It is horrendous.
Within a day over three country towns have been disintegrated. Over 190 people have been killed. Animals, domestic and wild have been killed and maimed. Thousands of people have been traumatised and tormented. Places I have visited and have fond memories of no longer exist. The footage and stories of survivors and victims are like an action holocaust film.
But it's real!
Victoria has been burnt. The fires are not out yet either. The pain is far from over. The wounds are so fresh - mental and physical. The number of people still to be accounted for is significant. It is hard to believe that it has happened less than 50km (30 miles) away.
Humans are Fragile
It has taken so little to kill so many. Mother nature is so strong and unpredictable. It will take time but there will be positives in this situation. Not just the stories of miracles, courage and strength but the lessons of determination. To me this shows how short our lives are (even though they are the longest thing we will ever do) and how important it is to continue on with our dreams and our goals no matter what.
Never Give Up!
At times in the past I have wondered if the effort to do what I do is worth it. Wouldn't it be easier to just plod along and not strive as I do. This has reinforced that no one should settle. No one should live at anything less than the maximum that they can. Don't put it off. Do it now. Don't give up.
For those living through the horror of losing family, homes, pets, livelihoods, my thoughts are to never give up. Get help (there are so many who have come to help), get guidance (many health practitioners are donating or providing cheaply services to aid you) and keep moving.
If they can do it, why not me.
Life is tragic, but it's real. What holds you back from being all that you can be?
Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
www.warwickmerry.com
www.getmoreblog.com
www.getmoreshowsuccess.com
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Monday, 2 February 2009
Smart Arse Answers
This is an email that was doing the rounds. I got sent it by my mum - which is funny because of the smart arse answers I have given her over the years!! From the look of the email, it's origins are in the UK. It is still funny wherever it is from and wherever you are.
Enjoy!
It was mealtime during a flight on a British Airways plane:
'Would you like dinner?' the flight attendant asked the man seated in the front row.
'What are my choices?' the man asked.
'Yes or no,' she replied.
5th Place
Enjoy!
SMART ARSE ANSWERS 2008
6th Place It was mealtime during a flight on a British Airways plane:
'Would you like dinner?' the flight attendant asked the man seated in the front row.
'What are my choices?' the man asked.
'Yes or no,' she replied.
5th Place
A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets. As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket and he opened his trench coat and flashed her. Without blinking an eyelid she said, 'Sir, I need to see your ticket - not your stub.'
4th Place
A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at a branch of Sainsbury's but she couldn't find one big enough for her family. She asked a passing assistant, 'Do these turkeys get any bigger?'
The assistant replied, 'I'm afraid not, they're dead.'
3rd Place
The policeman got out of his car and approached the boy racer he stopped for speeding. 'I've been waiting for you all day,' the bobby said.
The kid replied, 'Yes, well I got here as fast as I could.'
When the policeman finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket.
2nd Place
A lorry driver was driving along on a country road.. A sign came up that read ' Low Bridge Ahead.' Before he realised it, the bridge was directly ahead and he got stuck under it. Cars are backed up for miles. Finally, a police car comes up. The policeman got out of his car and walked to the lorry's cab and said to the driver, 'Got stuck, eh?'
The lorry driver said, 'No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of petrol!'
SMART ARSE ANSWER OF THE YEAR 2008
A teacher at a polytechnic college reminded her pupils of tomorrow's final exam. 'Now listen to me, I won't tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow. I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury, illness, or a death in your immediate family, but that's it, no other excuses whatsoever!'
A smart-arsed guy at the back of the room raised his hand and asked, 'What would happen if I came in tomorrow suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?'
The entire class was reduced to laughter and sniggering.
When silence was restored, the teacher smiled knowingly at the student, shook her head and sweetly said, 'Well, I suppose you'd have to write with your other hand'..
Keep Going!
In Australia yesterday, we had two great examples of persistence. Granted it was only sport and that is not something I am really into, but I can admire the strength of character and physical endurance it would have taken.
The Australian Open
The Australian Open
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer went head to head for nearly 4 1/2 hours. Both players looked exhausted and both players kept playing at full capacity. So much so that Nadal looked like he had emerged from a swimming pool he was so drenched in sweat. At no stage did they give up.
They both made mistakes, they both let those mistakes go and focused on the next point in play. It was a marathon slog for the top two seeds in the tournament. I suspect they are both looking at how to improve on those mistakes and play better in their next round.
One Day Cricket
Australia played New Zealand in one day cricket yesterday. New Zealand's bowlers did a great job of getting the Aussies all out for 181. As a team, that must have been a crushing blow for the Aussies. Their turn to bowl and they put a lot of pressure on. New Zealand's run rate was low but still they kept at it. Most people would have thought that they were not going to be good enough to make it. It got down to the last over and New Zealand needed 5 runs to win. Another man out and then down to needing 1 run off the final ball.
New Zealand captain remained calm, focused and determined. Almost miraculously he was able to get the ball through a heavy field and get the four runs off the last ball for a well deserved victory.
LIFE
Life is not sport (sorry to disappoint a lot of people). Even those who play sport have a life outside it. There are always times when we are challenged and want to give up. Maybe not give up, but let things slide. Go for an easier, softer option. Sport gives us lots of lessons. For me, yesterdays lesson was Don't Give Up!! Or as good friends of mine say, "Don't quit before the miracle happens."
For you, what is happening in your life that needs you to persist just that little bit longer? What do you need to do to let go of past performance, what you may have previously said or done and focus on the right here and right now? What will you do to keep applying yourself and focus on the desired out come?
Calvin Coolidge (30th President of USA) has been often quoted saying:
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
But I am more a fan of The Captain from Galaxy Quest. "Never give up. Never surrender!"
Enjoy!
Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
http://www.warwickmerry.com/
http://www.getmoreblog.com/
http://www.getmoreshowsuccess.com/
Thursday, 29 January 2009
It's Hot!
It's hot. Damn hot. Melbourne is going through a heat wave with multiple days over 40 C (about 105 F).
Who Cares?
Fair question. Many parts of the world have temperatures higher than this all the time (hello Middle East) but they don't moan like we are. You know we are moaning. At the very least I am blogging about it. Twitter is rife with it. The newspapers all have the delightful headline "SCORCHER" - or something equally as witty. Tennis commentators waffle on for ages about it. Radio commentators all go on about it also.
What Can You Do?
Here in lies the key to my blog. The answer is - Nothing. The weather is the rare topic that we talk about all the time and can do nothing about. What ever you mention about it, someone has it better and someone has it worse. Tweets of "it's hot" were countered with "at least you don't have an ice storm like we do". Sometimes just talking about it makes it worse. While it is hard not to talk about it, it will still be hot when your conversation has ended. All you can do is make yourself as comfortable as possible (popular ideas are to go to air conditioned cinema or the beach) and get on with life.
What Else Is Like That?
How many times in business or life does this situation occur? There is always something that you can bitch and moan about and all it gets you is more distressed, more unhappy and more focused on something you can do nothing about. It could be your family, a health affliction, someones behaviour or even the weather!
How will you deal with it? Australian author Kim Falconer deals with it using her underpants! You need to read her blog to find out the details.
I like the two killer questions:
What do you do? Let me know.
Enjoy!
Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
http://www.warwickmerry.com/
http://www.getmoreblog.com/
http://www.getmoreshowsuccess.com/
Who Cares?
Fair question. Many parts of the world have temperatures higher than this all the time (hello Middle East) but they don't moan like we are. You know we are moaning. At the very least I am blogging about it. Twitter is rife with it. The newspapers all have the delightful headline "SCORCHER" - or something equally as witty. Tennis commentators waffle on for ages about it. Radio commentators all go on about it also.
What Can You Do?
Here in lies the key to my blog. The answer is - Nothing. The weather is the rare topic that we talk about all the time and can do nothing about. What ever you mention about it, someone has it better and someone has it worse. Tweets of "it's hot" were countered with "at least you don't have an ice storm like we do". Sometimes just talking about it makes it worse. While it is hard not to talk about it, it will still be hot when your conversation has ended. All you can do is make yourself as comfortable as possible (popular ideas are to go to air conditioned cinema or the beach) and get on with life.
What Else Is Like That?
How many times in business or life does this situation occur? There is always something that you can bitch and moan about and all it gets you is more distressed, more unhappy and more focused on something you can do nothing about. It could be your family, a health affliction, someones behaviour or even the weather!
How will you deal with it? Australian author Kim Falconer deals with it using her underpants! You need to read her blog to find out the details.
I like the two killer questions:
- What's my part in this?
- What can I do differently?
What do you do? Let me know.
Enjoy!
Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
http://www.warwickmerry.com/
http://www.getmoreblog.com/
http://www.getmoreshowsuccess.com/
Friday, 16 January 2009
I Broke the Rules
It was my fault.I knew the rules but didn't meet them.
It still pissed me off!!!!!
I was flying to my band camp (Summer Song) and i was excited! I had a 7:30 flight and was flying Jetstar. For those who don't know Jetstar is one of Australia's low cost airlines - effectively a bus with wings. They have a policy that check in closes 30 minutes before the flight takes off and if you miss check in, you miss your flight.
I was clever I checked in from home using webcheck in. All I had to do is check my bag and I was good to go. So on Thursday morning I got up early, woke Wifey (who was my chauffeur for the day) and headed off to the airport.
Unfortunately traffic was a little tight but no worries because my baggage was in a carry on bag so if I was late i would just carry it on. I got there at 7am. Joined the queue to check bags at 7.02am and spoke to the check in person at 7.04am. He informed me that baggage was closed. "No worries", I said. "I'll just carry it on". He said it was a little heavy and I had to see the service desk.
There I was waiting in line to see the service desk dude getting concerned how close it was to the flight. When the service desk dude finished with his customer I mentioned (because I was four people back in the queue) to him that I was concerned I would miss my flight. Then he said I had been taken off the flight and I would have to reschedule.
That's when I felt like a four year old in a lolly shop with no money. Adrenalin surged, I was going to start shouting and blame Jetstar. They would be sorry and I would never fly them again. I would tweet everyone and.......... it was all my fault.
I knew the rules and I didn't stick by them. I was late to check in. Jetstar are known for their strict adherence to this policy. I had joked with a friend the week before about how she missed her flight for last year's camp.
I didn't add a buffer. When planning anything I always like to add a buffer for when things are not perfect. Traffic was heavier than I thought and 5 minutes delay cost me.
I was too heavy. My baggage was 3 kg too heavy for carry on. I knew there were limits and I know Jetstar is strict. Next time I will pack differently.
I didn't blow up and blame them for all of my woes. I still have issues with their policies but I knew their policies and didn't follow them.
The best thing I did was take responsibility for my actions. My fault and no oneelses.
So here I am at the airport, one day later, $70 poorer and rescheduling my trip.
Where do you need to take responsibility?
It still pissed me off!!!!!
I was flying to my band camp (Summer Song) and i was excited! I had a 7:30 flight and was flying Jetstar. For those who don't know Jetstar is one of Australia's low cost airlines - effectively a bus with wings. They have a policy that check in closes 30 minutes before the flight takes off and if you miss check in, you miss your flight.
I was clever I checked in from home using webcheck in. All I had to do is check my bag and I was good to go. So on Thursday morning I got up early, woke Wifey (who was my chauffeur for the day) and headed off to the airport.
Unfortunately traffic was a little tight but no worries because my baggage was in a carry on bag so if I was late i would just carry it on. I got there at 7am. Joined the queue to check bags at 7.02am and spoke to the check in person at 7.04am. He informed me that baggage was closed. "No worries", I said. "I'll just carry it on". He said it was a little heavy and I had to see the service desk.
There I was waiting in line to see the service desk dude getting concerned how close it was to the flight. When the service desk dude finished with his customer I mentioned (because I was four people back in the queue) to him that I was concerned I would miss my flight. Then he said I had been taken off the flight and I would have to reschedule.
That's when I felt like a four year old in a lolly shop with no money. Adrenalin surged, I was going to start shouting and blame Jetstar. They would be sorry and I would never fly them again. I would tweet everyone and.......... it was all my fault.
I knew the rules and I didn't stick by them. I was late to check in. Jetstar are known for their strict adherence to this policy. I had joked with a friend the week before about how she missed her flight for last year's camp.
I didn't add a buffer. When planning anything I always like to add a buffer for when things are not perfect. Traffic was heavier than I thought and 5 minutes delay cost me.
I was too heavy. My baggage was 3 kg too heavy for carry on. I knew there were limits and I know Jetstar is strict. Next time I will pack differently.
I didn't blow up and blame them for all of my woes. I still have issues with their policies but I knew their policies and didn't follow them.
The best thing I did was take responsibility for my actions. My fault and no oneelses.
So here I am at the airport, one day later, $70 poorer and rescheduling my trip.
Where do you need to take responsibility?
Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
www.warwickmerry.com
www.getmoreblog.com
www.getmoreshowsuccess.com
The Get More Guy
www.warwickmerry.com
www.getmoreblog.com
www.getmoreshowsuccess.com
Picture by Ben Templesmith
Monday, 12 January 2009
I am Feeling
For those of you who wondered and who asked, my Stand Up Comedy premiere performance went well. I am defining well as, "I got lots of applause, they cheered at the end and I enjoyed the experience."
But an interesting thing happened - I had feelings!
As a speaker I address audiences from 5 to 5,000 and feel incredibly comfortable in doing so. In fact, the bigger the audience the better. It was really strange to be in a dingy dark room at the back of an iconic Melbourne hotel with about 120-150 people in the audience and be really nervous. After 30 seconds on stage, I was able to relax a bit and then proceeded. So even though I haven't been nervous like that for quite awhile, it passed quickly.
What didn't pass quickly were my other feelings!
I am a student of personal development and the new age learning. Manifesting, Law of Attraction, Power of Positive Thinking and lots of other fun hippy trippy stuff. After a humble assessment of my comedy skill I thought that there was a fair chance I may progress to the second round. When I was doing my preparation I was focused on performing well enough to get to the second round. I was fortunate to be part of a pre-heat comedy workshop and after seeing others my confidence of getting to the second round was boosted.
On the day that 31 people gave their performances of 5 minutes each, 6 of them were to progress to the next round. After the level of laughs I got and the positive feedback from honest friends, I was confident that the second round would manifest in to reality for me. As I watched more and more of the Raw Comedy entrants I could honestly say that there were about two or three that were by far better than me and others that were close. The leader of the comedy workshop had a chat with me at half time and said in his opinion I had a strong chance of getting through.
When the six entrants going through to the next round were announced, my name wasn't one of them. Some of the people who did get through didn't seem to be as funny as me or have as good a crowd response as I did. But comedy is a funny thing - not funny Ha Ha but funny strange. What appealed to the judges was different to what I did.
My friends and my own mind kicked in:
"You gave it your best shot"
"Others would not have done this"
"The judges got it wrong - we thought you were great"
"There is always next year"
"It wasn't meant to be"
I tried to be philosophical. I looked for the positive. I sent positive vibes to the winners.
I was as pissed off as hell!
Well, maybe not that much but I was very disappointed. This was where the feelings were kicking in. I know about acceptance, moving forward, letting go of disappointment, blessing others who achieve what you want - but I still had feelings. Sometimes in the new age writings it seems like they think I am Buddha. I am not that nice!
So I felt pissed off for a couple of hours. It was great. I got in there and really wallowed in it. I felt the feelings and they passed. They no longer hold me back. I can be authentic and not pretend I am something I am not. I wasn't unpleasant, in fact I genuinely congratulated the others but I allowed myself to feel the feelings. Some well intentioned people around me tried to shut the feelings down but I knew what was right for me.
What about you? What is right for you? How do you process your feelings? Leave a comment and let me know.
They say that the quickest way around is through. If you want to be free of the damage your feelings can cause to you and those you love (or even just your work colleagues), don't squash the feelings down. Feel them. Process them. Have a tantrum if you need to (just make sure it is in an appropriate place). Once the feeling has gone you are free to do what you know you must.
Me.... I am now looking around for open mic nights at the many Melbourne comedy clubs. I won't let one little set back get in my road - no matter how disappointing!
But an interesting thing happened - I had feelings!
As a speaker I address audiences from 5 to 5,000 and feel incredibly comfortable in doing so. In fact, the bigger the audience the better. It was really strange to be in a dingy dark room at the back of an iconic Melbourne hotel with about 120-150 people in the audience and be really nervous. After 30 seconds on stage, I was able to relax a bit and then proceeded. So even though I haven't been nervous like that for quite awhile, it passed quickly.
What didn't pass quickly were my other feelings!
I am a student of personal development and the new age learning. Manifesting, Law of Attraction, Power of Positive Thinking and lots of other fun hippy trippy stuff. After a humble assessment of my comedy skill I thought that there was a fair chance I may progress to the second round. When I was doing my preparation I was focused on performing well enough to get to the second round. I was fortunate to be part of a pre-heat comedy workshop and after seeing others my confidence of getting to the second round was boosted.
On the day that 31 people gave their performances of 5 minutes each, 6 of them were to progress to the next round. After the level of laughs I got and the positive feedback from honest friends, I was confident that the second round would manifest in to reality for me. As I watched more and more of the Raw Comedy entrants I could honestly say that there were about two or three that were by far better than me and others that were close. The leader of the comedy workshop had a chat with me at half time and said in his opinion I had a strong chance of getting through.
When the six entrants going through to the next round were announced, my name wasn't one of them. Some of the people who did get through didn't seem to be as funny as me or have as good a crowd response as I did. But comedy is a funny thing - not funny Ha Ha but funny strange. What appealed to the judges was different to what I did.
My friends and my own mind kicked in:
"You gave it your best shot"
"Others would not have done this"
"The judges got it wrong - we thought you were great"
"There is always next year"
"It wasn't meant to be"
I tried to be philosophical. I looked for the positive. I sent positive vibes to the winners.
I was as pissed off as hell!
Well, maybe not that much but I was very disappointed. This was where the feelings were kicking in. I know about acceptance, moving forward, letting go of disappointment, blessing others who achieve what you want - but I still had feelings. Sometimes in the new age writings it seems like they think I am Buddha. I am not that nice!
So I felt pissed off for a couple of hours. It was great. I got in there and really wallowed in it. I felt the feelings and they passed. They no longer hold me back. I can be authentic and not pretend I am something I am not. I wasn't unpleasant, in fact I genuinely congratulated the others but I allowed myself to feel the feelings. Some well intentioned people around me tried to shut the feelings down but I knew what was right for me.
What about you? What is right for you? How do you process your feelings? Leave a comment and let me know.
They say that the quickest way around is through. If you want to be free of the damage your feelings can cause to you and those you love (or even just your work colleagues), don't squash the feelings down. Feel them. Process them. Have a tantrum if you need to (just make sure it is in an appropriate place). Once the feeling has gone you are free to do what you know you must.
Me.... I am now looking around for open mic nights at the many Melbourne comedy clubs. I won't let one little set back get in my road - no matter how disappointing!
Enjoy!
Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
http://www.warwickmerry.com/
http://www.getmoreblog.com/
http://www.getmoreshowsuccess.com/
The Get More Guy
http://www.warwickmerry.com/
http://www.getmoreblog.com/
http://www.getmoreshowsuccess.com/
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
Go to the Edge!
Greetings!If you follow me on Twitter or have seen my FaceBook page recently you will know that I am doing my first stand up comedy show on Saturday.
I don't mind confessing that I am a little scared! I like to think I am a little funny and that I keep people amused at parties but being on stage in the spot light is a little different.
You may also know that I am a professional speaker so being in front of people is not a new experience for me. But there is a huge difference between cracking a few jokes during a one hour session and making people laugh constantly for 5 minutes.
5 minutes!! It is not long but it can seem like a life time. I had a routine written and I was pretty confident (to be honest I was a bit to confident!) and then I performed it in front of ten friends at a workshop we had yesterday. Ouch!! Wasn't that good. So I have spent a lot of yesterday and today rewriting my 5 minutes of comedy.
I have thought about doing this for ages. There is no reason for me to do this other than to go to the edge and peer over. I don't want to fail. I want to be funny! In fact, to be completely honest, I want to get to the next round. For years I have avoided this but I can't do it any more.
What about you?
I don't mind confessing that I am a little scared! I like to think I am a little funny and that I keep people amused at parties but being on stage in the spot light is a little different.
You may also know that I am a professional speaker so being in front of people is not a new experience for me. But there is a huge difference between cracking a few jokes during a one hour session and making people laugh constantly for 5 minutes.
5 minutes!! It is not long but it can seem like a life time. I had a routine written and I was pretty confident (to be honest I was a bit to confident!) and then I performed it in front of ten friends at a workshop we had yesterday. Ouch!! Wasn't that good. So I have spent a lot of yesterday and today rewriting my 5 minutes of comedy.
I have thought about doing this for ages. There is no reason for me to do this other than to go to the edge and peer over. I don't want to fail. I want to be funny! In fact, to be completely honest, I want to get to the next round. For years I have avoided this but I can't do it any more.
What about you?
What have you always wanted to do but have been avoiding? Where is your edge?
Do you have times where you live on the edge or can you only see the edge from where you are?
"It's somewhere over there in the distance."
Do you have times where you live on the edge or can you only see the edge from where you are?
"It's somewhere over there in the distance."
Spending time on the edge is scary, but fulfilling. My confidence and self belief are growing. My willingness to do the impossible or at least the unthinkable is growing. In fact the more time I spend on the edge, the more it moves further from me.
Come to the edge with me. Let's see what we can do!
Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
Photo: Flickr/Matt N Johnson
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