Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The parable of the cauliflower
I think a lot of people can relate to this. You have been trying to get some business up and running and nothing seems to be working. You put in massive actions and efforts and still nothing happens. People will tell you what you sow you will reap. Yea right ! Of course you have to plant or sow to get fruits or veggies.
It will not just come up if there are no seeds in the ground . Nice Metaphores. It works for some people and somehow it does not do for others.
About Sunday last I was as usually walking around admiring the garden and the cabbage leaves. And then
I saw it: One of these"cabbages" had actually produced a cauliflower. Small but it was there. And it is growing as if is getting paid!. None of the others have followed suit. Just one single cauliflower!
It will not just come up if there are no seeds in the ground . Nice Metaphores. It works for some people and somehow it does not do for others.
This happened to us the past year. Every thing we try just does not seem to work. And I mean we were sowing. Putting in effort. Marketing. You name it and we did it. Ok the economy got the blame. And then some!
A few months ago my son gave me a pallet of cabbage plants. They looked a bit pathetic. He had it for a while and did not get around to planting it. So I took it and after about a week I thought I might just put this in the ground. Initially it looked liked it is not going to make it. Then the rains came and suddenly a lot of leaves grew like mad. We starting harvesting the leaves and using it in salads and cooking them. It actually tastes quite nice. But no cabbage - just very nice leaves.
About Sunday last I was as usually walking around admiring the garden and the cabbage leaves. And then
I saw it: One of these"cabbages" had actually produced a cauliflower. Small but it was there. And it is growing as if is getting paid!. None of the others have followed suit. Just one single cauliflower!
This is the parable : You cannot keep on sowing and planting and then nothing will happen. For me this was the answer: Do not give up - something big will soon happen - and it has started happening !
Keep watching this post !
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The New Year
With only a few hours to go to 2011 there will be a lot of New Years resolutions and decisions be made. Whether they will be kept is totally irrelevant as it makes the person making it feel great about what he or she is planning (or just thinking about).
The challenge of any plan,resolution, decision, call it what you will is it is of no consequence if you do not activate it. This will only be effective if you put it in writing, put timelines on it and give it a champion. Someone who looks over your shoulder and to whom you make yourself accountable to monitor your success.
Here are a few challenges I would like to put to the readers of this little piece:
Take the challenge in 2011 to:
1. Be original. Be the author of what you send out via email. Do not send someone else's BS on. Write your own and send it on. (Try not to write BS) Become the one other people will quote. It is not that difficult.
2. Start your own blog. It only takes 15 minutes to set up and it is great fun. (http://www.blogger.com/ and it is totally free!.
3. Get going on facebook. It is really rewarding if you know how, and totally safe if you know how.
( if you do not know how , ask me )
4. Learn a new skill - it can be a hobby or it can make you money !
5. Do something for the first time !. Go Bungee jumping, Go skydiving, Learn to fly a microlight, Challenge
a friend or family member to do it with you ( Challenge me if you dare)
6. Decide to stop growing old - Growing old is in the mind - the body does it's own thing anyway!
7. Arrange a massive party for all your friends. It is easy : Just call it a Picnic - do not do it at your home.
Sorry to hear about the one who forgot a chair or a knife or the butter. It is a picnic for crying out loud!
Come one people - come up with some new ideas ! Are you 63 years YOUNG or 36 years OLD ? I know a lot of the latter and very few of the young ones.
The challenge of any plan,resolution, decision, call it what you will is it is of no consequence if you do not activate it. This will only be effective if you put it in writing, put timelines on it and give it a champion. Someone who looks over your shoulder and to whom you make yourself accountable to monitor your success.
Here are a few challenges I would like to put to the readers of this little piece:
Take the challenge in 2011 to:
1. Be original. Be the author of what you send out via email. Do not send someone else's BS on. Write your own and send it on. (Try not to write BS) Become the one other people will quote. It is not that difficult.
2. Start your own blog. It only takes 15 minutes to set up and it is great fun. (http://www.blogger.com/ and it is totally free!.
3. Get going on facebook. It is really rewarding if you know how, and totally safe if you know how.
( if you do not know how , ask me )
4. Learn a new skill - it can be a hobby or it can make you money !
5. Do something for the first time !. Go Bungee jumping, Go skydiving, Learn to fly a microlight, Challenge
a friend or family member to do it with you ( Challenge me if you dare)
6. Decide to stop growing old - Growing old is in the mind - the body does it's own thing anyway!
7. Arrange a massive party for all your friends. It is easy : Just call it a Picnic - do not do it at your home.
Sorry to hear about the one who forgot a chair or a knife or the butter. It is a picnic for crying out loud!
Come one people - come up with some new ideas ! Are you 63 years YOUNG or 36 years OLD ? I know a lot of the latter and very few of the young ones.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
2011 for starters
I opened "Beeld" (an Afrikaans newspaper for the English amongst us) this morning on the Internet. The First 6 articles was all about death and destruction. It could have been published the same day last year and probably the last 20 years or so. Nothing new.
I do not think the public is really into this anymore. Is this a foreboding of what Newspapers is going to publish in 2011? Don't they realise that positive and interesting news will also sell ?
Lets tour the world for something more interesting
Lets see Hollywood Moves Away From Middlebrow ( New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/27/business/media/27movies.html?_r=1&hp
Midhurst's community heroes rewarded.
http://www.chichester.co.uk/news/local/midhurst_s_community_heroes_rewarded_1_2203004
(what a nice positive story) Where are our community heroes?
Some more positive news : The poll at Times Live asks the question : will 2011 be better than 2010?
The vote ? 67% said yes (275 votes) not bad hey?
Do some playing around on the internet on the world's newspaper headlines. It is really a challenge to find the positiveness out there and still it looks like common folks like you and me are more positive than what we think !
I do not think the public is really into this anymore. Is this a foreboding of what Newspapers is going to publish in 2011? Don't they realise that positive and interesting news will also sell ?
Lets tour the world for something more interesting
Lets see Hollywood Moves Away From Middlebrow ( New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/27/business/media/27movies.html?_r=1&hp
Midhurst's community heroes rewarded.
http://www.chichester.co.uk/news/local/midhurst_s_community_heroes_rewarded_1_2203004
(what a nice positive story) Where are our community heroes?
Some more positive news : The poll at Times Live asks the question : will 2011 be better than 2010?
The vote ? 67% said yes (275 votes) not bad hey?
Do some playing around on the internet on the world's newspaper headlines. It is really a challenge to find the positiveness out there and still it looks like common folks like you and me are more positive than what we think !
Monday, December 13, 2010
Tis the time to be Merry - (and not so mild )
This time of year it everything seems to start going slower than normal. Going on holiday early and coming back on the 3rd of December doesn't work. I am supposed to be rested and ready for the new year, but I am not. I know it is probably only in the mind but the whole month of December lies ahead of us and everyone else is only now going on holiday. So now I know it is a mistake to do it so early. I think I will just take it slooooower and have an extended holiday at home. Anyone not in agreement ? See if I care !
Friday, November 12, 2010
Taking a chance
It is what keeps me young. Only this week I heard someone say that you are far better off being 63 years young than 45 years old. It is all in the perception.
Taking a calculated (and sometime not so calculated) risk is what keeps me going and giving me the challenges that I thrive on. During a marriage enrichment weekend last week I made the comment that I like a good fight. Take on the dogma around you. Do not take nonsense from no-body (Ok maybe from your wife - you have to if you want to stay married for 40 years - I will be next year)
It is just the challenges of things I am on about. I (we - my wife and I ) have started with this idea to start a private school around 6 months ago. And now it is a reality. This morning we are having our first open day and still planning to get it up and running in January ( even if it has only 5 learners for a start)
All initial planning indicated that we will need funds we did not have and we would be looking for an investor.
As I am writing this now we have not enlisted the help of an investor and so far indications are that we will not be needing ANY money.
Now this is what taking a chance is all about. I like calling it investing in Faith !
You can follow us at this blogspot: (http://centuriongrowthacademy.blogspot.com/) and talk to me if you ever thought of taking a chance. One of the footwear companies (Nike) has the slogan : Just do it! That is fine, I just like their competitors(I think it is Adidas) slogan more : Impossible is nothing !
" Impossible " and "No" are just opinions - it is not answers.
Taking a calculated (and sometime not so calculated) risk is what keeps me going and giving me the challenges that I thrive on. During a marriage enrichment weekend last week I made the comment that I like a good fight. Take on the dogma around you. Do not take nonsense from no-body (Ok maybe from your wife - you have to if you want to stay married for 40 years - I will be next year)
It is just the challenges of things I am on about. I (we - my wife and I ) have started with this idea to start a private school around 6 months ago. And now it is a reality. This morning we are having our first open day and still planning to get it up and running in January ( even if it has only 5 learners for a start)
All initial planning indicated that we will need funds we did not have and we would be looking for an investor.
As I am writing this now we have not enlisted the help of an investor and so far indications are that we will not be needing ANY money.
Now this is what taking a chance is all about. I like calling it investing in Faith !
You can follow us at this blogspot: (http://centuriongrowthacademy.blogspot.com/) and talk to me if you ever thought of taking a chance. One of the footwear companies (Nike) has the slogan : Just do it! That is fine, I just like their competitors(I think it is Adidas) slogan more : Impossible is nothing !
" Impossible " and "No" are just opinions - it is not answers.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
WMM45+
Are you WMM45+ (White, Male, Married and older than 45 ) Very conservative, take no nonsense from no one , including the government ? Would you think this guy would ideally be living in South Africa ?
Think again. These are the descriptions (short and sweet ) of the Tea Party members in the USA. Comprising about 18% of the voters according to some sources. They are most likely supporters of the Republican party in the USA ( Obama is a Democrat) They are more wealthy than the average American and might well become the biggest problem Obama will face during the next election.
My only question at this stage is who is going to be their ideal candidate ? Standing against a populist president like Obama is not in everyones shorts. Then again Sarah Palin is WFMM45+ (White, female Married , 45+ ) and a Tea Party Icon and does not wear shorts.
What does the Americans say ? If you invite Obama to tea do you think he will accept ?
Maybe we should have a Pretoria Tea Party (Like the Boston one) all non racial of course. The lack of black would be purely incidental.
Interesting stuff
Think again. These are the descriptions (short and sweet ) of the Tea Party members in the USA. Comprising about 18% of the voters according to some sources. They are most likely supporters of the Republican party in the USA ( Obama is a Democrat) They are more wealthy than the average American and might well become the biggest problem Obama will face during the next election.
My only question at this stage is who is going to be their ideal candidate ? Standing against a populist president like Obama is not in everyones shorts. Then again Sarah Palin is WFMM45+ (White, female Married , 45+ ) and a Tea Party Icon and does not wear shorts.
What does the Americans say ? If you invite Obama to tea do you think he will accept ?
Maybe we should have a Pretoria Tea Party (Like the Boston one) all non racial of course. The lack of black would be purely incidental.
Interesting stuff
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