiding and chewing socks is what dogs do!!

 

 

“That’s not flying, that’s falling with style”. Sheriff Woody to Buzz Lightyear in ‘Toy Story’

 

I remember a gig I did as an MC recently when I accidentally fell off the stage!!!

Thankfully the stage was only about 400mm high however it was still high enough to tumble off!

It is also lucky that it happened in a break between sessions and not while I was ‘on’.

Anyway when I realised I was falling rather than think ‘this is going to hurt’ I decided to make the best of it by preparing for the landing and making that look as natural and rehearsed as possible.

The few people that noticed expressed their concern for my well being and were also nice enough to say how relaxed I was,almost like I had planned for it and it was all meant to be, part of my act?

Life is a little bit like that fall really because we all suffer setbacks but it is not so much the setbacks its more the way we react and handle them that counts.

Little things can and often do have the potential to get us down however by turning things around we are able to get positive energy from them going forward.

Sales is also like that, I had a couple of setbacks recently that definitely had me falling with style rather than flying high however I picked my self up determined to still fly one day soon!

I analysed and modified my approach to my management and follow up of a couple of situations I was faced with and as a result experienced positive outcomes in both.

I find that being open to change and listening to others point of view are two things I havent always done well but by making the effort I have noticed they can and do make a difference.

I am nearly 40 years into my selling career and find it fascinating that I still learn things everyday.I believe an important ingredient in that recipe is that I still have the hunger to learn and achieve better results this far along my career path.

In an exciting development my thirst for knowledge and betterment has landed me a huge opportunity which if it comes off will result in me fulfilling a lifelong career ambition.

Now THAT Ladies and Gentlemen would definitely have me flying high…NOT just falling with style!!!!!

Watch this space…..

 

“To Infinity and beyond!!”. Sheriff Woody and Buz Lightyear before blast off in ‘Toy Story’

"Grumpy Old Men" !!!

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 338 Monday 04/07/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,I think there is signs of improvement over the years but sometimes many (and me)wonder.There was a word that appeared regularly on most school reports and a few subsequent performance reviews and it is,”intolerance”!I know you are thinking,no surely not me but Im afraid so…its me!

So here it is in a nutshell…I am sometimes grumpy and I have always found it hard to be tolerant!

There I said it ok…..ahhhh that feels so much better,thanks and apologies to all annoying people!

Fletcher reckons;he understands completely and finds when people annoy him he just counts to ten.Maybe Daddy should try that,although in his observation this could be a bridge too far for dad!

So instead of being grumpy I added another project to the growing list by rescuing an amazing copper pot with brass handles from the transfer station floor!It had been run over by our 20 tonne loader and was completely crushed but that didn’t deter me from seeing the huge potential J.

My attraction to non ferrous metals goes right back to the days I used to scavenge for these precious metals after school in the old Devonport rubbish tip in Ngataringa Bay.The colour of copper and brass holds a natural fascination and I was particularly proud of the way the pot was rescued and saved!!

Amazing how simple things like this restoration can bring so much enjoiyment and satsifaction….once a magpie always a magpie!!To cap off a great weekend on inorganic pre loved projects I got a coat of paint on the recently acquired solid pine table which transformed it ready for a second life at 48!!

I hope you had an equally satisfying crisp,clear mid winter weekend relaxing in anticipation of another BIG week ahead,make it a good one……………Cheers Jonesey!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon grumpy men don’t deserve tolerant dogs!!! Ruff ruff!

 

 

“The highest result of education is tolerance”. Helen Keller.

 

I have found that tolerance is equally as important a quality to have in the work place.

Intolerance is infectious and can and does have a negative effect on others.

Recently I was told that my intolerance at work was becoming obvious and obstructive??

This revelation stopped me in my tracks and made me say “who me, how could this be?”

At first I was in denial failing to believe that I could possibly be coming across in this way?

I was personally devastated and reacted badly to my colleague’s honesty and frankness.

Then I reflected deeply and examined my behaviour and how I was communicating.

I discovered that I was emotionally blaming others instead of being more objective.

I found that I had allowed my perceived inability of others to do their jobs affect my tone and tolerance of these people and their supervisors through my communication with them.

This had naturally upset others and started to turn them against me internally.

As is often the case this was not made or obvious to me but something I had to discover randomly!

It is sobering to become aware when it comes out of left field and not from those most affected L

In this case it was an unwelcome but sort of welcome wake up call for me and a timely one.

I had let lots of negative things that had built up over time affect my work attitude to the point where it had obviously started to impact on my colleagues.

Once I had dealt with the surprise and hurt I eventually felt lucky this had been pointed out to me.

I realised how my natural tendency to be intolerant had ingrained itself into my daily performance.

I had to accept that I had let my normal ‘Upbeat’ self become grumpy and not someone inspirational but someone irrational and abusive!.....OMG…my worst nightmare.

We all need people who bring us down to earth when we need it and I urge you to embrace rather than ignore them if and when they do…..a good reminder for us all that being ‘Upbeat’ is not a given it is a work in progress!....good luck working hard to be that person my friends.

 

“Practice does not make perfect.Only perfect practice makes perfect”. Vince Lombardi