Is this progress??

I recently bought a car, washing machine & a dishwater to replace my previous one.

If I need to increase the temperature inside the car, I have to pull over and press a few buttons unlike in my old car where I could just slide a handle from blue to red while driving and keeping my eyes on the road. So inconvenient!!

Both my new dishwater & washing machines need to be switched off unlike my previous ones which automatically switched off the power at the end of the washing cycle.

With the onus being on saving electricity & safer driving, is this progress??

Driving & ipad

saw an idiot driving while using his ipad in downtown Auckland. Do we need a law to stop people using ipads while driving?

Lawn mowing

My neighbour asked  why I mow the lawn regularly as it grows back again. I asked him why does he shave daily.

A Problem 4 every solution

Love the IT departments around the world.For every solution they provide, they create a new problem. Long live the IT departments.

GIVE UP B4 IT IS TOO LATE

Controversial as it may read, but it is the truth, plain & simple. If you are trying to do something and not getting the desired results, it may be a good idea to give it up rather than wasting your time, money & energy. It is no good throwing your good money after bad money especially in business or spend your time & energy trying to prop up a lost cause. Of course, I don’t mean just give up if something is not working for you. You need to consider all the options, talk to someone like friends, parents or a mentor, weigh all the pros or cons of your decision before giving it up.

There are several examples from the world of business where the owners / managers hung on to a company trying to turn it around or stuck with a failed product too long with disastrous results. Instead of euthanizing the company or dumping the product, they have ended in bankruptcy.

But let us look at some successful example of giving up:

On 26th May 1953, Tom Bourdillion & Charles Evans had to turn back from the South Summit of Everest at 1.00 p.m., just 300 feet short of the real summit. If they had not turned back, they may have reached the summit, but would not have come back alive. To put things into proper perspective, on 29th May Hillary & Tensing on their successful attempt, were at the South Summit at 9.00 a.m.

If you follow cricket, you will sometime see a fielder give up chasing a ball if he feels that he will not be able to stop it before it reaches the boundary. He knows his chase is going to be futile & all he will end up doing is expending his energy.

In military parlance giving up is called “tactical retreat" and indeed in your life it is just a tactical retreat and not a permanent loss. Cut your losses and use your available resources optimally to make a new beginning.

                                          

Changing Company Logos---Does it achieve anything?

I hate companies changing their logos. It is like a person changing their external appearance, but   inside they remain the same. More often than not   there is no change in the company’s culture, attitude or their interactions with their customers, staff & suppliers. Their commitment towards society and environment remains unchanged. All we get is a big publicity and hype about why the logo was changed and what the new logo represents. The millions spent in designing the new logo, rebranding, reprinting new stationary, relauching the website and preparing new ads etc., is beside the point!

I wish the money wasted on this futile exercise should be utilised in a better way like benefitting the employees or the customers. (and definitely not the owners, directors or shareholders)

I look forward to your comments.


        

Opportunit​y is in the mind of the beholder

At the turn of the last century, a European shoe manufacturer sent his two sons to Africa to explore marketing opportunities. The first son reported back to his father that the natives don't were shoes and concluded there was no market for shoes. The second son was very excited with what he saw and reported as the natives don’t wear shoes; it was an opportunity to introduce shoes to the locals.

At the bottom of the page, see the  window display of shoes at a Vienna ( Austria) shoe boutique.

So an opportunity is how you look, perceive or understand a situation and exploit it to your benefit.  As it is said, opportunities don't come knocking on your door and it is up to us to think multidimensionally (blog dated 27.04.2011) and recognise one. This may be to progress in your career, to impress someone or even a chance to make some extra money! I am talking about legal ways and not stuff like hot tips for horse racing or fixed matches.




The verb which goes very well with it is “creating opportunities” and you can achieve this by following the PEPSI way ( blog dated 21.04.2011) especially being proactive in your approach. If you have decided what your goals and aspirations are in your life, I am sure you will be able to spot opportunities and benefit from them.

Always remember to be an OPPORTUNIST and take every chance that comes your way!