Play with the Dog!

Wifey and I had a delightful extravagant meal of fish and chips on the beach during the week.  I am sure you don't care but I saw something that made me think.

A young woman took her dog to the beach for a walk and a play.  As she got to the beach I noticed she was on the mobile. 
The dog was running back and forth, sooooo excited to be at the beach, but she was on the mobile.
Running into the waves, the dog splashed and then ran back to its owner to share the excitement, but she was on the mobile.
She gave a token toss of a ball and the dog was off like a rocket, chasing and enjoying the evening to bring the ball (it's own little gift of love) back to the woman, but she was on the mobile.

Has that ever happened to you?  Have you ever been like the dog?  Maybe you were speaking to your manager or boss and they were on the phone or simply distracted and not listening.  Maybe you were recounting your day to your loved one and they were not listening but simply waiting to tell you about theirs.

It doesn't feel good does it?

Have you ever been like the woman, that is been physically there but not actually present?  Maybe your kids were playing but you were just instructing rather than down on the floor on your hands and knees playing FULL ON!  Maybe your team were telling you about some of their issues and you listened in a token manner but didn't hear what was truly happening for them.  Maybe your partner wanted to engage with you on a fun activity and you were just playing on the surface.

How do you think your kids, your team and your partner felt?

How much better would the dog have felt if the young woman left the phone at home and played FULL ON with the dog?  Was really present for the dog?  Also, how much better would the woman have felt if she truly connected with the dog and played FULL ON?

If you are going to do something (whether you want to do it or not), I believe you should do it FULL ON.  Not just because it is better for others but also because you will enjoy it more and Get More out of it.

Next time, play with the Dog!

Enjoy!

What would Spiderman do?

I was speaking to a group last week about Spiderman. Yes, I know - it is not very "businessy" but it is very relevant.

Spiderman's uncle told him that "With great power comes great responsibility".


I believe that the opposite also holds true. That is, "With great responsibility comes great power".


Too often I see people dodging responsibility in an organisation. These same people are also complaining that "they can't change anything". I implore you to take responsibility, it really isn't that bad. Once you take responsibility for a change you wish to see or a situation you wish to change, you will find that you have power over that situation. You also have power over your own attitude about that situation.


Where do you need to take responsibility?

Gawk, Talk or Walk?

Do you Gawk, Talk or Walk?


More clearly, do you watch things happen, talk about things you will do or actually make things happen?

There is a time for all three of these but most people get stuck in the first two. So whether it is in your social life, your business life or even your spiritual life, don't just talk about things or watch things happen, become part of what is happening. Take action. It is more satisfying, more rewarding and more beneficial when you do.

What action will you take today?

Do you Invest Well?

It occurs to me that successful people invest well. They look at all the options available and put their hard earned cash where they will get the best return.

Do you invest well?

Successful people dabble a bit in shares, some in options, a bit in property, maybe some bond but that is not their most significant investment. They get returns here but not like their best investment.

Do you invest well?

After doing some research, I found the best investment they make is the one in themselves!! It is not always cash either. Sometimes it is in time too. Time to rest, time to recreate themselves, time to learn new ways or time to recharge their energy.

Do you invest well?

Until recently I had not invested in my own learning for awhile. On the weekend I went to a course and had the opportunity to learn new ideas, refresh old learning, meet new associates, and invest more in myself. It was the best investment I have made in sometime.

Do you invest well?

What investment will you make in yourself? Anything that grows you and your knowledge can only be described as investing well!

Enjoy!

Trim the Grass or Pull the Weeds?

Sometimes we just need to fine tune our habits and other times remove them completely. Take 2 minutes to find out what I mean.



Lovin' your work!

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy

Are you an Active Participant?

I was fortunate enough to MC the TEDx Melbourne even on Saturday. If you are not aware of TED I insist you go to http://www.ted.com/ and find our more before reading any further!

Anyway, it occurred to me that most participants at events like this are Passive, a fair few are Semi-Active and a rare few are truly Active. Here is how I define each category:

Passive
These people are happy to be at the session. They enjoy themselves but may little, if any, contribution to the discussion at the time. They are not willing to "stand out" and state an opinion. They will enjoy the session but life will continue on as normal.

Semi-Active
These people love this kind of session. They make sure their opinion is made (and heard!) and they may even continue the discussion after the session has concluded. But at the end of the day, life goes on as per normal with minimal changes made.

Active
These people are sometimes considered "The Quiet Achievers". While they do express their opinion, they are also inclusive of others. They will encourage others to be part of the discussion and contribute their thoughts and ideas. Most importantly, they will actively implement some of their new ideas in their day to day life. They hear a new idea, decide what they can do about it and then put action in place.

I am not saying we should all be Active at this kind of session as it takes all types. What I am saying is that it is the Active Participants that get the most value out of a session.

What about you? What recent learning do you need to be Active about?

Photo: Peter Yandell

Do You Have Piles?

Are you one of these people with piles?

What I mean is piles of paper on your desk, the window sill, the floor, your secretary's desk? Maybe you even have them on the bench at home or in your home office? You know the piles I am talking about. They are the, "I'll do that later" piles.

These piles drain your energy. Just looking at them exhausts you. Have you ever turned up to work, looked at your desk and then left it in search of the coffee you need to get you started? You HAVE to get rid of your piles.

Here are some easy ways:

• Do it - so often we spend more energy putting something off that actually doing it.
• Dump it - you may be delaying it because you are not going to do it, just throw it away. My theory is "When in doubt, chuck it out".
• Delegate it - maybe someone else is better off doing one this for you.
• Deposit it - you pile may just need filing or archiving
• Diarise it - Now may not be the best time to deal with a pile, so diarise an appointment with yourself when you will do it, and file the pile in your pending area until you need it.

Once you have dealt with your physical piles, what about your virtual piles? We call it email!!

Lovin' your work!

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy

Photo Credit: Placid Casual