Why Have The Day Off?

It's the Melbourne Cup. In Australia it is referred to as "The Race that Stops the Nation". In Victoria it is a Public Holiday. It amazes me that we have a public holiday for a horse race!
 
Don't get me wrong, a day off appeals to my laid back and relaxed Australian attitude to life, but for a horse race? It also strikes me as funny that in one of furthest away parts of the Commonwealth, we have a public holiday to celebrate the Queen's birthday, yet they don't have one in England where she lives!

It strikes me as ludicrous that earlier this year there were discussions and media rumblings about having a public holiday for the AFL Grand Final (don't get me started on that!).
There are so many good reasons to have a day off where we DON'T, why do it for a simple sporting event?

Here are a few reasons to take a day off in no order of importance (except the first one):

• Your birthday (NEVER work on your birthday - it's against the rules)
• Your partner's birthday
• Your anniversary
• Your child's graduation
• Your child's performance (sport, play, dance, music, whatever)
• A funeral of someone dear to a dear friend of yours
• An impulse family adventure
• A surprise visit to your grandparents
• A full health check up
• To celebrate a major milestone achievement (personal or professional)
• To spend time with someone you love but don't see often
• For personal or professional development (training course - regardless of who pays for it)
• To pick up the new car/motorbike/motorhome and spend the day taking it for a test run
• Because you are sick! (Don't struggle through work, stay home and get better)
• Because someone you love is sick (kid, pet, partner, parent or friend)

I am sure you can come up with a stack of other reasons far more worthy than a horse race.
So what would it take for you to have the day off?

Image: www.MelbourneCup.com

How Hard Is It?

Have you ever had one of those moments where you thought that things were just too hard? Some things in your life had changed and now you couldn't do some of the things that you wanted too? Maybe you weren't getting the results in your life that you wanted? It was all too hard?  I have felt that too.


On the weekend I got a sense of perspective. I heard an amazing story from a guy named Dale Elliot. He is guy just like you and me. No one special - just a bloke with dreams, desires, a life. He took his cousins motorbike for a spin and on the last corner home a dog ran out on to the road and his life changed forever.


As a paraplegic his life was hard, damn hard!


How does he keep going? By focussing on what he can do not on what he can't. Looking back to his past and what he can't do serves no purpose. His focus is looking forward at what he can do. Creating new goals and dreams that stretch him and doing it with a sense of humour, joy and gratitude.


So how hard is it? Granted there may be things you can't do like you used to. But what can you do? How can you stretch yourself, grow and make contribution to those around you? I suspect it is easier than you may tell yourself.


For more information on Dale, get inspiration or book him for your next event, check out his website at www.DaleElliott.com


Photo: Dale Elliot

How Sharp Is Your Saw?

The 7th Habit in Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is to Sharpen the Saw. What he is saying is how often do you take the time to get better at what you do? Are your skills being improved and honed or are you still doing what you do the same way you always have?


If you were 10% better, what would that mean to you? 10% more sales? 10% better customer service? 10% more time to do things? 10% more organised? 10% more focussed or energised? Or would it simply mean that you are back as good as you used to be because you have recently developed some bad habits?


The time you invest in sharpening your saw is well worth it.  A saw blade you continue to use slowly gets worn down. It stops sawing and starts Hacking.  Are you Hacking anywhere in your workplace? After you have been hacking for a while, you then are simply going through the motions without getting a result. Surely you aren't simply going through the motions anywhere?  Are you?


What will you do to sharpen your saw?  I can highly recommend The Super Conference on this week. I will be MC and speaking there.  If you can't make that, find something else. Your professional association, industry training courses, personal development courses or training for a specific skill set all contribute to your success.


How Sharp is your Saw?

Saw Image: Mom The Barbarian 

Do You Share?

It is amazing how many people in the workplace do not share who they really are with their colleagues. 

They have strong boundaries (almost barriers) around their distinct groups.  Their work friends are never allowed to mix with their social friends and neither of these groups are allowed anywhere near family.

Why would you do this?  While I am all for a sense of privacy and not sharing every single detail about yourself, why would you not share with your friends all of who you are? What are you trying to hide?


While you may have weird hobbies that may raise some questions or work in a job or role that your social group may not expect, don't hold back on who you are.  We are complete beings with varied, colourful and complex parts to ourselves.


One of the most valuable gifts you can give to the world is your Authenticity.  It also takes less effort than putting up a facade or remembering to not tell certain people certain things.  Share of yourself with the world. The world will be a better place for it.

So do you share?






PS As part of my sharing, I need to let you know I sing in an A Cappella choir. It is fabulous and a whole lot of fun. We have a concert in North Melbourne at the Comic's Lounge this Sunday at 2pm. It's only $15 and kids are free. If you are in Melbourne next Sunday, I would love to see you there. Further details and samples of our work at www.MoodSwingChoir.com

What Do You Think?

I was working at a Serious Abundance seminar yesterday and we were talking about our goals. In particular, how to achieve your goals and the elements that go into that. One key element is our beliefs.

Our beliefs are such an important part of our success. Again yesterday, as I have heard many times before with mentoring clients or attendees at my sessions, people were giving reasons as to why they didn't believe they could achieve them. One person shared how something fabulous happened and her first response was "I couldn't believe it".

Henry Ford famously said, "If you think you can or think you can't, you're right."

What do you think?

People who achieve their goals (personal or business) are no different to you or me. They are simply people with skills, resources and a desire. There is NO REASON you can't achieve your goals, no matter how big they are. So do yourself a favour and BELIEVE in yourself. Know that you can and will achieve them.

If you think you can or think you can't, you're right. So dear reader, what do you think?