Happiness – Your choice!

Do you think happiness is a bit like a summer’s day in Ireland?

You’re excited when it arrives but before you know it – it’s gone again! You can’t chase it, you can’t capture it and you can’t count on it's return.

I think happiness is a by-product of attainable things, and that’s good news!

Think about this,

Here are 4 ingredients that I believe produce happiness

1)      Someone to love

2)      Something to do

3)      Something to look forward to

4)      Something to give away or share

These are all decisions we can make, so happiness must have it's basis in a decision.

Are these things that you have chosen to make a part of your life today?

What makes you happy?

Let me know.

Jim B

Are you in sales?

Did you know that people only ever buy 2 things. 

“That can’t be true” I hear you say. “I see shopping trolleys of things leaving the supermarket every week. How can people only ever buy 2 things?”

If you think about it you will find that anything that anybody buys will fall into one or both of these two categories

1)      Something that solves a problem.

2)      Something that makes them feel good

So, what solves a problem for example?

 a bulb, toilet roll, sandwich bags, washing up liquid, some foods, a drill, paint, visit to the doctor etc.

So, what makes someone feel good?  

A car, a holiday, sweets/cakes, clothes, visit to the hair dresser, beer, DVD  etc

You get my drift?

Next time you’re selling anything, ask yourself “is this customer looking for a solution to a problem or a good feeling”  then promote the value of your products as the “solution” or the “good feeling“ that the customer is looking for.

Hope you found this thought provoking.

Jim B

Character thoughts.

Sometimes I think about character.

Character can be described as:-

1)      Moral or ethical strength,

2)      A description of a person's attributes, traits, and abilities.

3)      Personal integrity       

or even

4)      Doing what’s right even if we knew we would never be caught.

Have you ever thought what things you would do if you knew you could never be caught?

Does the pressure of life ask questions of your strength to always do the right thing?

Pressure doesn’t always develop character – but it does always reveal it!

 A friend of mine used to say “locks are made to keep honest people honest”

So I ask myself - Do I need laws to keep me on the straight and narrow?  Do I judge others by the standards I keep myself or by the standards I profess to keep, and how much of a gap is there between the two? 

Just something to ponder.

Talk soon

Jim B

Some people, like modern shops, hang everything in their windows and when one goes inside nothing is to be found —Berthold Auerbach

Character is like a tree, and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing —Abraham Lincoln

Garden Gates – a symbol?

My Dad used to say “be sure when you leave someone’s home to close the garden gate behind you”

He said it was a sign of respect and consideration for the home owner’s privacy, the work they have done in the garden and your acknowledgement of both.

Isn’t if funny that the modern home very often no longer has a gate!. We’re now in the age of open plan gardens. Is this an expression of a more open society, welcoming and barrier free or a reflection of a society with a growing lack of consideration for the respect and privacy of others?

Just thinking!

Talk soon

Jim B

Time to plan ahead

I once heard that Wisdom is “wise doing”. I suppose if you have learned something but don’t actually apply it into your life through your actions then it hasn’t really been learnt and therefore is not really wisdom.

There are many stages in the life of an ordinary man. At this time of year I’m reminded of two.

The first of these is:-

Stage 1)  we believe in Santa

Stage 2)  we don’t believe in Santa

Stage 3)  we become Santa!

The second one is a little more serious. Only two stages in this.

Stage 1) up to the age of around 40/45 we chase success

Stage 2) after that age we chase significance.

Just as a side note. Its my birthday on the 23^rd of January. I’ll be 54.

Is it just me or do birthdays make you review your life? Do you try to measure your progress along some imaginary path that you either set for yourself or others set for you? Do you compare your “success” in life to others who are the same age? How do you measure success?

Did you ever actually take the time to plot out a game plan for your life? Did you ever write a mission statement for “YOU. inc”?  

Did you ever write down your gifts and talents and see how to make the best use of them to get you to where you want to go? Did you ever access what additional skill or talents you needed to complete your mission and then set about getting them?

If you’ve done any of the above you’re somewhere in the 3 or 5% of the population that also has. If, like me, you’re with the 95% that haven’t, don’t despair, tomorrow is waiting for you. A fresh 24 hour start to the rest of your life.

There is nothing so freeing as sitting down with a blank piece of paper and thinking about what you want out of life.

 Mind you, its not easy!

Here’s how I would suggest you start.

1)      Ask yourself “if time and money were not an issue, how would I spend the next 5 years of my life? What would I be? What would I do? And what would I have?”

2)      Ask yourself “  what is the ONE thing, that I could add to my life OR the ONE thing that I could take out of my life right now that  would have an immediate and positive effect”.

3)      Write down  how you can get that ONE thing? Let you mind think freely. Don’t put up any barriers yet. At first your ideas will seem silly and unobtainable but you’ll b amazed that after a while of writing your “unrealistic” ideas – something will happen that will get you excited with a “possible” solution. Time is not important at this stage. Allow yourself some quiet time away from distractions. Come back to it if you have to. Do it over a few days. Don’t discuss it with people who don’t have a vision for their own lives. They’ll only offer you negatives.

You’ll see my motto under my blog name “when you can see the invisible – you can achieve the impossible”

Anything that has been invented, any story or song ever written, any great achievement by anyone had they’re beginnings as a thought and thoughts are invisible to everyone but yourself! There is creative power in thoughts. My Dad always said that thinking is the most powerful but most under used ability of a human! We can earn an average income (give or take 10% ) using our body from our neck down but the sky’s the limit for our income if we use our body from the neck up. How true is that!

Let me know how you’re getting on.

Talk soon

Jim B

Hi. Thanks for dropping by.

I've often wondered about setting up a blog in order to glean from the experiences of others and chat with people whom I never met, or indeed was ever likely to meet, about life and living and getting through the tough times.
Experience is such a valuable thing its a shame to keep it to yourself or benefit only those closest to you.
I used to think that I wouldn't have much to offer anybody regarding experience but I've been learning that everybody has experience of something that's valuable to someone else.
Here is a place to share it and hopefully together we will learn the best ways to get around, over, under or through life's little challenges.
Write in with whats going on in your life. I'm not here to fix anything for anybody, but I believe together we can sift through some options and maybe discover some hidden wisdom that make the good times better and the tough times bearable.

Looking forward to your company.

Jim B