It has been awhile since I last posted on this blog. A couple of months in fact. What is my excuse, I hear you ask. Well, I suppose there are a couple of them. In November I was concentrating on the Nanowrimo competition. This is the event that challenges you to write 50,000 words in 30 days. They say that 50,000 words in the minimum for a novel. I managed to successfully complete that which I was very happy about. Also December is quite a busy time for the industry that I am working in at the moment. I do have a few days off now to reflect on what happened in 2012 and what I think will happen in 2013. So, Happy New Year everyone. I hope you all celebrated appropriately and are looking forward to the new year as much as I am.
What have I learned in 2012? What are the lessons that I can take away from 2012 that I can use in 2013? Lets have a look. I think that this is a good exercise for everyone and if you have a few spare minutes, try this exercise. You might learn something about yourself and discover something that you can take advantage if this year.
What have I learned in 2012?
1. I have learned who my true friends are. So thank you very much to each and everyone of you. You know who you are. It is in times of hardship that you find out about yourself and you find out about who cares for you and who really, truly wants you to succeed. It is all very well that you find someone entertaining when they are on top of the world but when they are sliding down that slippery path and you can help them get back on their feet then they will remember that for the rest of their lives. If they don't, they are idiots.
2. I have learned that it is important to plan. It is important to plan for your day to day activities, for your monthly activities and for your annual activities. I am not the best at planning for the future even though that was my job for five years in Japan. I have found that if you take a few minutes to sit down and plan then activities can become a lot more easier and as long as you take action on those plans.
3. Things don't happen overnight. For example, this year I want to lose weight but I continue to eat sweet food and not exercise and then when I do eat a salad and spend one hour on the cross trainer I expect to have a six pack the next day. Unfortunately life doesn't work that way. My friend gives me grief for starting things and never following through with it. But I keep on doing all the same things. What was it that Mark Twain said? The definition of insanity is doing all the same things but expecting different results.
4. Working in the hospitality as been interesting and I am really appreciative of the opportunity I have been given in 2012 to work in a catering company and it is interesting that I have always wanted to try and work in bar, I never thought that it would be at the Awapuni Racecourse though. One thing that I have learned is that I would rather be on the other side of the bar, not serving it. I have had some wonderful, both positive and negative experiences at the bar and have gained some great knowledge about life. I understand know that you have to go with your gut when presented with work to do. So often I would wait back for guidance when I knew what to do and should have done it.
5. Cashflow. No, not the Robert Kiyosaki, Rich Dad Poor Dad board game. I have been slack with cash flow the last five years, relying on other people to bail me out when I needed it. For someone who is at my age, this is not good. I have learned that even if you do have a dream and you do want to build a business, you still need to pay bills and eat and you need to have cash coming in. Whether it was pride in not wanting to go back to my old job for cash or some bad advice or whatever I didn't do the correct way. Lets just say that it has been nice in 2012 to get some money coming into the kitty.
6. I like living in Japan, especially in Tokyo. I lived in and around Tokyo for nearly 15 years and I effectively grew up there. I was educated in New Zealand but I became an adult in Tokyo and I would love to go back there in the near future. Whether that is this year or next, I'm not sure.
7. When I put my mind to it I can accomplish things. When I don't give 100% to what I want to do i just give a typical Blair Leighton half assed effort which is not good for anyone and frustrating to myself and the people around me. In November I was determined to finish 50,000 words in the Nanowrimo competition and I did it. It was difficult and challenging at times but to get there was very satisfying and I will if I can like to do it again in 2013.
8. I am fat. I don't exercise enough and I eat the wrong foods, especially too much sugars and junk food, period.
9. Many people have told me over the years and they still tell me now that I am an intelligent person. It is just recently that I have thought about who says these things, who I hang out with and who I talk to. I realize that if I wasn't intelligent these particular people wouldn't say what they say and more importantly they wouldn't hang out with me.
10. One of the most important things I have learned in 2012 is that no matter how bad things are going you can always make the decision to turn them around and that can happen this second. You have two choices, the first choice is to wallow in your mediocrity and just follow the crowd or you can make the decision to do something about it, make the decision to set a goal and follow through. Take appropriate action and to always focus on it and accomplish it.
I wish you all well for 2013. I hope that you can achieve everything that you put your mind to and lets say that we meet in 365 days time to review 2013 and it isn't a sob story but a story of all different achievements and accomplishments. Happy New Year everyone.
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
10 mistakes I make everyday in my work effectiveness and how to fix them
As regular readers of my blog will know I am working in a menial job and have failed in a job that I didn't really give 100% to. Even in my job now, I don't really give 100% and even though at times I work long hours, I don't really work hard and sometimes that is frustrating.
What are 10 mistakes that I make on a daily basis and how can I fix them? Lets have a look.
1. They say if you fail to plan then you plan to fail. I am not a great planner, in fact I can say that I am a lousy planner. Even today I had a whole lot of things to do at my work and went from task to task with no structure in my work and in the end I just had to sit down for five minutes and think about what I had to do, prioritize them and get started on the most important thing on the list. I think I have talked before about the difference between urgent and important. Urgent things are going to make you feel good while important things are going to get you somewhere.
2. I think from the moment I get up, and this can take a while I have no drive. I mope around thinking that I should get going because I am going to be late for work. I know that if I wake up earlier and do my novel writing or do some reading or even write this blog post then I start the day on a good note. I get some momentum going and if I finish a task successfully then I'm looking to start something else. All of my life I have decided that staying in bed is the better option. Maybe that attitude is why I am where I am.
3. Yesterday in my blog post I talked about procrastination and this is what hinders my work effectiveness. If I follow the suggestions in this blog then I should be on the way up.
4. I have a tendency and this is been with me all of my life, I tend to find the most difficult ways of doing things. Also I don't think big picture and will spend a large amount of time doing things that are not very important and should only take a few minutes anyway. I noticed that last week. I was working with a particular guy and he would be doing three things at once and I would do my one thing and of course his way was much more effective. This comes back to I should have just thought about it and it would have cut off a lot of time.
5. I don't do the hard things. I shy away from it. In financial planning I didn't do the cold calling. In my current job, if we have something heavy to be moved I am nowhere to be found. I run away. I think I have written before that I am better if I run towards my problems, to embrace them, to say that I want to have them in my life to help my grow and in the same way if there is something difficult to then my hand will be up, volunteering to do the job.
6. People consider myself as being quite punctual. I will get to a meeting with lots of time to spare. But when it comes to getting up and going to work I am always exactly on time or even a couple of minutes past the time I should be. Only on precious few occasions do I actually get to work super early and prepare thoroughly.How can I fix this? Set my clocks forward 15 minutes? Think about the fun that I will have when I get there?
7. I don't use my intuition at work. Especially at the job I am at now I have to find out whether or not it is OK from a superior before doing it. On the occasions that I do something, the bosses usually back my work anyway, so what am I scared of? I know this isn't really good advice but what is wrong for just going for it. Throwing caution to the wind. Sure I am going to make mistakes but in all reality I am going to get results rather than playing it safe.
8. I don't work at a good pace. The Japanese have borrowed a saying from English and it is "my pace." That is certainly me. I do everything at a sedate pace. Some people at work have asked me if I am ever busy because they think that I never look it. Brian Tracy talks about trying to improve 0.1% everyday. What if I work at a pace 0.1% faster than the day before? After 100 days of work I would be working 10% faster. That is doable.
9. They say that work is work and it shouldn't be a place to socialize but you do spend a third of your life with these people so it would be better if you get to know your colleagues so then if you do have lunch with them you have something to talk about. I tried to talk to them today but one said that i am too brainy for them. Obviously I wasn't reading the situation very well and should provide more appropriate topics for discussion.
10. I think this is so important that I will write it again, my planning is terrible. Just take five minutes to plan and the whole day will be more productive.
What are 10 mistakes that I make on a daily basis and how can I fix them? Lets have a look.
1. They say if you fail to plan then you plan to fail. I am not a great planner, in fact I can say that I am a lousy planner. Even today I had a whole lot of things to do at my work and went from task to task with no structure in my work and in the end I just had to sit down for five minutes and think about what I had to do, prioritize them and get started on the most important thing on the list. I think I have talked before about the difference between urgent and important. Urgent things are going to make you feel good while important things are going to get you somewhere.
2. I think from the moment I get up, and this can take a while I have no drive. I mope around thinking that I should get going because I am going to be late for work. I know that if I wake up earlier and do my novel writing or do some reading or even write this blog post then I start the day on a good note. I get some momentum going and if I finish a task successfully then I'm looking to start something else. All of my life I have decided that staying in bed is the better option. Maybe that attitude is why I am where I am.
3. Yesterday in my blog post I talked about procrastination and this is what hinders my work effectiveness. If I follow the suggestions in this blog then I should be on the way up.
4. I have a tendency and this is been with me all of my life, I tend to find the most difficult ways of doing things. Also I don't think big picture and will spend a large amount of time doing things that are not very important and should only take a few minutes anyway. I noticed that last week. I was working with a particular guy and he would be doing three things at once and I would do my one thing and of course his way was much more effective. This comes back to I should have just thought about it and it would have cut off a lot of time.
5. I don't do the hard things. I shy away from it. In financial planning I didn't do the cold calling. In my current job, if we have something heavy to be moved I am nowhere to be found. I run away. I think I have written before that I am better if I run towards my problems, to embrace them, to say that I want to have them in my life to help my grow and in the same way if there is something difficult to then my hand will be up, volunteering to do the job.
6. People consider myself as being quite punctual. I will get to a meeting with lots of time to spare. But when it comes to getting up and going to work I am always exactly on time or even a couple of minutes past the time I should be. Only on precious few occasions do I actually get to work super early and prepare thoroughly.How can I fix this? Set my clocks forward 15 minutes? Think about the fun that I will have when I get there?
7. I don't use my intuition at work. Especially at the job I am at now I have to find out whether or not it is OK from a superior before doing it. On the occasions that I do something, the bosses usually back my work anyway, so what am I scared of? I know this isn't really good advice but what is wrong for just going for it. Throwing caution to the wind. Sure I am going to make mistakes but in all reality I am going to get results rather than playing it safe.
8. I don't work at a good pace. The Japanese have borrowed a saying from English and it is "my pace." That is certainly me. I do everything at a sedate pace. Some people at work have asked me if I am ever busy because they think that I never look it. Brian Tracy talks about trying to improve 0.1% everyday. What if I work at a pace 0.1% faster than the day before? After 100 days of work I would be working 10% faster. That is doable.
9. They say that work is work and it shouldn't be a place to socialize but you do spend a third of your life with these people so it would be better if you get to know your colleagues so then if you do have lunch with them you have something to talk about. I tried to talk to them today but one said that i am too brainy for them. Obviously I wasn't reading the situation very well and should provide more appropriate topics for discussion.
10. I think this is so important that I will write it again, my planning is terrible. Just take five minutes to plan and the whole day will be more productive.
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Procrastination is the thief of time
I am a procrastinator, in fact I have a PHD in procrastination. If any of you want to ever procrastinate on anything and don't know how to do it then come and ask me. I'll show you what to do.
So, how can I stop this procrastination? How can I get things going? Let me think about that and I'll get back to you tomorrow. No, just joking, here are ten ways to nip procrastination in the bud.
1. Think about how good it will be when you have finished the task. It is like when you finish at the gym and you walk outside and you feel great. Sometimes writing these blog posts can be testing but when I finally finish it, I feel good.
2. Break the task up into pieces. I see these blog posts as 12 pieces. An introduction, a closing and 10 ideas. So if I look at it I have done 3 pieces out of 12. That is 25%. That makes me feel good as I am that much closer to the end.
3. Taking the first step is most important. What is that Chinese proverb? "A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step. I think for me, the sitting down part and thinking about what I am going to write about is difficult. But as soon as I figure it out then the first three or four ideas can flow at quite a rate.
4. Sometimes I like to use music. The music on occasions helps me concentrate or it can be quite inspirational as it reminds me why I am writing these blog posts.
5. I like to use my stopwatch on my iPhone. What does that mean? I divide my time up into 10 minute slots and I do a task for 10 minutes, then I do another task for ten minutes. Sometimes I have three things going on at once (who says guys can't multitask?) and it allows me to get things done instead of concentrating on one thing when I know that if it is going to take me so long then I will procrastinate on it.
6. This is something that I may do subconsciously , I don't know but I believe that you need to reward yourself for doing stuff. However, on the other hand if you don't do anything then you are not allowed to go out tonight and have those beers.
7. I think that I am very lucky. I have a friend who checks my progress and will praise me when I have done good work and give me a good kick up the ass when I become lazy and unengaged in my activity. Your friend is someone that you can use to bounce ideas off and also you can have your friend hold you accountable.
8. This is something that I don't do because a. I'm lazy and b. my schedule is erratic. I don't know what I am going to be doing from day to day but it would be good to be able to schedule in my blog writing time. For example from 8am to 9am I write my blog. I could have done this this morning but this is not applicable for me tomorrow morning as I have an early morning start at work. It would be good to have a routine however.
9. Of course an idea to beat procrastination, I'm not sure if it is good or not is to put the task away for a length of time and do something else productive. By this I don't mean watching TV or checking Facebook, I mean putting that task to one side and doing something else which would start the momentum that allows you to do the task that you have been putting off.
10. In the seduction community, they talk about the 3 second rule where if you see someone you are attracted to, you should obey the 3 second rule and go up to them and say hi. I wonder what the eliminate procrastination rule is. Maybe it is if you think about something to do then you have 3 minutes to start it. That sounds interesting. Maybe I should try it.
I hope these ideas help and if you are like me and struggle to get started then realize that you are not alone. I'm sure 99.99% of people have this problem of the course of their lifetimes. Don't panic, take a deep breathe and focus on what you want to do and achieve. I'm sure that you will get results.
So, how can I stop this procrastination? How can I get things going? Let me think about that and I'll get back to you tomorrow. No, just joking, here are ten ways to nip procrastination in the bud.
1. Think about how good it will be when you have finished the task. It is like when you finish at the gym and you walk outside and you feel great. Sometimes writing these blog posts can be testing but when I finally finish it, I feel good.
2. Break the task up into pieces. I see these blog posts as 12 pieces. An introduction, a closing and 10 ideas. So if I look at it I have done 3 pieces out of 12. That is 25%. That makes me feel good as I am that much closer to the end.
3. Taking the first step is most important. What is that Chinese proverb? "A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step. I think for me, the sitting down part and thinking about what I am going to write about is difficult. But as soon as I figure it out then the first three or four ideas can flow at quite a rate.
4. Sometimes I like to use music. The music on occasions helps me concentrate or it can be quite inspirational as it reminds me why I am writing these blog posts.
5. I like to use my stopwatch on my iPhone. What does that mean? I divide my time up into 10 minute slots and I do a task for 10 minutes, then I do another task for ten minutes. Sometimes I have three things going on at once (who says guys can't multitask?) and it allows me to get things done instead of concentrating on one thing when I know that if it is going to take me so long then I will procrastinate on it.
6. This is something that I may do subconsciously , I don't know but I believe that you need to reward yourself for doing stuff. However, on the other hand if you don't do anything then you are not allowed to go out tonight and have those beers.
7. I think that I am very lucky. I have a friend who checks my progress and will praise me when I have done good work and give me a good kick up the ass when I become lazy and unengaged in my activity. Your friend is someone that you can use to bounce ideas off and also you can have your friend hold you accountable.
8. This is something that I don't do because a. I'm lazy and b. my schedule is erratic. I don't know what I am going to be doing from day to day but it would be good to be able to schedule in my blog writing time. For example from 8am to 9am I write my blog. I could have done this this morning but this is not applicable for me tomorrow morning as I have an early morning start at work. It would be good to have a routine however.
9. Of course an idea to beat procrastination, I'm not sure if it is good or not is to put the task away for a length of time and do something else productive. By this I don't mean watching TV or checking Facebook, I mean putting that task to one side and doing something else which would start the momentum that allows you to do the task that you have been putting off.
10. In the seduction community, they talk about the 3 second rule where if you see someone you are attracted to, you should obey the 3 second rule and go up to them and say hi. I wonder what the eliminate procrastination rule is. Maybe it is if you think about something to do then you have 3 minutes to start it. That sounds interesting. Maybe I should try it.
I hope these ideas help and if you are like me and struggle to get started then realize that you are not alone. I'm sure 99.99% of people have this problem of the course of their lifetimes. Don't panic, take a deep breathe and focus on what you want to do and achieve. I'm sure that you will get results.
Sunday, 4 November 2012
There is no such thing as a free lunch
I was reading this article today about how Kim Dotcom wants to build a new internet link from America to New Zealand and in doing so provide individuals in New Zealand with free internet. Sounds good to me. At the moment, New Zealand has some of the highest internet rates in the world, so it would be welcome especially amongst us Kiwis who are, lets says, careful with money. It comes from our Scottish heritage, just in case anybody is wondering.
So what else can we provide free? What other services could be provided free of charge to the consumer. Lets see:
1. Air travel. Now before you start telling me that you are crazy and get your head out of the clouds let me just explain that on this website they were offering flights from Christchurch to Palmerston North and vice versa for $0. That is not a typo, it was $0. How can they justify that and why don't they have that throughout the year? I just couldn't understand it. Are people who fly been ripped off? I don't know but if they have $0 seats then maybe we are.
2. In Palmerston North, if you are a student or a staff member of Massey University then you are eligible for free bus services. Sounds quite good, doesn't it? Unfortunately if you are not a student then you have to pay full fare. What about people who pay taxes etc who have had a connection with Massey University? We would like the same courtesy. Don't we count?
3. If internet is going to be free then can individual homes get a get a free telephone line. Still pay for your calls but you get the telephone line for free. Part of Kim Dotcom's plan is to have free internet for homes but charge businesses and the government. Why not the same for telephone? C'mon Telecom, what can you do for us?
4. Lunches for primary schools. When I was teaching in public junior high schools in Japan, everyday we would get lunch. It was generally three days a week with rice and two days a week with bread. They varied the menu about quite a bit and it was interesting. Do you think New Zealand schools could do something like that? We hear stories about children going to school hungry and having nothing to eat, this would change that.
5. No fees on ATM. Please those banks out there, you are taking our money and making money of it lending it out to other people at good interest rates, why should we be charged for using your ATM's? Can't you give us that service for free?We are giving you quite a bit of our money, your interest rates are not the best at the moment for savings. Cut the ATM fees please.
6. I've heard that overweight baggage is a relic from a bygone era where the technology wasn't as it was today and they had weigh the bags carefully. Apparently it doesn't apply today so why do some people get charged big money? Surely within reason you can let us go with a fe overweight bags.
7. Do we have to pay for a cat or dog? Now, I'm not a big animal fan but it is beyond me how some people pay big money for a domestic pet.
8. Television licences. I know that in New Zealand that this has been abolished. I think that it was 1999 when they scrapped it. In Japan they have it which is about 15000 yen a year but not may people pay it because of scandals involving the state broadcaster, NHK. Abolish it all together Japan. A lot of people pay for satellite television, so why should pay for programs that are funded by our taxes?
9. Corkage? Why do we have to pay for drinking wine in a BYO restaurant? It doesn't make sense. They don't even open it for you. You open it. Sorry, this one is beyond me too.
10. This is a dig about a certain part of New Zealand culture. Why does the birthday person have to shout? I just don't understand that. Surely the birthday person should be getting a birthday cake etc from other people. They should be getting it free, not forking out for heaps of money for their colleagues who may not even like the birthday person. New Zealand, this is a weird custom.
Can you think of any more ideas?
So what else can we provide free? What other services could be provided free of charge to the consumer. Lets see:
1. Air travel. Now before you start telling me that you are crazy and get your head out of the clouds let me just explain that on this website they were offering flights from Christchurch to Palmerston North and vice versa for $0. That is not a typo, it was $0. How can they justify that and why don't they have that throughout the year? I just couldn't understand it. Are people who fly been ripped off? I don't know but if they have $0 seats then maybe we are.
2. In Palmerston North, if you are a student or a staff member of Massey University then you are eligible for free bus services. Sounds quite good, doesn't it? Unfortunately if you are not a student then you have to pay full fare. What about people who pay taxes etc who have had a connection with Massey University? We would like the same courtesy. Don't we count?
3. If internet is going to be free then can individual homes get a get a free telephone line. Still pay for your calls but you get the telephone line for free. Part of Kim Dotcom's plan is to have free internet for homes but charge businesses and the government. Why not the same for telephone? C'mon Telecom, what can you do for us?
4. Lunches for primary schools. When I was teaching in public junior high schools in Japan, everyday we would get lunch. It was generally three days a week with rice and two days a week with bread. They varied the menu about quite a bit and it was interesting. Do you think New Zealand schools could do something like that? We hear stories about children going to school hungry and having nothing to eat, this would change that.
5. No fees on ATM. Please those banks out there, you are taking our money and making money of it lending it out to other people at good interest rates, why should we be charged for using your ATM's? Can't you give us that service for free?We are giving you quite a bit of our money, your interest rates are not the best at the moment for savings. Cut the ATM fees please.
6. I've heard that overweight baggage is a relic from a bygone era where the technology wasn't as it was today and they had weigh the bags carefully. Apparently it doesn't apply today so why do some people get charged big money? Surely within reason you can let us go with a fe overweight bags.
7. Do we have to pay for a cat or dog? Now, I'm not a big animal fan but it is beyond me how some people pay big money for a domestic pet.
8. Television licences. I know that in New Zealand that this has been abolished. I think that it was 1999 when they scrapped it. In Japan they have it which is about 15000 yen a year but not may people pay it because of scandals involving the state broadcaster, NHK. Abolish it all together Japan. A lot of people pay for satellite television, so why should pay for programs that are funded by our taxes?
9. Corkage? Why do we have to pay for drinking wine in a BYO restaurant? It doesn't make sense. They don't even open it for you. You open it. Sorry, this one is beyond me too.
10. This is a dig about a certain part of New Zealand culture. Why does the birthday person have to shout? I just don't understand that. Surely the birthday person should be getting a birthday cake etc from other people. They should be getting it free, not forking out for heaps of money for their colleagues who may not even like the birthday person. New Zealand, this is a weird custom.
Can you think of any more ideas?
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday!!!
Compared to Japan, there seems to be less public holidays for New Zealand people. I think that there should be a couple more public holidays especially between Queen's Birthday and Labour Weekend.
So, if you were in charge of these things, what holidays would you have? Lets go through my suggestions:
1. October 23rd - All Blacks Day. Not everyone is a rugby fan, I know, but whether those people like it or not when people think of New Zealand, the country is associated with rugby and the All Blacks. So why not celebrate the win by the team at the 2011 World Cup. This could extend Labour Weekend or produce a Japan type Golden Week with another holiday in that week.
2. How about a holiday celebrating our farming community. Agriculture is a big part of our nation's economy and these people and industry could be celebrated. The day could be noted as us townies been invited onto the farms or the farmers are invited into the nearest towns for a kind of festival or celebration.
3. Why isn't St. Valentines Day an official public holiday? I know many people will say "bah, humbug" but isn't love a good thing to celebrate? Surely if we sat down and thought about it the lack of love is what causes most of our problems in this world. So why not emphazise it and call February the 14th an official public holiday?
4. Lets create a day like Melbourne Cup Day in Victoria, Australia. Would it be popular in New Zealand? I think so, if you had a big enough race. Awapuni could be the course where it is held and the Palmerston North Cup, with the right marketing and right prize money could be a great sporting extravaganza for the Manawatu and New Zealand. I can imagine a huge crowd at Awapuni for this.
5. In Japan, traditionally on the 10th of October, but now it is the second Monday of October is called Sports Day. This holiday celebrates the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. New Zealand is a land of sports lovers, so why isn't there a national holiday celebrating this love of sports? New Zealanders could be persuaded to go to their local parks and in organised events try sports that they might not normally play.I'm sure the participating clubs would get new members through this initiative.
6. From memory, I think that August the 1st is every horse's birthday. Is that correct? Am I mistaken? Pick a day in the year and say that that is the day that every university student is graduating. Can you imagine the carnage involved in that? For one night only the bars in Palmerston North will be like it's Mardi Gras.
7. This isn't really an idea as much as a discussion point. In 2012, are the holidays of Easter and Christmas very relevant in our society? Both are religious holidays and are to do with a Christian festival. Should we be celebrating these holidays when we are supposedly a secular country? They certainly are good. I'm not questioning that, just questioning it's appropriateness.
8. 20th of July. This is Sir Edmund Hillary's birthday. He is arguably one of the most famous New Zealanders to have graced this planet. Why don't we celebrate his achievements by naming a national holiday after him? I think that it would be a popular choice.
9. New Zealand is considered around the world as a clean and green country. It is nuclear free and that is non-negotiable so lets celebrate that. Something to do with the environment Day would be a popular one and maybe copied around the world, although in saying that, isn't may the 4th, Greenery Day in Japan? I can't remember.
10. Of course we could just keep the status quo. There is nothing wrong with them after all and why fix something that isn't broken?
So, if you were in charge of these things, what holidays would you have? Lets go through my suggestions:
1. October 23rd - All Blacks Day. Not everyone is a rugby fan, I know, but whether those people like it or not when people think of New Zealand, the country is associated with rugby and the All Blacks. So why not celebrate the win by the team at the 2011 World Cup. This could extend Labour Weekend or produce a Japan type Golden Week with another holiday in that week.
2. How about a holiday celebrating our farming community. Agriculture is a big part of our nation's economy and these people and industry could be celebrated. The day could be noted as us townies been invited onto the farms or the farmers are invited into the nearest towns for a kind of festival or celebration.
3. Why isn't St. Valentines Day an official public holiday? I know many people will say "bah, humbug" but isn't love a good thing to celebrate? Surely if we sat down and thought about it the lack of love is what causes most of our problems in this world. So why not emphazise it and call February the 14th an official public holiday?
4. Lets create a day like Melbourne Cup Day in Victoria, Australia. Would it be popular in New Zealand? I think so, if you had a big enough race. Awapuni could be the course where it is held and the Palmerston North Cup, with the right marketing and right prize money could be a great sporting extravaganza for the Manawatu and New Zealand. I can imagine a huge crowd at Awapuni for this.
5. In Japan, traditionally on the 10th of October, but now it is the second Monday of October is called Sports Day. This holiday celebrates the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. New Zealand is a land of sports lovers, so why isn't there a national holiday celebrating this love of sports? New Zealanders could be persuaded to go to their local parks and in organised events try sports that they might not normally play.I'm sure the participating clubs would get new members through this initiative.
6. From memory, I think that August the 1st is every horse's birthday. Is that correct? Am I mistaken? Pick a day in the year and say that that is the day that every university student is graduating. Can you imagine the carnage involved in that? For one night only the bars in Palmerston North will be like it's Mardi Gras.
7. This isn't really an idea as much as a discussion point. In 2012, are the holidays of Easter and Christmas very relevant in our society? Both are religious holidays and are to do with a Christian festival. Should we be celebrating these holidays when we are supposedly a secular country? They certainly are good. I'm not questioning that, just questioning it's appropriateness.
8. 20th of July. This is Sir Edmund Hillary's birthday. He is arguably one of the most famous New Zealanders to have graced this planet. Why don't we celebrate his achievements by naming a national holiday after him? I think that it would be a popular choice.
9. New Zealand is considered around the world as a clean and green country. It is nuclear free and that is non-negotiable so lets celebrate that. Something to do with the environment Day would be a popular one and maybe copied around the world, although in saying that, isn't may the 4th, Greenery Day in Japan? I can't remember.
10. Of course we could just keep the status quo. There is nothing wrong with them after all and why fix something that isn't broken?
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Back to the Future Part 3
Today is the last of the series in which I say what I would do differently if it was 2007 and I was starting out as a financial planner again.
10 more things I would do differently:
1. I listened to a CD about making appointments and the gentleman on the CD suggests cold calling between 8am and 10am. I think he gave these times for a couple of reasons, first of all, a lot of the gatekeepers are not at work and you can get through to the people that you want to talk to, and secondly, I think for most salespeople cold calling is the most unpleasant thing to do so if you do you calling between 8am and 10am you eat your frog so to speak. That is the worst thing is out of the way and you can concentrate on your sales calls and follow ups.
2. I would certainly try to look the part by buying quality shirts and suits. There is a temptation to buy cheap stuff until you make some money so you can reinvent your wardrobe. This just makes you look cheap and why should someone who looks cheap be telling me about my investments?
3. I would try to get to know some of the other financial planners in the other companies in Tokyo. I think you can learn from them both what to do and what not to do. They are a resource for continuous improvement so why not sit down and have a chat? I would especially like to chat with some of the more successful ones.
4. I would join some kind of club. What I mean by this, in Tokyo there are clubs that wealthy expatriates join. These are great sources of networking opportunities. Of course I have to make some money first and if I can join these clubs then I know that I have done quite well and if I play my cards right, business opportunities should eventuate.
5. I would use Sunday evenings to plan my week ahead. This was one of my biggest problems in that I wasn't doing any planning and then on the rare occasions I did, I wouldn't work it. It is all very well having a plan, but if you don't work it then you might as well go and do something else. Tending bar for example.
6. At the start of my career as a financial planner, I consistently got to the office at 7am and did some study for two hours. I can imagine doing that again, maybe incorporating my one hour of reading into the morning schedule. It would a great way to start the day and you would feel like you have accomplished something before you picked up the phone to make your first cold call.
7. I would work on Saturdays consistently and also on Sundays. I think a financial planner's work is 24/7 so you should be available to talk on the weekends. I didn't mind working weekends and I would do more of it. I think a lot of prospects would be more receptive on the weekends and because they are giving that time up, you would think that they are serious about going through the process.
8. I would, before I started, do a thorough inventory of my strengths and weaknesses. I wouldn't worry about my weaknesses and then identify my strengths and compose a sales process that highlighted my strengths.
9. This is a little difficult but I would try to find people that are similar to me to sell to. Of course you are going to run into a whole bunch of characters but as they say you sell to people who are like you so it would go without saying that I look for them. That's easier said then done and they would take some gentle coercing, I tell you.
10. One of the major themes has been my half-assedness. How can I overcome this? I think that I have to concentrate on what I am doing and concentrate on that activity until done. So, for example, when my friend gave me this challenge with the blog, the tendency would have been to get to day 14 and then give up. But I have tried to stick to it to prove to myself that I can do things to completion and to 100% commitment.
10 more things I would do differently:
1. I listened to a CD about making appointments and the gentleman on the CD suggests cold calling between 8am and 10am. I think he gave these times for a couple of reasons, first of all, a lot of the gatekeepers are not at work and you can get through to the people that you want to talk to, and secondly, I think for most salespeople cold calling is the most unpleasant thing to do so if you do you calling between 8am and 10am you eat your frog so to speak. That is the worst thing is out of the way and you can concentrate on your sales calls and follow ups.
2. I would certainly try to look the part by buying quality shirts and suits. There is a temptation to buy cheap stuff until you make some money so you can reinvent your wardrobe. This just makes you look cheap and why should someone who looks cheap be telling me about my investments?
3. I would try to get to know some of the other financial planners in the other companies in Tokyo. I think you can learn from them both what to do and what not to do. They are a resource for continuous improvement so why not sit down and have a chat? I would especially like to chat with some of the more successful ones.
4. I would join some kind of club. What I mean by this, in Tokyo there are clubs that wealthy expatriates join. These are great sources of networking opportunities. Of course I have to make some money first and if I can join these clubs then I know that I have done quite well and if I play my cards right, business opportunities should eventuate.
5. I would use Sunday evenings to plan my week ahead. This was one of my biggest problems in that I wasn't doing any planning and then on the rare occasions I did, I wouldn't work it. It is all very well having a plan, but if you don't work it then you might as well go and do something else. Tending bar for example.
6. At the start of my career as a financial planner, I consistently got to the office at 7am and did some study for two hours. I can imagine doing that again, maybe incorporating my one hour of reading into the morning schedule. It would a great way to start the day and you would feel like you have accomplished something before you picked up the phone to make your first cold call.
7. I would work on Saturdays consistently and also on Sundays. I think a financial planner's work is 24/7 so you should be available to talk on the weekends. I didn't mind working weekends and I would do more of it. I think a lot of prospects would be more receptive on the weekends and because they are giving that time up, you would think that they are serious about going through the process.
8. I would, before I started, do a thorough inventory of my strengths and weaknesses. I wouldn't worry about my weaknesses and then identify my strengths and compose a sales process that highlighted my strengths.
9. This is a little difficult but I would try to find people that are similar to me to sell to. Of course you are going to run into a whole bunch of characters but as they say you sell to people who are like you so it would go without saying that I look for them. That's easier said then done and they would take some gentle coercing, I tell you.
10. One of the major themes has been my half-assedness. How can I overcome this? I think that I have to concentrate on what I am doing and concentrate on that activity until done. So, for example, when my friend gave me this challenge with the blog, the tendency would have been to get to day 14 and then give up. But I have tried to stick to it to prove to myself that I can do things to completion and to 100% commitment.
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Back to the Future Part Two
Yesterday I talked about ten things that I would do differently if knowing what I know now I returned to that start of my financial planning career in 2007.
Today I would like to talk about ten other things that I would do differently:
1. I would strive to have a meeting by 10am every Monday morning in my schedule. I don't mean set a meeting at that time, what I mean is meet a prospective client. I think that this is a great way to start the week and gives you momentum of the rest of it. Most people are busy at this time preparing for the week and having meetings etc. I think if I had this meeting then I would know that the prospect is half interested and I may be onto something.
2. I'm learning at the moment that I can start up conversations with total strangers. It is all about noticing something about them. Being observant and commenting on it. This goes back to that rejection things that we talked about yesterday, they might not want to talk to you but that's fine. You tell yourself that they maybe are having a bad day or are concentrating on something and it's got nothing to do with you. It is amazing how many times you start talking to someone about something relevant and their face lights up and you can't stop them. It is because you made the effort. As a salesperson you have to be talking to everyone, no matter how grumpy they look.
3. I was told early on, that sales is about scripts. You can't fly by the seat of your pants. You have to have some kind of prepared speech that you use in your sales call. I knew this but I never did actually write down my scripts word for word or in fact practice them. You know those standup comedians who sound as though they are just having an ordinary conversation with the audience, well in fact they have been practicing that for months. My friend told me about Jerry Seinfeld's first six minute appearance on the Johnny Carson show. Apparently Seinfeld had been practicing for six months. The rest now is history. What is he worth now? About $800 million?
4. I think I would watch my weight more closely. I don't think that it is a big thing because I know of some morbidly obese salesman who do OK but sometimes with some people it is a problem and could affect your sale and at the end of the day you are looking after yourself. What is more important than your own health?
5. I would spend a set amount of time each week to learn the products. I mean really learn them. Not the half-assed way that I did. (Here we go again, here is that half-assed theme again.) I found out that during initial meetings with prospective clients that you would get asked questions about what have you got. These initial meetings are not just about collecting information so you go back to give them a presentation next time, they were sometimes giving them a presentation straight away because you may not get a second meeting. You had to have all the toys before you arrived in other words.
6. I believe in 2012 that your use of social media for your marketing is another must. I never worked that out properly how you do that but I did write a blog etc but like everything in my life it was a half-assed. (I've said it once I'll say it again, are you sensing a pattern here?) The use of blogs, Facebook, Twitter is very useful in today's age but it shouldn't just be your be all and end all. It is just part of your marketing system.
7. They say you only have one chance to make a first impression. One of the important things in a sales job is your dress. I spoke with a financial planner in Palmerston North who dealt with a lot of farmers and he told me that if he turned up to a sales call in suit and tie, he would be kicked off the farmer's property as people want to deal with people who are similar to them. In saying that, in Tokyo you have to turn up in suit and tie. That is the uniform for men in that city and anything else is displaying your personality which you don't want to show until you know the person you are calling on.
8. I believed that there were markets outside of Tokyo that were good prospects for the services I was offering. I did have a couple of areas in which I could have done something in and I had the help of people that were going to help me which was great. I believe that is the value of networking in which you meet people and if you make the right impression then you can call upon them on a later date. So, if I were to start again I would investigate those markets and make a concerted effort to enter them. This is another half-assed thing that I did.
9. I think if I was to start again I would make the whole job a game. I'm not being frivolous when I say that but I would make sure that I do the required amount of activity before I went and had a beer for instance. Don't get me wrong, I think that I progressed as a person greatly during those five years, both socially and intellectually. However, I was too eager to have a beer when I should have been doing some work, or should have done work that would have made me deserving of that beer.
10. I would try to improve my sales skills on a regular basis. About three years ago, my friend and I started an activity which we still do to this day. The who idea was to read for an hour a day in your field. The idea been with the knowledge that you obtain with your reading that you become an expert. I think that I would concentrate on sales skills and financial literacy. In the past I have read other subjects, which is fine, but I need a concentrated burst of reading on those subjects.
There you go, part two. Tune in for part three tomorrow.
Today I would like to talk about ten other things that I would do differently:
1. I would strive to have a meeting by 10am every Monday morning in my schedule. I don't mean set a meeting at that time, what I mean is meet a prospective client. I think that this is a great way to start the week and gives you momentum of the rest of it. Most people are busy at this time preparing for the week and having meetings etc. I think if I had this meeting then I would know that the prospect is half interested and I may be onto something.
2. I'm learning at the moment that I can start up conversations with total strangers. It is all about noticing something about them. Being observant and commenting on it. This goes back to that rejection things that we talked about yesterday, they might not want to talk to you but that's fine. You tell yourself that they maybe are having a bad day or are concentrating on something and it's got nothing to do with you. It is amazing how many times you start talking to someone about something relevant and their face lights up and you can't stop them. It is because you made the effort. As a salesperson you have to be talking to everyone, no matter how grumpy they look.
3. I was told early on, that sales is about scripts. You can't fly by the seat of your pants. You have to have some kind of prepared speech that you use in your sales call. I knew this but I never did actually write down my scripts word for word or in fact practice them. You know those standup comedians who sound as though they are just having an ordinary conversation with the audience, well in fact they have been practicing that for months. My friend told me about Jerry Seinfeld's first six minute appearance on the Johnny Carson show. Apparently Seinfeld had been practicing for six months. The rest now is history. What is he worth now? About $800 million?
4. I think I would watch my weight more closely. I don't think that it is a big thing because I know of some morbidly obese salesman who do OK but sometimes with some people it is a problem and could affect your sale and at the end of the day you are looking after yourself. What is more important than your own health?
5. I would spend a set amount of time each week to learn the products. I mean really learn them. Not the half-assed way that I did. (Here we go again, here is that half-assed theme again.) I found out that during initial meetings with prospective clients that you would get asked questions about what have you got. These initial meetings are not just about collecting information so you go back to give them a presentation next time, they were sometimes giving them a presentation straight away because you may not get a second meeting. You had to have all the toys before you arrived in other words.
6. I believe in 2012 that your use of social media for your marketing is another must. I never worked that out properly how you do that but I did write a blog etc but like everything in my life it was a half-assed. (I've said it once I'll say it again, are you sensing a pattern here?) The use of blogs, Facebook, Twitter is very useful in today's age but it shouldn't just be your be all and end all. It is just part of your marketing system.
7. They say you only have one chance to make a first impression. One of the important things in a sales job is your dress. I spoke with a financial planner in Palmerston North who dealt with a lot of farmers and he told me that if he turned up to a sales call in suit and tie, he would be kicked off the farmer's property as people want to deal with people who are similar to them. In saying that, in Tokyo you have to turn up in suit and tie. That is the uniform for men in that city and anything else is displaying your personality which you don't want to show until you know the person you are calling on.
8. I believed that there were markets outside of Tokyo that were good prospects for the services I was offering. I did have a couple of areas in which I could have done something in and I had the help of people that were going to help me which was great. I believe that is the value of networking in which you meet people and if you make the right impression then you can call upon them on a later date. So, if I were to start again I would investigate those markets and make a concerted effort to enter them. This is another half-assed thing that I did.
9. I think if I was to start again I would make the whole job a game. I'm not being frivolous when I say that but I would make sure that I do the required amount of activity before I went and had a beer for instance. Don't get me wrong, I think that I progressed as a person greatly during those five years, both socially and intellectually. However, I was too eager to have a beer when I should have been doing some work, or should have done work that would have made me deserving of that beer.
10. I would try to improve my sales skills on a regular basis. About three years ago, my friend and I started an activity which we still do to this day. The who idea was to read for an hour a day in your field. The idea been with the knowledge that you obtain with your reading that you become an expert. I think that I would concentrate on sales skills and financial literacy. In the past I have read other subjects, which is fine, but I need a concentrated burst of reading on those subjects.
There you go, part two. Tune in for part three tomorrow.
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