Seven Easy Steps….

My 87 year old mum passed away last week. We were expecting it as she had been suffering with stomach cancer and complications over the past few years.

But of course it’s still a sad time for any of us that lose a loved one let alone losing a parent.

But one of the things that always struck me about my dear old mum (AU spelling!) was her smile. Like most people her age she had had her share of life’s problems, but somehow she managed to always come out the other end with a smile.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I’d have to say she was a 10 or 11.

Naturally as I said goodbye to her recently - fully expecting this would be the last time I’d ever see her, I shed a tear. She said “Don’t cry for me… just keep on smiling”.

Sage words indeed and worthy of living by as she has done for so many years.

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We don’t know how lucky we are!  

Those of us who were born in countries where the primary language is english, that is.

You see, in many parts of the world english has to be painstakingly taught word by word in high-school rather than the way we learned from our parents or other family members around the same time we learnt to walk.

Despite that early advantage - I strongly suspect that many of the guests at Princess Takamodo’s recent Tokyo garden party spoke better than the majority of we  Aussies, Brits or Americans!

Why would that be so?  

Because the Princess is the honorary patron of the All Japan Inter-Middle School English Oratorical Contest and in honour of the 61st Event she’d invited the competition’s 100 judges plus company sponsors to the official residence of the late Prince Takamado in Minato Ward, Tokyo.   

It was a very big ‘do’ indeed!

And yes, you read the number correctly.  This is the 61st year in a row that all of Japan’s Inter-Middle School students took part in what for them is an extraordinarily difficult competition to find the best english speakers.

What amazes me is that the Japanese Royal Family, scores of businesses not to mention all those Japanese kids put so much effort into doing something that should be second-nature for millions of kids in western nations - and yet so many Aussie, American and British children speak so badly!

I hear howls of despair from many CEO’s and other employers “about the way young people mumble rather than talk” and about “how hard it is to encourage employees to speak clearly and communicate effectively”.

It’s crazy because it would make such a difference to their career prospects - not to mention their pay packets!

So the next time you hear someone murdering ‘the Queen’s english’ - tell them to hurry up and catch up with the latest generation of Japanese entrepreneurs and get some tips to speak better - or get left behind!

‘Arigato’ to all my Japanese friends!

Kx

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We’re all affected by the weather to a degree (pun intended!)

Temperature, wind, sunshine, cloud, rain…. they all affect how we feel at any given moment.

I went out shopping late yesterday afternoon - a major event in itself ‘cos frankly I don’t go shopping!… but I said to my wife Kaye - “I love this weather!” (you might describe it as dark and grey and miserable).. and she laughed and said “that’s what you said yesterday when it was sunny and not a cloud in the sky!”

Ok… so I lied right? - Well I don’t think so because I guess I’ve started to say “I like… or  “I love…” no matter what or how I feel about any situation.

You see, depression is such an ugly word. It can be brought on by a chemical imbalance in the brain, a life-threatening or personal situation and it can be (often) brought on by ’self talk’ - we THINK we hate grey rainy weather so let’s make sure the world knows about it and complain - let’s ‘make an issue out of it’! - LET’S BE A VICTIM to the situation.

Of late I’ve really tried hard not to make an issue out of any situation. Good bad or indifferent I’m trying REALLY hard to just accept the situation, look for ways to get back up if things are going down or simply ‘keep the moment alive’ if things are going my way.

I’m betting my ‘added positivity’ will see me through some of those days we all have from time to time.

So to you I say make a determined effort to “be happy - rain hail or shine”.

Take care - Brian

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The most famous female in the world has gone off the boil. Pun intended!

Susan Boyle’s 15 minutes of fame which started when she wowed British TV show judges on the ‘You’ve Got Talent’ program continues – but quite possibly for all the wrong reasons.

Dubbed by some in the media as ‘the 48 year old Scottish virgin’ Susan made a second appearance on the show and just managed to squeak through to the finals.

I say ‘squeak’ because although Susan sang the chorus of her chosen song beautifully – she’d already lost her audience when her voice cracked and quivered as she sang the opening bars!

Oh dear! - What went wrong?

Poor Susan had been enjoying world-wide fame and adulation after she ‘shocked’ audiences by daring to have the voice of an angel hidden in a decidedly chubby figure under hideous hair and eye-brows more suited to a footballer than a lady!

People everywhere enjoyed the surprise of being ‘wrong’. You see we’d all made up our minds that she could never possibly sing when we first saw her waddle out on the UK stage. But then she hooked us in with that amazing voice.

It’s the kind of opening ‘wow factor’ that all presenters try to achieve.

And yet – as scientists have repeatedly discovered – we humans have an inbuilt measuring stick that we use to judge people. We can’t help ourselves. There’s even a scientific breakdown on HOW we do it – and it all happens within the first micro-seconds of seeing and hearing someone.

This time round there was no pleasant surprise – instead when Susan’s voice cracked it somehow seemed more in keeping with her less-than-flattering spinster image.

Poor Susan.

It’s hard not to let fear tighten your throat or nervousness constrict your breathing whether you’re competing on a TV talent show or simply about to make a really important phone call. But it’s not impossible.

There are some very easy steps to help anyone overcome those things so both their voice and their manner shout “I’m confident”.

Hopefully Susan will get a hold of those handy tips before her next appearance!

Take care… Kaye

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I’ve now learnt how to ‘wake up and be happy’ every single day!

This daily routine for me started about 12 months ago - where I simply wake from a good nights sleep (achieved by not taking ANY problems to bed with me or having too much food or drink before bedtime) - then I simply open my eyes, get straight up and put BOTH feet on the floor and say to myself - “I am SO HAPPY with my life” or sometimes I say “THANK-YOU UNIVERSE for allowing me to be so happy!” (or if you are more religious than me you can thank your God)

Do this EVERY day and I guarantee you will start the day in a better frame of mind.

You can learn more in my new e-book ‘Take This Job & Shove It!’

Take care… Brian

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