Once Inspired

Archive for August, 2009

Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A3 year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.

45 minutes: The musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments .

How many other things are we missing? Pay attention

Thanks Jack

Here’s a little something for those of you who believe that you never have opportunities come your way.

A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible. Angrily, he raised his voice at his father and said, “With all your money you give me a Bible?” and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day.

Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care things. When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search his father’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope taped behind the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words…PAID IN FULL.

How many opportunites have we missed as a result of a severe over reaction? How many people have we hurt by doing something similar?

As I mentioned before here (http://onceinspired.co.za/motivation/the-greatest-hitter/),  your experience depends on your point of view. Take your time to understand other peoples’ point of views.

Be careful. Opportunities come in all shapes and sizes.

(Taken from www.indianchild.com)

Happy Friday

ONCE inspired experienced some technical issues yesterday. A new theme has been applied and will take time to put back together. You can still read but it just won’t look quite so pretty. Should be good to go by the weekend.

Muhl out

Sorry about the lack of blog activity yesterday. Time caught up with me… and overtook me.

Here are some questions you need to ask yourself. The reason why I have put them in question format is stimulate your mind. Very seldom can there be passion without stimulation. (Now now… settle mense)

I understand that following things step by step is not easy or fun at the best of times. Use this more as a guide line and a reference. You’re an individual. Different things work differently for you. Adapt this. Make it your own.

1. Find Your Joy Factor – Your whole life, what was your best? What gave you butterflies? What made you so excited you just couldn’t help smiling? What made you lekker happy right the way to your toes? Got it? Step 1 complete.

2. What Are Your 3 Most Favorite things to do? If you had a free day with NO commitments, where would you be found? What would you be doing? Who would be there with you?

Special people bring out special things in you. Include them if you can.

3. Where do you excel? What are you really good at? No need for modesty.

4. What do you most want to be remembered for? Write your own obituary through pursuing your passion.

5. If you had a magic lamp with a totally awesome genie that popped out every time you gave it a rub what would you change about your life? How would it look compared to how it looks now? Which aspects of your life are changeable?

6. How does all of this come together in your passion puzzle? Would you say that what you are good at is what brings you joy?

7. What is the first step you need to take so that you can head down the path of your passion?

Okay so now that you have found your passion it is vital that you keep the following in mind:

1. Get Curious – Curiosity is the basis of passion. Hmm… what does this do?

2. Make it a Game – Why? Because it’s fun.

3. Set a Goal – Don’t forget the deadline.

4. Express Yourself – Be original, people might laugh at you. Laughter is good for you. Think of it as you giving something of value to them without having to go out of your way or spend any money.

5. Focus – Cut distractions and eliminate noise.

6. Jigsaw Piecing – Individual snippets of a fascinating whole.

7. Avoid becoming obsessive – How many people really enjoy what they are obsessed about. Obsessions can add to stress. Enjoy it in the moment. Don’t bring your passion into every moment.

9. Steer clear of frustration – Worry less about the results. Enjoy the journey.

10. Leech Enthusiasm – Energy is contagious. Hang out with fun and vibrant people.

12. Fine Tune – Find ways to make the difficult things easy and the boring things fun. Get creative.

13. Seek advice – Ask people for advice. Use your resources.

15. Stay focused – Focus on where you are. Forget about what lies ahead.

16. Play – If the process confuses or bothers you, just play with it. Don’t have a purpose until you can define one.

And there you have it. If you haven’t found your passion yet try it but DON’T QUIT YOUR JOB JUST YET.

(Compiled from various sources)

There are certain stories in our lives that just seem to make us realize a few things. Enjoy this humbling story..

A young and very successful executive named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.

He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child darted out, but a brick sailed out and – WHUMP! – it smashed Into the Jag’s shiny black side door! SCREECH..!!!!

Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, “What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?!” Building up a head of steam, he went on. “That’s my new Jag, that brick you threw is going to cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?” “Please, mister, please. . . I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do!” pleaded the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop!”

Tears were dripping down the boy’s chin as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my brother, mister,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.” Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”

Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK.

He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE -a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention.

Some bricks are softer than others. Feel for the bricks of life coming at to you. For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, there are positive answers. (Taken from www.indianchild.com)

How many experiences have you had like Josh? And how quickly have you forgotten the lessons?

Happy Friday… with love

Braai
What is a braai? It is the first thing you will be
invited to when you visit South Africa. A braai is a
backyard barbecue and it will take place whatever
the weather. So you will have to go even if it’s
raining like mad. At a braai you will be introduced
to a substance known as mieliepap.

Ag
This is one of the most useful South African words.
Pronounced like the “ach” in the German “achtung”,
it can be used to start a reply when you are asked a
tricky question, as in: “Ag, I don’t know.” Or a
sense of resignation: “Ag OK, I’ll have some more
mieliepap then.” It can stand alone too as a signal
of irritation.

Donner
A rude word, it comes from the Afrikaans “donder”
(thunder). Pronounced “dorner”, it means “beat up.”
A team member in your rugby team can get donnered in
a game, or your wife can donner you if you come back
from a braai at three in the morning.

Eina
Widely used by all language groups, this word,
derived from the Afrikaans, means “ouch.” Pronounced:
“aynah”. You can say it in sympathy when you see
your friend the day after he got donnered by his
wife.

Hey
Often used at the end of a sentence to emphasize the
importance of what has just been said, as in “You’re
only going to get donnered if you come in late
again, hey?” It can also stand alone as a question.
Instead of saying “excuse me?” or “pardon me?” when
you have not heard something directed at you, you
can always say: “Hey?”

Izit?
This is another great word to use in conversations.
Derived from the two words “is” and “it”, it can be
used when you have nothing to contribute if someone
tells you something at a braai. For instance, if
someone would say: “The Russians will succeed in
their bid for capitalism once they adopt a work
ethic and respect for private ownership.” It is
quite appropriate to respond by saying: “Izit?”

Jawelnofine
This is another conversation fallback. Derived from
the four words: “yes”, “well”, “no” and fine”, it
roughly means “OK”. If your bank manager tells you
your account is overdrawn, you can, with confidence,
say: “Jawelnofine.”

Klap
Pronounced “klup” – an Afrikaans word meaning smack,
whack or spank. If you spend too much time in front
of the TV during exam time, you could end up getting
a “klap” from your mother. In America, that is
called child abuse. In South Africa, it is called
promoting education. But to get “lekker geklap” is
to get motherlessly drunk.

Lekker
An Afrikaans word meaning nice, this word is used by
all language groups to express approval. If you
enjoyed a braai thoroughly, you can say: “Now that
was lekk-errrrrrr!” while drawing out the last
syllable.

Tackies
These are sneakers or running shoes. The word is
also used to describe automobile or truck tyres.
“Fat tackies” are really wide tyres, as in: “You’ve
got lekker fat tackies on your Vôlla (Volkswagen), hey?”

Dop
This word has two basic meanings, one good and one
bad. First the good: A dop is a drink, a cocktail, a
sundowner, a noggin. When invited for a dop, be
careful! It could be one sedate drink or a last,
depending on the company. Now the bad: To dop is to
fail. If you “dopped” standard two (Grade 4) more
than once, you probably won’t be reading this.

Saamie
This is a sandwich. For generations, school-
children have traded “saamies” during lunch breaks.
In South Africa you don’t send your kid to school
with liver-polony saamies. They are impossible to
trade.

Bakkie
This word is pronounced “bucky” and can refer to a
small truck or pick-up. If a young man takes his
“girl” (date) in a bakkie it could be
considered as a not so “lekker” form of transport
because the seats can’t recline.

Howzit
This is a universal South African greeting, and you
will hear this word throughout the country. It is
often accompanied with the word “Yes!” as in: “Yes,
howzit?” In which case you answer: “No, fine.”

Now now
In much of the outside world, this is a comforting
phrase: “Now now, it’s really not so bad.” But in
South Africa, this phrase is used in the following
manner: “Just wait, I’ll be there now now.” It means
“a little after now”.

Tune grief
To be tuned grief is to be aggravated, harassed. For
example, if you argue with somebody about a rugby
game at a braai and the person had too much dop (is
a little “geklap”), he might easily get aggravated
and say.: “You’re tuning me grief, hey!”. To
continue the argument after this could be unwise and
result in major tuning of grief.

Boet
This is an Afrikaans word meaning “brother” which is
shared by all language groups. Pronounced “boot” but
shorter, as in “foot”, it can be applied to a
brother or any person of the male sex. For instance
a father can call his son “boet” and friends can
apply the term to each other too. Sometimes the
diminutive “boetie” is used. But don’t use it on
someone you hardly know – it will be thought
patronizing and could lead to you getting a “lekker
klap”.

Pasop
From the Afrikaans phrase meaning “Watch Out!” This
warning is used and heeded by all language groups.
As in: “The boss hasn’t had his coffee yet – so you
better pasop boet” Sometimes just the word “pasop!”
is enough without further explanation. Everyone
knows it sets out a line in the sand not to be
crossed.

Skop, Skiet en donner
Literally “kick, shoot and thunder”, this phrase is
used by many South African speakers to describe
action movies. A Clint Eastwood movie is always a
good choice if you’re in the mood for of a lekker
skop, skiet en donner flick.

Vrot
Pronounced – “frot”. An expressive word which means
“rotten” or “putrid” in Afrikaans, it is used by all
language groups to describe anything they really
dislike or for getting horribly drunk as in you got “lekker

vrot” after a couple of “doppe”. Most commonly intended

to describe fruit or vegetables whose shelf lives have

long expired, but a pair of old tackies (sneakers) worn a few years
too long can be termed “vrot” by some unfortunate
folk which find themselves in the same vicinity as
the wearer. Also a rugby player who misses important
kicks or tackles can be said to have played a vrot
game – opposite to a “lekker” game (but not to his
face). A movie was once reviewed with this headline:
“Slick Flick, Vrot Plot.”

Rock up

To rock up is to just, sort of arrive (called “gate
crash” in other parts of the world). You don’t make
an appointment or tell anyone you are coming – you
just rock up. Friends can do that but you have to be
selective about it. For example, you can’t just rock
up for a job interview.

Scale
To scale something is to steal it. A person who is
“scaly” has a doubtful character, is possibly a
scumbag, and should rather be left off the
invitation list to your next braai.

Ja-nee
“Yes No” in English. Politics in South Africa has
always been associated with family arguments and in
some cases even with physical fights. It is believed
that this expression originated with a family
member who didn’t want to get a klap or get
donnerred, so he just every now and then muttered
“ja-nee”. Use it when you are required t o respond,
but would rather not choose to agree or disagree.

Have a safe weekend

I wrote this sometime ago, as you can tell by the date mentioned in the main body. I just had to share it with you. I look at these pictures time and time again. A Westcoast Sunset as you have never seen it. Please understand that this was an emotional moment for me.

That evening the precipitation was setting up for a sunset of epic beauty. “Mother Nature, you have outdone yourself.” I thought to myself. Epic beauty is a description which fell well short of what unfolded Saturday, 23 May.

Lauren and I headed down to Blouberg and thankfully remembered the camera. Although pictures simply don’t portray the raw emotions drawn out by such an occasion, they are amazing. For me this is the essence of natural beauty at its best. (Insert all beauty clichés here).

The clouds looked like mud flung onto God’s blue canvas with a series of oil slicks therapeutically flowing amongst the inverted panorama.

“This is the best moment of my life.” I said to Lauren while holding her, as a tear made its way onto the sand unnoticeable amongst the diminutive craters left by the scanty rain drops.

Now I know some of you “macho” boys might be questioning my sexual orientation but before you get excited, I am just sharing the love. You should try it sometime.

Pictures were taken from Horse Trails (Blouberg)

Go now, be beautiful, and love…

Enjoy the pics.

Ballet – a formalized type of performance dance, which originated in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century French courts, and which was further developed in England, Italy, and Russia as a concert dance form.

I am in awe of ballet dancers. The level of commitment and dedication it takes to get to the top, the amount of pain and torture on the body is not often associated with the sport (yes – sport) of ballet. Many people might disagree with me when I refer to ballet as a sport by them saying that ballet dancers strive to becoming artists whereas sportmen and women don’t. To them ballet is an art form. Which it is. However, is art not a form of self-expression? And wouldn’t you say that sportmen and women are expressing themselves in their specific sporting discipline? For me the answer to all of those questions is yes.  Let’s not call ballet and sport art. It is a form of art as not all art is sport. Savvy? I like it.

I was moved by the story below.

In a Chinese modern dance competition on TV one unique couple won one of the top prizes. The lady, in her 30′s, was a dancer who had trained since she was a little girl. Later in life, she lost her entire left arm in an accident and fell into a state of depression for a few years.

Someone then asked her to coach a Children’s dancing group. From that point on, she realized that she could not forget dancing. She still loved to dance and wanted to dance again. So, she started to do some of her old routines, but, having lost her arm, she had also lost her balance.

It took a while before she could even make simple turns and spins without falling. Then she heard of a man in his 20s who had lost a
leg in an accident. He had also fallen into the usual denial, depression and anger type of emotional roller coaster. But, she was
determined to find him and persuade him to dance with her.. He had never danced, and to dance with one leg….are you joking with me?
“No way!”

But, she didn’t give up, and he reluctantly agreed thinking, “I have nothing else to do anyway.” She started to teach him dancing. The
two broke up a few times because he had no concept of using muscle, how to control his body, and knew none of the basic things about
dancing. When she became frustrated and lost patience with him, he would walk out. Eventually, they came back together and started
training seriously.

They hired a choreographer to design routines for them. She would fly high (held by him) with both arms (a sleeve for an arm) flying in the air. He could bend horizontally supported by one leg with her leaning on him, etc.

In the competition, as you will see, they dance beautifully and they legitimately won the competition.”

She without arm, he without leg – ballet – Hand in Hand

Ya now who feels bad for moaning about the weather?

G’day and welcome to my first post regarding what I do for a living. I am in marketing and this is my latest press release written by me.

In an IT industry where service levels seem to be dwindling consumers are continually frustrated by endless similarities between IT companies delivering almost identical products and services. Consumers do not want “much of a muchness, six of one half a dozen of the other” shopping experiences. These days the only things that separate IT companies are service levels and turnaround time. Why then have the majority of IT companies adopted such a seemingly blasé attitude when it comes to service levels? In less than comfortable times one would think that all companies, including IT companies, would seek to provide exceptional service in order to maintain their loyal customer base and uphold, or ideally improve their current reputation.

Along with the need for service excellence and current Green IT drives, Living Tech has entered the IT industry intent on making their existence significant. Developed from an extremely successful IT company, Third Quarter, Living Tech already has established systems and processes in place and thus are able to avoid “new company” teething problems.

Living Tech, formerly Third Quarter managed services, is a managed services IT company which prides themselves on Green IT and customized service excellence. With specific focus on SME IT infrastructure support, Living Tech has a unique and innovative business process ensuring step-by-step workflow thus maintaining high levels of service delivery.  Using the latest in support technologies, Living Tech is able to deliver this world class service remotely – this means that resolution time is decreased and with the reduced need for travel, Living Tech stays socially responsible by keeping their carbon footprint under check.

“I am excited about Living Tech as we have already established ourselves as a leader in the Managed Services environment. The combination of great technology and excellent people will mean that we can challenge a stagnant industry and prove that IT can be company growth asset without it been seen as a financial and energy burden.” – Brenton de Scally (MD, Living Tech)

Living Tech has appointed Highland Strategic Marketing as the one’s they will entrust with their branding venture. Highland Strategic Marketing is a division of Highland Rental Finance and specializes in marketing, branding and PR for the IT industry. Together, Highland Strategic Marketing and Living Tech will introduce a brand launch campaign called Brand Emergence by way of new media marketing through blogging and social networking websites such as Twitter. The aim of this will be to create awareness for Living Tech by allowing the world to follow the campaign and for followers to then become a part of Brand Emergence. Follow Brand Emergence on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BRANDem. Keep an eye out for the launch of Living Tech’s blog coming sometime in August.

Living Tech is proud to announce their entry into the IT industry. Leading the way in business processes, Living Tech aims to set new standards in service excellence through consistent delivery on their brand promise – “Service excellence personified.”

I hope you enjoyed that.

For more press release written by myself please visit http://www.itweb.co.za/office/highland/

Have a good week.

All you sercrataries and ladies who can make it…

Ah sounds like a jol for you girls. Enjoy