Archive For: Work Life Balance

It’s On!

I have been preparing for weeks.
I have tried to get my butterflies to fly in formation.
The excitement is building to a climax.

This week I perform in my one man Melbourne Fringe show, Gough. It’s on!

Firstly a huge thanks to everyone who bought tickets. The opening night is a sell out and over 85% of tickets to the six shows have been sold. (If you want to go, check ticket availability here)

I have some big shoes to fill. Gough is an icon of Australian politics so I want to represent him well. While I regularly speak for hours on stage, to perform a one man show and bring a script to life for 40 minutes is something completely different.

How do you feel when a project you have been working on is about to go live? Whether it is an IT system, a new product launch, redecorating the house or simply getting some landscaping done, the culmination of a lot of hard work is incredibly rewarding.

It’s time to play the music; it’s time to light the lights; it’s showtime. It’s on!

Where Does The Time Go?

It’s Monday … AGAIN!

This seems to keep happening on a regular basis. So why are people surprised when it comes around?

“Can you believe it’s Monday already!”

It’s a bit like Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, remembrance days …. you name it, they come around quick.

Can I highly recommend to you that you take advantage of this? [You KNOW that time will go quick, so you have to do more, experience more, be more in the limited time you have left.

Don’t wait to do the thing you have always dreamed of, start it today.

If you don’t start your desire (say piano lessons), in two years time, all you will be is two years down the track and still unable to play the piano. But if you start, you will be able to do way more than you do on a piano today. Even if it is merely to master the art of chopsticks!!

Don’t be the person sitting around waiting for things to happen wondering, “Where Does The Time Go?”

013 Five Ways to Avoid Bad Luck

Some people have the Luck of the Irish, others seem to have none at all.

In this episode of Entrepreneurs In Action, Fran Gleeson will share 5 Ways to Avoid Bad Luck and what you can to to attract more luck into your life.

Don’t forget to subscribe to Entrepreneurs In Action in iTunes. Visit www.EntrepreneursInAction.com.au

What Do You See?

I was fortunate enough to be hosting an association conference last week. It was held at the Alice Springs Convention Centre.

This image was the view out of the back of the convention centre at 7am. To me, it is simply stunning. It was an awe inspiring location.

During my conversation with other attendees, I realised that not everyone shared that perspective.

Some only spend time inside the convention centre networking with other attendees
Some felt the night activities outside were too cold
Some thought the town centre was empty with many shops for lease
Some spend their afternoon on tours on both sides of the McDonald Ranges
Some felt that the weather was too good to spend inside
Some felt that their travel agent needed a good kick because they bought them tickets to Ayers Rock and NOT Alice Springs (a five hour drive away!)
Some felt the countryside so stunning that they spent the two days driving from Adelaide to get there rather than fly
Some liked the place but couldn’t wait to get back home.

I am sure you have your own opinions as well.

That is the point. All too often we see something and think that everyone else will see what we see. That is NOT true. Everyone has different filters, different histories, different ideals, different values and this all impacts how they will see things.

So what do YOU see?

It’s Good

Have you seen the news lately?

Death, destruction, mayhem, questionable politicians, self-obsessed business people, profit driven leaders, war, environmental tragedies… the list goes on and on.

Why is this in the news?

Yes it is happening, but all the tragedy is in the news because tragedy is what rates and what makes money. Your life goes in the direction of what you pay attention to.

Can I humbly suggest [First Name] that you stop watching the news and stop reading the paper? Choose to focus on some of the fabulous goodness that is going on in the world.

I have had the fortune of hosting some great events of late. One of them as Elvis (in the post Burger stages!)

The focus of these events was to celebrate the Good and generate money for charity.

The people at these events are just normal people like you and me. Not super wealthy mega rich people, just people who work hard, love what they do and like to contribute.

At one event almost $15,000 was raised for Camp Quality and at another a cheque of $63,000 was presented to further research in to Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

It’s good. Life is good.

People, by their very nature are inherently good. Focus on the good, be part of the good and your life can’t help but be good.

Who Is It About?

Too often people in business get this question wrong, particularly in the Exhibiting industry.

The answer is, it is NOT about you – it is ALL about them.

Let’s be incredibly honest, no one really cares about what you do. What they care about is what you can do for THEM. That great saying of “What’s In It For Me” is running through their subconscious as they talk with you.

So with what you do, who is it about?

Your signs and posters, are they about you or are they about them?
Your new processes, are they about making it easier for you or making it easier for them?
Are the images you use about you or is it about them?
Your exhibiting booth, is it all about you or about them?
When you network, do you talk about you or do your talk about them?
When you get home from work, do you go on about your day or do you ask about theirs?

Life is not about you. It is about them.

The funny thing is, if you make it about them, they will happily make it about you – so everyone gets what they need.

PS Someone who did a lot for others and who has always been a personal idol is Robin Williams. His passing affected me deeply so I wrote about it. You can read it here.

The King Is Dead, Long Live the King

By now you know Robin Williams is dead. It is hard not to know as it has dominated all forms of media for the last couple of days.

I don’t “do” celebrities. I have been fortunate enough to meet many of them and some I have the pleasure of calling my friends. But I don’t stalk them, idolise them, want to be them, care what they endorse or even get concerned about what happens to them. They are people. They have their lives and I have mine. To be honest, I have enough trouble trying to get my life right let alone worry about other peoples, let alone famous people I will never meet.

This was different for me.

His death kicked me in the guts, brought me to tears and broke something inside. It has taken me a few days to collect myself and I felt I needed to write something.

I don’t know Robin, I never met him and most importantly, I have no idea about who he truly is. I am not sure anyone did. Any of his media interviews descended into farce and laughter. Even the serious ones end up off the track and distracted from the internal entity that was Robin.

He was very public with his issues – from addiction to health and even finance, yet still we never knew him.

Zelda, his daughter, mentions that while there are many photos of Robin she has the memories of time spent with him. She and her family were probably some of the very few who actually knew him.

To me, he was the King of the Stage and I wanted to be like the persona I saw.

Over the years he has given me many gifts that I can never repay and for which I am eternally grateful.

He showed me it was OK to be me. In a time and location where I felt my humour and habits were “not normal” he showed me it was OK to be “out there”. It was OK to show off, laugh and be genuinely crazy. It was OK to not conform, to be different and to be loud and proud of that difference.

He showed me it was OK to be hairy. His bath scene during Moscow on the Hudson was one of the first times I had seen a truly hirsute man on screen. In his stand up he would often refer to his body hair. Under this clean cut suit of mine is a man who looks more like Koko the gorilla than Robin does. While society seems to think “Hair is Bad”, I am now certain, “Hair is Me.”

He showed me what I think is the ultimate in comedy. To riff off what is in front of you, to say what is on your mind without thinking, to make it up as you go, to take it to the end and then take it further – that it a talent that I prize highly. I like to think that in some of my moments I can almost reach it and it is magical when I do.

He showed me there is a time to be serious. Some of his work is downright chilling. One Hour Photo and Insomnia prove that he is not just a comedian but he is a true actor.

He showed me that things will not go your way, but you can still have fun. Whether in the guise of Patch Adams, Adrian Cronauer or simple as Robin Williams, fighting his own demons anything is laughable. Some of his stand up seemed like drowning his own tragedies in laughter.

He showed me perspective. By shifting your view to the stance of another, you can open your mind to something new. His rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s Fire as Elmer Fudd is 90 seconds of pure magic.

He showed me the power of laughter. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t laugh at Robin. Kids, adults and all in between, there was something magical about his approach to life and laughter.

Most importantly, he showed me that even though I have to grow older, I don’t have to grow up. So I am not going to!

Thank you Robin for the laughs but more importantly, thank you for truly guiding me into the person that I am today.

My marketing blurb says it and I truly feel it, I am part Robin Williams.

The King is dead. Long live the King. Your table is ready.

Image: I stole it of Facebook

So What Is It?

Success

Without knowing it, the question “What is Success?” drives you. It is the reason that you do or don’t do things.

Unfortunately most people have not decided for themselves what success is.

One of my long-time favourite definitions is from Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“To laugh much; to win respect of intelligent persons and the affections of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give one’s self; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition.; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm, and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived–this is to have succeeded.”

But it is still not MY definition.

I have a new exciting project coming up called Get More Success. The first step is to define what success is. Is it:

To earn a certain level of income
To have regular travel
To have a family
To remain single
To spend more time with certain people
To have certain assets
To live in a certain location
To contribute to others
To do all of these

Can I ask you to do me a favour? Can you please spend 15 minutes over your favourite beverage and define for yourself “What Is Success.”

Once you know it will be a guiding beacon for all of your actions.

It’s Time!

I don’t do this very often so please indulge me.

Gough Whitlam is one of Australia’s elder statesmen. Some say that in politics he is a defining point. There is Before Gough and After Gough and these two political periods are very different.

In the Melbourne Fringe festival this year there is a one person play called Gough. It is about the man, the dismissal and what happened behind the scenes.

I am fortunate enough to have been cast as Gough. It is exciting and terrifying all at once!!

The plan is to run the Fringe Festival show and when it is successful have a repeat performance after the Fringe and then possibly take it on to Adelaide and Sydney festivals as the Writer/Director has done with his previous show.

To raise funds for the props, the theatre, the set and, most importantly, the wig, the Writer/Director has launched a Pozible campaign. It is close to reaching the target, only $404 to go.

If you can help, we would love your support. Click here to see a short video, view the donation rewards and contribute to a great show.

Thank you for indulging me!

Will You Survive?

Charles Darwin is often misquoted as saying it is the “Survival of the fittest”

What he actually said was:

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change”

From what I have seen, we are not that good at change.

Look at what happens if Apple does an update or Facebook changes its interface or if the email system you use changes. People go out of their mind and spend so much energy fighting something they cannot change.

You don’t have to be smart and you don’t have to be strong, you have to be adaptable. It is the same in relationships and with your work.

Stop resisting change and start adapting to it. It will magnify your success and your survival.

So will you survive?

Meet Hetty Kate.

Hetty was just leaving the choir I sing with as I joined it in 2007. She had worked for many years on her musical skills and was incredibly good. She had spent a couple of years with the choir to gain the experience of performing within a group and expanding her musical experience.

She would always talk about her dream of being a Jazz singer, singing with well known and regarded jazz musicians and going on tours singing.

Last week when Wifey and I were in Hobart, it was fabulous to see this article in the paper. Its references to how she has performed on four continents, released six albums and sung with James Morrison and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra shows that her dream is now her reality.

I’ve seen the same kind of thing with my clients.

But it MUST start with a dream. Something that inspires you and keeps you going when things get rough (as they will).

So what’s your dream? What are you aiming for?

PS Disney did a great song about this on their Tangled film. You can see some of here

What’s It For?

During a recent mastermind group “love in” we had a conversation about Work Life Balance. Not long after I was talking with a colleague about semi-retirement and retirement. The sum of these conversations led me to the conclusion that many people have no idea what they are doing!

Employees work hard because they want to add to their super so they can enjoy life in their retirement. Small business owners try to be bigger business owners to bring in money so they can enjoy more time with their family. People work many hours to provide for those they love who end up not recognising them because they are not around.

Too often retirees have lost their identity because their job was who they became, business owners can’t get out of the empire they build because “no-one can do it like they can” and both types lose what health they have due to the stress and demands of their choices.

What’s it for?

Why do you work so hard? Why do you do what you do? Why wait to have that experience? If you own the business, why don’t you have an afternoon off to spend with those you love – you won’t sack yourself!

Too often as people make a living, they forget to live. Never forget what you are doing this for and can you do some of it today?

PS Sorry I missed last weeks blog post, I was spending the day with Wifey before she went on a weeklong girls holiday to Fiji.

Again, Again, Again

Are you scared to get things wrong?

In the past, I have been so scared to get things wrong or make the wrong decision, that I have done nothing just so I wouldn’t be wrong.

I am happy to be on stage in front of hundreds or thousands of people and stuff up. I have even completely stuffed up a song in my choir during a performance and been ok with it, but one on one I hate getting things wrong or doing the wrong thing.

As part of my continual professional development, I am doing some Improv training. The first thing they teach you is to celebrate your mistakes. There is no “wrong” and part of what slows you down is looking for the RIGHT thing. Our standard approach is that if you get stuck, stuff something up or just don’t know what to do, you wave your hands in the air and shout, “Again, again, again.”

How great would that be in real life? Imagine if during a negotiation, part way through a deep and meaningful conversation with a loved one or simply talking with a client, whenever what you said came out wrong or you weren’t how the next bit should go or they reacted unexpectedly to what you were saying you could just say, “Again, Again, Again.”

Next time you are scared to get things wrong, always remember you can say to yourself “Again, again, again.”

PS Want to see me get it wrong on stage?

My choir Mood Swing is performing this Sunday in North Melbourne at 2pm.
Two hours of family friendly entertainment for only $20 and kids are free.
With over 20 songs there will be plenty of opportunity for me to get words, dancing, commentaries and so much more WRONG!

To book your tickets or find out more, simply click here.

Less Is More

As part of the recent Festival of Warwick, Wifey took me to see Suzanne Vega at the Melbourne Recital Centre. A fantastic concert at a brilliant venue.

One of the things that made it so good was it’s minimalism.

The set was simple; just some coloured lights on the curtains.
The band was simple; just Suzanne and her guitarist Gerry.
The introduction was short and simple; no support act, just Suzanne Vega.
The show was loaded with great songs and went for nearly 2 hours.

I was thrilled at the sound Gerry got from his guitar. A few bits of equipment (loop pedal and other effect pedals) and he was making some great sounds.

What made the show so engaging was the lack of flashy effects. You got the core elements. It was a prime example of Less Is More.

So what about you? Where in your life could you have Less and be More? Do Less and achieve More? Take Less and give More?

Image: Gerry Leonard

It’s the Day For It

Forgive me but I am confused. There are just too many “Days” floating around.

This week it has been Pay It Forward Day, Earth Day, Easter Day(s), Anzac Day, and I am sure there have been other days, ribbons to wear, causes to contribute to, and ideas to believe in.

ARRRRRRGGGHHH!!!

Here is what I long for. A world without “Days”. A world where we care enough about each other, care enough about where we live, care about who we work with, care about those less fortunate and, well, basically just Care.

If we just cared a little more and showed that we care in our actions, if we considered the impact of what we did and who it would affect, I think this world would be a better place to live.

So how will you show you care? It’s the Day for it!

——-

So you didn’t know I could sing?

Come and see my choir sing and have a fabulous afternoon of entertainment. Sunday 25th May at the Comic’s Lounge, 26 Errol St, North Melbourne.

Doors open at 1:30pm Tickets $20 and kids are free.

Fantastic, family friendly entertainment. Find out more, hear some samples and get tickets here.

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