Sometimes we get so caught up in our busy lives, we forget what we ultimately want to achieve with our lives. I don’t know who originally wrote it, but one of my favourite stories I’ve heard is the story about the Greek fisherman and the Harvard MBA. Enjoy!
“A corporate executive, on holiday in a small, Greek seacoast village, was strolling by the docks and taking in the local color. He complimented one fisherman on the quality of his catch. “How long did it take you to get all those fish?” he wondered.
“Not very long,” answered the Greek. “An hour or two.”
“Then why didn’t you stay out longer to catch more?”
Shrugging, the Greek explained that his catch was sufficient to meet his needs, and those of his family.
The executive asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a nap with my wife. In the evening, I watch the sunset on the beach, then go to the village to see my friends, dance a little, play the bouzouki, and sing songs. I have a full life.”
The executive said, “I have an MBA from Harvard. I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You’ll catch extra fish that you can sell. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring you, you can buy a second boat and a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.
You can ship fish to markets all around the world. In time, you can then move to New York City to direct your huge enterprise.” “How long would that take?” asked the Greek.
“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the executive.
“And after that?”
“When your business gets really big, you can sell stock and make millions!” exclaimed the executive with excitement.
“Millions? Really? And after that?”
“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a small village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a nap with your wife, and spend your evenings watching the sunset on the beach and then singing, dancing, and playing the bouzouki with your friends.”
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Laugh away the Winter Blues…..
The weather’s chilly, grey and gloomy and there are a number of winter bugs going around. But we’ve found a way to stay cheery and healthy in the Winter!
We’ve often heard the saying that “Laughter is the best medicine”. But is it? We’ve done some research, and there are a number of reasons why you should have a good laugh!
Did you know that the part of the brain that facilitates laughter is one of the first parts of the nervous system to develop after birth? We smile within weeks of being born, and laugh out loud within the first few months.
We’ve often heard the saying that “Laughter is the best medicine”. But is it? We’ve done some research, and there are a number of reasons why you should have a good laugh!
Did you know that the part of the brain that facilitates laughter is one of the first parts of the nervous system to develop after birth? We smile within weeks of being born, and laugh out loud within the first few months.
So what is so great about laughing? Here are some reasons:
- It reduces stress
- It elevates your mood
- It boosts your immune system
- It protects the heart
- A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm and contracts the abs (and burns calories!)
- It instigates relaxation
- It helps connect us to others
- Overall, it just makes us feel great!
Laughing is highly contagious (who doesn’t laugh when we see someone else doing so?). So surround yourself with funny things, watch funny shows and enjoy the moment. Do you have any particular things which make you laugh?
Active Spirit is seeing popular comedian Tim Smith on Friday night (11th July). Book your ticket to join us.
Source: www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
What a Coincidence! Why We Should Get Out & Meet New People
A weird coincidence happened to me the other day. Last week I had a dinner function in the city from which I caught a taxi home. The following night we had Active Spirit Trivia, and again, I walked to Flinders Street station to catch a cab home. There was a line of about six taxis, someone else was ahead of me and jumped into the first one, so I jumped into the second. As I stepped in I got a strange sense of déjà vu – it was the same taxi and driver as I’d had the previous night! I’m assuming there are hundreds of taxi drivers in Melbourne, and for me to get the same one two nights in a row was amazing!
It then made me think about other coincidences which have occurred in the past and truly amazed me. There was the time I went to another function in Melbourne, and my friend started talking to an Irish guy who coincidentally had been a contractor at my workplace when I lived in Ireland, at the same time I was there (I didn’t work on his project, but a couple of other people I worked closely with did). Then as a further coincidence he was good friends with the brother of one of my close Irish friends – how strange to meet someone who knew so many people I did who are across the other side of the world! I know they say there are six degrees of separation, but it is always amazing when this theory proves itself!
Another coincidence which I found (and again proving the six degrees of separation theory) was when I was scrolling through the “People you May Know” list on Facebook. Most of the connections made sense, however there was one guy who is friends with one of my Melbourne based friends, but is also a friend of one of my Irish friends. There is no connection between my Irish friend and Melbourne friend (apart from myself and this guy, who I don’t know). Again a totally random connection, wow!
Obviously the more people you know, the more chance there is this could happen.
So by getting out and meeting new people you will no doubt experience this a lot more and add to your own list of “wow” stories. But there are other advantages to meeting new people:
· It opens doors to different networks and can prove to be invaluable when you are looking for contacts in certain areas.
· It makes life interesting, as everyone has their own fascinating story to tell.
· By talking with different people about a broad range of topics we widen our own knowledge, and make ourselves a lot more interesting to talk to.
So how do we expand our networks?
· Join a club. This could be a sport or hobby club which is of interest to you. Or if you don’t have one particular interest, a general activity provider, such as Active Spirit which is free to join, will give you the opportunity to meet people while doing a wide range of different activities which you are interested in.
· Step out of your comfort zone and talk to people! If you are in a lift, start a conversation with someone you don’t know. Same goes if you are out at a bar, or another event. People are generally quite happy to talk (particularly if you talk to them first), and you never know who you might meet.
· Organise activities where you invite friends to bring along other friends. Apart from getting to meet new people, it’s usually a case of “the more the merrier” so you should have a fun time!
One of my personal goals is to expand my networks and meet lots of new people. This is already happening through Active Spirit, and now study has finished, I’m planning on doing whatever I can to get out and meeting interesting new people.
Have you got any stories about amazing coincidences or any suggestions for expanding our personal and business networks? If so, I’d love to hear them!
It then made me think about other coincidences which have occurred in the past and truly amazed me. There was the time I went to another function in Melbourne, and my friend started talking to an Irish guy who coincidentally had been a contractor at my workplace when I lived in Ireland, at the same time I was there (I didn’t work on his project, but a couple of other people I worked closely with did). Then as a further coincidence he was good friends with the brother of one of my close Irish friends – how strange to meet someone who knew so many people I did who are across the other side of the world! I know they say there are six degrees of separation, but it is always amazing when this theory proves itself!
Another coincidence which I found (and again proving the six degrees of separation theory) was when I was scrolling through the “People you May Know” list on Facebook. Most of the connections made sense, however there was one guy who is friends with one of my Melbourne based friends, but is also a friend of one of my Irish friends. There is no connection between my Irish friend and Melbourne friend (apart from myself and this guy, who I don’t know). Again a totally random connection, wow!
Obviously the more people you know, the more chance there is this could happen.
So by getting out and meeting new people you will no doubt experience this a lot more and add to your own list of “wow” stories. But there are other advantages to meeting new people:
· It opens doors to different networks and can prove to be invaluable when you are looking for contacts in certain areas.
· It makes life interesting, as everyone has their own fascinating story to tell.
· By talking with different people about a broad range of topics we widen our own knowledge, and make ourselves a lot more interesting to talk to.
So how do we expand our networks?
· Join a club. This could be a sport or hobby club which is of interest to you. Or if you don’t have one particular interest, a general activity provider, such as Active Spirit which is free to join, will give you the opportunity to meet people while doing a wide range of different activities which you are interested in.
· Step out of your comfort zone and talk to people! If you are in a lift, start a conversation with someone you don’t know. Same goes if you are out at a bar, or another event. People are generally quite happy to talk (particularly if you talk to them first), and you never know who you might meet.
· Organise activities where you invite friends to bring along other friends. Apart from getting to meet new people, it’s usually a case of “the more the merrier” so you should have a fun time!
One of my personal goals is to expand my networks and meet lots of new people. This is already happening through Active Spirit, and now study has finished, I’m planning on doing whatever I can to get out and meeting interesting new people.
Have you got any stories about amazing coincidences or any suggestions for expanding our personal and business networks? If so, I’d love to hear them!
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