When I think of celebrating my 100th, my mind goes back to Ern Holmes Oval in July and kicking the first goal of the day for Pennant Hills in front of a crowd that included my little sister who had flown back from London for one night, so how I'm going to celebrate writing my 100th blog early next year is a no-brainer...I'll be hosting a family day after a Demons pre-season training session in March, 2014.
Kids will be playing, boys will be training, the barbecue will be in operation, there is plenty of room for Mums and Dads to kick the footy with the kids, and the feature presentation will be a replay of the 4th quarter of the Demons 4th Division Grand Final win. There will be copies of my 100th blog available at the family day, but I'll have a special preview reading after training the Thursday night prior over a sausage sizzle.
So come along and join in the new year frivolity, bring the family to the family club and have a snag, a beer, a wine, a kick or all of the above.
Have a tremendous Christmas, and when you sit down to make your New Years Resolution, make it fair dinkum, don't get lost in the big picture, just make small, simple resolutions and make sure you get them done.
Focus on the game plan and let the result take care of itself.
Tuesday, 24 December 2013
Monday, 16 December 2013
Time to practice what I preach
Since I had my stroke in 2005, I've tried to live my life according to some advice one of my best footy coaches, Big Dan gave me...
"Focus on the game plan and the result will take care of itself."
Living my life by focusing on doing the small steps right and not distracting myself with the "big picture" has only brought me success so far, but I've realised that I've been moving away from that formula when it comes to my motivational speaking business, and I need to bring myself back to what I know works.
I feel really confident with who I am and where I'm going right now, so even though I may have plenty of limitations and innefficiencies (it's taken me 32 minutes to write this much of my blog), I'm going to keep running my business on my own. I'm well aware I could make a lot more money if I hired a copywriter, a book keeper and a social media co-ordinator, but making money is the "big picture" or the result of running a business, and it would go against what I've been doing successfully for the last 8 years.
So I'm going to keep plodding along and backing myself in, not so stubbornly that I won't be asking people for help, but I'm going to be practicing what I preach from here on in.
"Focus on the game plan and the result will take care of itself."
Living my life by focusing on doing the small steps right and not distracting myself with the "big picture" has only brought me success so far, but I've realised that I've been moving away from that formula when it comes to my motivational speaking business, and I need to bring myself back to what I know works.
I feel really confident with who I am and where I'm going right now, so even though I may have plenty of limitations and innefficiencies (it's taken me 32 minutes to write this much of my blog), I'm going to keep running my business on my own. I'm well aware I could make a lot more money if I hired a copywriter, a book keeper and a social media co-ordinator, but making money is the "big picture" or the result of running a business, and it would go against what I've been doing successfully for the last 8 years.
So I'm going to keep plodding along and backing myself in, not so stubbornly that I won't be asking people for help, but I'm going to be practicing what I preach from here on in.
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Angela saved my life...and then bought me a coffee
"Everyone stares at their band-aid"
The paramedic told me that everytime they're called out to treat a hypoglycaemic reaction (low blood sugar), patients are always fascinated by the plaster that's been applied to cover the prick on their finger where the blood has been drawn for the sugar reading.
The paramedic was next to me with his partner because my girlfriend, Angela had called 000 when I was non-responsive and apparantly had a blank look on my face, as if I was "looking right through" her. My blood sugar level was 1.9 (anything under 3.5 is low) when the paramedics arrived, a level that came about through thoughtlessness borne out of complacency - I've been diabetic for over 19 years, and it's been pretty well controlled so I'm fairly (over) confident that I know how much carbohydrate I need to balance my insulin intake, but this time I got it wrong. I had too much insulin and not enough carbohydrate, so I slipped into a diabetic coma.
Witnessing a stroke survivor slipping into a diabetic coma would freak me out, but thankfully my girlfriend is made of stronger stuff. Not only did Angela stay calm and make the the right decisions in what I can only imagine was a stressful environment, she went and bought me a coffee and helped me get to work 30 seconds early.
This incident has left me with a lot of lessons learnt:
- Diabetes can't be beaten. Whether you've had it for 19 years or 19 days, you can't get sloppy with your control or things might get ugly
- Rain falls on the just and unjust alike, but there comes a time when you just have to get over it and go and play in the puddles
- Give thanks for having good people around you - they might save your life one day.
The paramedic told me that everytime they're called out to treat a hypoglycaemic reaction (low blood sugar), patients are always fascinated by the plaster that's been applied to cover the prick on their finger where the blood has been drawn for the sugar reading.
The paramedic was next to me with his partner because my girlfriend, Angela had called 000 when I was non-responsive and apparantly had a blank look on my face, as if I was "looking right through" her. My blood sugar level was 1.9 (anything under 3.5 is low) when the paramedics arrived, a level that came about through thoughtlessness borne out of complacency - I've been diabetic for over 19 years, and it's been pretty well controlled so I'm fairly (over) confident that I know how much carbohydrate I need to balance my insulin intake, but this time I got it wrong. I had too much insulin and not enough carbohydrate, so I slipped into a diabetic coma.
Witnessing a stroke survivor slipping into a diabetic coma would freak me out, but thankfully my girlfriend is made of stronger stuff. Not only did Angela stay calm and make the the right decisions in what I can only imagine was a stressful environment, she went and bought me a coffee and helped me get to work 30 seconds early.
This incident has left me with a lot of lessons learnt:
- Diabetes can't be beaten. Whether you've had it for 19 years or 19 days, you can't get sloppy with your control or things might get ugly
- Rain falls on the just and unjust alike, but there comes a time when you just have to get over it and go and play in the puddles
- Give thanks for having good people around you - they might save your life one day.
Monday, 9 December 2013
172-Revisiting my Mission Statement
I have started a motivational speaking business, and in looking at how I want to run it, I've been grappling with a conundrum - can you be a good person AND make a lot of money?
It's a question I haven't been able to answer, so rather than get bogged down in philosophical questions that may be purely rhetorical, I'm going to Keep It Simple, Stupid, and make my business goals crystal clear, and not deviate from what I want.
The most important factor in my business pursuits is my personality - I don't want to be a different person in order to secure a deal - in every decision I make I want to be honest, reliable, genuine and compassionate.
My motto in business is simple:
"Be a good bloke."
The most important things I can provide for my family are meaning and security, if I end up with comfort as well, that's just a bonus.
The answer to my conundrum can be found by taking out two words - the question "can you be a good person AND make a lot of money?" can be solved by taking out "a lot." I want my business to make money, but not at ANY expense.
It's a question I haven't been able to answer, so rather than get bogged down in philosophical questions that may be purely rhetorical, I'm going to Keep It Simple, Stupid, and make my business goals crystal clear, and not deviate from what I want.
The most important factor in my business pursuits is my personality - I don't want to be a different person in order to secure a deal - in every decision I make I want to be honest, reliable, genuine and compassionate.
My motto in business is simple:
"Be a good bloke."
The most important things I can provide for my family are meaning and security, if I end up with comfort as well, that's just a bonus.
The answer to my conundrum can be found by taking out two words - the question "can you be a good person AND make a lot of money?" can be solved by taking out "a lot." I want my business to make money, but not at ANY expense.
Barnaby Howarth
"Rain falls on the just and the unjust alike,
but there comes a time when you just have to get over it and go and
play in the puddles."
Money over friends or friends over money?
When I started my business in motivational speaking in March this year, the world had just come out of the GFC, it was still feeling the effects of the Eurozone econonmic crisis and we were going through huge job losses in Australia, so when I wrote my mission statement, I had a decision to make:
Money over friends or friends over money?
I decided to settle on friends over money, but in the early days I thought I may have made the wrong choice - my friendships were fantastic, but I wasn't earning a dollar, but on Wednesday morning I'll be a guest on Eagle Waves Radio, Australia’s first and only radio station dedicated to empowering small business. Their aim is to "level the playing field by giving direct access to the very best business advice guaranteed to inspire practical and profitable solutions." Being invited to a radio program dedicated to helping small business means I must be doing something right in my approach to running a business.
I'll never be called a "ruthless" business operator, but I'll never be called "soft" or "stupid" either, I'm careful to watch my back, but I'm not going to sell my soul and put making a profit in front of keeping a friend.
Diabetic stroke survivor motivational speaking isn't a business model open to a lot of competition, so feel free to have a read of my mission statement in blog 89 (following), and on Wednesday morning at 10am, listen to "Biz Health" with Deb Carr on Eagle Waves Radio at: www.eaglewavesradio.com.au (hit the play button on the right)
The theme for my business model is the same as the theme of my motivational speech:
"Focus on the game plan and the result will take care of itself"
Money over friends or friends over money?
I decided to settle on friends over money, but in the early days I thought I may have made the wrong choice - my friendships were fantastic, but I wasn't earning a dollar, but on Wednesday morning I'll be a guest on Eagle Waves Radio, Australia’s first and only radio station dedicated to empowering small business. Their aim is to "level the playing field by giving direct access to the very best business advice guaranteed to inspire practical and profitable solutions." Being invited to a radio program dedicated to helping small business means I must be doing something right in my approach to running a business.
I'll never be called a "ruthless" business operator, but I'll never be called "soft" or "stupid" either, I'm careful to watch my back, but I'm not going to sell my soul and put making a profit in front of keeping a friend.
Diabetic stroke survivor motivational speaking isn't a business model open to a lot of competition, so feel free to have a read of my mission statement in blog 89 (following), and on Wednesday morning at 10am, listen to "Biz Health" with Deb Carr on Eagle Waves Radio at: www.eaglewavesradio.com.au (hit the play button on the right)
The theme for my business model is the same as the theme of my motivational speech:
"Focus on the game plan and the result will take care of itself"
Saturday, 30 November 2013
Nothing "dark" about this blog
After 87 blogs, it might have taken me a while but I've realised that the title of my blog, "Thoughts from a dark corner" isn't appropriate. My life is anything but dark, there's so much light in my life I need to wear sunglasses inside. So I'd like to introduce you to my new blog, "Play in the puddles."
The need for a name change dawned on me after I got an email from outgoing Sydney Swans chairman Richard Colless saying "you are one ot the bravest people I know (and you can add inspiring)", I also spoke to 2 mates about doing the Kokoda Trek, chatted to my beautiful girlfriend about a road trip to Melbourne next year to watch the Swans play the Demons at the MCG, and then I had a flash of brilliance and made some changes to my motivational speech.
My life could not be any better, so welcome to "Play in the puddles," I hope you enjoy the read.
The need for a name change dawned on me after I got an email from outgoing Sydney Swans chairman Richard Colless saying "you are one ot the bravest people I know (and you can add inspiring)", I also spoke to 2 mates about doing the Kokoda Trek, chatted to my beautiful girlfriend about a road trip to Melbourne next year to watch the Swans play the Demons at the MCG, and then I had a flash of brilliance and made some changes to my motivational speech.
My life could not be any better, so welcome to "Play in the puddles," I hope you enjoy the read.
Thursday, 28 November 2013
The Sydney Swans - a family club
Outgoing Sydney Swans chairman Richard Colless is one of the most successful sporting administrators in Australia, but his farewell dinner last night felt more like a big family party rather than an obligatory "pat on the back" function. As well as leaving behind an AFL team with 2 premiership trophies, Richard Colless has helped create a club that feels like a family.
When Colless took over as chairman of the Swans in 1993, the club was in trouble - they finished dead last in the AFL in 1992, 1993 and 1994. Since then however, the Swans have played in 14 AFL finals series with 2 premierships, but the Colless legacy is more than just about footy, it's about family.
At his dinner in Sydney's Middle Harbour, where every guest was hand picked by Colless and his wife Susie, the praise for Richard Colless the man was befitting of somebody who built a club the envy of sports organisations around Australia. In her remarks, AFL Commissioner Sam Mostyn quoted George Bernard Shaw when he said "Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery, it's the sincerest form of learning," to highlight the point that the Swans have become a model on which other clubs are trying to build themsleves.
Stories of the Swans success flowed freely, but there isn't a lot that hasn't been said about the rise of the Sydney Football Club, what was more intriguing was HOW that success came about, and the one word that was repeated all night was...family.
AFL analyst Mike Sheehan referred to Colless as "the 5th Sheehan brother," but what set the tone of the night was when Susie Colless, before she even mentioned her husband, congratulated her son on his engagement the night before. It was a warm family feel where everybody in the room felt included, and most directly were in Colless' hour long speech, at one point he said "Barnaby Howarth is one of the bravest blokes I know." I felt good when I left at the end of the night.
That is the legacy that Richard Colless will leave behind - people feel good to be involved with the Swans, it's a rags to riches success story, but the success is more than just about win/loss records, as Swans defender Lewis Roberts-Thompson said at an end of season dinner:
"I feel lucky to be part of two families - the Roberts-Thompsons and the Swans."
When Colless took over as chairman of the Swans in 1993, the club was in trouble - they finished dead last in the AFL in 1992, 1993 and 1994. Since then however, the Swans have played in 14 AFL finals series with 2 premierships, but the Colless legacy is more than just about footy, it's about family.
At his dinner in Sydney's Middle Harbour, where every guest was hand picked by Colless and his wife Susie, the praise for Richard Colless the man was befitting of somebody who built a club the envy of sports organisations around Australia. In her remarks, AFL Commissioner Sam Mostyn quoted George Bernard Shaw when he said "Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery, it's the sincerest form of learning," to highlight the point that the Swans have become a model on which other clubs are trying to build themsleves.
Stories of the Swans success flowed freely, but there isn't a lot that hasn't been said about the rise of the Sydney Football Club, what was more intriguing was HOW that success came about, and the one word that was repeated all night was...family.
AFL analyst Mike Sheehan referred to Colless as "the 5th Sheehan brother," but what set the tone of the night was when Susie Colless, before she even mentioned her husband, congratulated her son on his engagement the night before. It was a warm family feel where everybody in the room felt included, and most directly were in Colless' hour long speech, at one point he said "Barnaby Howarth is one of the bravest blokes I know." I felt good when I left at the end of the night.
That is the legacy that Richard Colless will leave behind - people feel good to be involved with the Swans, it's a rags to riches success story, but the success is more than just about win/loss records, as Swans defender Lewis Roberts-Thompson said at an end of season dinner:
"I feel lucky to be part of two families - the Roberts-Thompsons and the Swans."
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