My life is rubbish

        

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 438 Monday 30/07/18

 

Hi,recycling/reusing North West style is kind of cool and can be done easily in your own Community.All you need to do is put anything you don’t need any more out the front of your place.

Sometimes within minutes passerbys cant help themselves as they go through picking out the ‘good stuff’. The beauty of the exercise is everyones tastes are different so there is no ‘bad stuff.Amazingly a decent pile of stuff can and does disappear in a day and completely in two!!To demonstrate how well it works we scored some great pre loved pieces this weekend including a cool table soccer game.

We have had endless fun this weekend on our new toy battling each other for the World title (see pic)

Fletcher reckons if the tooth fairy continues to be so generous he is on track to raise a decent pile of cash after collecting another 4 bucks from his second tooth!!...could be good for a loan!!

Something funny….about bin diving and inorganic pile treasure hunting is the reinforcement of the old adage ‘someones junk is someone elses treasure’.I am continually astounded at what some people either pull out of bins or stop and collect from the kerb…exciting stuff, try it you will love it!

It is the calm before the storm at 48 as we build toward 3 weeks ambo training as our new recruit enjoys some time out helping in a local café….yes time to step up for the boys…’lets do this’!

Speaking of ‘just doing it’ I hope you have an ‘Upbeat’ week doing just that…………Cheers Jonesey.

 

Kate and Lily reckon dog rego would be cheap at double the price so stop your moaning!!

 

 

 

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Steve Jobs

 

My life is rubbish and I couldn’t be happier!!!

How so?....well checking out other peoples junk is such a buzz!

Even better I actually get paid to check out other peoples junk!!

Every bin or truck load represents opportunity for me/us.

Opportunity to divert as much of that bin or truckload away from the dreaded landfill!

But wait theres more!….before the waste gets in the bin I get a chance to make sure it doesn’t!

The waste hierarchy or 3R’s as it is widely known goes like this ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

So by auditing a waste stream pre bin or truck I can suggest ways to reduce and reuse first.

This can take various shapes or directions but all will ensure a sustainable outcome.

Achieving these outcomes creates a ‘feel good’ factor for the generator and the benefactor.

Once the material is deemed waste and hits the bin or truck the challenge to recycle is thrown down!

Then it gets interesting and creative which is the part I particularly enjoy taking head on.

Creating a recycling outcome either by processing ourselves or via our extensive network is huge.

There is no doubt that preventing any waste from becoming landfill bound/dumped is Utopia.

So when people ask me what I do and I tell them ‘I talk rubbish all day’, I actually mean it!!

My life is rubbish or other peoples and making the best of every kg of it is my goal.

Finding a vocation where one feels one is making a difference everyday isnt easy but I have!!

Creating solutions to peoples problems is immensely satisfying for me and them.

Lets face it most of us go to work ideally for 40 hours but more likely for 50-60 these days.

So it makes sense when that % of our days, weeks and years is so occupied that we are happyJ.

Yes,you guessed it, my sales sizzle message/challenge is if you are not happy then DO something!

Like me you can make a difference everyday whilst making yourself and all you contact happy too!

 

“Whatever you decide to do make sure it makes you happy J.”

Our Hood

 

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 437 Monday 23/07/18

 

Hi,something you learn real quick when you live on the West Coast is to respect the sea. Never take it for granted and don’t ever turn your back on it!!Unfortunately a lot of visitors to our hood don’t realise how dangerous and deceptive the magnificence of the environment can be.Sadly last week another two visitors were swept off the Muriwai rocks and drowned despite the best efforts of our amazing rescue services to prevent their untimely deaths.Christine and others from the volunteer fire, first response,and surf lifesavers battled hard to save these precious lives but lost the race!

Fletcher reckons school holiday footy camp rocked even though his team France lost the final on this occasion!Devonport Wharf struggles as a fishing venue….the closest we got to a fish was the ones in batter we had for lunch from the local chippie!.....cool day out in Nana and Poppa’s hood!!

Something funny….driving past a rugged looking builder type in the ‘A’ standard ute last week when I noticed a not so ‘A’ standard designer type poodle/cross pooch on his lap….hmmm not the look I expected.Whatever happened to the larger/mans best friend dog happy to balance in the tray with the wheelbarrows,mixer,shovels and spades?!I must say it did make me laugh out loud!

Met the new neighbour and pleased to report he loves the Pohutukawa as much as we do,is keen to join the Fire Brigade and is a genuine allround good joker...what a turnaround in our hood.

I hope you are going well in your hood and ready to have an ‘Upbeat’ week…………Cheers Jonesey.

 

Kate and Lily reckon they should ride up front in the ute too….should they ever be invited!

 

 

 

“Volunesia…that moment you forget you are volunteering to help change lives because it is changing yours.”

 

Last week our local rescue services excelled yet again.

Ordinary locals with extraordinary passion to serve their community and care for others.

Within minutes of the alarm being raised they mobilised rescue equipment and were on the scene.

Victims were located quickly and immediate attempts were made to resucitate and save them.

Just another day at the office for the Muriwai volunteer services who are trained to save lives.

Its always sad when no matter how fast or how well trained you are when lives are still lost.

There are only split seconds between life and death so with each incident the dice is rolled.

If ever Christine needed a sign or a confirmation she was doing the right thing this was it.

Emergency response whilst catastrophic and calamatous is her happy place…the zone for her.

The Ambulance role with St John will advance her training and fine tune her first responding skills.

She like the other committed local rescue volunteers have an inbuilt enthusiasm for serving others.

The rest of us can take something important from observing people like this in action.

If we are passionate and driven to do the things that make us happy and content we will excel.

In the rescue services world it can be the difference between life and death!

In the business world it can be the difference between inspiring, leading and succeeding or failing!

In our private lives it can be the difference between mutually beneficial fun relationships or divorce!

In the sporting world it can be the difference between contributing and winning or losing!

So find something you are passionate about and pursue it relentlessly and you will be happy.

Not only that,while making a huge difference doing so you will also make others happy.

I amaze myself sometimes at the amount of inspiration and motivation I get from observing others!

Hope you also get something from this simple yet powerful observation…..good luck ‘Upbeat’ team!

 

“Volunteers are not paid because they are worthless,but because they are priceless.”

Video Star

        

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 436 Monday 16/07/18

 

Hi,sometimes battling boldly on when you are crook is not the best thing to do.Man flu and doing it tough might seem like the way to go but can end up doing more harm than good.For once I sought early advice and got some meds for a heavily infected chest.Then unbelievably I followed the advice and rested and as hard as I found that to do I credit that recipe for my speedy recovery.

The reality is a couple of missed runs and workouts or a day off isnt going to matter in the long run!

Fletcher reckons he cant wait for week 2 school holidays,World Cup final, soccer camp,wharf fishing and a trip to the local transfer station with some junk and a visit to the second hand store….gold !!!!

Something funny….about perceptions,they are often wrong or easily changed.In a classic example I have always believed that people who have the flu vaccine often ended up getting crook.So I have always avoided it until my GP asked the question and then said “so you don’t want to live longer?”He went on to say that it has been clinically proven that those who get the flu jab often lived longer than those who don’t.You guessed it, I rolled up my sleeve and looked the other way…..for good!

Christine had an 11^th hour change of new job plan with an offer she couldn’t refuse from St John.She has accepted a role as an Ambulance Paramedic…..an exciting and rewarding career path beckons!

I hope life is moving positively forward for you too, have an  ‘Upbeat’ week…………Cheers Jonesey.

 

Kate and Lily reckon no one ever asks them how they are feeling or offers a flu jab?

 

 

 

 

“We don’t see things as they are we see thyings as we are.” Aais Nin

 

 

Speaking of perceptions;

I received a video of me speaking at a recent event.

Until I received this I thought I had done a pretty good job and was satisfied.

Interesting the perception we have of how we think we communicate and come across to others.

After watching myself my perception was in tatters as the reality was something different.

What I had believed and what I actually saw were not at all as I remembered it!

There was indeed plenty of things I saw on video that I could improve on and have done better.

Videos are a training method/tool I have avoided in the past however will use in future.

I believe they are a must if you want to improve the way you communicate with others.

Other people can provide their personal evaluation but no one can critique you like you.

No matter how good you think you are there is always things you can do to improve.

Videos don’t lie or tell you what you want to hear, they reveal all warts and all!!

Crikey no wonder some people are not interested in viewing the truth…they would rather not know!

It takes courage to accept you are not as crash hot as you think and to do something about it.

What amazes me is that so many people I listen to are oblivious to how much better they could be.

Attend a ‘death by power point’ conference and check out how many presenters are clearly oblivious!

So my message from my own video experience is to use this medium to prepare and perfect.

No one is ever as good as they can be and to believe you have nothing more to learn is arrogant.

We should all be learning all the time and using videos to get better is an outstanding idea! Try it !

 

 

“Your reality is as you perceive it to be.So it is true that by altering this perception we can alter our reality.” William Constantine