Blistering!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 321 Monday 07/03/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,crikey what an action packed roller coaster first week of Autumn at 48! Our dear Harry Jones was diagnosed with a large tumour and went under the knife to emerge 4 hours later larger than life (thank goodness).Yours truly stressed everyone by picking up a bug in the pool, hit the wall and slept for 12 hours with ‘man symptoms’. Back up and at em and setting a blistering pace on a blistering day to take out the much sort after/highly competitive push chair section(self proclaimed) in the Auckland Round the Bays with FJJ firmly in control at the helm!

Fletcher reckons;we were clear winners as he navigated his way skillfully through the 50,000 plus crowd and urged his aging/fading Father past every other push chair he could hunt down ahead!!!

Then as I was enjoying a well deserved beer it started tasting of tears as I had to endure a complete form reversal by the ‘new’ Blues I talked up last week grrrrr(I did say long suffering fan!).

Well Harry made it and this veteran Round The Bays athlete made it…………….so I reckon  I deserved a well earned beer after the week that was!!

Looking ahead to our 2^nd wedding anniversary next week and plenty of new challenges and opportunities for all……have an awesome week……………Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon Harrys Mum and Dad almost needed medical assistance too, her, as she waited for word from the theatre and him, paying the Vet bill!!!

 

 

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Gandhi

 

Our Toastmasters Club recently sponsored the formation of a new club in South Auckland.

Amazingly the Pacific Island Community of Mangere and surrounds didn’t have a club of their own!

Some distinguished and motivated Toastmasters from other clubs got together and changed that.

Slowly but surely the locals showed interest in getting involved and turned up to some demonstration meetings .

From this the word quickly spread and before long there was enough people interested and committed to be able to form a club.

The Pacific Club was born and has quickly grown into an official Toastmasters Club.

Until last Tuesday I had followed their progress through members of our club who played an integral part in the formation and set up of this club but had not had a personal exposure to them.

That all changed on Tuesday when I had the great privelege and pleasure to meet a couple of the founder members at our club meeting and I was blown away by their passion and hunger.

Passion for the Toastmasters organisation and hunger to learn more and be better at every facet of communication and leadership.

This outward display of emotion from them inspired and uplifted me. It gave me a great deal of pride in the organisation and refueled my passion and hunger to be better and to achieve more.

I was reminded why I do what I do and how important it is to do it.

There is no substitute for the look and feel you receive from someone who is genuinely appreciative for your assistance and guidance.

I always wanted to be a Teacher,it is my happy place so when I feel I am adding value and assisting others at Toastmasters or anywhere else it adds value to my life too.

We all need to find that happy place because when we do we will be assured it is a place where we are at our best for ourselves and others.

If you are prevented for whatever reason from doing this then you must identify where the roadblocks are and remove them……don’t delay this is critical to personal and work fufilment.

Go for it!

 

“Self confidence is the best outfit,rock it and own it.”

Get your froth on !!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 320 Monday 29/02/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,as a long suffering Blues rugby fan it has been hard to stay positive over what seems to be endless footy seasons!.More recently I would have settled for our team at least being competitive or showing some signs of actually caring about their results and their fans!So after another coaching change and some uncustomary pre season form I along with 20,000 at the garden of Eden held my breath as the dawn of what we hope to be another great era began.There is no better way to start than by taking down last seasons champions…..long may the form,attitude and success continue!!Go the Blues!!

Fletcher reckons; he is primed for his first ever Round the Bays race having checked pram tyre pressures and all chassis nuts and bolts.Now it is all up to his 56 year old engine competing for the 30^th time….you up for it Dad??.....hope so bro…..bring it on, watch this space (RTB March 6^th).

As part of the Round the Bays entry pack we also got to enter a contest with a prize for two to travel and compete in the Melbourne equivalent in July!!Interesting family selection process approaching!!!!

We had a cool week combining work with catching up on family and friends proving that the two can be juggled successfully if you plan and make allowance for it.You will never regret it.

Too often we let work dominate to the detriment of maintaining contact with the people we know are there for us unconditionally….there is a lot wrong with that picture so get juggling team!!

Crikey our 32 year old turned 33 last week……like a good vintage we get better with age !!! J

Have a great week ahead making the most and getting amongst……..Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon the Blues could be the real deal this season…Go Tana!!!

 

 

“You only get one chance to make a good impression and yours might be in the hands of the receptionist!” Harvey MacKay

 

I rocked up to an appointment last week with a customer with whom I have had an association for over 30 years!!!

There on reception was a lady who has been there for all of that time and more.

We instantly recognised each other after what must have been at least 10 years since we had last seen each other or spoken!

There was a deep and meaningful connection and plenty of history to talk about which was cool.

The even cooler thing was this lady made sure she pointed out to the two ‘young guns’ about to meet with me that they couldn’t be dealing with a more helpful or efficient person as me!!!

Crikey I couldn’t have introduced myself any better if I had prepared something for days!!!

This example proves how you can make lasting impressions with people you meet through your actions and commitment to service quality.

Clearly this was the case in this instance and it cretaed a favourable first impression with the guys I was meeting and also provided our company with a powerful opening endorsement.

Never underestimate the importance of first impressions and the integral role a receptionist plays in most if not all businesses so getting her onside is critical to your success.

They can and often do have influence within companies and as such provide you with a strong internal ally as you pitch for the business or more information.

The other thing I like about this lady and the organisation she works for is that they clearly are a good company to work for or she wouldn’t still be there.

This also tells me that they are a company we probably will enjoy and want to do business with.

So in this fast paced world and business environmenmt we work in there are still examples of the power of long term business relationships resulting in referrals for more business!

Don’t ever lose site of the importance of forming those term relationships….good luck!

 

“Be kind and friendly to the Receptionist,she has had a hard day.” Rebecca Pidgeon

Mayhem!!

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 318 Monday 22/02/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,nothing beats ticking off items on the weekend ‘to do‘ list,trouble is the list is always too long and often for us basking in the pleasure of a job well done is short lived.Especially true if Fletcher Jones is within a 5km radius!A spotless bedroom,lounge or bathroom is like an open invitation to our threenager to seek and destroy leaving toys, towels and teddybears in his wake.Even the leaves I painstakingly swept up from our courtyard were replaced with interest the next day after a stiff Sou-wester!!.....so you say “why bother?”…because we are the Joneses of course!!!!!

Fletcher reckons; it’s a bit rough blaming him for the sou-wester but he is more than happy to take responsibility for most domestic drama and mayhem at 48.Btw his favourite toy above all others is the homemade paper dart that Dad made,simple pleasure and plenty of fun with the old boy!!

We checked out the Lantern Festival on Saturday night in the Domain.We were amazed to see such a huge,vibrant and ethnically diverse crowd,WOW the multicultural face of Auckland on show!!

Talking about impressive what about that whirlwind world record innings in his last test by Brendon McCallum!!!??? OMG…what a legend he is and will always be.For us it was all the more enjoyable listening to it on AM sports radio on our preloved solid state Radola.Quite awesome live commentary whilst having to picture the drama unfolding at the picturesque Hagley Oval in the Garden City!!!!

We were thrilled to discover an ‘Elvis Monthly’ mag in a junk shop recently…64 pages of info on The King , unadulterated adulation for the purist. Fascinating stuff and now on its way via retro post to my Auntie in Melbourne who is a fan…I am so excited I cant wait till she gets it. How cool is that? I never feel like that about email…its too instant,post is about the anticipation and the enjoyment!!

Have you sent a letter or card to someone lately?.....go on youll love it and so will they, dare yuh!!

Have a great week ahead making the most and getting amongst……..Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon DOG spelt backwards says it all rather aptly!!

 

 

Some people want it to happen,some wish it would happen ,others make it happen.” Michael Jordan

 

One of my first Managers and someone who became a mentor used to encourage me to get out of the office to ‘kick tyres and talk to people at the coal face’. He maintained this was the only way to understand what was happening in the company and the industry.

I took his advice and still continue the practise today because it works.

Google doesn’t see our customers as much as our drivers,Google doesn’t talk to our customers every day when they call our team and Google is not at the cutting edge of our industry and present daily in the changing environment we operate in there is no substitute for physical tyre kicking!!

I have learned more and uncovered countless leads and opportunities from following this advice.

I also meet people daily who recount amazing stories from putting themselves into ‘right place at the right time’ scenarios from  doing exactly the same thing….basically taking the time to talk to people!!

Like my mate whose career was starting to go places with potential who needed a Business Manager and met one at a local school function.One thing led to another and now his career is soaring to new heights on the back of this random meeting with his soon to be future business partner!!

Or the rich source of contacts and leads to be gained from industry networking functions. Many people avoid these because of a reluctance to mix and mingle however if you are prepared to put yourself out there then the benefits can be significant.

Or what about saying gidday to people you see everyday wherever you may be? I started talking to a guy I see everyday at the pool and discovered he is a Manager at a huge potential customer !!

Crikey, how exciting,just saying hello and having a chat can transform your life… so don’t be shy……!!

 

“I love the smell of possibility in the morning.” Zig Ziglar