Is It Fun?

One of the most energy draining aspects of work is seriousness.  Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place to be serious, but it seems that it is becoming ALL the time and EVERY place!
How many times have you been in:

• Meetings have you had that have just dragged on while someone was waffling about the importance of so and so and you could tell that NO ONE was listening?
• Sales presentations where the sales person was so serious, it turned you off their product?
• Conversations with colleagues who sounded like they were running down a checklist of things to say?

The Minister of Fun at a conference I was at had one simple rule.  It is a rule I am liking more and more each day.

"If it's not fun, don't do it.  If you have to do it, make it fun"

That doesn't mean that you make everything an opportunity for stand up comedy.  You don't want to be disruptive, you simply want to make it fun.
So are you having fun yet?

PS If Nuns can do it, why not you?  If you want to buy the Calendar go here 

Have You Got The Right Gear?

When I first learnt to snow ski, I borrowed the ski gear from friends and rented the essentials.  My first couple of times were not pleasant experiences.  My feet hurt in the boots, there was a hole in the ski pants so I was wet and cold to the bone and the trusty rental ski's had a mind of their own!


After a while I bought my own ski outfit.  I was then toasty warm but with sore feet and a misguided sense of direction. I finally got sick of sore ankles and bought some boots that actually fit properly and some parabolic ski's that did all the hard work for you.


Skiing was now a completely different experience. I was warm, skiing was effortless, I could go anywhere, I had faith in my equipment and most importantly, I really enjoyed the day.


The right gear makes all the difference.


It's the same with your work.  Have you got the right gear? For the last 4 years I have been "putting up" with a second hand computer I was given. My audio and video processing took ages but it was what I had. Last week I took delivery of what I call MEGA PC. It has loads of memory (12GB), huge hard drive with auto backup, fast access ports and large monitors.


My first reaction was "Why didn't I do this ages ago?"  Granted the technology prices keep coming down but I forgot the important concept that the right gear makes all the difference.  It is worth the investment of time, effort and money to get it.


Have you got the right gear to do what you need to?

PS Happy Valentines day to you. Take the opportunity to tell those who are important to you how you feel.  I'll start, I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this.  Thanks! 

What is the Reality?

Someone, somewhere has really upset Mother Nature.  Friends in the US and Europe are telling me about massive snow dumps and incredible low temperatures. Here in Australia we have flooding, cyclones, bush fires and unseasonal rain fall.  Can whoever upset Mother Nature please apologise!

With all the rain in Melbourne, we were also affected. The picture is of my lounge room - note the massive hole in the ceiling where the plaster used to be. It is amazing what one broken tile can do.

As I was bemoaning this situation to Wifey, I had a flash of reality. There were people in flood ravaged Brisbane or Cyclone ravaged Queensland who would be happy to have just a tile of their house.  The reality is that while I had a problem it was really rather insignificant compared to the problems of others.

The same can be said for problems we find in our working lives. At the time they can seem insurmountable, inconvenient and a massive block to achieving your goal. Looking at your situation with a healthy perspective does of a lot to remove the emotional blockages. You can then focus on addressing the issue one step at a time. 

So when you next have an insurmountable issue, what is the reality?

How Come I Am Not Perfect?

As you know, I have been spending a bit of time playing the bass lately (I promise to not mention it next time!!)

There is a part of me that wants to pick it up and be an absolute guru at it straight away! The reality is that it is not going to happen.  I need to put in the effort.

When I left University and started my IT career, I wanted to be the CEO straight away. When I started singing I wanted to be a start straight away.  How come I am not perfect at anything straight away?

I recall when Goanna won the Best New Artist award back in the 80's, the lead singer commented that it took them 10 years to be an overnight success.  I am certain Susan Boyle's overnight success was preceded by years of practice, training and commitment.  In Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers he says that the magic number is 10,000 hours of practise to be a leader in a field.

The secret to these 10,000 hours is actually just doing them and doing them one hour at a time.
In the area you want to be a guru, work, home, guitar or even Bass Guitar, just keep doing it one hour at a time as best as you can.  This is the short cut to success!!


Enjoy!