The dreaded four letter word!!

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 334 Tuesday 07/06/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,I have never been able to resist something with a free sign on it.This makes life particularly difficult in our hood where it is common practise for residents to place pre loved stuff outside their shacks featuring the four lettered word!There have been some particularly good scores recently including a cool kids (big and small) trolley in need of some front wheels.Then there is the solid wood table with matching side tables in need of a conversion from hideous green to something easier on the eye.Yes two more projects join the growing pile in the shed,hmm..where to start!

Fletcher reckons; it is essential to prioritise the trolley project as he isnt getting any younger and needs to get into it this side of five!....no pressure Pop but you arent exactly the handyman so it may take a few goes to get those front wheels and the new paint job spot on!

When it comes to kids birthday parties times have certainly changed over the years. In the last two weeks we have visited Chipmunks and a Trampoline Park both catering in creating total birthday kid chaos.The positive for us was a quiet night on both occasions as Fletcher crashed and burned early!

Long weekends are cool and Queens Birthday was no exception providing us that extra bit of time to catch up on our regular and one off chore list, relaxing with each other and most importantly making time for visiting family.It was a particular thrill to catch up with our son Mark after more than a year!

I hope you managed to make the most of your last official long weekend till October…Cheers Jonesey

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon Dogs beds take precedence over projects in the shed!!

 

 

“Success is no accident,it is hardwork,perseverance,learning,studying,sacrifice and most of all love of what you are doing or learning to do”. Pele

 

‘They’ do say thet the worst day out fishing is still better than the best day at work?

Whilst in some cases that may be true I guess it depends what you do for a job.

I have had some pretty cool days at work lately but they didn’t all start out like that.

Every day is like a new ride on the roller coaster,they all have their ups and downs sometimes more downs than ups but all get you where you are going if you hang in there.

The best days I have at work are often the culmination of many ups and downs I have endured before which eventually produce a win and often a win/win.

The word that comes to mind for me is ‘perseverance’ and this is what carries me through the times when I feel like quitting or letting go or the times when I can feel anything but ‘Upbeat’.

Life isnt easy, being upbeat isnt easy which is why I write this and you read it because we need to encourage each other to persevere no matter what may happen to deter us along the way.

I have had a couple of good wins lately that would have been easy to let go earlier instead of persevering with but I didn’t take no for answer,I disrupted the process, I challenged the process.

So its all very well to talk about hanging in there but what is the secret, is there one?

For me its about not accepting the standard procedure/process, its about challenging that norm and working positively around it by finding another way eg; Question,“You want to buy?” Answer “No thanks no interest,no need.It is about creating interest and need that potential customers didn’t even know they had.In most cases in the sales process if you are quoting like for like then you are wasting your time.You need to be creating innovation and sustainability based solutions designed to inspire,lead and deliver your potential customers an edge not same old same old…..a monkey can do that and people are too busy to stop and give monkeys their valuable time.

So if you want to succeed don’t be a monkey following the norms set by others be daring be different and create something special. That way you will always enjoy work more than the worst day fishing!!

 

“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did”.Newt Gingrich

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