"in"

My horse has shown me that my own vibe, thought patterns and worries quite literally influence her being. This teaches me to be more aware of cleaning up my own "in" as to address the "output" better. I see it as being responsible for what I let venture out into the world through me. The less I "dump" out "there" the better. The more lightness I sprinkle the more happy my life evolves and the nicer it is for others to be around me. What you have inside you encounter outside.

It has been suggested to me to meditate more. Again. I have found this hard in recent months as I usually race around from the time I get up, then get to work, then come home after a commute to race around again. Most of us call it the "rat-race", the term literally drips with unpleasantness. Time for an upgrade and a healing session. Beep. Beep.

Do we have to make decisions all the time? Yep. Can we have a holiday? Perhaps. The point however is not to find an escape from our busy lives -maybe some reprieve can be useful to rethink our approach-, but more so to live life from a steady point of being, which in turn is always in motion. Life is change. There is no way we can remain the same, nor should we want to. I think once we feel at peace with where we are, how we feel and who we are, the easier things get every day (I have said this before so I feel like I keep repeating myself).

Usually when I figured something out, then there is something else to figure out. This will continue. I am happy about that. I think I have come to terms with the fact I will never grow up but will always develop. It's more like a re-aquainting sort of exercise. Like an oh yesssss that's right that's what it is. Only to find that the red has turned pink with orange hues which in turn has started to emit ferret noises attempting to sound like an opera. Fascinating. It's a change from the giraffe last week.

So the bumper sticker may change every week and the whole car every year but the one driving the vehicle remains the everlasting driving force. Bonsai on!

unity

Unification

is the start of embrace

the sharing of heart

the opening up of us, the seeing of all.

The battle has died

before they thought it begun

Because many made the changing decision

to live differently, as they feel differently now.

Our children

are born with more attributes

talents so bright, both in light as in being.

We will see those big changes as intent moves them.

We are not alone.

We are all indeed the same and also belong with others.

Unify our best intentions and our biggest dreams

and lo and behold! The new earth is showing itself already.

Understanding dawns along with a newfound desire.

Unity.

And through that the expression of love.

Photo by Janice Ward -copyrighted and reprinted here with permission.

the power of money?

As I read earlier today here: "Money can buy anything except meaning." And as Occupy Wallstreet has gone global (yup there are Occupy's growing wide and far like mushrooms) I'd say many people seek to redefine "meaning" in the broadest sense. What is it all about. Really about.

[Official Statement from Occupy Wall Street - this statement was voted on and approved by the general assembly of protesters at Liberty Square: Declaration of the Occupation of New York City]

"As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.

They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.

They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.

They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.

They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless nonhuman animals, and actively hide these practices.

They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.

They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.

They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.

They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.

They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.

They have sold our privacy as a commodity.

They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.

They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.

They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.

They have donated large sums of money to politicians supposed to be regulating them.

They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.

They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit.

They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.

They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.

They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.

They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.

They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.

They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.*

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard!

*These grievances are not all-inclusive."

design for a change

Changes on a global level have kept me occupied lately. To showcase New Zealand design today seems a contrast, yet I find Shane's work both crossing the boundaries of Art and his personal heritage interesting: Shane has Danish, Chinese and Maori ancestors. Isn't it wondrous how we human beings travel the globe and embrace other cultures?


I have been a fan of Shane Hansen's work ever since I came across it several years ago visiting the Gallery The Poi Room in Auckland. I have to find the NZ wood pigeon below as it really speaks to me.

Te Karanga Pitoitoi

Korihi ake nga manu

Takiri mai te ata

Ka ao, ka oa, ka awatea!

Tihei mauri ora

 

The birds call

The day begins

And I am alive


A bit of background on how Shane works: "Shane Hansen likes a strong, clean line. He has drawn constantly for as long as he can remember, but has never indulged in intricate doodles dredged up from the dark recesses of the mind. Instead, his creations spring from a world of bold colours and optimistic clarity, a pop-art invitation to a feel-good New-Zealand celebration." (source Shane's website: here)

"Shane studied art at high school but began his professional life as a fashion designer. He commandeered the sewing machine on which his mother had worked from home churning out nylon jackets and created the label Vampire. (..) He then trained as a graphic designer, eventually combining these two disciplines at Fly, where he was co-founder and creative director, carving out a niche creating innovative marketing and design strategies for corporate clients and retail stores." (source here - Gallery De Novo)

The scrummy bovine series is both hilarious as it is captivating. Shane used to make quite a bit commercial work whereas nowadays he works from home and focuses on his Art.

The bike must be son Nikau's one I imagine!

"The environment Shane grew up in was rich in culture. The walls of the Hansen family home in Manurewa were covered in paintings by Shane's grandfather and great-grandfather, both of Danish origins and both amateur water-colourists. Shane's grandfather took his descendants on painting expeditions that actively encouraged deeper contemplation and appreciation of the landscapes and objects around them.

His mother's side of the family is a mixture of Chinese and Maori influences. His grandfather emigrated to New Zealand from China's Guangdong province and established a market garden in Pukekohe before starting what became a family of 14 children with Shane's grandmother, a woman of Tainui descent. Creativity seems to run deep on both sides of the family" (source: Shane's website)

Shane work is definitely colorful and has a clear identity. It is expressive and focused. Its boldness and presence for me are very much linked to the relative young country that is New Zealand, the ruggedness of the mountains, the clarity of its waters and the brave attitude of its people.

An in depth interview with Shane can be read on a different blog: here.

the hum of love

Maybe we can move

both intentional and unintentional

by simply stating who we are

the definition itself radiating

that what we feel and embody

always telling all

Even without words 

enough can be shared

to build bridges,

mend bruises

fix problems

to sail the seven seas

When we start to remember

that we are more then

the sum of our parts

more then our body

more then our minds

more then the clubs we belong to

That the center of us is our hearts

and that of others too

then there is no need to explain

no need for science play

no room for debates

just the connection

the holding of hand

the caressing of hearts

the soothing of us

A tone of silence

a hum of love

a pulse of life

love spreading

like ever before

around and in us

a galaxy filled with

the booming vibration of all

Instead of thinking about it

Feel it inside of you

Look within and around

It is all the same

Have you noticed?

Can you hear it pulsing in your ears

drumming in your heart?

the shortest day

The shortest day is like the shortest breath

It's cold. People look frozen.

Time moves fast as it does slow

On the shortest day.

We have a wine.

We light a smile.

We see only a few.

On the shortest day

Years ago we had it figured out

Now things have changed again

And we could be anywhere at all

On the shortest day

Many dreams gallop overhead

and the sun sets all too soon

So all we have is each other

On the shortest day

Tomorrow the light will increase again

Perhaps make sense to us some more

Hey where are we going?

On the shortest day.

Japan

We do not need to see the images

To know what happened

and what it feels like.

We share the same flow

Whether we know this or not

and water runs deeply.

By waves and through light

Knowledge comes - not in facts

but by emotion, regardless of race.

Understanding follows

instills inside of us the realization

that we are in this together.

We share this life. 

With each other.

By choice.

what matters

"So you ask yourself: what matters?"
Latest movie by Zeitgeist: moving forward. It's about cultural questions that we need to ask ourselves. So we can choose again, which is what we are currently doing.
Note: it might be usefull to watch the first Zeitgeist movie again Addendum.

snappy level

Funny. I was reading a post on Fastcompany.com on "why change is so hard" (link below). Getting to exercise every day can be hard or eating green veggies, having a baby cry all night or having to do things at work you don't feel like you want to. Everyone has different ideas about where their comfort zone is, what their routine consists of and how hard or easy it is to establish the desired change to improve behavior, habits or your life in general.


Research has indicated that we simply run out of self control, as our daily activities can be demanding and apparently there IS a limit to what we can do in a day. If we cross that barrier.... oh oh: time's up!
"Psychologists have discovered that self-control is an exhaustible resource. (..) I mean a broader sense of self-supervision—any time you’re paying close attention to your actions, like when you’re having a tough conversation or trying to stay focused on a paper you’re writing. This helps to explain why, after a long hard day at the office, we’re more likely to snap at our spouses or have one drink too many—we’ve depleted our self-control."
source: Fastcompany


I fully understand why my husband and I have come to grasp that it is holy mo folly to work 7 days a week, worry about establishing our farm properly, work a 9-5 and have other activities as well going on. I tend to monitor my "snappy level". If I have the tendency to bark I have crossed the line and I know I have to organize some happy self maintenance time. 


How comfortable are you? Have you measured your pulse lately?
.

the when

I came accross this insightful question today, I just had to share as it resonated with me:

"One person once said it's time to move when the answer is no longer yes to these questions:


1. Am I doing good?

2. Am I challenged?

3. Am I learning? "

(Now maybe I'm the only one excited  about this. Fact is: many things are so frilly simple, but we usually don't see it as such. It's so nice to see it concised don't you think?)
So now you know what to do. Plan your next adventure today.
 
With thanks to Kate Robins the fabulous PR lady on Linkedin.
Her websites: http://turningpointeri.com/
http://mysticballet.org/site/the-company/
http://www.saltmarshopera.org/
.

The Age of Free

“Don’t presume your product is still valuable”


Rupert Murdoch is throwing a tanty because media is changing. He doesn’t like it because he can’t control how communication (through Social media) will work from now on. Comparing how the printed media incorporate advertisement to the new business model of selling Free makes sense to me. The focus has shifted a while ago from an advertising medium to no advertising which now is changing to freemium centered models.


“The key is to create the right mix of features to segment out the people who are willing to pay, but without alienating the users who make up your free audience. Do it right, and your conversion rates might be as high as 20%. Do it wrong, and your LTV gets very close to zero.” - Andrew Chen


The “Free” has taken over. The selling occurs through (free) conversation/download and the services and products are being paid for as a result (by select members). It’s mostly about what problem is being solved and what feeling of satisfaction the client has regarding the product that determines whether they’d be willing to pay. The key word here is value and how it’s exchanged. A relationship needs to be established first.


What is Freemium?


“Freemium businesses are companies that generate revenue by offering a free product with an upsell or premium version. Their economics blends elements of the free, advertising-supported, “eyeballs” business with more traditional e-commerce and subscription businesses.” - Eric Ries


Initially it was extensively used exclusively by the Information technology and Internet companies. But with the costs of digital duplications coming down drastically more businesses from diverse areas are moving into this area. The freemium concept due to its inherent nature calls for a high quality product that can be duplicated digitally. This is essential in order to use it in the freemium model - The Freemium Blog: Taylor Davidson


So in this time of Free how do you determine what YOU will give away for Free, if at all?


Good question as all businesses owners now think about this. And: should you really?


Time is the new value. Most of us have enough income to live on; we need services and goods to make our lives easier and to use these items to help us relax. Also: we require programs and products to keep up with the latest technology. How slow will your computer get if you don’t upgrade and look after it?


So how to decide then what fits our needs best? In the changing time of recession many try to reduce cost and find things for free. Once we trust the person selling us something for free, we usually decide to continue using more of their services or we decide to buy their product. This is the method transferred from the digital to the real life sphere where we have a free consultation and then decide to hire the business’ services.


The other aspect that’s interesting is wanting to learn to do things yourself: the how-to-websites continue to glow hot. People want to learn; easy, fast and NOW.


“I will (mostly) give anything Free a go and when Free exceeds my expectations, then you have my credit card; hook, line and sinker.” - Sy Yin Khoo – web & print designer as mentioned in Idealog


The Freemium strategy


The strategy uses the ‘free’ to showcase your actual value. I see it as a shopping window where you see the baker’s scrumptious muffins and breads. You can smell it, get an idea of the taste and you will decide in that moment whether you will go in and come out the shop with breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea or maybe the whole lot.


According to Eric Ries there are 3 models:

• Free serves paid. Trading 2 currencies + user-generated content sites
• Free trial. The original freemium model
• Free as inventory. Pay only when you want access to a person or item.

Bottom line: the decision will have to be made which customers you will have to turn away by default and which ones you will keep. Another word that comes to mind is Niche: determine who your target customer is as you cannot appeal to everyone. Decide what type of consumer you will offer your service to and how you will approach them.


So what’s the story? Provide something they can’t get elsewhere.


A. The conversation is the process.


I see examples of various businesses that – either deliberate or not – use the Free consultation services to build a relationship with the client through conversation. What does this social dance do?


A conversation establishes:

1. Listening ear: the wants and needs of the client
2. Education: teaching about the product, client learns
3. Likeability: establishing emotional connection
4. Authority: “they know” creates trust, client feels secure
5. Problems will be solved = satisfaction and peace of mind
6. Repeat business

“Today the creative person first step is not to find funding and professional help, but to find a customer and make an impression.” - Allison O’Neill in Idealog


B. Your unique insight in how to help clients brings you business.


“Your business asset is your insights, not people or good customer service.” - Matt Ayres

You will know when customers tell you how special it is that you help them in your unique way because:


You understand and listen to them
You give them what they want and make sure it’s a winwin deal.
You are actually looking after them
You have a superior product
Your procedure just makes things easy: customer loyalty


C. Adapt to the market


Understanding your target audience, how they think, what their needs are and what you and your service/product can mean to them is essential. It’s your Business guide for Dummies. Think about your mission and what you’re offering. As times change, will you? Your customers are likely to change with the times as well. Be aware: look around, read, talk to people, and keep your ear to the ground. Don’t think it’s just a fad and everything will return like before because it won’t. The main thing is to look clearly at what’s working for you and HOW it’s working for you. That’s the key.


RECAP:
You will have to decide who your target customer is: define niche
Is the freemium business model right for you?
If so: what do you decide to give away for free?
HOW will you integrate the latest technology and developments?

media is changing

How media has changed:
The 10 ‘Women Online’ Trends 2009

This article was first pucblished about 11 months ago - how accurate has it been? Very very turns out.

"2009 is a make-it-or-break-it year for nearly every business in existence today. And as for women’s websites and communities, we think this industry is also in for a bit of a shakeup" Wendy Piersall

1. Women’s Ad Networks Glam media, Blogher, MomLogic, Martha’s circle are a couple of the women’s ad networks. Consolidation may be upcoming. The online advertising industry is best positioned to weather the economic storm, albeit with only moderate growth. For publishers, it’s therefore getting harder to get in the networks.


2. Women’s Social Networks. Piersall sees an epidemic of social networks to women, and in particular, moms. She points out that winners will be social networks and online communities for the top three activities women engage in online: shopping, reading the news, and socializing.

3. Number of Women online. Numbers will go up, as out-of-home entertainment with the recession will become more popular.

4. Social Media Marketing. Since social communities are here to stay, and women are extremely active in these communities, companies and brands are getting to the point where they can’t ignore social media marketing any more.

5. Beyond Advertising. Online communities will change their business models, introducing products, services and incentives instead of 100% advertising based models. The number of social shopping networks will increase: a mix of Engadget, Facebook and Shopping to find new ways to generate revenue.

6. Companies will Lean on Recession-Proof Industries. Craft retailers, health & skin care, groceries & cooking, children’s clothing and educational products are all relatively safe places to be in 2009.

7. Women Love a Deal. In 2009 women, and especially moms, who are increasingly online will ‘need’ a sale; so bargain hunters may increase activity across networks of sites, even in this economy. The lowest prices will win, and any site that serves up savings is going to do well.

8. Local Family Recreation & Travel Moms seeking cost-effective activities for their kids will be turning to the internet to find more things to do close to home. Families will go camping, do more locally at parks, attractions, and local tourist destinations, all to be sought online.

9. Think Green. Green will become mainstream in 2009. Women will be doing more (online)research about living more eco-friendly and finding green products.

10. How to- sites. The discussion about trends gave trend number 10, ‘how-to’ sites will do well.

writer: CEO, Wendy Piersall of Sparkplugging, a US blog network dedicated to work at home resources

Potential

This morning I drove to work and stopped at the lights of a large intersection coming into Dunedin. There sitting on the corner, was a friendly looking Maori gentleman on a camping chair accompanied by a very large cardboard sign. It read: "Hi, my name is John and I'm looking for work to support my family. Please show your support". I tooted my horn and waved excitedly to him. This seemed to cheer him up. I gave him the thumbs up and drove away at the green light.

Now normally we think about this a minute or so and say well good on him and that'd be that. I thought there must be more I can do for him. Going through my contacts in my head thinking whether there'd be someone who could help him. I also decided to ring the local radio station More fm and tell them John was sitting there and whether they could mention it on the air to help him out. I will also phone someone in the building industry who I needed to speak to today anyway and mention it.

Small gestures can make big differences. If we don't do anything we will know for sure nothing will happen. I think it's very courageous of John to sit at an intersection exposed to the whole city asking for work. It may not be an easy thing to do. People might say funny things. We simply don't know. It take s a lot of humility and possible desperation to do what he did.

But the simple truth is: we are best to help each other out as all of us can fall on hard times. If you know you could make a difference, why decide to leave it alone? Make your small difference today, it may lead to much more tomorrow.

Complaining is branding too

Complaining is negative personal branding: you help create your own negative image by whining. Yessirree. This also means that positive branding occurs when you are shining the white feathery light of upliftiness.


So what’s groovy today? Well, for me: tons. Life is good people. And to top it all off again: Today is Friday. Woohoo. Always a good thing!

So how about 'uncomplaining'? Good question. I think once you’ve said whatever you did, it’s like turning the tap and water flows. You can hardly put a cork in there can you? Better to be aware and try not to start doing it. The opposite of complaining is 'appreciating that which is'.

I have moments of yippee-ing and groaning. I blamed lack of vitamin c and b but there’s only so much you go on about it, besides: the blaming game doesn’t get me anywhere. The other day someone told me “you always look at the positive of everything don’t you?” Well the truth is, I try to. I’ve noticed people are more inclined to hang around me when I make them laugh and am helpful. Especially the cracking of jokes seems to do wonders. I’m reminded of this by en elderly client who’s an expert at that - which reminds me to see the lightness of things. I think it helps all of us when we explore avenues of laughter as this is how you stay young at heart. Let’s face it: complaining is just SO boring.

So what do we do? We do not try to erase our previous tantrums or woopsiness.
We start “Behaving ‘as if’”

“What if your life is going differently then you intended? What if all falls by the wayside leaving you in tears? Would it be the end of the world? Of course not. But it may feel like that.

Confidence, gratefulness and behaving ‘as if’ can help you greatly in reshaping the experience of your life. Find that place of peace inside you and picture you’re whole being filling with Joy. When you are feeling this sunny side up feeling there will not be room for doubt, worry or fear.
So! On we go, exuding this aura of happiness and give it to others. By lighting our own candle (and not burning it at both ends) we can help people as well. We remind them of that which they may have forgotten.

Hello, how are you? What can I do for you? What do you need today? Listen to them. Make them feel better if you can. The world needs more love and understanding, less judgment and alienation.”

Give it a whirl:

1. Be grateful for your life and what is in it, many people do not share your luxurious surroundings or feel safe, have enough to eat and have friends.
2. Behave ‘as if’ your life is the way you’d like it to be. You’re happy at home, your work is going well and everything is starting to fall into place. Just roll with it. Make changes if you need to but act as if it’s all according to plan.
3. Confidence: feel it and act like it. You have got many talents. Try not to be someone else, being yourself is all there is.
Source: Steve Pavlina

Hello world! Here we are. Feels a lot better doesn’t it? More fun too.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
Mahatma Ghandi Indian political and spiritual leader (1869 - 1948)

When you relinquish the desire to control your future, you can have more happiness.
Nicole Kidman in The Scotsman

Generation M: stuff that matters

Sharing with you today:

The Generation M Manifesto
by Umair Haque

"Dear Old People Who Run the World,

My generation would like to break up with you.

Everyday, I see a widening gap in how you and we understand the world — and what we want from it. I think we have irreconcilable differences.

• You wanted big, fat, lazy "business." We want small, responsive,

micro-scale commerce.

You turned politics into a dirty word. We want authentic, deep democracy — everywhere.

You wanted financial fundamentalism. We want an economics that makes sense for people — not just banks.

You wanted shareholder value — built by tough-guy CEOs. We want real value, built by people with character, dignity, and courage.

You wanted an invisible hand — it became a digital hand. Today's markets are those where the majority of trades are done literally robotically. We want a visible handshake: to trust and to be trusted.

You wanted growth — faster. We want to slow down — so we can become better.

You didn't care which communities were capsized, or which lives were sunk. We want a rising tide that lifts all boats.

You wanted to biggie size life: McMansions, Hummers, and McFood. We want to humanize life.

You wanted exurbs, sprawl, and gated anti-communities. We want a society built on authentic community.

You wanted more money, credit and leverage — to consume ravenously. We want to be great at doing

stuff that matters.

You sacrificed the meaningful for the material: you sold out the very things that made us great for trivial gewgaws, trinkets, and gadgets. We're not for sale: we're learning to once again do what is meaningful.

There's a tectonic shift rocking the social, political, and economic landscape. The last two points above are what express it most concisely. I hate labels, but I'm going to employ a flawed, imperfect one: Generation "M."

What do the "M"s in Generation M stand for? The first is for a movement. It's a little bit about age — but mostly about a growing number of people who are acting very differently. They are doing meaningful stuff that matters the most. Those are the second, third, and fourth "M"s.

Gen M is about passion, responsibility, authenticity, and challenging yesterday's way of everything. Everywhere I look, I see an explosion of Gen M businesses, NGOs, open-source communities, local initiatives, government. Who's Gen M?

Obama, kind of. Larry and Sergey. The Threadless, Etsy, and Flickr guys. Ev, Biz and the Twitter crew. Tehran 2.0. The folks at Kiva, Talking Points Memo, and FindtheFarmer. Shigeru Miyamoto, Steve Jobs, Muhammad Yunus, and Jeff Sachs are like the grandpas of Gen M. There are tons where these innovators came from.

Gen M isn't just kind of awesome — it's vitally necessary. If you think the "M"s sound idealistic, think again.

The great crisis isn't going away, changing, or

"morphing." It's the same old crisis — and it's growing.
You've failed to recognize it for what it really is. It is, as I've repeatedly pointed out, in our institutions: the rules by which our economy is organized.

But they're your institutions, not ours. You made them — and they're broken. Here's

what I mean:
"... For example, the auto industry has cut back production so far that inventories have begun to shrink — even in the face of historically weak demand for motor vehicles. As the economy stabilizes, just slowing the pace of this inventory shrinkage will boost gross domestic product, or GDP, which is the nation's total output of goods and services."
Clearing the backlog of SUVs built on 30-year-old technology is going to pump up GDP? So what? There couldn't be a clearer example of why GDP is a totally flawed concept, an obsolete institution.

We don't need more land yachts clogging our roads: we need a 21st Century auto industry.
I was (kind of) kidding about seceding before. Here's what it looks like to me:

every generation has a challenge, and this, I think, is ours: to foot the bill for yesterday's profligacy — and to create, instead, an authentically, sustainably shared prosperity.
Anyone — young or old — can answer it. Generation M is more about what you do and who you are than when you were born. So the question is this: do you still belong to the 20th century - or the 21st?

Love,
Umair and the Edge Economy Community"

A bit about Umair:

Umair Haque is Director of the Havas Media Lab, a new kind of strategic advisor that helps investors, entrepreneurs, and firms experiment with, craft, and drive radical management, business model, and strategic innovation.

If you like to read about his thoughts and about what responses he received because of this Manifesto: click here

photo by Devianart

Getting un-bored

Ever have that moment of boredom where you’ve been down the same path too often? A solution: do something that makes you happy and which makes you feel you’re contributing to the world.

It could be, to:
1. Write a blog
2. Volunteer
3. Help a friend
4. Look after a pet
5. Change the status quo
6. Make a decision instead of procrastinating
7. Build a snowman
8. Go on a trip
9. Clean and tidy up: organized inside and out
10. Exercise (feel good and act good)

Now yesterday, I made a snowman with Nico. My husband and I were unable to travel safely down the road to work as we were inundated with over 120mm of snow. We built a snowman instead.
Today we did make it to work through snow and slush. I’m doing number 6 and 9 today. I did number 10 earlier this morning when I fed the highland cattle, the goats and the dog. Right now I’m finishing number 1. Next weekend I’m going to do number 8 and coming weekend I’m hoping to carry out number 5.

Point being: it makes more sense to me to work with what I’m given opposed to being frustrated by what I have come across. It has been quite a few things which detracts from my normally sunny me. No, I don't think it's the fact it's winter over here. Aside the points above I ask myself the question which always helps, but which I forget to ask myself all too often:

What if this is all ok?

(I refer to Susan Jeffers’ website as she’s very good with this sort of thing.)

Get un-stuck. Get going before you get un-glued, un-clued or catch the glummy glumness. Have some coffee or hot chocolate with it while you develop new ways.

Same new, same new

How often do we do the same? We get up at the same time, work the same way, do the same things, see the same people and that’s where the word ‘treadmill’ comes in.
I came across above picture today on dutchcowgirl and man, it’s a complete hila. I started laughing big time.

Truth is: we find it refreshing and invigorating to do something else. Give it a try: instead of approaching work or your partner the same way, twist it. Show up in a hula hula outfit complete with musical instrument (don’t forget the tree) or come to work dressed in one colour only unfolding an umbrella that’s got loud big lettering on it stating: today we changed! You get the picture. It’s not for the lazy. I’ve been postponing to hang wacky artwork at work, truth is I’ll just have to bring some canvasses and attack them with conviction. Turn conventional stuff upside down. Try to make this place more a talk of the town in a good way.

If you find it hard to cocadoodle every day, aim for once a week to do something completely off the wall, to regain your flexibility muscles and to find your originality vibe once again.
Ah viva la revolucion! It can start with just a little pony. Inspired?

Lifeproofing by setting goals

What the heck is that, being 'life proof'? Well I'm sure all us have thought that: how can we cope, how do we know things, how can we proof the future? Do we know what we want? Unless you are able to see into the future, most of us have to decide we want clarity and stand for what life we like to create. Owe up to it and stop hiding behind excuses. Shape it activily and let go of old stuff.

Times are interesting. Things happen that were not quite anticipated and other things were and roll by the wayside. Quite funny really. One thing is for sure: nothing is. The new certainty is change and we do best to embrace it as there's more and more of it to come and it will come at faster paces. I'm working on going with the flow as when times change at an increasing rate the information and movements will go too fast for us to absorb. Hence my preference for Zenning at the farm. I currently focus on 3 things: home (farm), work and my own design work. I've decided to drop other activities that no longer positivily add to the experience.

I booked my ticket today to go to Auckland to visit the DesignEx fair held the end of June. It will be so exciting! I'm looking forward to seeing my friend Beverley up there and see if she's keen to join me for a day of interior faring. I'm also greatly looking forward to meeting Lynne, the marketing director of the fabric company I did designs for. They will have it up on their stand and I've been told it will be advertised in all the magazines as well which was extremely humbling. OMG stuff. Nico will hold the fort at home which is very kind of him. He's been more then great, my husband. I love him to bits.

Yesterday I rung the vet. Turns out that our dear highland calf Zodiac (nickname Wobbles) will have to be seperated from mum and bottlefed for the next 6.5 weeks, twice a day. Zodi will go in the same paddock as the goats and the kune kune pig this weekend and I think it will be quite hilarious. We feel sorry for mum Elsie but as the calf is not feeding with her -and trust me we tried!- then this is our last resort. It will make feeding easier for us as now we have to seperate them first before we can feed. Being poked by 2 hornes by a protective highland cow is not our idea of a good massage. We are very happy that Zodi is so lively and doing so well living only on our milk replacer. And yes, he's cuter then cute, as all calfs are like wee teddybears (picture Rainy Day last year). Cuddle therapy we call it.

So aside from the swings of life, I am trying to set clearer goals. This is challenging at times. One of my next projects will be keeping financial books better and to abide by Steve Pavlina's idea:

"H.L. Hunt, a man who rose from a bankrupt cotton farmer in the 1930s to a multi-billionaire when he died in 1974, was once asked during a TV interview what advice he could give to others who wanted to be financially successful. He said only two things are required. First, you must decide exactly what it is you want to accomplish. Most people never do that in their entire lives. And secondly, you must determine what price you'll have to pay to get it, and then resolve to pay that price. "

The point is that with goals, you have to be specific, use a timetable and mean business. It requires vision, determination and self discipline to keep the pace up.

"Clear goals allow you to achieve the first half of H.L. Hunt's success formula. By deciding exactly what you want to accomplish, committing it to writing, and reviewing it on a daily basis, you bring your goals into reality with the power of your focus"

Well let's keep on humming I say.

Things to do

We all have things to do. The difference lies between the wanting to do things and HAVING to do things. Susan Jeffers, bless her cotton socks, is very good at describing how you can change your perspective from HAVING to in WANTING to. Nico my dearest would just say: it’s a matter of mind set. Both are right.

The good news is that once you can change your mindset that your life will follow! Hurrah! But why do we forget this? Because we are creatures of habit, THAT’s why. Oh.
Back to the drawing board. I learned the following over time:

1) You’re on your own in your life, no one can help you sort your stuff but yourself.
2) That changing HOW you view situations makes you able to change your behavior.
3) Behavior can be consciously changed and altered for life, therefore your experiences will change, and therefor your life will.

Now that may sound fuzzy but that’s how it worked for me. When I’m tired or stressed old things may pop up out of the woodworks but I know what it’s about and how I can let go of the response, which is just a very old one. Someone found me cynical years ago when I told him: people only change when it's in their own interest to do so. I think that's not being harsh, it's just what I found to be true.

You will be pointed in the right direction to HELP you get out of the stuff you got yourself in. If you are choosing to persist in an unfortunate situation that’s usually there because you chose to stick being there in the first place, you can only point the finger at yourself. So it comes down to the old fashioned ‘being responsible for yourself’ thing. Oh darn! You have to work for it. Yes. It can usually just be a shift in consciousness where you choose to look at things differently and picture another vision in your head. That takes like 2 seconds. Amazing and heartening at the same time. Life can be sweet after all.

There are 2 best counselors in the world for you:
a) Yourself
b) Those who say things that upset you. The fact that they have upset you means it’s touched a nerve with you. If you didn’t have that feeling then why would it be an ‘issue’ anyway? It wouldn’t. So stop griping and just admit it. I know it's not always fun but there you go.

When all fails: go on holiday, get chocolate or blubber your eyes out with a friend. And! Try again. Yes, your life is up to you I’m afraid. No easy way out. No emailing to the mighty upstairs to relieve you of your suffering. No MacDonald’s drive through solutions. Darn darn. Oh well. You’ll live. Hey! Keep smiling while you’re at it. Practice that muscle or your face will look 100 years old. That’s right! There you are you charming creature you! Give yourself a high five and make a milo with marshmallows you wonderful softie.