Archive for the ‘Survival’ Category
“No, it has to be three weeks” I compromised with my husband as he expressed his wishes to drive across Europe to Germany, then down to southern France and back to Ireland, covering 4500km in 2 weeks. To my horror, he was actually calling this a holiday!
So we settled on 3 weeks and one day, including the ferry trips. The Germany part was attending a birthday party, but the Southern France part was for more obvious reasons – sun, sights and food (ok, maybe the wine too).
I was so looking forward to warming up my bones after a disastrous winter here in Ireland. Our garden was still reeling from the adverse weather conditions earlier in the year. We packed our bathing suits, sunscreen, blankets for sunbathing, and summer clothes. Getting off the Oscar Wilde in Roscoff and feeling the warm sunshine on our faces, we were just about ready for a good break, a good rest, great food, and plenty of sight-seeing.
Our first week involved a lot of driving. In fact, the majority of the overall journey was done in the first 2 days. Arriving into the Alsace area of France from Germany, we were ready for the famous “Massif Central”, an area well known for Read the rest of this entry »
I was watching a Song Thrush recently collecting twigs and grass for its nest. I was thinking it was quite late for her to start, but I am sure she will catch up lost time, and speed up the process of having and raising a family before the summer is over. In fact, she could have 2-4 clutches of eggs.
Why was this song bird so picky about her pickings? It’s all to do with foundations. If we do not built a strong foundation, then the structure on which it stands, will not stand the test of time.
We have seen this in Ireland over the past two years. The structure that was our economy and public services was all built on a promise, not exactly a sound foundation on which to survive.
We know now that it would never last. We seemed to think that it would. So as I manage my business, I think of the initial work I put into the foundations laid down. It takes time to set up a business, that time varying depending on the type, size, shape and location – just like a nest!
So what needs to be in place, for the business to stand the test of time? Read the rest of this entry »
The average small business owner can be found renting an office or office space in a town (urban) or on the town’s periphery (rurban). Another type of business owner is the entrepreneur working from home in a rural [an undeveloped or lightly developed and sparsely populated area] setting, perhaps using a virtual office. They may have their incoming phonecalls and mail “processed” by a service provider whilst dealing with the outbound selling and administration themselves.
Working in Rural Ireland can feel isolating
Despite a thriving business, the small business owner can often work in isolation. Read the rest of this entry »
How does it work again? Oh yes, you begin with a subconscious dream, it then moves into the consciousness (light bulb! time) and we suddenly realise a great idea. What happens then? We imagine the idea, then imagine no one else will think it’s a good idea. Or worse: they will laugh at, begrudge or reject the idea. So we keep it to ourselves and it never sees the light of day.
Now imagine how many excellent ideas are locked up inside people’s heads, never to see the light of day, never to be shared and realised. It begins to sound very sad. It makes me sad just writing those words.
So what is the answer? Read the rest of this entry »
“So how did you get on?” I asked tentatively. My [new] husband had just arrived back after a motorbike spin around County Cork last Sunday.
“Well, do you remember what it was like when I left?” He said. Of course I remembered. At the time, I asked him would it not be a good idea to wait until later and see if the weather improved. I could see he was itching to try out his new bike. He was also aware that the roads were going to be very wet, slippery with leaves and dark, even though it was only midday.
He continued, “I was wondering if I should turn around every mile I drove, but something led me onward. I had decided on my route beforehand, and I was heading into worse weather. I then decided to change direction and head towards blue skies. Within 10 minutes, I was Read the rest of this entry »
Irish people are well known for donating money, time and resources when an international disaster happens, such as the Tsunami of Dec 2004, or the 9/11 disaster of Sept 11th 2001. It has been well documented that we are more generous per capita than any country in the world.
This could make us very proud as a nation, and does lend to the sense of belonging and makes us proud.
Last week, when bad weather and high tides contributed to the opening of the Inniscarra Dam, Cork City experienced the worst flooding in history. The city centre and citywest were devastated, businesses wrecked, and homes evacuated. Even those areas not affected by flooding were Read the rest of this entry »
Imagine never having an argument. Imagine never having to defend yourself. Imagine never hearing gossip about another person. Imagine a world where everyone speaks the truth. Imagine everyone did the best they could. Do we live in that kind of world? Have you ever wondered why? So let’s play a game to find out where you come in on all this.
Answer the following questions quickly and honestly and write down your answers – no-one else is looking at you now so be completely honest with yourself:
I was sending a text to a friend the other day and I used the words above. What did I mean about them? Simply, that you are the most important person in the world to YOU!
Your work is important. Your business is important. What you do in the future is important.
Our economy has been struggling for a while. Jobs have been lost. Our country is suffering from the effects of bad spending, plundering of resources and rash decisions. SMEs have been left aside and are being targeted and ignored at the same time. Targeted for any shred of tax or levies they may owe, and ignored as the future of Ireland’s economy. The big Corporates are baling out month on month. The States and semi-States are under huge strain. The way out is clearly through small business. They will lead the way for future growth and job creation. They will rebuild this economy. One business at a time. Read the rest of this entry »
I always wanted to put this up as a blog post so I am doing it now. It is not my own words, but ring so true in our cluttered and overcrowded Civil Service here in Ireland.
Picture a civil servant, called A, who finds himself overworked. Whether this overwork is real or imaginary is immaterial, but we should observe, in passing, that A’s sensation (or illusion) might easily result from his own decreasing energy: a normal symptom of middle age. For this real or imagined overwork there are, broadly speaking, three possible remedies. He may resign; he may ask to halve the work with a colleague called B; he may demand the assistance of two subordinates, to be called C and D. There is probably no instance, however, in history of A choosing any but the third alternative. By resignation he would lose Read the rest of this entry »
First things first – Set your goals
Yes we all know that we need to make lists – but I am talking about something different. Goal setting can be an arduous but profound experience. See my Blog called Goal Setting below on how to set SMART goals.
Once your goals have been set, it’s important to maintain momentum and flair!
Don’t be just normal
Aim high and try to stretch above the norm. Imagine yourself as a strong elastic band (not the type you find around a bunch of scallions), a really strong elastic. Imagine stretching that elastic and watch it grow in size – that’s what we do when we learn and grow. There is no limit to our elasticity, because each time we grow, our elastic band regenerates itself to grow more.
If you do not stretch yourself, then what you have set is not Read the rest of this entry »