There will be a million blogs today.
For what it is worth, I watched from a pub just off Golden Square in London, on the phone to my wife at home in Wales. I was COO of a London based VC that was trying to raise a new fund in the US. 9/11 killed the fund. It was a truly shocking day.
I remember.
Hmmm, a question…..
I spend most of my working life in control of what I do, as I run my own business – my game, my rules. My wife Ruth has a great dog community business and online shop called Johnny Muttley. She has started appearing in person at country fairs, dog shows and events and I tag along out of solidarity and support (and to put up the gazebo). I am in effect her sequined assistant. It is however, her game and her rules and she likes things done in her way and at her speed.
How do I use up my excess energy during these days and how do I avoid moping around like a sulky teenager as I await my orders?
Thunking required and polite advice welcome…..
I think I first heard it on a GKIC CD, the idea that you can’t give away too much good. I heard it and I liked it. The theory was a business theory, specifically about getting referrals. My friend George Savva would say that a referral should be given without thought of any benefit to the giver, i.e. what you give will come back to you many times over, but not directly.
It is the same with good deeds and freely given information. Sure, there are those who just take, but the majority of us are decent people aren’t we? The difficulty of course comes with the few who are mean of spirit, selfish and guarded – but hey, let’s ignore them for a minute. In fact let’s just ignore them permanently.
So the thought for the day reader is give away a little more than you get every day. Do a favour, help someone out, say thank you and we shall see if it comes back to us.
The dandelion has between 180 and 2000 seeds which are dispersed through the wind. Pay-it-forward suggests three good deeds.
“You can give it to me when I need to bomb along
Seedbomb seedbomb you’re my seedbomb
And baby you can grow me on”
Let’s sing along, all together now…. tee hee.
My lovely daughter Rhiannon Cara reminded me this weekend that I wanted to call her either “Fang” or “Blind lemon melon”, until sense and Fleetwood Mac prevailed.
Anyhoo we have just spent a pleasant afternoon throwing away her Christmas present to me, three hand grenade shaped clay seed bombs (see exhibit 1 below M’Lud):
The clay bombs are filled with flower seeds and rye grass and are designed to be thrown into areas needing some colour – perfect guerilla gardening tools. They are deployed with aplomb:
The result is shattered clay which will dissolve as soon as there is rain and a great spreading of seeds:
I’ll keep you posted as (hopefully) the seeds germinate and this little derelict spot gets lively! Gizmo looked on in disgust from a tree as this was all rather interrupting his afternoon gallop:
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have you found? The same old fears.
Wish you were here.
I just spent a couple of hours cooking two meals, one for tonight and one for tomorrow in the company of a dear old friend, Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan, and like so many times over the years it struck a number of notes with me; and so a brief thought odyssey accompanied by Bob….
“They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn” (Meet me in the morning)
Someone really smart said that you can never be truly happy until you are doing what you were built to do. This got me to thinking that I can do many things, I do do many things, but especially in my work I haven’t always been heading towards what I am built to do. This changed last year when we launched a collaborative project to help people build their businesses. Nevertheless the change has been painful, but I think we are getting there.
“I can change, I swear, oh, oh, See what you can do. I can make it through, You can make it too.” (You’re a big girl now)
I’m sure you can see from the other entries in this blog that a lot of what I do leans towards helping others. I guerilla garden to help the community and I pay-it-forward to help individuals worse off than myself. The realignment of my work is to ensure that I carry all of this thinking through to my business – helping others grow, helping others help their customers. In Tim Templeton speak I think I am moving towards being a relationship-relationship person.
“then he walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin, Could you kindly tell me, friend, what time the show begins? ” (Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts)
Well it has already! As well as the initiative to help businesses grow I’m working on a cunning plan to help businesses appreciate their existing customers more, and to appreciate and be grateful for the referrals they receive in a more concrete way. Wouldn’t it be nice to meet past and future customers who say “I remember you, you sent me a postcard/gift/thank you note”? I had one of those today.
“Try imagining a place where it’s always safe and warm. Come in, (s)he said, I’ll give you shelter from the storm.” (Shelter from the storm)
This is where I am heading to, so tell me what you think. Business by kindness, politeness and attention to those that we meet is a great way forward. Matching this better to personal ways of doing things has to be my way forward.
“I can’t help it if I’m lucky.” (Idiot wind)
Thanks Bob, good to hear you again. Why no words from “If you see her say hello” you ask? I’m saving that for a tattoo. This is me by the way:
Well how about this for serendipity….
When I was at school/college my best friend was a girl called Carol. We used to write letters and letters and letters – the memory of that was one of the things that spurred me on to look for a penpal – hence the last blog entry.
Shortly after making the entry I got a (totally unrelated) message on Facebook from Carol. We re-acquainted ourselves and re-started the correspondence after a mere 27 year gap and it is as if it never stopped – the only difference being that we are now both married with kids.
There is nothing quite like the anticipation of a letter dropping through your letterbox….
Happy New Year to all.
So here is an interesting dilemma and I’d appreciate your advice.
In amongst all of the online stuff we all do, I actually enjoy writing letters (real letters, pen, ink, envelopes, stamps – you get the picture). So I’m asking online how you think I could go about getting an old fashioned pen-pal, one who would like to communicate only by letter. Male or Female, no agenda, letters that I could happily show my wife if she asked etc etc.
Am I bonkers? Is it possible to still do this? Do such people still exist? Do you know anyone, English speaking (writing), anywhere in the world?
Or am I too late………
Copernican inversions and other engaging nonsense 