Sunday, August 28, 2016

Telling it like it is !!


 

 

 

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Hi,the thing I like about my job is that I get to make a difference every day by helping divert waste away from landfills.I like to think this is doing my bit to save our planet or at least leave it in better nick than I found it.My wife on the other hand is working away to ensure there are plenty of animals around to enjoy the planet I am busy saving!Two of our three dogs are from rescue centres and last week they were joined by a rescue possum!!Yes my wife rescued a baby possum from its mothers pouch after the mother came to grief on a local road!The baby was revived,fed by hand and warmed up over night in our(my) hot water cupboard before the local vets nurse took over(thankfully).

This touching story unfortunately ended in tears (literally for Christine L) when ‘Poss’ faded and passed away a day later despite the efforts of all involved to save him/her.

Fletcher reckons;his Mum has inspired him to be a Vet through her heroic efforts to save Poss,her adoption of every pidgeon,sparrow,blackbird,tui,and any other bird life within 5km of our house and  her ongoing kindness to Harry and the Hendersons by allowing them to sleep in Dads bed!

I hope your family makes you equally as happy and proud as mine do me and inspire you every Sunday to get a good nights sleep before having an ‘Upbeat’ week ahead…..Cheers Jonesey!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon nothing but good things come from animal rescue!

 

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“Telling it like it is means telling it like it was and how it is now that it isnt what it was to the is now people.” Jill Johnston

 

Part of having a successful week involves doing stuff you don’t want to do.

Stuff you don’t want to do is easy to avoid  but doesn’t go away it just builds up.

The best thing to do with this stuff is to agree how to deal with it and ‘Just Do It’.

I seemed to have more than my share of stuff I didn’t want to do last week.

I didn’t know how to deal with it all and had to ask for plenty of advice which I did.

Asking for advice is good however it doesn’t mean you can hand the problem to others.

It just means you get some other ideas on how to handle or face a particular challenge.

We all face challenges every day, it is how we deal with them that defines us as people.

Once I had consulted with others I confronted the challenges in front of me head on.

I find this is the only way to deal with things I would rather not do and that is to get them done as quickly as possible.

This is not what I used to do, I would pussy foot around and find every excuse under the sun not to do something or I would water down the message so it didn’t seem as harsh or abrupt but in doing so I wouldn’t make my point or the message clear!.....sound familiar…if so you are not alone!!

So last week I was on my game and dealt with a number of major issues promptly and professionally.

The outcome was clear, concise and collossal as it resulted in a number of positives.The interesting thing for me was a number of the situations I had to confront and control by addressing had got to that point because I hadnt done a good sales or communications job prior to.

As sales people we often criticise other departments in our business for not supporting us however often their reluctance to support us is for good reason.

If we don’t want to have to deal with issues then it is important we are providing solutions that the company is capable of delivering rather than making promises we or others cant fulfil.

I am pleased to say that after a challenging week and plenty of honesty no deals fell over….YAY !!!

 

“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything”. Mark Twain

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Wild flowers!!


 

 

 

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Hi,as you know I live by the mantra “one mans rubbish is another mans treasure”with me being the man who turns the rubbish into treasure.Well at least that’s how its meant to turn out anyway. After collecting and ‘coming by’ a number of scrap steel items recently it was time to cash in!Off I went to the ‘scrappy’ with my haul full of excitement and expectation only to have my parade totally rained out when it was revealed my stash was worth a grand total of $10!!!Will this deter the Steptoe/Magpie within,no way because its in my blood regardless of unstable world wide steel prices!

Fletcher reckons; he hopes being a Magpie is not in his blood because ‘now that he is 4’ he is far too busy and important to collect other peoples old junk! Hmmm that kid could go places!!

We are often reminded how it’s the simple things in life that make a huge difference like Fletcher collecting wild flowers for his Mum on our dog walk recently.They made Mum cry and filled the house with a fragrance that $30 worth of flowers struggles to ever do!...simple stuff from the heart.

A bit like the outside shower at the local pool I often stand there after training watching the sun come up over the surrounding farmland thinking how lucky am I.Les Mills junkies eat your heart out!!!

How about the Olympic medal haul or that AB Bledisloe Cup blitz how could any of us do anything else but have an ‘Upbeat’ week ahead…..Cheers Jonesey!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon nothing but good things come from dog walking!

 

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“Its hard to beat a person who never gives up”.Babe Ruth

 

Its been an interesting week since we talked about the psychology of winning!

I have found myself exposed to the other end of the spectrum and been annoyed by it.

We hear a lot about immigrants being alowed to come into New Zealand to take jobs that New Zealanders could be doing.

On the surface of it this seems wrong and shouldn’t be happening however when you delve into it a little further you discover that these people really are doing work New Zealanders don’t want to do.

The reality is many Kiwis don’t want to work,they have got too used to not working and when offered the opportunity to do something about that many decline!

I have experienced this first hand with two projects I am involved in at the moment. Both involve 24/7 availability and out of hours work requirement however when unemployed people were offered the work at above minimum hourly rates they turned it down. Others turned up but after experiencing the work failed to show again?!!

In both cases immigrants were recruited and the projects are both back on track because the fundamental difference is these people want to work and turn up reliably to do so.

I reckon it is too easy for a lot of Kiwis to get the benefit and to stay on it after deciding it is their right to be paid for doing nothing.

No one begrudges those on hard times receiving a hand up however when that hand up is taken for granted then I have a major problem with it.

Interestingly in Canada people are entitled to a benefit however after they have received it for a total of 2 years continuous or collective on or off that is it…..I like that idea…imagine it happening in NZ !!

I worked an extra job lately,it involved working out of hours at a retail store in the main street of Auckland.The intreresting thing was there were so called homeless out of work people everywhere yet not one of them said to me ‘hey for breakfast and a cup of coffee can I help you?’

They were all too busy begging for a hand out and trying to get others to take pity on them.

I am firmly of the view that if people want to get ahead badly enough then they will by working hard.

We cant complain about immigrants who show more willingness to get ahead than our own people!

 

“I never dreamed about success,I worked for it”. Estee Lauder

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Watch that space folks!


 

 

 

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Hi,we were taken back in time as we had to listen rather than watch the live radio commentary of the Olympic Womans shot put final.The tension was electric and built to the final round and unbelievably to the very last throw for our own Val Adams who had led throughout to the throw before her last.It was an amazing experience to listen and have to picture the drama, the emotion and the climatic conclusion to the pulsating contest! To say we were gutted for Val was an understatement,it took a few hours to get over the whole experience but we wouldn’t have missed listening rather than watching it for anything!

Fletcher reckons; now that he is 4 it is time to establish his true identity, set trends rather than follow them if you know what he means.The attached photo says it all with his designer birthday present PJs and hand painted toe nails (Mother initiative I might add)Hmmm watch that space folks!

The big Kindergarten Disco looms large and the excitement is building as Fletcher is able to invite friends from Daycare.I remember insisting on having to have the raging popular Wrangler jeans for a Disco appeareance in my youth.My poor parents mortgaged the house so I got the jeans….problem was there was no time to wash them first so the sweat from the dance floor moves made the blue dye run into my skin!Three weeks later my skin returned to its normal colour rather than tattoo blue!!

Funny the stuff you remember about growing up, good to look back and have a bit of a laugh!

I hope you are enjoying the Olympics and life in general,have an ‘Upbeat’ week…..Cheers Jonesey!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon it may be ok for Fletcher but they don’t want blue nails!!

 

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“You were born to win,but to be a winner,you must plan to win,prepare to win,and expect to win”. Zig Ziglar

 

I find watching the Olympics is inspiring and motivating on a number of levels.

The pure theatre is extroadinary as reputations are destroyed as others are born.

World Champions come in expecting to win yet don’t place whilst virtually unknowns come from nowhere to snatch victory.

The Olympics is where fairytales come true and nightmares to haunt for the next 4 years unfold.

I was interested to hear in a post race interview NZ double scullers Hamish Bond and Eric Murray say they had not come to Rio to defend their title.They had come to win it again and to get from the start to the finish as fast as they could.The only way for current champions to approach anything frankly!

I remember Auckland Rugby Coach John Hart and the Ranfurly Shield record breaking team of the mid 80’s early 90’s saying the same thing….they went out to win the shield each game never to defend it!!!Interesting sports psychology from winners with track record and form to prove it works.

So I find myself doubly determined to represent my country at something before I cant.

I have the opportunity to do so and know what I have to do to make that happen…time to focus!...watch that space folks!!

I also wonder what lessons each of us can take from the examples above into our day to day work and personal lives?

I reckon is all about making sure we are the best we can be at what ever we do on any given day.

Preparing thoroughly and making sure we bring our A game to whatever we front up to.

For me it means taking the time to prepare,to read, to listen and to look first before the leap of faith!

Caring enough about the outcome, our performance at work,at home….the result of our efforts.

Like our athletes we need to find the time to put into whatever we are passionate about achieving. This will allow us to give it the best shot we can…no ‘if onlys’,’what ifs’ or ‘One day Im gonna’s’.

We owe it to ourselves and others to be the best we can be no matter what…I dare you to care !!!!

 

“I am the greatest .I said that before I knew I was”. Muhammad Ali

Sunday, August 7, 2016

In the zone


 

 

 

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Hi,after a confident yet speed wobbly start we settled into a routine that thankfully delivered us in one piece to the finish.Yes five days and nights of solo parenting is behind me and I can reflect on a number of lessons learned.I think the biggest thing I figured out quickly was to check the sugar level (aka rocket fuel)in food before feeding or allowing it to be eaten by our son.I established this was the difference between both of our normality and/or insanity.Obvious vs Oblivious!!.Sweet bro vs No bro!

Fletcher reckons;eating three cup cakes seemed like a good idea at the time however he couldn’t believe how much of a big deal Dad made of that when he found out! Welcome home happy Mummy!

While we were attempting to be normal my courageous wife was totally focused and ‘in the zone’ at the National Fire Brigade training academy in Rotorua officially becoming a fully Qualified Fire Fighter.

To say we are proud of her does not do justice to the admiration we have for her having made the decision to relentlessly pursue her passion and obvious calling!Christine Jones is out there proving it is never too late to follow your dreams and in her case to do her bit for her family,her society and her community!Amazingly she got the chance to use her new skills and motivation at two real life accidents one in Rotorua after training one night and again this weekend in Muriwai. On both occasions the Jones girl was prominent at the scene and praised by senior staff in review, you go girl! Crikey Jonesey stop feeding the kid sugar and pull your finger out boy!!

I managed to redeem myself somewhat by pulling a huge birthday surprise while she was away purchasing a mint oak dressing table she had been admiring for ages…..Yes, Im back !!!

Fletcher turns four next week so we are looking forward to that and to just being together again.

I hope you have a big week planned too, may it be an Upbeat one for you…..Cheers Jonesey!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon cup cakes full of sugar could work for them??

 

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“If you cant accept losing then you cant win”.Vince Lombardi

 

In a complete turnaround to the recent euphoria  I had a couple of massive setbacks last week.

Same lucky underpants,socks,shoes and shirts yet luck completely deserted me?

So how does one deal with such a lack of wind in the sails that were set so full!

Like all good sports people after a loss I was gutted in the moment but then determined.

Determined to figure out where I went wrong and even more determined to move forward!

The thing I figured out was there is a thin line between confidence and arrogance.

Being humble and having humility is classy, mature and professional.

Being arrogant and complacent is rude,loud and ignorant, something I found out the hard way!

So what to do?

I decided that failure doesn’t have to be final and that it wont be the first or last time for me.

In both cases my inability to back off,shut up,listen and learn cost me big time.

It hurt a lot,however, I realise that things happen for a reason and it is up to me to accept and adapt.

So in order to assist me figure out what went wrong I asked in both cases.

I didn’t like what I was told but instead of ignoring or denying it I took the comments on board.

As a result of asking for feedback I have developed a simple questionaire about ME, for YOU!!

About how people I work with both new and existing found or find me to work with??

It was an eyeopener for me finding out how good I think I am isnt how good others think I am!!!

What a contrast to last week when I thought I was invincible on top of my world!

Like it or not life is like that so it is up to us to enjoy the wins and embrace the setbacks equally.

Thanks to the honest,frank and brutal feedback I have had my feet are firmly back on the ground!!

 

“Losing a game is heartbreaking.Losing your sense of excellence or worth is a tragedy”.

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Double shot of life please


 

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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!

 

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“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

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Back to work for a rest!!!


 

 

 

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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)!!

 

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“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

Sunday, July 17, 2016

When your number is up!!


 

 

 

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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!

 

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“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