Infectious positivity!

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 304 Monday 19/10/2015

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,I remember my Dad getting me up in the wee small hours of the morning to watch the All Blacks playing live on the other side of the world!I am sure there are many of us revsiting these memories in the last few weeks as the RWC 2015 action unfolds live from the UK.There is nothing like watching the All Blacks live no matter how old you are.Replays are fairweather folly but live is grass roots boys own action.From the raw emotion of the national anthem and the haka through to flying horizontal into  every ruck,lifting and stretching at every lineout,grunting at scrumtime through to laying life and limb on the line there is nothing like being there live on the couch playing our part.

Crikey it is exciting/emotional and for me it does matter so Im going for it.I do,however,respect the views and opinions of those for whom it isnt such a big deal but I bet even you guys and girls are at least slightly/mildly affected in a positive way…..hope so anyway!!...positivity is infectious!!
Fletcher says; “go away Dad”when he is so rudely awoken at 3.45am to watch Wales v South Africa??….ok so he wont have fond memories of that particular time in 2015!Pretty cool playing lounge test match rugby with Dad at half time in the later game though!...he has a mean fend off in the early stages of development!!

Bring on semi-finals weekend at 48 on the big screen!

I hope you are enjoying life whatever you are up to, take care have a good one.….……Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon all said and done…..Rugby will be the winner!!! J

 

 

“I am too positive to be doubtful,too optimistic to be fearful and too determined to be defeated.” Larry Ellison

 

Positive people generate an infectious aura around them.

We need to surround ourselves with positive people.

Seems straight forward but not always easy to do because of the negativity that confronts us daily.

Positive people outlast the cynics and the tall poppy cutters.

I was lucky enough to spend time with a number of positive people recently which inspired me!

These were optimists who saw opportunity rather than pessimistic doom or failure whilst looking at the same situations.

To these refreshingly different individuals there is no such thing as difficulties,instead they see them as opportunities and set about solving these with innovative yet simple ideas.

One guy I met even announced to multi levels of Management in a Board presentation I was in with him that he welcomed problems because most people didn’t like them so he had built his business out of embracing and solving them!

WOW….what a simple business strategy for success…welcome and solve problems vs ignoring them and having them escalate.

So the advice from the optimists is to rise above the pessimists and to stay positive whilst persevering with innovation and solving problems others have filed in the too hard basket!

One simple thing I did and you can too is to treat every contact you have internal or external as an opportunity to add value either by solving a problem or meeting a need.

I am constantly amazed how many people don’t do this and instead they think the worst every time the phone goes or an email appears…..you simply cant afford to do that!

So your mission in the coming week (should you decide to accept it) is to add a positive person to your network and to solve some problems rather than create some for others!!! Go for it !!!

 

“Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” Colin Powell

Rats and mice!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 303 Monday 12/10/2015

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,pride is something we all feel but if you are like me you probably don’t show it enough.Pride in ourselves,pride in others,pride in a uniform needs to be expressed and acknowledged.As Kiwis we are typically humble and tend to let our pride fly under the radar a little more than we should.So I am officially breaking the mold and announcing how proud I was of my wife Christine last weekend for helping organise and partcipating in our local volunteer fire brigades 50^th anniversary and open day celebrations! I think it is important to shout stuff like this from the roof tops and to make sure the people closest to you know exactly how you feel!Your mission is to tell someone how proud you are of them in the coming week…….it will make you and them feel awesome! Just do it!!

Fletcher says; the best thing about the Fire Brigade open day was definitely the bouncy castle closely followed by squirting his Father with a high pressure fire fighting hose! (attached).

The pitter patter of tiny feet is normally something to celebrate unless of course they are of the rodent variety!We have had several furry families attempting to move into #48 this winter and have managed to repel them by laying baits regularly.The unpleasant downside is the smell eminating from the ceiling for a week or two after each eradication campaign.The shallow cavity between our ceiling and our roof is such that we are unable to remove before the decomposition stage!!!I have  developed a brief explanation script for visitors to warn them……that’s life in the country folks!!

Its business end time at RWC 2015 and I cant wait for next weekends quarter finals where the top teams in the world will go head to head….ruggers heaven,it doesn’t get any better…GO ALL BLACKS !!

I hope you are enjoying life whatever you are up to, take care have a good one.….……Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckoned they would never say it but perhaps we need a cat?

 

 

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Mark Twain

 

I love buying and wearing something new.

It always makes me feel good and that gives me confidence and I reckon people I meet react positively to me if I look and feel a million bucks.

I was lucky enough to discover a scooby doo deal on a suit (new not recycled J) recently the wearing of which happened to coincide with me closing a couple of good deals!

I felt great and I reckon the threads made me look and feel successful which is exactly what happened.

It is easy to get complacent about how you look and what you wear but the reality is that it matters!

Taking time over your appearance is essential if you want to project the right image no matter what you do.

I remember many years ago I bought a a pre loved Armani suit at a Primary School jumble sale for $15.

It was navy and could have been tailored for me it fitted so well and looked amazing……how do I know….well apart from my own opinion it was also the opinion of everyone I met in that suit.It was a suit with X factor and with me in it there was no stopping the deals from flowing inJ.

Maybe it wasn’t that good but it seemed it and I cherished the opportunities to wear that suit because together we were winners!

I also had a Pierre Cardin double breasted blazer (new) of epic Fleet Admiral proportion and it looked and made me feel like royalty…….yes clothes, accessories and grooming are a critical success factor.

Speaking of accessories the recent coup de gras for me is definitely the wooden eco watch equally at home with suits and casual attire and more of a talking point than a Tag or Rolex would ever be !!

Yes perception is everything so always be on the look out for the X factor edition to your wardrobe!!!

 

“Clothing is the first step to building a character.”  Sylvester Stallone

Destiny

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 302 Monday 05/10/2015

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,the great thing for us about Christine working in the hospitality industry is the fun associated with familiarising ones selves with the companies products!No prizes for guessing what Scenic Hotels product is….high quality accomodation at some scooby doo prime New Zealand spots!

So after a cool weekend ‘famil’ in the beautiful Bay of Islands recently we are off again this time to the mainland to a quaint little place called Queenstown!Yes we are lucky so like all lucky people we are making the most of the opportunity to take regular breaks advancing our product knowledge!

Watch this space for the latest Scenic update from the deep south late October, cant wait!

Fletcher says; the excitement is building ahead of his first plane flight.He has booked the window seat however took some convincing about why he would be unable to open it for a better lookJ!

Muriwai Volunteer Fire Brigade celebrates 50 years in existence this coming weekend and will be holding a family open day on Saturday 10^th October to commemorate the occasion.So if you feel like a drive to the Wild West Coast bring the kids for a cool time from midday to three oclock.Like a lot of small communities up and down the country we owe a big debt of gratitude to the volunteers who give time unselfishly to ensure we have prompt reliable access to emergency services(see attached).

Speaking of emergency services I think English rugby is in need of serious help after crashing out of their own World Cup tournament.Harry and the Hendersons picked it last week and it is becoming increasingly obvious that if the All Blacks live up to their world ranking they could be squaring off against the Aussies in the final in early November!!....bring it on.

I hope you are having a happy time whatever you are up to, take care….……Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon you should have listened re All Black v Aussie final!

 

 

“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”William Shakespeare

 

25 years ago I loved the sound of my own voice and needed help!

It was then I sort help and joined an organisation set up many years ago to help people like me.

I attended regular meetings where I was encouraged warmly to open up and confront my addiction!

Slowly but surely I learned to listen more than I talked and to always appreciate others point of view rather than talk over the top of them pushing and pursuing only what I wanted to say.

I was encouraged to let my guard down and to accept recommendations on how I could improve my own performance by accepting and appreciating I needed help.

I was taught to embrace my passion for hearing my own voice but to structure what I wanted to say so it wasn’t overbearing but inspiring,motivational and interesting.

Once my new colleagues reckoned I was up to it they encouraged me to mentor and assist others to overcome their obsessions and their fears.

Over my time with this organisation I have seen many people with the same issues I faced overcome them and go on to achieve things beyond their wildest dreams.

Whilst I have belonged 25 years the organisation itself has been helping people like me for 90 years!

I am not required to continue attending meetings but I do because of the buzz I get out of assisting others to address their issues, overcome their fears,gain self belief and confidence!

Yes Ladies and Gentlemen I am talking unashamedly about the Toastmasters organisation and my 25^th year of membership.

It has been suggested I may rave on a bit about this outfit but it is not without good reason!

To summarise,its not for everyone,you get out what you put in,your success in life can be directly attributable to how well you communicate with others and there is only one person responsible for your destiny in this world and that is YOU…..so for what its worth……I recommend you check it out!!!

 

“Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny.”Bob Marley