Nov 06

The meaning of life

The meaning of life is to find your gift
The purpose of life is to give it away

I really like this quote, as this is how I feel about my path, my career and my purpose in life.

I am a public servant at heart – I relish the opportunity to help others by using the skills and experience I have acquired throughout my career. It’s great to be paid for the privilege of doing something I love.

Nov 05

Haiku

bambusa forest
supple, strong, sustainable
my inspiration

Nov 02

Three years on…

It’s been roughly three years since I wrote anything on my blog.  I have shared some other bloggers’ work in that time, which was easy (read lazy) and meant that I could justify having a blog without really putting myself out there. That laziness became total inertia when my 9-to-5 work commitments became more like 24/7.  My business and my blog had to take a back seat for a while.

A lot has changed in that time, and now I’m in a job and a mind-space where I can focus on my business and my writing again…and I’m ready!

Rather than stumble back into blogging with no direction or thought, I’ve enrolled into two WordPress courses (Blogging101 and Writing101) to inspire me and to guide me as I find my voice once again.  I won’t be penning best-sellers just yet, but practice makes perfect, right?  Right!  So, for a little inspiration, to quote Dr Seuss:

You’re off to great places
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So…get on your way.

Aug 17

Being a Cultural Creative

Ten years ago, I was at a point in my life when I felt it was time to “find myself”; to define my values, to determine what was really important, and to set some life goals.  I enjoyed my job and loved my family but there was something missing – I wanted to make a difference.

Solving the Puzzle

With the help of a life coach I rediscovered my connection to nature (my happy place) and, combining that with my business background and a passion for being a part of the community, the concept of sustainability entered my life.

Suddenly, all of the different tangents that I seemed to be on came together and started to make sense – together.  Some call it the Triple Bottom Line (economy, environment & society) or People, Place, Profit.  Whatever the terminology, the idea is the same – to be happy, healthy and sustainable at any level, all three must work together.

English: The "three pillars" of sust...

Yep, this is how I see it.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Building on the Foundation

To expand on this new understanding, I decided to go back to university.  I already had a business degree with a major in accounting so I went in search of post-graduate studies that would build on that qualification.  The Master of Environmental & Business Management program through the University of Newcastle‘s online GradSchool was perfect and, despite some personal dramas while I was studying, I loved every minute of it.

The majority of my fellow students and lecturers were from environmental science backgrounds, so my business background presented some interesting challenges for my lecturers.  We were all reading the same texts but, somehow, the messages that I gleaned from the various authors were quite different.  Encountering these different perspectives drove me to try to understand why “sustainability” is so difficult for people to understand or define.

So (get to the point woman!) what is a “Cultural Creative“?

While I was studying and working with my wonderful life coach, she recommended a book by sociologist Paul H. Ray and psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson – The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World.  

I’m not going to try to summarise the book in this post but I must tell you that, for a Cultural Creative (which I realised I definitely was after reading the first few chapters), it is the most comforting read.  It helped me to see that I wasn’t some crack-pot with weird ideas but one of millions of others, with similar values, quietly changing the world.  Not all Cultural Creatives see the world in exactly the same way but the same can be said for any culture.  We all have different backgrounds, levels of education and religious beliefs but our core values set us apart from everyone else and bring us together (whether we know it yet or not).

Recently, a short film was created (by a guy by the name of Frigyes Fogel) to explain the Cultural Creative phenomenon.  You can view the trailer here: http://youtu.be/gctdXaglWhY

Or, if you have a little more time or curiosity, you can view the whole (1h:20m) movie here: http://vimeo.com/20055299

Enlightenment

The big message for me was that “sustainability” doesn’t need to have a single definition.  We don’t need to tie it down or put it in a cage to understand it or appreciate its beauty.  We don’t need to argue endlessly about what it means.  If we set it free – allow it to hold different meaning for each individual – we will see it for what it is, a representation of the core values of a new culture that is growing every day.

Are you a Cultural Creative too?  Put your hand up!  Wave and cheer!  Spread the word and bring your friends…I’ll meet you here.

Aug 08

Marketing for Sustainability

As part of my Masters studies, I wrote a paper entitled “Marketing for Sustainability”.  I would love to share the original paper but unfortunately, in the six years since then, I have upgraded from my tired old family PC to a laptop and moved house a total of four times.  I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t keep a hard copy at the time but the fact remains that almost all of my hard work is now lost.

That said, I have a burning need to share my ideas on this subject so what follows is along the same lines as the original.

Sustainability is a complicated topic.  There are many interpretations of the word and, more often than not, it is misused.  I see sustainability as the ultimate balancing act – the goal being to balance economic, social and environmental aspects of a project / business / community / whatever is to be considered sustainable.

In many cases, a perfect balance is not achievable but does that mean we shouldn’t try?  A small sacrifice in one area, e.g. economic, to ensure a socially and environmentally responsible outcome will produce greater long-term benefits than raping and pillaging in the name of big profits.

So, how do we get this “short term pain, long term gain” message across to the masses?  How do we get them to buy it?

In the past, the environmental lobby have tried the altruistic message – because it’s the right thing to do for the planet / future generations – but in reality, the majority of the general public simply don’t care.  We live in the NOW; we want instant gratification and if it comes wrapped in plastic, all the better.

Those that care about social issues – poverty, cultural identity, (dare I say it) boat people – have invited us to their “pity parties”.  This may seem harsh but I am talking about marketing of the issues, not the people that are actually in need of genuine assistance, and I do see a theme – Oh, woe!  Help us because we cannot help ourselves.

My problem with these marketing strategies is, if you want to sell something to someone, any first year Marketing student will tell you that you have to answer the buyer’s question: What’s in it for me?

Yes, there is a portion of the community who will respond to their need to feel better about themselves, to do something good just for the sake of it, but that is only one market segment.  What about the rest of the population who care more about money / themselves / 50 Shades of F***ing Grey?

This is the problem that sustainability has had since the concept first became popular in the 1960s – they’re only selling to one market segment!  This is not a sustainable business model.

All is not lost.

Environmental marketing is getting better.  Trendy, must-have eco-products that look great and save you money are making an impact and that’s because they speak to the needs of the consumer.  Even though creating more stuff is a bit self-defeating, the reality is that it is becoming increasingly more desirable to be environmentally conscious.

The ultimate challenge will be to communicate the complexity of true sustainability in a way that speaks to each market segment (including those that really don’t give a …) and make it “the new black”.

Aug 02

Use it or lose it

Whether I’m writing a letter, a detailed report or a text message, I try to use correct language (including spelling, grammar and punctuation).  Maybe that’s a bit nerdy, but it is so easy to slip into sloppy “text speak” – something that I believe is slowly killing the English language.

Most of us spend more time online or on our mobile phones now than really writing – unless of course writing is your profession – and even those that write on a regular basis are showing signs of being influenced by the more relaxed, short-hand style required for tweeting, for example.  I have the greatest respect for teachers; however, the changes in education in our country, which seem to have reduced the importance of spelling and grammar, are not helping the situation.

Not only am I a little obsessed with maintaining my standards, I am always striving to learn.  Challenging crossword puzzles, reading a variety of genres and the occasional “word of the day” discussion with fellow “word nerds” all help to expand my vocabulary.  Practice makes perfect.

Jul 25

The Reason

Why start a business?  Why this business?  Why here and now?

To be brutally honest, part of the reason is money – I could do with more of it.

More importantly, I believe that I have identified a need in the community for the type of services and expertise that I can provide.  Tradesmen that can’t provide a quote in less than a month, café owners that can’t spell cappuccino, publications littered with errors; I can help them all.

Here ends the “hard sell”.  From now on, I will endeavour to write posts that will (hopefully) be of interest.

Jul 18

Effectiveness

It was so sad to hear of the passing of Stephen Covey on Monday 16 July.  His books have been a great source of inspiration to many, including me!  When I’m feeling a bit lost or disorganised, I go back to the 7 Habits for a reboot – to remind myself of what I need to do to get moving in the right direction again.

For those that are unfamiliar with the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, they are as follows:

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Take initiative in life by realizing that your decisions (and how they align with life’s principles) are the primary determining factor for effectiveness in your life. Take responsibility for your choices and the consequences that follow.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Self-discover and clarify your deeply important character values and life goals. Envision the ideal characteristics for each of your various roles and relationships in life. Create a mission statement.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Prioritize, plan, and execute your week’s tasks based on importance rather than urgency. Evaluate whether your efforts exemplify your desired character values, propel you toward goals, and enrich the roles and relationships that were elaborated in Habit 2.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Genuinely strive for mutually beneficial solutions or agreements in your relationships. Value and respect people by understanding a “win” for all is ultimately a better long-term resolution than if only one person in the situation had gotten his way.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

Use empathic listening to be genuinely influenced by a person, which compels them to reciprocate the listening and take an open mind to being influenced by you. This creates an atmosphere of caring, respect, and positive problem solving.

Habit 6: Synergize

Combine the strengths of people through positive teamwork, so as to achieve goals no one person could have done alone. Get the best performance out of a group of people through encouraging meaningful contribution, and modeling inspirational and supportive leadership.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Balance and renew your resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable, long-term, effective lifestyle. It primarily emphasizes on exercise for physical renewal, prayer (mediation, yoga, etc.) and good reading for mental renewal. It also mentions service to the society for spiritual renewal.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People, 18/07/2012)

Jul 15

Bambusa Solutions – a short history

I have often dreamed of owning my own business and, like many small business entrepreneurs before me, those dreams have centred around making money from something that I’m good at – something that I love.

After the birth of my second son in 2000, I started a part-time bookkeeping venture but, after the introduction of the GST, it was soon clear that I would need more than an eight-year-old business degree to be successful.  Admittedly, I had never had a great passion for accounting and with a full-time job and a new baby, there was little time for further study so that was the end of that.

After my maternity leave, I returned to my Office Coordinator role at the Bundaberg regional office of (what was then) the Department of State Development.  During my time there, I was lucky enough to be seconded to the Small Business Advisor role.  Helping small business intenders to develop their business plans and teaching them about marketing and cash flow management was extremely rewarding and taught me a lot but actually scared me off the idea of starting my own business.  Don’t let anyone ever tell you that it isn’t a lot of hard work.

Fast forward to 2009 and, after completing my post-graduate qualification (in 2006) and heading out into the private sector in the search for more experience, I was faced with two redundancies in the space of 12 months.  The idea of a business crossed my mind again but, with the GFC still fresh in everyone’s memories and no cash in the bank, another job was the only option.

So, here we are, another three years and just over 1000km down the road (or is that up the road?), I’m in my dream job and I’ve finally discovered what I really love to do.  Now, it seems, the time is right to take that passion and do something with it.