People Matter ∴ Do Good

Lead a vivid life that does good

Author: Andrew (Page 28 of 43)

Those poor happy people…

13 August 2009 /

I was talking to an ex-colleague the other day who fulfilled her dream and went to Costa-Rica. She said that she stayed with a really poor family by some beech for 2 weeks, and they were the so incredibly happy.

Poor happy people!

Then I found a recent article that states a full 27 Million Americans are now on anti-depressants. 10% of their entire population.

Rich unhappy people!

Maybe poor people don’t take anti-depressants because they can’t afford them. I am sure there are plenty of sad poor people around. OR maybe if we, (Western culture ‘we’), weren’t so worried about climbing the socioeconomic ladder, we wouldn’t be so sad.

Maybe then, we would focus on doing things that bring true happiness and not focus on buying things that brings happiness.

Maybe…

 

21 years ago today my life changed

8 August 2009 /

Baycourt I remember it because it was the 8th of 8, 88.

Bob Addison and Dale Henderson took a punt and gave a young, uneducated, skinny bum the opportunity to work at Baycourt theatre.

I had been hanging around the theatre for about 5 years, and looking back I must have been one frustrating young guy. Full of potential but lacking discipline and a little bit strange to boot.

But I got opportunities to clean toilets, learn more about sound and lighting and play with pagemaker on computers (no mean feat in 88).

I learned about creativity, long hours, leadership, communicating with people older than me and doing crap jobs I didn’t enjoy.

I was 18, and I was privileged that Bob and Dale gave me a shot. After a while I moved on and learnt other things from other leaders. But they were some of the first people to see something in me, I didn’t see, even though they never got to see it delivered.

So anyway two key points I considered today.

  1. 21 years later, I wonder which 18 year I should be giving a similar opportunity to?
  2. Where did 21 years go?

Tipping Points. Positive and Negative!

1 August 2009 /

Malcolm Gladwell’s book ‘Tipping Point’ speaks of single events that then trigger other unrelated people to do similar things. I have been wondering if the Hawkes Bay Police siege might be a Tipping Point.

There have been a couple weird shootings that Police have been involved since the siege in Hawkes Bay with Jan Molenaar.

Last month, Shayne Sime, a paraplegic man was shot, and a connection made to the Hawkes Bay shooting and it was referred to in the media as "suicide by cop".

This week actor Rob Mokaraka was shot when he 'engineered' a confrontation with Police. He has a distant connection to the Jan Molenaar shootings.

Gladwell talks of a high profile person committing suicide in a car crash, and then the number of car crashes increasing, as people almost have permission to do the same.

I hope that Jan Mollenaar’s actions in Hawkes Bay aren’t a tipping point for people wanting to go out in a ‘blaze of glory’. I hope the media coverage doesn’t put more police personnel in harms way.

So now to the implication of this post…

It seems many Tipping Points are negative ones. I wonder what it would take to create a truly positive Tipping Point.

One that really makes a positive difference in the world.

One that the media would follow with as much interest as police shootings.

I am not sure it is possible?

What will I be doing in 15 years time?

25 July 2009 /

Interesting question isn’t it? I often struggle to know what I will be doing next week, and in moments of absolute brilliance, I might do some top level thought into next 3 – 5 years.

I’m skim reading a book called “Total Leadership” at the moment and one of its exercises is to write down what your life and leadership will amount to in 15 years.

15 years is a long way away.

In 15 years, I will have been married for 27 years!

In 15 years, my eldest daughter will be 24!

In 15 years, I don’t want to be doing the same things I am doing now.

In 15 years, I want to have made a significant impact on the world.

It is an interesting think about 15 years from now. I have never done it before, but I sense that it will help give perspective to the small issues I currently face.

Successful People

17 July 2009 /

Saw an interview on 60 Minutes this week with Kiwi Kerry Spackman. Kerry is a Neuroscientist for sports stars like Lewis Hamilton.

He was asked what made them successful and gave these four qualities

  1. They are phenomenally hard workers

  2. Their attention to detail was second to none

  3. They have an ability to get over disappointment

  4. They have an unshakable belief in themselves

A timely reminder to me!

Metaphorical mountains

13 March 2009 /

I was chatting with friends this week about mountains

Metaphorical ones.

Those huge obstacles in front of us. Projects, struggles, illnesses, financial problems, relationship issues … things that seem too BIG to handle.

We were discussing about how we often cry out to God and ask him to pick them up and through them into the sea. To make them go away.

And yet we need to climb mountains. They are good for us and through them we learn heaps and are cultivated and grown.

The problem with mountains is often the obstacle in front of us, is the issue of the moment.

We forget about what the view from the top of the mountain will be like.

We forget the satisfaction that comes from making it to the top.

We forget that climbing mountains is worth it.

We just see the obstacle!

Maybe when we remember how good the mountain can be for us, we will stop asking for it to be taken away, be thankful for it.

Maybe we will then focus on the more important task of getting to the top.
 

Personal development

26 August 2008 /

"I believe that I am responsible for my own personal development. Only I know who I want to become. Only I know my real strenghts and weaknesses, my passion and my talent. Only I know the price I am willing to pay to be who I can become."

– Fred Smith Sr.

How very true of me!

I have ego

5 August 2008 /

Discovered this week that the Greek word for "I" is "ego" (εγώ).

The english definition of ego is often around a person having egotism, conceit or self-importance. I guess ego is I-ism to the extreme. Beyond self confidence. Much more that good self talk.

So when I next say 'I' in english, I want… I need… I think…, in greek I am saying ego, ego want… ego need… ego think.

Not always a bad thing, but certainly worth thinking about.

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