Read this article before continuing reading this post. Did you read it? It's interesting, isn't it? I remember reading about something similar in Japan. As you can probably imagine the Japanese systems have very strict rules concerning allowing foreign nurses to work there. They have to pass exams and show competent Japanese language ability to even get a look in. It is fair enough as medical care is not a laughing matter and if you can't communicate effectively with the people you are supposed to be looking after then all sorts of trouble will raise it's ugly head.
I can imagine vividly the types of scenarios that the article is talking about. Unfortunately a lot of the discrimination would come from elderly patients who don't have experience of interacting on a daily basis with people that don't look like them or don't talk like them, i.e. they have some kind of an accent that they are just not used to. This is not an excuse for their behaviour, I am just speculating what is going on.
The alleged discrimination by other members of staff is just an example of small town New Zealand intolerance. We like to think of ourselves as been a multi-cultural society but we are not really. The majority of New Zealanders are happy in their own little worlds and any foreigners need not apply for entrance into that world.
What are the solutions for this problem? (Admittedly I have never worked in the medical industry so I don't have first hand knowledge of what is going on or what the conditions are like so these are just my ideas.)
1. Only allow New Zealanders to work as nurses. (Not really solving the problem as their obviously a shortage of nurses and of course a New Zealand is not necessarily white. So, sorry Mr. Racist Patient, go and live somewhere where only white people live. But do you know what, you probably won't be able to understand the language in that area.)
2. Conduct language classes for the nurses. By language classes I don't mean a two hour a day four week course. No sir. I remember talking to some people at the New Zealand embassy in Tokyo and they told me before they started their posting they had a year studying for eight hours a day. Now that is a real training course.
3. PAY MORE MONEY. Yes, pay more money that way you are going to get the more accomplished foreign nurses coming to New Zealand instead of other destinations and also more people will want to join the industry if they can see that they will be paid more for their skills, training and experience.
4. Send your current New Zealand nurses overseas. Maybe to places like India, Thailand, The Philippines just to show them what it is like and how the nurses here in New Zealand are treated and this will give them another perspective and hopefully and thorough understanding and respect for the difficulties foreign nurses have in New Zealand.
5. Promote the best nurses irrespective of race or background. I think the racist nurses will not be the best ones anyway. They are probably lazy and vindictive and they shouldn't be there anyway. This will help weed out the not so good ones.
6. Maybe the co-workers just don't know each other very well. Maybe they don't want to which automatically brings distrust and suspicion. If they took the time to get to know each other then they might find they have things in common instead of just nursing.
7. This one could be controversial but could the migrant nurses do a Billy T. James and make fun of the stereotypes that we have of their culture? That is a difficult one but it could work. Although on second thought it is a medical institution and how far can you go?
8. Sometimes it's got to do with leadership. A good leader will bring a fragmented group together. A bad, jealous, incompetent leader will drive a group apart.
9. Fire anyone who is displaying anti-social behaviour. Ideally you want to solve these problems with limited casualties but that isn't always possible.
10. Don't care about it. I know this isn't really a solution, however, you are always going to have people who have conservative views and who don't mind sharing them. Also, you will have people who are jealous of their co-workers.
There you go. A little difficult one for the end of the month. Some of you maybe thinking "what does he know? He's a white male living in a predominately white country." True, it's just my opinion and without those we might as well go and live in a dictatorship.
Sunday 30 September 2012
Saturday 29 September 2012
10 things to do rather than update your Facebook status
Do you know what I did before I started writing today's blog post? Yes, you are correct. Give him a prize. Yes, I checked my Facebook account. I like to see what my friends are up to and also sometimes they post an article which can be quite interesting. Also during the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Mark Zuckerberg really earned his billions as Facebook was a real comfort for people as they were able to exchange information and keep in touch with people and family around the world.
I was interested to read this article about why being unfriended on Facebook hurts. I must admit that when I notice my friend numbers go down and wonder who that was, I undertake a thorough investigation. In the end it is usually someone who I have never met or who I have met once and said hello to and they mustn't of liked my accent or something. Actually, in writing that I see my numbers have gone down by one. Bastard.
What are some things you can do rather than updating your Facebook status? What are some ideas to get your mind off 'lost friends' and get you back into the real world? Here is my list for today:
1. Read a book. What? I hear you say, what is a book? Well, reading a book on your kindle is OK too. It doesn't have to be one of those dusty, mildewy things you get at your local library. (By the way, for all of you Palmerston North readers, if you haven't been to the city library recently, please do. it is a great facility and some of the services they have are excellent. You can even borrow ebooks.) An idea that my friend had almost three years ago was to read for an hour everyday. I got on board with that and we will read some books everyday, summarise what we read and sent it to each other for comments. Although in saying that I haven't done that for a few days as I have been concentrating on this blog.
2. Go to the gym and do some exercise. I am overweight and am trying to lose weight. For me it is getting in a routine of exercise. I think like most of you exercise is always the daily activity that gets left behind. My problem is I go to the gym maybe three days in a row then feel tired and then won't go for another five days or so, when in fact i should just realise that my body is taking time to adjust to something new.
3. If you are a guy, go and talk to some women. You are just talking so no pressure and if they don't want to talk, put it down to them having a bad day, and they are missing out on your colourful personality.
4. Play a sport. In the past I have played, cricket, hockey, touch, golf, basketball and football. I have met a lot of people and it is great exercise. Also by playing these sports you can really tally up your Facebook friends by adding them. Because you know that they are going to do it.
5. Start writing a daily blog. I am only a couple of weeks into this blog but I am finding that it is making me think of things that I might not do on a daily basis. Admittedly I am doing it for myself and my own development but who knows where it could go from here.
6. Look up activities in your town. I know today that there is a cherry blossom festival going on that I should be at. I could be going to a football match this afternoon. I haven't watched football 'live and in the flesh' for a long time so it should be quite interesting. I could have gone to New Plymouth as well where the Manawatu rugby team are challenging for the Ranfurly Shield.
7. Pick up the phone and ring someone that you have talked to or seen for a long time. The important thing about this is that you actually pick up the phone and dial. Do not text them or email them. By phoning them you are more than likely to have a conversation whereas a text conversation could go on for quite a few days and you will have sore fingers, wrists and hands afterwards.
8. If you have made friends on Facebook but have never met them face to face then why don't you get out of your chair and go and see them? Hey, you are friends on Facebook why can't you be friends in 'real life'? If they say no then you will realise that both them and you are trying to drive up your numbers just to look cool. This is a classic sign of insecurity. Yes, guilty as charged.
9. Take a trip. Even if it is for just a couple of days over the weekend. You can get away from your computer and enjoy your 'freedom.' You could take a lot of photos and then post them on Facebook to get rid of that anxiety that you were away from you keyboard for 48 hours.
10. Delete your Facebook account.
There you have it. I'm not saying that you should shut down your Facebook account altogether although for some people number 10 may be an option. What I am saying is that you need a balance between the virtual world and the real world.
I was interested to read this article about why being unfriended on Facebook hurts. I must admit that when I notice my friend numbers go down and wonder who that was, I undertake a thorough investigation. In the end it is usually someone who I have never met or who I have met once and said hello to and they mustn't of liked my accent or something. Actually, in writing that I see my numbers have gone down by one. Bastard.
What are some things you can do rather than updating your Facebook status? What are some ideas to get your mind off 'lost friends' and get you back into the real world? Here is my list for today:
1. Read a book. What? I hear you say, what is a book? Well, reading a book on your kindle is OK too. It doesn't have to be one of those dusty, mildewy things you get at your local library. (By the way, for all of you Palmerston North readers, if you haven't been to the city library recently, please do. it is a great facility and some of the services they have are excellent. You can even borrow ebooks.) An idea that my friend had almost three years ago was to read for an hour everyday. I got on board with that and we will read some books everyday, summarise what we read and sent it to each other for comments. Although in saying that I haven't done that for a few days as I have been concentrating on this blog.
2. Go to the gym and do some exercise. I am overweight and am trying to lose weight. For me it is getting in a routine of exercise. I think like most of you exercise is always the daily activity that gets left behind. My problem is I go to the gym maybe three days in a row then feel tired and then won't go for another five days or so, when in fact i should just realise that my body is taking time to adjust to something new.
3. If you are a guy, go and talk to some women. You are just talking so no pressure and if they don't want to talk, put it down to them having a bad day, and they are missing out on your colourful personality.
4. Play a sport. In the past I have played, cricket, hockey, touch, golf, basketball and football. I have met a lot of people and it is great exercise. Also by playing these sports you can really tally up your Facebook friends by adding them. Because you know that they are going to do it.
5. Start writing a daily blog. I am only a couple of weeks into this blog but I am finding that it is making me think of things that I might not do on a daily basis. Admittedly I am doing it for myself and my own development but who knows where it could go from here.
6. Look up activities in your town. I know today that there is a cherry blossom festival going on that I should be at. I could be going to a football match this afternoon. I haven't watched football 'live and in the flesh' for a long time so it should be quite interesting. I could have gone to New Plymouth as well where the Manawatu rugby team are challenging for the Ranfurly Shield.
7. Pick up the phone and ring someone that you have talked to or seen for a long time. The important thing about this is that you actually pick up the phone and dial. Do not text them or email them. By phoning them you are more than likely to have a conversation whereas a text conversation could go on for quite a few days and you will have sore fingers, wrists and hands afterwards.
8. If you have made friends on Facebook but have never met them face to face then why don't you get out of your chair and go and see them? Hey, you are friends on Facebook why can't you be friends in 'real life'? If they say no then you will realise that both them and you are trying to drive up your numbers just to look cool. This is a classic sign of insecurity. Yes, guilty as charged.
9. Take a trip. Even if it is for just a couple of days over the weekend. You can get away from your computer and enjoy your 'freedom.' You could take a lot of photos and then post them on Facebook to get rid of that anxiety that you were away from you keyboard for 48 hours.
10. Delete your Facebook account.
There you have it. I'm not saying that you should shut down your Facebook account altogether although for some people number 10 may be an option. What I am saying is that you need a balance between the virtual world and the real world.
Friday 28 September 2012
Homeless
In February 2012 after 15 years living and working in Japan I returned to New Zealand. It wasn't a glorious homecoming unfortunately as I was locked out of the apartment I was living in. I returned to Japan from holiday in New Zealand to find that the guy I was flatting with had changed the locks and had basically made me homeless. I had paid the rent, admittedly I had paid it late and had decided that I was returning to New Zealand and I had basically come back to Japan to pack up my belongings and move back home.
Because I couldn't get back into the apartment, this was a Tuesday afternoon I decided to leave all my belongings in the room and fly back to New Zealand on the Thursday afternoon. I had mixed feelings about this because I was leaving some stuff there that I wanted, I also had stuff that I didn't want, I also had stuff that I wanted but would have been a fool to bring it back and I had stuff that would have proved difficult to get rid of in a short period of time. So in a way he did me a favour and left himself with a bigger problem than I had. I also felt angry towards him for locking me out but also anger towards myself for letting it get to that stage. My communication had become nonexistent with him and I had run away from confrontation when in fact I should have run towards it and maybe it would have been uncomfortable for a shorter time than what I had made it.
What did I learn from this stage in my life?
1. As I said before I have to learn that I can't avoid problems as they won't run away. If I don't acknowledge them they will fester and grow bigger and that is when the real problems start and being kicked out of your apartment is certainly nothing to be proud about.
2. You have to really think about what you are doing. You can't have that typical Kiwi attitude of "she'll be right" and think that if you keep on doing something that something else will happen. What is that saying? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and think that you will get a different result.
3. You have got to keep communications open to all (unless they really piss you off then that's OK to drop them off your cell phone number list) I shut off my cell phone, deliberately didn't read emails all so that I wouldn't have to confront the person and the problem.
4. You have to keep on top of your finances. You need to get enough money every month to pay the bills. If this doesn't happen then your life becomes very stressful and everything turns to custard.
5. Learn to say no even if it is something that you really want. Those opportunities can come again if you have the courage to say no the first time and to work harder to make better opportunities.
6. I also learned that you should be productive in your spare time. Watching TV, surfing the net, maybe fun and they do have a place in your lifestyle but it shouldn't be the whole of your lifestyle. Doing things like writing this blog have helped me to think about things and this time will only beneficial in the future.
7. Work hard and play hard, it is Ok if you play hard only if you have put in an honest day's work. If you haven't you should stay until you have accomplished something.
8. Be upfront with people. This is difficult for me but is essential for me to move on in life.
9. Love of family is unconditional. My parents although very concerned about my well being and almost angry about my continued lackluster performance in my chosen career had always supported me and had helped me out of jam on many occasions and I hope that this is the last time.
10. You have many mates but only few friends and my friends and you know who you are, if I ever stuff up it doesn't change their friendship towards me. This is really comforting to know when you are going through a stressful time they are still going to be there with their support and wisecracks.
I'm sure over the coming months I will come across more lessons from this saga in my life. If I can practice what I have just preached then life will become more fulfilling.
Because I couldn't get back into the apartment, this was a Tuesday afternoon I decided to leave all my belongings in the room and fly back to New Zealand on the Thursday afternoon. I had mixed feelings about this because I was leaving some stuff there that I wanted, I also had stuff that I didn't want, I also had stuff that I wanted but would have been a fool to bring it back and I had stuff that would have proved difficult to get rid of in a short period of time. So in a way he did me a favour and left himself with a bigger problem than I had. I also felt angry towards him for locking me out but also anger towards myself for letting it get to that stage. My communication had become nonexistent with him and I had run away from confrontation when in fact I should have run towards it and maybe it would have been uncomfortable for a shorter time than what I had made it.
What did I learn from this stage in my life?
1. As I said before I have to learn that I can't avoid problems as they won't run away. If I don't acknowledge them they will fester and grow bigger and that is when the real problems start and being kicked out of your apartment is certainly nothing to be proud about.
2. You have to really think about what you are doing. You can't have that typical Kiwi attitude of "she'll be right" and think that if you keep on doing something that something else will happen. What is that saying? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and think that you will get a different result.
3. You have got to keep communications open to all (unless they really piss you off then that's OK to drop them off your cell phone number list) I shut off my cell phone, deliberately didn't read emails all so that I wouldn't have to confront the person and the problem.
4. You have to keep on top of your finances. You need to get enough money every month to pay the bills. If this doesn't happen then your life becomes very stressful and everything turns to custard.
5. Learn to say no even if it is something that you really want. Those opportunities can come again if you have the courage to say no the first time and to work harder to make better opportunities.
6. I also learned that you should be productive in your spare time. Watching TV, surfing the net, maybe fun and they do have a place in your lifestyle but it shouldn't be the whole of your lifestyle. Doing things like writing this blog have helped me to think about things and this time will only beneficial in the future.
7. Work hard and play hard, it is Ok if you play hard only if you have put in an honest day's work. If you haven't you should stay until you have accomplished something.
8. Be upfront with people. This is difficult for me but is essential for me to move on in life.
9. Love of family is unconditional. My parents although very concerned about my well being and almost angry about my continued lackluster performance in my chosen career had always supported me and had helped me out of jam on many occasions and I hope that this is the last time.
10. You have many mates but only few friends and my friends and you know who you are, if I ever stuff up it doesn't change their friendship towards me. This is really comforting to know when you are going through a stressful time they are still going to be there with their support and wisecracks.
I'm sure over the coming months I will come across more lessons from this saga in my life. If I can practice what I have just preached then life will become more fulfilling.
Thursday 27 September 2012
Ideas for Palmerston North
I was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand 39 years ago. I did all of my schooling including university in Palmerston North. In fact Palmerston North was known and may still be known as The City of Knowledge with it's university providing a significant proportion of the town's economy.
I am back living in Palmerston North now after 15 years away in Japan and it is with this perspective that I want to comment on possible business ideas for Palmerston North. I noticed in the local newspaper yesterday that a new mini golf facility has opened up here and it is entirely indoors. Apparently it is the first indoor mini golf course in New Zealand and it is something that is an interesting business idea in my mind and I hope that it works and people get there to have some fun. Good luck I say.
So, what other businesses could work in Palmerston North? If I had the money what would I like to have a go at or even finance so that Palmerston North's economy could be moving on the up and up.
1. Recently an organisation put in a temporary ice skating rink in the middle of the Square. It proved to be very popular and was open to 10 o'clock at night. An ungodly hour for some businesses in Palmerston North. I think that shows that there is a market for a permanent rink in Palmerston North. It could make Palmerston North the centre for ice hockey in this country. Who knows?
2. A public bath. Now hear me out. As I have told you, I spent 15 years living and working in Japan. One of the great cultural aspects of that society are the public baths. Could it work in Palmerston North. It may do. I remember a few years ago my cousin came to visit me and I told him we are going to a public bath. He thought I was crazy. Within two minutes he was loving it and planning one for Palmerston North. With Palmerston North's Japanese population it could be a winner
3. A 24 hour restaurant. Sometimes at 3am after a 12 hour work day I am looking for something that it is good to eat. Unfortunately a McDonalds burger or a Burger King 'Whopper" do not do it for me. Wouldn't it be good if I could go and get a Cobb Salad or a plate of pancakes? Of course you run the risk of drunken assholes ruining your dining experience but I think these people wouldn't go to a place like this.
4. An amusement park. Obviously this would have to be run in conjunction with the city council. Is the city big enough for an amusement park. It depends on how they do it. There is potential for it been a shitty one like the one in the esplanade a few years ago. That one was embarrassing.
5. Would a juku work in Palmerston North? Would students give up their free time to go to a 'cram school' to prepare for their national exams? Maybe they would if the price was right for the parents. I think fundamentally it would be different than the ones that are run in Japan but it could prosper.
6. A business that helps people with translations. I have met a woman who is doing this for Japanese language but what would be good if you were the base for many languages. You would hire in the freelance translators to do the work and pay them a bit of the money that the company or individual pays you.
7. A tour company specialising in golf tours for Japanese and Korean tourists. Obviously you don't have to be in Palmerston North for this but it is as good a base as any for that.
8. Did you know the small settlement of Bunnythorpe, about a 10 minute drive from Palmerston North is the birth place of the pharmaceutical giant Glaxo? How many people know that? Is that a tourist attraction? At the moment, no way but it could be if you did it correctly. Museum, gift shop etc. International tourists come to Palmerston North to look at the New Zealand Rugby Museum. Would they also want to see the Glaxo Museum? I don't know. Maybe
9. A match making service. I'm not sure this city has one. I'm sure that it would have it's takers. There are a few lonely people out there.
10. Regular speed dating events. This would just be a part time even a hobby business but if you did it correctly and lets get real had hot women then the blokes will come in off the street in their droves.
With the internet these days, you can run a business from anywhere selling anything but the above a specific to Palmerston North and are just my opinion about what I want to see in this city.
If you have any other ideas I would love to hear from you.
I am back living in Palmerston North now after 15 years away in Japan and it is with this perspective that I want to comment on possible business ideas for Palmerston North. I noticed in the local newspaper yesterday that a new mini golf facility has opened up here and it is entirely indoors. Apparently it is the first indoor mini golf course in New Zealand and it is something that is an interesting business idea in my mind and I hope that it works and people get there to have some fun. Good luck I say.
So, what other businesses could work in Palmerston North? If I had the money what would I like to have a go at or even finance so that Palmerston North's economy could be moving on the up and up.
1. Recently an organisation put in a temporary ice skating rink in the middle of the Square. It proved to be very popular and was open to 10 o'clock at night. An ungodly hour for some businesses in Palmerston North. I think that shows that there is a market for a permanent rink in Palmerston North. It could make Palmerston North the centre for ice hockey in this country. Who knows?
2. A public bath. Now hear me out. As I have told you, I spent 15 years living and working in Japan. One of the great cultural aspects of that society are the public baths. Could it work in Palmerston North. It may do. I remember a few years ago my cousin came to visit me and I told him we are going to a public bath. He thought I was crazy. Within two minutes he was loving it and planning one for Palmerston North. With Palmerston North's Japanese population it could be a winner
3. A 24 hour restaurant. Sometimes at 3am after a 12 hour work day I am looking for something that it is good to eat. Unfortunately a McDonalds burger or a Burger King 'Whopper" do not do it for me. Wouldn't it be good if I could go and get a Cobb Salad or a plate of pancakes? Of course you run the risk of drunken assholes ruining your dining experience but I think these people wouldn't go to a place like this.
4. An amusement park. Obviously this would have to be run in conjunction with the city council. Is the city big enough for an amusement park. It depends on how they do it. There is potential for it been a shitty one like the one in the esplanade a few years ago. That one was embarrassing.
5. Would a juku work in Palmerston North? Would students give up their free time to go to a 'cram school' to prepare for their national exams? Maybe they would if the price was right for the parents. I think fundamentally it would be different than the ones that are run in Japan but it could prosper.
6. A business that helps people with translations. I have met a woman who is doing this for Japanese language but what would be good if you were the base for many languages. You would hire in the freelance translators to do the work and pay them a bit of the money that the company or individual pays you.
7. A tour company specialising in golf tours for Japanese and Korean tourists. Obviously you don't have to be in Palmerston North for this but it is as good a base as any for that.
8. Did you know the small settlement of Bunnythorpe, about a 10 minute drive from Palmerston North is the birth place of the pharmaceutical giant Glaxo? How many people know that? Is that a tourist attraction? At the moment, no way but it could be if you did it correctly. Museum, gift shop etc. International tourists come to Palmerston North to look at the New Zealand Rugby Museum. Would they also want to see the Glaxo Museum? I don't know. Maybe
9. A match making service. I'm not sure this city has one. I'm sure that it would have it's takers. There are a few lonely people out there.
10. Regular speed dating events. This would just be a part time even a hobby business but if you did it correctly and lets get real had hot women then the blokes will come in off the street in their droves.
With the internet these days, you can run a business from anywhere selling anything but the above a specific to Palmerston North and are just my opinion about what I want to see in this city.
If you have any other ideas I would love to hear from you.
Wednesday 26 September 2012
New Zealand Service. Is it an oxymoron?
For all of you guys who have spoken with me or worked with me over the last six months or so, you will know that I am working in the service industry. I have been working in the bar section of a function centre. It has been quite enjoyable and you do meet interesting people.
However some of you may have heard my rant about the service industry in New Zealand but for you people who haven't heard it, let me summarise it for you.
When you go to a supermarket or petrol station in New Zealand the people behind the counter will ask you "How's your day been?" They say it with about as much enthusiasm as a rotten grapefruit shows and I leave the shop with a bad taste in my mouth.
Why do they do this? Do they think by asking this they are enhancing the whole experience for me? If they believe that then they are about as dumb as the aforementioned grapefruit.
Admittedly I think that these part time workers are been told to ask these inane questions by the powers that be in their respective companies. So are the suits the stupid ones? Probably.
What are the solutions? I can think of a few.
1. Say nothing. Just smile.
2. With the same smile give them a big "hello" or "g'day" or "hi" and go about your business of getting them a drink or putting their groceries through the till in silence with that smile on your face.
3. If you desperately want to use your practiced "Hows' your day been?" Look the customer in the eye and ask it as if you mean it and if they give an answer, FOLLOW UP with a different question RELEVANT to what they said. HAVE A CONVERSATION.
4. Joke with the customer. "This is the second time today that you have come here and bought oranges. Is there something that I don't know about oranges that I should?" (Remember with these kind of things, it isn't what you say but how you say it.)
5. Ask a serious question about what they have bought. "I see you have that. I'm not exactly sure how that works. What are you using it for?" (Unless they are having a shitty day, they will answer.)
6. When I'm behind the bar I will ask about some item of jewelry or clothing. More often than not they will be more than happy to talk about something specific about them that you have noticed. (Who doesn't like talking about themselves?)
7. Ask something specific about their day. For example, I work at a horse race track. I will ask the customers how their betting is going for the day or the other day I asked a question about jockeys or you can ask the owners about their horse. They will love to talk about it. It's their horse after all.
8. If you are a guy you could do some flirting. You never know how far you can go with that one. (A few months ago I was talking to a couple of females and they said point blankly in front of me, "Is he flirting with us?" They seemed quite taken aback by it but my thinking is if you are caught then you mustn't be doing it vey well.
9. Ask a general question about what is going on in the world. They may have an opinion or they may not and if they don't you may just have caught them on a bad day or they have lost all of their money on a horse who came in 5th.
10. Ask for some advice from the customer. They are usually more than willing to help. I have problems with champagne bottles and ginger beer bottles. Customers are usually more than happy to help you
If you don't agree with me on these points then tell me how you would answer if someone said "How's your day been?" like they are a half sucked lolly.
Remember that not everyone is going to want to converse with you. Whether they are grumpy that day or look down upon you as service scum the least you should do is smile and brush it off and think that it is there lose that they don't want to brighten up their day with an interaction with you.
Good luck!!!
However some of you may have heard my rant about the service industry in New Zealand but for you people who haven't heard it, let me summarise it for you.
When you go to a supermarket or petrol station in New Zealand the people behind the counter will ask you "How's your day been?" They say it with about as much enthusiasm as a rotten grapefruit shows and I leave the shop with a bad taste in my mouth.
Why do they do this? Do they think by asking this they are enhancing the whole experience for me? If they believe that then they are about as dumb as the aforementioned grapefruit.
Admittedly I think that these part time workers are been told to ask these inane questions by the powers that be in their respective companies. So are the suits the stupid ones? Probably.
What are the solutions? I can think of a few.
1. Say nothing. Just smile.
2. With the same smile give them a big "hello" or "g'day" or "hi" and go about your business of getting them a drink or putting their groceries through the till in silence with that smile on your face.
3. If you desperately want to use your practiced "Hows' your day been?" Look the customer in the eye and ask it as if you mean it and if they give an answer, FOLLOW UP with a different question RELEVANT to what they said. HAVE A CONVERSATION.
4. Joke with the customer. "This is the second time today that you have come here and bought oranges. Is there something that I don't know about oranges that I should?" (Remember with these kind of things, it isn't what you say but how you say it.)
5. Ask a serious question about what they have bought. "I see you have that. I'm not exactly sure how that works. What are you using it for?" (Unless they are having a shitty day, they will answer.)
6. When I'm behind the bar I will ask about some item of jewelry or clothing. More often than not they will be more than happy to talk about something specific about them that you have noticed. (Who doesn't like talking about themselves?)
7. Ask something specific about their day. For example, I work at a horse race track. I will ask the customers how their betting is going for the day or the other day I asked a question about jockeys or you can ask the owners about their horse. They will love to talk about it. It's their horse after all.
8. If you are a guy you could do some flirting. You never know how far you can go with that one. (A few months ago I was talking to a couple of females and they said point blankly in front of me, "Is he flirting with us?" They seemed quite taken aback by it but my thinking is if you are caught then you mustn't be doing it vey well.
9. Ask a general question about what is going on in the world. They may have an opinion or they may not and if they don't you may just have caught them on a bad day or they have lost all of their money on a horse who came in 5th.
10. Ask for some advice from the customer. They are usually more than willing to help. I have problems with champagne bottles and ginger beer bottles. Customers are usually more than happy to help you
If you don't agree with me on these points then tell me how you would answer if someone said "How's your day been?" like they are a half sucked lolly.
Remember that not everyone is going to want to converse with you. Whether they are grumpy that day or look down upon you as service scum the least you should do is smile and brush it off and think that it is there lose that they don't want to brighten up their day with an interaction with you.
Good luck!!!
Tuesday 25 September 2012
10 Ways To Start A New Career
Good morning everybody,
Today we have a quick post, ten things you can do to start a new career.
1. Resign from your current position. This sounds drastic doesn't it? Quitting your current job could give you the kick in the pants that you need to get into the industry you really want to.
2. While working at your current day job, work on your new career either at nights or on the weekends or both. Working on your career could mean a number of things. Study, research, practice. You decide.
3. Volunteer. Because you are volunteer you are not locked into it for the rest of your life. You could find out after five minutes that the dream job you had in your mind actually sucks in reality and you should look for something else.
4. Get a part time job in your field of interest. Same as volunteering except you have a little bit of money coming in.
5. Pick up a freelance job. This is when you hire out your services and you are not actually attached to any one employer.
6. Take a university course or a vocational school course to upgrade your skills or up-skill in the modern vernacular. For people who want to go back to 'school.' These days courses can be taken by correspondence so that you are literally working on yourself in your free time.
7. Use your free time to explore other opportunities in other fields or industries. Don't go home and watch TV or surf the net looking for all of those dirty websites. Use the net to look for information. Go out to events in your areas. I'm sure there are networking events going on all the time.
8. Do a "stock take"of your interests, strengths, abilities and skills. What are you suited for? Ask other people that know you very well with help for this one as they maybe able to see things that you wouldn't be able to pick up.
9. Ask current professionals in your desired industry out for lunch. Have a list of questions that you wish to ask them and try to learn from them. Both their successes and not so successful moments.
10. It may be that you are happy in your industry but just not in the correct position for your skills etc. Why don't you investigate doing something else in that industry?
There you go. These are just my ideas. Keep at it and I'm sure that you will come out on top. All the best.
Today we have a quick post, ten things you can do to start a new career.
1. Resign from your current position. This sounds drastic doesn't it? Quitting your current job could give you the kick in the pants that you need to get into the industry you really want to.
2. While working at your current day job, work on your new career either at nights or on the weekends or both. Working on your career could mean a number of things. Study, research, practice. You decide.
3. Volunteer. Because you are volunteer you are not locked into it for the rest of your life. You could find out after five minutes that the dream job you had in your mind actually sucks in reality and you should look for something else.
4. Get a part time job in your field of interest. Same as volunteering except you have a little bit of money coming in.
5. Pick up a freelance job. This is when you hire out your services and you are not actually attached to any one employer.
6. Take a university course or a vocational school course to upgrade your skills or up-skill in the modern vernacular. For people who want to go back to 'school.' These days courses can be taken by correspondence so that you are literally working on yourself in your free time.
7. Use your free time to explore other opportunities in other fields or industries. Don't go home and watch TV or surf the net looking for all of those dirty websites. Use the net to look for information. Go out to events in your areas. I'm sure there are networking events going on all the time.
8. Do a "stock take"of your interests, strengths, abilities and skills. What are you suited for? Ask other people that know you very well with help for this one as they maybe able to see things that you wouldn't be able to pick up.
9. Ask current professionals in your desired industry out for lunch. Have a list of questions that you wish to ask them and try to learn from them. Both their successes and not so successful moments.
10. It may be that you are happy in your industry but just not in the correct position for your skills etc. Why don't you investigate doing something else in that industry?
There you go. These are just my ideas. Keep at it and I'm sure that you will come out on top. All the best.
Monday 24 September 2012
Tie Me Kiwi Down Sport
More than 50000 Kiwis leave these shores for Australia every year. By that I mean they leave with no intention of coming back. They emigrate to Australia. Is this a good thing? I suppose as this article says, if the 50000 stayed in New Zealand then that would mean more unemployment which obviously is not a good thing as there is less money swirling around for people to buy stuff.
How should New Zealand try to keep these people in the country? I must admit that I was one of those people who left New Zealand for an extended period of time. I lived in Japan for 15 years only coming back to New Zealand at the beginning of 2012.
For Kiwis moving overseas, I don't think that it is a case of hating their homeland, they just see better opportunities elsewhere and Kiwis have generally been travelers. Maybe it is because of our isolation from the rest of the world.
How can this change? Here are ten ideas:
1. John, call Julia. Get the laws changed. Make it more difficult for Kiwis to join their Australian cousins. I'm not sure if this is correct or not but Kiwis can go to Australia and basically have the same rights as citizens. Is this correct? I presume that vice versa is the same.
2. We don't have capital gains tax which is good, why don't we cut out the income tax as well? I'm sure a lot of people would stick around if they aren't paying 10% to 33% to the government.
3. Encourage people to start their own businesses. Benefits for business owners should be numerous as they are in the end creating jobs and as we discovered earlier this is good for the economy.
4. Clean up the streets. I like going out and about on a weekend night as much as the next person, but what I get is drunk 18 years who have no idea what a drink is what drinking should be about, yelling abuse at me and being pricks. My response to that is to tell them to say what they are saying at 9am on Tuesday morning when they are alone. What is the saying? Safety in numbers? Anyway, that is a rant for another day.
5. Make it easier for people to purchase houses. Even with the mortgage rates at a low it is still quite difficult for first home owners to break into the property market. Come on John, make it easier.
6. Increase the minimum wage. I think that it is $13.50 at the moment, how about making that higher? I'm sure that you would retain the workers that are looking for more money offshore.
7. There is obviously a brain drain. Make it worthwhile for the doctors etc to stay. They don't want to be working 100 hours a week for stuff all money.
8. Become one country. Why not? Then they will just be emigrating to another island as opposed to another country. Problem solved. In all seriousness I can't see this happening as the respective country's economies are fundamentally different so it would be difficult to amalgamate.
9. Don't help the production of shows like The GC. For god sake after watching programs like that, don't you think more an more impressionable young people would want to go to the Gold Coast? I know I would.
10. Tell them if they go, they can't come back. (Rather drastic I know, but as they say drastic times create drastic measures.)
All of these ideas are all very well but at the end of the day you have people who go to Australia for career reasons but there are also people who go there for lifestyle reasons. No matter how good you make New Zealand, people are still going to go for the better climate, bigger cities, and better cricket teams.
How should New Zealand try to keep these people in the country? I must admit that I was one of those people who left New Zealand for an extended period of time. I lived in Japan for 15 years only coming back to New Zealand at the beginning of 2012.
For Kiwis moving overseas, I don't think that it is a case of hating their homeland, they just see better opportunities elsewhere and Kiwis have generally been travelers. Maybe it is because of our isolation from the rest of the world.
How can this change? Here are ten ideas:
1. John, call Julia. Get the laws changed. Make it more difficult for Kiwis to join their Australian cousins. I'm not sure if this is correct or not but Kiwis can go to Australia and basically have the same rights as citizens. Is this correct? I presume that vice versa is the same.
2. We don't have capital gains tax which is good, why don't we cut out the income tax as well? I'm sure a lot of people would stick around if they aren't paying 10% to 33% to the government.
3. Encourage people to start their own businesses. Benefits for business owners should be numerous as they are in the end creating jobs and as we discovered earlier this is good for the economy.
4. Clean up the streets. I like going out and about on a weekend night as much as the next person, but what I get is drunk 18 years who have no idea what a drink is what drinking should be about, yelling abuse at me and being pricks. My response to that is to tell them to say what they are saying at 9am on Tuesday morning when they are alone. What is the saying? Safety in numbers? Anyway, that is a rant for another day.
5. Make it easier for people to purchase houses. Even with the mortgage rates at a low it is still quite difficult for first home owners to break into the property market. Come on John, make it easier.
6. Increase the minimum wage. I think that it is $13.50 at the moment, how about making that higher? I'm sure that you would retain the workers that are looking for more money offshore.
7. There is obviously a brain drain. Make it worthwhile for the doctors etc to stay. They don't want to be working 100 hours a week for stuff all money.
8. Become one country. Why not? Then they will just be emigrating to another island as opposed to another country. Problem solved. In all seriousness I can't see this happening as the respective country's economies are fundamentally different so it would be difficult to amalgamate.
9. Don't help the production of shows like The GC. For god sake after watching programs like that, don't you think more an more impressionable young people would want to go to the Gold Coast? I know I would.
10. Tell them if they go, they can't come back. (Rather drastic I know, but as they say drastic times create drastic measures.)
All of these ideas are all very well but at the end of the day you have people who go to Australia for career reasons but there are also people who go there for lifestyle reasons. No matter how good you make New Zealand, people are still going to go for the better climate, bigger cities, and better cricket teams.
Sunday 23 September 2012
Dae Han Min Guk
Dear the manager of the De Coree restaurant in Palmerston North, New Zealand,
A few nights ago both myself and my family entered your establishment for my birthday dinner. I have lived in North East Asia for 15 years and in that time I have eaten Korean cuisine on a number of occasions and have enjoyed it immensely. I have even been to Korea a couple of times and found it a very interesting place to travel to.
So it was with great joy that I found in my hometown there is a Korean restaurant. It took some convincing to get my family to go to your restaurant because, well to be brutally honest no one in this town knows anything about Korean food. For people in provincial New Zealand Japanese food means sushi, Chinese food means they stuff you can get at the fish and chips shop and won tons but Korean food, I don't think anyone in my family could name one Korean dish. Even my brother didn't know what I was talking about when I mentioned Gangnam Style.
So today I would like to offer you ten ideas on how to get more people through your doors and hopefully get Korean food into the more mainstream of Kiwi tastebuds.
1. Please get yourself a website. Most businesses today have a website. One of the first things that people look for is a website and if you had the menu for your restaurant on it that will help you get more customers.
2. Get some kind of social media presence. Whether this is Facebook or Twitter or something. Can a business survive today without an online presence? I'm not sure. It would be difficult.
3. Organise cooking lessons. Preferably these would be free. New Zealanders are mostly Scottish in heritage and Scottish people are well known to be tight with their money and New Zealanders are no exception to this so if you can organise something that is free or not much money people will come flocking.
4. Join the Manawatu Wine and Food Festival next year. This year I was working at this event and their were representatives of Mexico and India there and someone from Korea wouldn't be out of place.
5. Have you joined the International Culture Day in the Square towards the end of march? This is another event that would be beneficial to your business. I know many groups go there and it is a wonderful event.
6. Hand out free vouchers in the Plaza at lunch time. You can almost guarantee that they won't all be used but people who do use them will spend money at your restaurant. I received two free Stella Artois's the other day. I went to the restaurant and we spent an extra $120. That sounds like it was worth it for that restaurant.
7. Invite a reporter from the Manawatu Standard to your restaurant and get them to write a review for you. That can't hurt your chances. They say any publicity is good publicity.
8. Write the review yourself.
9. Offer Korean language lessons at your restaurant for example on a Tuesday night. Do you think people will stay after to have some food? You bet they would.
10. I know that either yourself or your Korean friends are great fans of golf. Would it not be a good idea to have a Korean food night at the golf club? With the right marketing you may get quite a crowd.
Palmerston North is a small town and things get around the town very quickly. So if you can entertain a few people in a great manner, you will be so busy that you won't know what to do with yourself. The power of word of mouth is fantastic.
Good luck sir.
A few nights ago both myself and my family entered your establishment for my birthday dinner. I have lived in North East Asia for 15 years and in that time I have eaten Korean cuisine on a number of occasions and have enjoyed it immensely. I have even been to Korea a couple of times and found it a very interesting place to travel to.
So it was with great joy that I found in my hometown there is a Korean restaurant. It took some convincing to get my family to go to your restaurant because, well to be brutally honest no one in this town knows anything about Korean food. For people in provincial New Zealand Japanese food means sushi, Chinese food means they stuff you can get at the fish and chips shop and won tons but Korean food, I don't think anyone in my family could name one Korean dish. Even my brother didn't know what I was talking about when I mentioned Gangnam Style.
So today I would like to offer you ten ideas on how to get more people through your doors and hopefully get Korean food into the more mainstream of Kiwi tastebuds.
1. Please get yourself a website. Most businesses today have a website. One of the first things that people look for is a website and if you had the menu for your restaurant on it that will help you get more customers.
2. Get some kind of social media presence. Whether this is Facebook or Twitter or something. Can a business survive today without an online presence? I'm not sure. It would be difficult.
3. Organise cooking lessons. Preferably these would be free. New Zealanders are mostly Scottish in heritage and Scottish people are well known to be tight with their money and New Zealanders are no exception to this so if you can organise something that is free or not much money people will come flocking.
4. Join the Manawatu Wine and Food Festival next year. This year I was working at this event and their were representatives of Mexico and India there and someone from Korea wouldn't be out of place.
5. Have you joined the International Culture Day in the Square towards the end of march? This is another event that would be beneficial to your business. I know many groups go there and it is a wonderful event.
6. Hand out free vouchers in the Plaza at lunch time. You can almost guarantee that they won't all be used but people who do use them will spend money at your restaurant. I received two free Stella Artois's the other day. I went to the restaurant and we spent an extra $120. That sounds like it was worth it for that restaurant.
7. Invite a reporter from the Manawatu Standard to your restaurant and get them to write a review for you. That can't hurt your chances. They say any publicity is good publicity.
8. Write the review yourself.
9. Offer Korean language lessons at your restaurant for example on a Tuesday night. Do you think people will stay after to have some food? You bet they would.
10. I know that either yourself or your Korean friends are great fans of golf. Would it not be a good idea to have a Korean food night at the golf club? With the right marketing you may get quite a crowd.
Palmerston North is a small town and things get around the town very quickly. So if you can entertain a few people in a great manner, you will be so busy that you won't know what to do with yourself. The power of word of mouth is fantastic.
Good luck sir.
감사합니다
Saturday 22 September 2012
DD's
When you hear the expression Double D's, the more perverted of you gentlemen may be thinking woo hoo!!! But that is not the kind of Double D's I am referring to. Due Diligence is the kind of process you should go through if you are contemplating making an investment in something or just entering an agreement or transaction with someone else.
Did the "victims" in this article do their due diligence? For those of you who have been living under a rock for the last four years or who have no interest in international business/crime let me just give you a quick background to the Madoff scandal. Bernard Madoff ran a huge Ponzi scheme worth 10's of billions of dollars and in the end was caught and is now serving a 150 year sentence in jail.
What's a Ponzi scheme? A Ponzi scheme is when investors are paid out money by money coming in from new investors so that they seem to be getting huge returns but in fact their investment is not being invested legitimately. You can find out a little more about Ponzi schemes here. This particular link talks about another American who is also serving a long prison sentence for running a Ponzi scheme.
What should you do if you want to invest in something? Let me give you ten ideas:
1. Understand the industry. Warren Buffett does not invest in anything he doesn't understand. This is why he didn't get caught up in the tech bubble. He just doesn't understand the tech industry.
2. Look at the company's revenue and profit. What is the general trend? Apple would have been a good investment. Maybe still is although I don't know too much about fruit companies. (Thanks Forrest)
3. Who are the competitors in the industry? Finding out who they are and how saturated the market is will help you work out if the company has a future.
4. What do the numbers say? What is the P/E ratio and all those nasty little things that are so important to the whole system?
5. Does the company have high personal ownership by the board? If it does then they must be doing something right and that is a good thing. Ownership by other institutions is a good thing as well.
6. Have a look at the company's balance sheet. Does it have a significant amount of cash to pay of some liabilities? What is the debt/equity ratio? Debt is not a bad thing if it is being used to build up equity.
7. What are the risks involved in the investment? If you have someone advising you to go for this investment and they don't explain the risks properly, I suggest you run a mile as quickly as possible.
8. If the investment requires regular installments you better do some due diligence on yourself to figure out whether it is appropriate to sink in some of your hard earned money. i.e. Do you have enough money to fall back on if it all turns to custard.
9. If you are buying direct stock/shares, find out what the price has been over the last few years. It will give you an indication on where the company is heading.
10. Does the guy investing your money live in a huge house or 3 storied apartment or both and seems to have more money than everyone else you know, combined? if so, tread carefully.
You have worked hard for your money, do you really want to lose it to an unscrupulous human being whose sole motivation is greed? Do your double D's and you may be able to get some extra sleep at night.
Did the "victims" in this article do their due diligence? For those of you who have been living under a rock for the last four years or who have no interest in international business/crime let me just give you a quick background to the Madoff scandal. Bernard Madoff ran a huge Ponzi scheme worth 10's of billions of dollars and in the end was caught and is now serving a 150 year sentence in jail.
What's a Ponzi scheme? A Ponzi scheme is when investors are paid out money by money coming in from new investors so that they seem to be getting huge returns but in fact their investment is not being invested legitimately. You can find out a little more about Ponzi schemes here. This particular link talks about another American who is also serving a long prison sentence for running a Ponzi scheme.
What should you do if you want to invest in something? Let me give you ten ideas:
1. Understand the industry. Warren Buffett does not invest in anything he doesn't understand. This is why he didn't get caught up in the tech bubble. He just doesn't understand the tech industry.
2. Look at the company's revenue and profit. What is the general trend? Apple would have been a good investment. Maybe still is although I don't know too much about fruit companies. (Thanks Forrest)
3. Who are the competitors in the industry? Finding out who they are and how saturated the market is will help you work out if the company has a future.
4. What do the numbers say? What is the P/E ratio and all those nasty little things that are so important to the whole system?
5. Does the company have high personal ownership by the board? If it does then they must be doing something right and that is a good thing. Ownership by other institutions is a good thing as well.
6. Have a look at the company's balance sheet. Does it have a significant amount of cash to pay of some liabilities? What is the debt/equity ratio? Debt is not a bad thing if it is being used to build up equity.
7. What are the risks involved in the investment? If you have someone advising you to go for this investment and they don't explain the risks properly, I suggest you run a mile as quickly as possible.
8. If the investment requires regular installments you better do some due diligence on yourself to figure out whether it is appropriate to sink in some of your hard earned money. i.e. Do you have enough money to fall back on if it all turns to custard.
9. If you are buying direct stock/shares, find out what the price has been over the last few years. It will give you an indication on where the company is heading.
10. Does the guy investing your money live in a huge house or 3 storied apartment or both and seems to have more money than everyone else you know, combined? if so, tread carefully.
You have worked hard for your money, do you really want to lose it to an unscrupulous human being whose sole motivation is greed? Do your double D's and you may be able to get some extra sleep at night.
Friday 21 September 2012
Getting rid of child poverty in New Zealand
One of the nationwide radio networks in New Zealand is More FM. Each region has their own station and broadcasts to their local listeners. However, today all of stations joined up for 13 hours to raise money for KidsCan charity. At the time of writing this they had raised NZ$53,832. KidsCan is a charity which helps eradicate child poverty in New Zealand. This is one of the issues I wrote about yesterday, why should we as a nation fund developing countries when we have children living in poverty on our own front door step?
Well, how can we help our children living below the poverty line?
1. You can donate money to the charity, either in a lump sum or a monthly amount.
2. Hold fund raising events. So, today More FM has their own fundraising day in which they are broadcasting from all over the country while interviewing celebrities. (By the way, I heard the leader of the Opposition of the New Zealand parliament, David Shearer interviewed this morning and he played a guitar and sang a song and I must say that he was very good.
3. Adopt a child. Big call that one. Almost the ultimate in helping out.
4. Donate food and clothing.
5. Make an arrangement with a school to provide breakfast in the morning. If you are really flush with cash, you could do it daily or weekly, monthly or even once a term would be a great way to help the community.
6. Offer to do some education programmes in school. Obviously this doesn't sound like it will solve the problem of the hungry child on the first day but as the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
7. Start some kind of mentor programme. Where with the parent's permission you look after a child maybe once a week. (Obviously there are some difficult moral arguments to this but it could be worth looking at.
8. If you are a property investor with substantial holdings one of those properties could be to a family that is struggling and a significant discount.
9. Offer to help parents in the same way that you are helping the children. This can be in may forms. Whether you sponsor them to up skill or help them with English if it isn't their native language.
10. Offer transportation for children to go to events that they may not be able to go to if they were relying on parents.
These are just some ideas I have thought of which may or may not work, but we never know if we don't try them.
Here is the website for KidsCan. I off to make a donation. I hope that my little gesture will in a small way help with the eradication of child poverty in New Zealand.
Well, how can we help our children living below the poverty line?
1. You can donate money to the charity, either in a lump sum or a monthly amount.
2. Hold fund raising events. So, today More FM has their own fundraising day in which they are broadcasting from all over the country while interviewing celebrities. (By the way, I heard the leader of the Opposition of the New Zealand parliament, David Shearer interviewed this morning and he played a guitar and sang a song and I must say that he was very good.
3. Adopt a child. Big call that one. Almost the ultimate in helping out.
4. Donate food and clothing.
5. Make an arrangement with a school to provide breakfast in the morning. If you are really flush with cash, you could do it daily or weekly, monthly or even once a term would be a great way to help the community.
6. Offer to do some education programmes in school. Obviously this doesn't sound like it will solve the problem of the hungry child on the first day but as the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
7. Start some kind of mentor programme. Where with the parent's permission you look after a child maybe once a week. (Obviously there are some difficult moral arguments to this but it could be worth looking at.
8. If you are a property investor with substantial holdings one of those properties could be to a family that is struggling and a significant discount.
9. Offer to help parents in the same way that you are helping the children. This can be in may forms. Whether you sponsor them to up skill or help them with English if it isn't their native language.
10. Offer transportation for children to go to events that they may not be able to go to if they were relying on parents.
These are just some ideas I have thought of which may or may not work, but we never know if we don't try them.
Here is the website for KidsCan. I off to make a donation. I hope that my little gesture will in a small way help with the eradication of child poverty in New Zealand.
Thursday 20 September 2012
To give or not to give. That is the question.
The other day I found out who the 37th richest person in the United Kingdom is. After reading this article I was told that Lord Michael Ashcroft has that distinction. Now for those of you who have clicked on that link you will know what I am going to comment about, however, for you lazy ones let me give you a quick outline of what Michael Ashcroft said.
Michael Ashcroft told the British government to stop pandering to St. Bob and Bono. Huh? Who is this St. Bob? I have heard of St. Paul and St. Mary but not St. Bob. Maybe he was talking about a guy named Robert. No. Then I clicked, of course he was talking about Bob Geldof and Bono from the Irish band, U2.
What he is saying is that the British government should not be funding developing countries. Both Bob Geldof and Bono are well known for their humanitarian work and if you were around in 1985 you would remember the Live Aid extravaganza that Bob Geldof organised in London and Philadelphia. Lord Ashcroft is saying that the British government should be looking after their own backyard. Public services are going down the drain and their isn't enough money for people with disabilities and Lord Ashcroft is wondering why Britain is sending a ton of money offshore.
This notion is bound to have caused some controversy in Britain and even around the world as the aforementioned article is from Stuff which is a New Zealand news website.
So, what do I think of what he says? That is a good question.
Does Britain have a responsibility to look after the former colonies that they ruled over for a couple of hundred years?
Can you build democracy on other people's money?
Does aid corrode civil society and encourage conflict and corruption?
This is what I think, I think he is correct. I don't consider myself a conservative on the political spectrum but I think if you want to help someone you have to get your own house in order first. There is no point in giving all of that money away if you have your own people in poverty. What is that saying to your constituents? You give us your tax money but we can't be bothered doing anything for you? That's not going to go down very well.
I did mention before about the former colonies and whether or not Britain has a responsibility to look after them. I think they can offer help but it doesn't just have to be a piggy bank for developing nations very much like Japan is in the world, although that is for another blog post. They can send people to these countries as advisers, as teachers, as medical professionals to help the development of these countries that way. They can offer actual materials and machinery rather than just straight cash in which sometimes the corrupt leaders can do as they like.
I would just like to go back to a question I posed before, "Can you build democracy on other people's money?" This is an interesting question and let me give you my view on democracy. What is democracy? I used to believe it is to be one person, one vote. Well, believe it or not people in North Korea do get to vote. They may only have one candidate to choose from but that is one person, one vote so that doesn't necessarily mean that it is a democracy. To me a democracy is the ability to say anything, anytime about whatever you want and not been chucked in jail for it. Some people might say that the USA is not really a democracy when you read that but lets not go there.
I lived in Japan for fifteen years and I wouldn't say that it is a democracy in the western sense of the word. Corruption is rife in that society and people in power are rarely questioned. My point is that you have to take culture into account before you start bad mouthing somewhere because their democratic processes appear to you to be crap.
So, my advise to Britain. Get your money, allocate it to your expenses and then with the money left over give a little to charity but only if you can afford it. Sounds easy, doesn't it? It is a lot more difficult than that although sometimes I think we do overcomplicate things.
Michael Ashcroft told the British government to stop pandering to St. Bob and Bono. Huh? Who is this St. Bob? I have heard of St. Paul and St. Mary but not St. Bob. Maybe he was talking about a guy named Robert. No. Then I clicked, of course he was talking about Bob Geldof and Bono from the Irish band, U2.
What he is saying is that the British government should not be funding developing countries. Both Bob Geldof and Bono are well known for their humanitarian work and if you were around in 1985 you would remember the Live Aid extravaganza that Bob Geldof organised in London and Philadelphia. Lord Ashcroft is saying that the British government should be looking after their own backyard. Public services are going down the drain and their isn't enough money for people with disabilities and Lord Ashcroft is wondering why Britain is sending a ton of money offshore.
This notion is bound to have caused some controversy in Britain and even around the world as the aforementioned article is from Stuff which is a New Zealand news website.
So, what do I think of what he says? That is a good question.
Does Britain have a responsibility to look after the former colonies that they ruled over for a couple of hundred years?
Can you build democracy on other people's money?
Does aid corrode civil society and encourage conflict and corruption?
This is what I think, I think he is correct. I don't consider myself a conservative on the political spectrum but I think if you want to help someone you have to get your own house in order first. There is no point in giving all of that money away if you have your own people in poverty. What is that saying to your constituents? You give us your tax money but we can't be bothered doing anything for you? That's not going to go down very well.
I did mention before about the former colonies and whether or not Britain has a responsibility to look after them. I think they can offer help but it doesn't just have to be a piggy bank for developing nations very much like Japan is in the world, although that is for another blog post. They can send people to these countries as advisers, as teachers, as medical professionals to help the development of these countries that way. They can offer actual materials and machinery rather than just straight cash in which sometimes the corrupt leaders can do as they like.
I would just like to go back to a question I posed before, "Can you build democracy on other people's money?" This is an interesting question and let me give you my view on democracy. What is democracy? I used to believe it is to be one person, one vote. Well, believe it or not people in North Korea do get to vote. They may only have one candidate to choose from but that is one person, one vote so that doesn't necessarily mean that it is a democracy. To me a democracy is the ability to say anything, anytime about whatever you want and not been chucked in jail for it. Some people might say that the USA is not really a democracy when you read that but lets not go there.
I lived in Japan for fifteen years and I wouldn't say that it is a democracy in the western sense of the word. Corruption is rife in that society and people in power are rarely questioned. My point is that you have to take culture into account before you start bad mouthing somewhere because their democratic processes appear to you to be crap.
So, my advise to Britain. Get your money, allocate it to your expenses and then with the money left over give a little to charity but only if you can afford it. Sounds easy, doesn't it? It is a lot more difficult than that although sometimes I think we do overcomplicate things.
Wednesday 19 September 2012
Happy Birthday To Me
Hello folks. Guess what? Today is my birthday. Yes sir. I am 39 today. Woo Hoo!!! I am looking forward to celebrating appropriately later on in the day, but first there is the little thing of this blog.
The purpose of this blog is to get me thinking about issues that I may not necessarily think about on a daily basis and expand my mind, however, since it's my birthday I thought that the seriousness can be put aside for one day and we can talk about something a little more fun. "What's that?' I hear you say. Well today for one day only we have Blair's list of ten ways to celebrate your birthday. These are ways in which I have celebrated in the past or would think would be pretty cool to celebrate in the future. You should have a great time on your birthday because as this article suggests it could be your last. Just don't expect any references to sky diving or bungy jumping though. So, here goes:
1. Go to Las Vegas with your mates. (This would have to be number one. Hmmm, maybe I should do it next year.)
2. Go to a restaurant in which you haven't been before. (Tonight I'm having Korean food. I have had Korean food but not at this particular restaurant.)
3. In 2004 I went to watch sumo with a friend and my then girlfriend. You should do something like that. Watch a sport live that you haven't watched before. It was the first time to watch sumo in the flesh (and their was quite a bit of flesh, as you can imagine.)
4. Have a party and invite everyone you know. They may not all come but that will be their loss.
5. Have a drink or three. Don't say because it is Wednesday that you will wait to Friday or Saturday night. It isn't the same.
6. Go to the beach. Is there any place that is better than the beach?
7. Buy yourself some new clothes or shoes because if you can't spoil yourself, who can you spoil?
8. This is a little bit of a serious one but, instead of doing New Year's Resolutions you could do them today. Why not? It is the start of a new year for you after all.
9. Make yourself a special breakfast. Cereal with milk just doesn't cut it.
10. Go to Disneyland. I did that three years ago. It was fantastic.
Well, there we go folks. I hope that I have given you some ideas. Whether it is your birthday today or not. Have a great day and if you have any other ideas please write them in the comments section.
Tuesday 18 September 2012
Weighty Ideas
For my daily reading regime I have recently being reading a book published in 2011 called Celebrity, Inc. this book written by Jo Piazza talks about how celebrities make money. How they cash in on their fame and make their retirements just that little bit easier. Today in fact I read a chapter about Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian. It is interesting how they are both cashing in on their celebrity and I say all power to them. If you have it why not use to get ahead. Blair says "Good on 'em."
However I don't want to talk about Paris and Kim although I could think of worse things to talk about, I would like to talk about chapter 3 of the book. The chapter is entitled, Valerie Bertinelli: Turning pounds into dollars. First of all I looked up who Valerie Bertinelli is. (Isn't the internet a wonderful thing? I mean what did we do in the past when we woke up in the middle of the night wondering what the main ingredient in ambrosia was? We wouldn't know. Our mates at school wouldn't know and we would lose sleep. Anyway back to the subject.) If you don't know who Valerie Bertinelli (VB) is, click here and it should give you a hint.
It turns out VB is famous in America now for weight loss and has made a lot of money out of it. Overweight celebrities have found ways to profit from their problems and inspire thousands of people. They can make anywhere from $500,000 to $2,000,000 a year to endorse products and services. (That's almost enough to want me to go down to McDonalds. Although to be fair I would go down to Maccas for less than that.)
Oprah Winfrey has made a ton of money from her weight loss regime as did the former Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. Like the aforementioned Paris and Kim I hold no malice to these people and the fact that they lost weight in the process is great. We should follow their lead which is what the marketers want us to do. In fact when I looked up Amazon.com to find the listing for the Celebrity, Inc. book the fifth book in the list was a celebrity weight loss book so if I was in any doubt that proved it to me that weight loss is a big industry.
I am overweight. I weighed myself this morning and was less than the same time yesterday but still have a long way to go before I reach my goal. I like sports and love throwing a ball around with the guys and have played sports for most of my life however I do overeat on junk food. I have an over evolved sweet tooth. I'm starting to realize that the pain of being overweight is more than doing the exercise and changing my lifestyle and I believe it is at that stage in which people spark into action.
How would you go about it? Well, to some people they would go out and run a marathon and eat carrots and lettuce and drink water. Yep, done that, it doesn't work as you arise from bed all charged up on Monday morning and go for a big long run and then eat celery sticks for breakfast. What happens by dinner time you have a huge dinner because you have deprived yourself all day and even worse, the next morning and for the rest of the mornings throughout the week you stay in bed because you are stuffed from running on Monday.
Lets see, how would I go about it? What are my ten ideas? (Warning, I am no expert. This is just my opinion from years of trail and error. For an experts opinion click on the link below.)
1. Set up a menu and shopping list on Sunday. This menu is for the week and do all your shopping on that day.
2. Have one day off a week where you can eat anything to excess and do no exercise.
3. Have someone nagging you daily about your protruding stomach. (Can be annoying but in the end they will probably win.)
4. Drink lots of water. (Easy for me. I like drinking water. Sometimes I put a little lime juice in it.)
5. Do daily exercise. (I would love to throw a ball around with mates everyday but that just isn't doable so I joined a gym and that can be quite fun if you devise systems to push yourself.)
6. Go walking. Walk to the shop to buy your chocolate bar ... I mean your Men's Health magazine. Carry a pedometer too.
7. Find a training partner or a weight loss partner who you can compare notes with.
8. Cycle/walk to work/school occasionally. Not only will this help with your fitness it is also something different. As they say, variety is the spice of life.
9. Set up some kind of reward system so if you get to a goal weight you do something special.
10. Start a graph that charts your weight loss progress. This is very motivating for me as I watch the line trend down.
11. Take action. Just don't think about it. Do it.
I hope that helps. Actually that was 11, wasn't it? As soon as I have finished writing this I'm putting my pedometer (actually an iPhone) in my pocket and walking to the gym. As I said before my weight is down over the last few days and I like to keep it there so am looking forward to it.
Finally I would like to say to the people out there that it is a difficult road but if you act slowly and patiently you can get to your goals. I'd also like to endorse this guy here although I'm not getting any money to say that. Poor me!!!
However I don't want to talk about Paris and Kim although I could think of worse things to talk about, I would like to talk about chapter 3 of the book. The chapter is entitled, Valerie Bertinelli: Turning pounds into dollars. First of all I looked up who Valerie Bertinelli is. (Isn't the internet a wonderful thing? I mean what did we do in the past when we woke up in the middle of the night wondering what the main ingredient in ambrosia was? We wouldn't know. Our mates at school wouldn't know and we would lose sleep. Anyway back to the subject.) If you don't know who Valerie Bertinelli (VB) is, click here and it should give you a hint.
It turns out VB is famous in America now for weight loss and has made a lot of money out of it. Overweight celebrities have found ways to profit from their problems and inspire thousands of people. They can make anywhere from $500,000 to $2,000,000 a year to endorse products and services. (That's almost enough to want me to go down to McDonalds. Although to be fair I would go down to Maccas for less than that.)
Oprah Winfrey has made a ton of money from her weight loss regime as did the former Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. Like the aforementioned Paris and Kim I hold no malice to these people and the fact that they lost weight in the process is great. We should follow their lead which is what the marketers want us to do. In fact when I looked up Amazon.com to find the listing for the Celebrity, Inc. book the fifth book in the list was a celebrity weight loss book so if I was in any doubt that proved it to me that weight loss is a big industry.
I am overweight. I weighed myself this morning and was less than the same time yesterday but still have a long way to go before I reach my goal. I like sports and love throwing a ball around with the guys and have played sports for most of my life however I do overeat on junk food. I have an over evolved sweet tooth. I'm starting to realize that the pain of being overweight is more than doing the exercise and changing my lifestyle and I believe it is at that stage in which people spark into action.
How would you go about it? Well, to some people they would go out and run a marathon and eat carrots and lettuce and drink water. Yep, done that, it doesn't work as you arise from bed all charged up on Monday morning and go for a big long run and then eat celery sticks for breakfast. What happens by dinner time you have a huge dinner because you have deprived yourself all day and even worse, the next morning and for the rest of the mornings throughout the week you stay in bed because you are stuffed from running on Monday.
Lets see, how would I go about it? What are my ten ideas? (Warning, I am no expert. This is just my opinion from years of trail and error. For an experts opinion click on the link below.)
1. Set up a menu and shopping list on Sunday. This menu is for the week and do all your shopping on that day.
2. Have one day off a week where you can eat anything to excess and do no exercise.
3. Have someone nagging you daily about your protruding stomach. (Can be annoying but in the end they will probably win.)
4. Drink lots of water. (Easy for me. I like drinking water. Sometimes I put a little lime juice in it.)
5. Do daily exercise. (I would love to throw a ball around with mates everyday but that just isn't doable so I joined a gym and that can be quite fun if you devise systems to push yourself.)
6. Go walking. Walk to the shop to buy your chocolate bar ... I mean your Men's Health magazine. Carry a pedometer too.
7. Find a training partner or a weight loss partner who you can compare notes with.
8. Cycle/walk to work/school occasionally. Not only will this help with your fitness it is also something different. As they say, variety is the spice of life.
9. Set up some kind of reward system so if you get to a goal weight you do something special.
10. Start a graph that charts your weight loss progress. This is very motivating for me as I watch the line trend down.
11. Take action. Just don't think about it. Do it.
I hope that helps. Actually that was 11, wasn't it? As soon as I have finished writing this I'm putting my pedometer (actually an iPhone) in my pocket and walking to the gym. As I said before my weight is down over the last few days and I like to keep it there so am looking forward to it.
Finally I would like to say to the people out there that it is a difficult road but if you act slowly and patiently you can get to your goals. I'd also like to endorse this guy here although I'm not getting any money to say that. Poor me!!!
Monday 17 September 2012
Give and you shall ...
I came across this article while reading the CNN Money app on my iPhone one night this week. Obviously the article got me thinking about my charitable contributions but it also got me thinking about financial planning in general.
I could give you an arbitrary number that I just plucked out of thin air and we would all be happy and go on with our lives. So, if I say 10% goes to charity. That sounds good right? I don't think it is simple as that. So lets go through the process.
You don't want to start contributing to your charity if you are a charity case yourself so you have to be sensible and really have a good think about.
Lets say for argument sake that you are working for ABC company and receive in the hand $1000 a week. What are you going to do with that money? I know what some of you guys are thinking, you are going to go out on Friday night and have a great time. Fair enough, we all have got to have our fun. For some people that is going out an getting "absolutely wasted" one night. For other people it could be jumping out of a plane at 10,000 feet. Not my cup of tea, but as they say, "whatever floats your boat" or something like that.
Anyway, lets get our feet back on terra firma. So, you have your $1000. What are you going to do with it? Well, most people say pay your expenses. That's OK I suppose but as I read in Robert Kiyosaki's book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad a few years ago he says something about pay yourself first which is good advice. Put some money aside for a rainy day. You could call it your cash reserve if you like. My friend and I when we were talking about this stuff a few years ago called it our slush fund until we found out the stigma associated with this term. But I digress.
You should build up your cash reserve so that you have at least, I'll write that again, at least three months worth of expenses. That should be your minimum. Some people like more than that. Just go with what you are comfortable with.
After you have contributed to your cash reserve, then pay off your expenses. Pay them off in a timely manner. I have made this mistake in the past where I haven't paid on time and have lost some things that are important to me, i.e. friendships. I do regret it and I wish I could go back and make it right but what is done is done and what you can do is work on it so it never happens again and that you are sensible with it all.
After all your expenses you will be left with your discretionary income and it is from this that you will be able to find the money to give to charity. So with this income you may like to invest. Please be warned that this money is not the same as your cash reserve. Your cash reserve should be your priority until you have enough money to live for a few months. So, lets say for argument sake that you have built up your cash reserve to a level you are comfortable with then you invest, you party and you give to charity. Of course there are others things that you should also bear in mind like insurance etc, but lets just say you have covered those when you were taking care of your expenses.
So, you have some money set aside for charity. I believe that at the start it doesn't have to be a great deal, just make sure that you are giving money to an organisation that you believe in and want to help not because you do as I used to think that if you give you will receive. You should give with no expectations of anything in return.
Do some research into what charity you want to give to. Maybe you want to give to some charity that is very well known. I give a very small monthly amount to Red Cross. A worldwide organisation that does great work in many countries and I think that I am giving to a good cause. I'm sure as I research more and more I will find other organisations worthy of my money but at the moment I am fine with it.
And how much do I give, NZ$15 a month. I know, I know, it doesn't sound very much and it does come directly out of my bank account and I sometimes forget that it is there but it is a start and as the Chinese proverb says, "a journey of a thousand mile begins with a single step." (千里之行，始于足下 )
What does this all mean?
1. Have a regular income
2. Set aside some of that for your cash reserve
3. Pay your expenses
4. Count your discretionary income
5. Invest
6. Party
7. Research charitable organisations
8. Make a contribution to that organisation.
9. Start small and build up over time
10. Have fun and enjoy what you are doing (Good advice for anything)
I could give you an arbitrary number that I just plucked out of thin air and we would all be happy and go on with our lives. So, if I say 10% goes to charity. That sounds good right? I don't think it is simple as that. So lets go through the process.
You don't want to start contributing to your charity if you are a charity case yourself so you have to be sensible and really have a good think about.
Lets say for argument sake that you are working for ABC company and receive in the hand $1000 a week. What are you going to do with that money? I know what some of you guys are thinking, you are going to go out on Friday night and have a great time. Fair enough, we all have got to have our fun. For some people that is going out an getting "absolutely wasted" one night. For other people it could be jumping out of a plane at 10,000 feet. Not my cup of tea, but as they say, "whatever floats your boat" or something like that.
Anyway, lets get our feet back on terra firma. So, you have your $1000. What are you going to do with it? Well, most people say pay your expenses. That's OK I suppose but as I read in Robert Kiyosaki's book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad a few years ago he says something about pay yourself first which is good advice. Put some money aside for a rainy day. You could call it your cash reserve if you like. My friend and I when we were talking about this stuff a few years ago called it our slush fund until we found out the stigma associated with this term. But I digress.
You should build up your cash reserve so that you have at least, I'll write that again, at least three months worth of expenses. That should be your minimum. Some people like more than that. Just go with what you are comfortable with.
After you have contributed to your cash reserve, then pay off your expenses. Pay them off in a timely manner. I have made this mistake in the past where I haven't paid on time and have lost some things that are important to me, i.e. friendships. I do regret it and I wish I could go back and make it right but what is done is done and what you can do is work on it so it never happens again and that you are sensible with it all.
After all your expenses you will be left with your discretionary income and it is from this that you will be able to find the money to give to charity. So with this income you may like to invest. Please be warned that this money is not the same as your cash reserve. Your cash reserve should be your priority until you have enough money to live for a few months. So, lets say for argument sake that you have built up your cash reserve to a level you are comfortable with then you invest, you party and you give to charity. Of course there are others things that you should also bear in mind like insurance etc, but lets just say you have covered those when you were taking care of your expenses.
So, you have some money set aside for charity. I believe that at the start it doesn't have to be a great deal, just make sure that you are giving money to an organisation that you believe in and want to help not because you do as I used to think that if you give you will receive. You should give with no expectations of anything in return.
Do some research into what charity you want to give to. Maybe you want to give to some charity that is very well known. I give a very small monthly amount to Red Cross. A worldwide organisation that does great work in many countries and I think that I am giving to a good cause. I'm sure as I research more and more I will find other organisations worthy of my money but at the moment I am fine with it.
And how much do I give, NZ$15 a month. I know, I know, it doesn't sound very much and it does come directly out of my bank account and I sometimes forget that it is there but it is a start and as the Chinese proverb says, "a journey of a thousand mile begins with a single step." (千里之行，始于足下 )
What does this all mean?
1. Have a regular income
2. Set aside some of that for your cash reserve
3. Pay your expenses
4. Count your discretionary income
5. Invest
6. Party
7. Research charitable organisations
8. Make a contribution to that organisation.
9. Start small and build up over time
10. Have fun and enjoy what you are doing (Good advice for anything)
Sunday 16 September 2012
Raising your finger to insecurities and fears
I was given a challenge by a friend to write 30 blog posts in 30 days. He challenged me to I summarise an article and then incorporate inside the summary 10 ideas to solve the problem.
My friend half jokingly suggested I might choose from cricket articles. I laughed at this and said that I would take this challenge seriously and not to do that. I had a few days until I published this first blog but I couldn't go past this article from Cricinfo.
Cricinfo is one of the most popular websites in the world and you can find your daily cricket fix on it. But the aforementioned article really struck a chord with me. Why? Is it about my life? Quite possibly. The article was written from a cricket angle but could quite easily be applied to many walks of life and many if not all groups in our society.
Iain O'Brien, a former international cricketer for New Zealand says that a cricket player may look confident behind their sunglasses and that confident almost arrogant strut but that could possibly be a facade because behind that could be insecurities and fears and all of those nasty things that prevent us from being all that we can be and entering as the aforementioned friend likes to say, the winners circle.
O'Brien says that behind his sunglasses he was always analysing people. Analysing their words, their body language just to find out where he stood in the grand scheme of things. So how does he get away from the uncomfortable part, he doesn't make eye contact and avoids conversation. Unfortunately, this makes you appear arrogant and of course it is the exact opposite of what you are really feeling.
This is a very interesting article and I suggest after you read this post to click on the link above and read O'Brien's article.
So, what's this got to with me, Blair Leighton? Everything!!!! Everything that he writes about I am guilty as charged. Not just in cricket but in life in general. Has it hold me back? You bet your life it has. You ask people that know me, do I talk a lot. Not really and in 2012 that is not good. We do live in an extroverted society and we can't really afford to be introverted but that discussion is for another day.
Do I sit back and analyse people? Up until a few weeks ago I would have said no, I just try and figure out who I am talking to so I can communicate with people on their wavelength. But when I really think about it yes I do and have even been accused of it by a current work colleague. Of course I want to tell her that I am fundamentally shy and that unlike some of my more extroverted colleagues I can't talk bullshit all day long but I can't tell her that. Why? She isn't going to listen.
As I am writing this I am thinking why should I care? I shouldn't. However, it is a little bit more difficult than that. Telling a person to just not care is about as useful as telling someone to just be confident or JDGAS (Just Don't Give A Sh*t) it means nothing and isn't going to fix the problem.
What is the problem? The problem as I have said is all those insecurities and fears that are holding you back.
So, what's the solution? Wow, I ask myself the difficult questions. I suppose I am challenging myself with this blog and coming up with kind of a solution is all part of it, so here goes:
1. Admit to yourself that you are inside you head and that you are indeed playing a character and not being true to yourself. You are trying to "fake it to you make it" and making yourself look like a wanker or even a perceived wanker in your own mind in the process.
2. This is particularly difficult for me but believe that it is very important for me to do and that is to say hello to people as they walk past, whether they are people you see everyday or people you have never seen before in your life. You don't have to spend the rest of the day or night with them. Just say hello. What are they going to think? "What a bloody twat!!! How dare he say hello to me?"
3. Look people in the eye and LISTEN. (Difficult for me as I'm not generally listening and am waiting to say something anyway.)
4. Do something once a day that is slightly out of your comfort zone. For me, talking to a woman I find attractive walking down the street may be that particular one (not that I have venustraphobia. look it up if you don't know what it means. It was a question on the bottle top of the Tui beer I had yesterday.)
5. I have joined a Toastmasters group recently. This is helping me with confidence. It is a very supportive environment for improving your public speaking and your leadership abilities. You get to meet a great deal of people who I would have to say are in the same boat who are not comfortable in their own skin.
6. Find things that you are passionate and see where you can take them. If you are passionate about boxing for example where can you go with that?
7. You are half assed. I know you are, maybe not all of you but a lot of you. When you do something, give it 100%.
8. Do an inventory of your strengths. We tend to think about are negatives and dwell on them when we all have strengths. It is a waste of time trying to build up your weaknesses when you should be highlighting your strengths and working on them. I'll use a cricket analogy, do you think Sachin Tendulkar works on his hook shot as much as his cover drive? I don't think so. He will just duck under the short ball and cream the cover drives.
9. Get rid of any negative influences in your life. I have done in the past and it does work.
10. Look after yourself, try to increase your knowledge. Look after your health (I'm terrible at this). You will start to feel better, have more energy and that confidence will return.
Confidence is the goal and working on it everyday will bring results. Just don't think of a quick fix. Work on it over a long period of time and you and I will see each other in that winners circle and maybe even in the future we will see each other in The Hall of Fame.
My friend half jokingly suggested I might choose from cricket articles. I laughed at this and said that I would take this challenge seriously and not to do that. I had a few days until I published this first blog but I couldn't go past this article from Cricinfo.
Cricinfo is one of the most popular websites in the world and you can find your daily cricket fix on it. But the aforementioned article really struck a chord with me. Why? Is it about my life? Quite possibly. The article was written from a cricket angle but could quite easily be applied to many walks of life and many if not all groups in our society.
Iain O'Brien, a former international cricketer for New Zealand says that a cricket player may look confident behind their sunglasses and that confident almost arrogant strut but that could possibly be a facade because behind that could be insecurities and fears and all of those nasty things that prevent us from being all that we can be and entering as the aforementioned friend likes to say, the winners circle.
O'Brien says that behind his sunglasses he was always analysing people. Analysing their words, their body language just to find out where he stood in the grand scheme of things. So how does he get away from the uncomfortable part, he doesn't make eye contact and avoids conversation. Unfortunately, this makes you appear arrogant and of course it is the exact opposite of what you are really feeling.
This is a very interesting article and I suggest after you read this post to click on the link above and read O'Brien's article.
So, what's this got to with me, Blair Leighton? Everything!!!! Everything that he writes about I am guilty as charged. Not just in cricket but in life in general. Has it hold me back? You bet your life it has. You ask people that know me, do I talk a lot. Not really and in 2012 that is not good. We do live in an extroverted society and we can't really afford to be introverted but that discussion is for another day.
Do I sit back and analyse people? Up until a few weeks ago I would have said no, I just try and figure out who I am talking to so I can communicate with people on their wavelength. But when I really think about it yes I do and have even been accused of it by a current work colleague. Of course I want to tell her that I am fundamentally shy and that unlike some of my more extroverted colleagues I can't talk bullshit all day long but I can't tell her that. Why? She isn't going to listen.
As I am writing this I am thinking why should I care? I shouldn't. However, it is a little bit more difficult than that. Telling a person to just not care is about as useful as telling someone to just be confident or JDGAS (Just Don't Give A Sh*t) it means nothing and isn't going to fix the problem.
What is the problem? The problem as I have said is all those insecurities and fears that are holding you back.
So, what's the solution? Wow, I ask myself the difficult questions. I suppose I am challenging myself with this blog and coming up with kind of a solution is all part of it, so here goes:
1. Admit to yourself that you are inside you head and that you are indeed playing a character and not being true to yourself. You are trying to "fake it to you make it" and making yourself look like a wanker or even a perceived wanker in your own mind in the process.
2. This is particularly difficult for me but believe that it is very important for me to do and that is to say hello to people as they walk past, whether they are people you see everyday or people you have never seen before in your life. You don't have to spend the rest of the day or night with them. Just say hello. What are they going to think? "What a bloody twat!!! How dare he say hello to me?"
3. Look people in the eye and LISTEN. (Difficult for me as I'm not generally listening and am waiting to say something anyway.)
4. Do something once a day that is slightly out of your comfort zone. For me, talking to a woman I find attractive walking down the street may be that particular one (not that I have venustraphobia. look it up if you don't know what it means. It was a question on the bottle top of the Tui beer I had yesterday.)
5. I have joined a Toastmasters group recently. This is helping me with confidence. It is a very supportive environment for improving your public speaking and your leadership abilities. You get to meet a great deal of people who I would have to say are in the same boat who are not comfortable in their own skin.
6. Find things that you are passionate and see where you can take them. If you are passionate about boxing for example where can you go with that?
7. You are half assed. I know you are, maybe not all of you but a lot of you. When you do something, give it 100%.
8. Do an inventory of your strengths. We tend to think about are negatives and dwell on them when we all have strengths. It is a waste of time trying to build up your weaknesses when you should be highlighting your strengths and working on them. I'll use a cricket analogy, do you think Sachin Tendulkar works on his hook shot as much as his cover drive? I don't think so. He will just duck under the short ball and cream the cover drives.
9. Get rid of any negative influences in your life. I have done in the past and it does work.
10. Look after yourself, try to increase your knowledge. Look after your health (I'm terrible at this). You will start to feel better, have more energy and that confidence will return.
Confidence is the goal and working on it everyday will bring results. Just don't think of a quick fix. Work on it over a long period of time and you and I will see each other in that winners circle and maybe even in the future we will see each other in The Hall of Fame.
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