An old story told new

The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training, the master had taught him only one move. “Sensei,” the boy finally said, “Shouldn't I be learning more moves?”

“This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you’ll ever need to know,” the Sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.

Several months later, the Sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.

This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be over-matched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the Sensei intervened. “No,” the Sensei insisted, “Let him continue.”

Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.

On the way home, the boy and Sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. “Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?”

“You won for two reasons,” the Sensei answered. “First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defence for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm.”

The boy’s greatest weakness had become his greatest strength.

Something to think about, right?

​

Are you sure that part of you, that you think is a weakness...is actually a weakness?

The 4 month hiatus is over! I'm BACK!!

Hi you!

Apologies for not updating my blogs sooner! I would've if I could've, promise! Wrote this one up last night so could upload for you today.

See the thing is (if you hadn't noticed), I've been away for just over 4 months, recovering. Its true that I almost died couple of times and almost lost use of my legs forever. Yup. Fairly serious stuff.

So the purpose of this post is to not only let you know that yes, I am absolutely alive and back at my work walking the (new) hallowed halls of power (and gas and internet and phones) but to also let you know what happened (and to save me explaining to everyone who is asking) and to let you know what I learnt so I can pass this on to you. 

After all, that is the purpose of why I started this blog in the first place. To help.

So let's break it down a bit, y'know, set the scene some to speak...

I went in for a fairly standard leg bypass operation back in October 2015. This was the result of a somewhat mis-spent youth, martial arts conditioning and semi-pro kickboxing. Funny thing is that repetitive fights and coming from Matamata (where actual hobbits live) can absolutely result in some long term damage that will eventually need repair. That and being over 40 now. And greying. Nothing too serious, operation would've had me off work for 3 weeks tops.

Or so I planned. But as life is, sometimes life doesn't work out that way.

Had operation over in Braemar Hospital in Hamilton. Yay for Southern Cross Healthcare. Everything went well...right up until around 4 hours later when they found a blockage in behind my right knee. Another operation scheduled immediately as risk of losing my right foot. 2nd operation in less than 6 hours.

Transferred to Waikato Hospital where things began to go pear-shaped as no team available in Braemar. Long story short, trainee anaesthesiologist and his boss signed off 10 times the normal amount of blood thinner (to which the hospital admitted full liability) during my op and in HDU post care.

As the method to knock me out to remove the blockage was via an epidural, I ended up developing a rather large spinal hematoma which pressed on all available nerve endings creating a pretty good amount of pain and had me completely paralysed for a good 6 hours, a paralysis they were fairly sure was going to be permanent.

During this hematoma prior to the third operation (5-6 hours between each of the three ops) to remove part of my spine, turns out I came about as close as you can to going into cardiac arrest 2-3 times with massive blood pressure peaks and pulse rate spikes. 

I remember them happening and just clenching my teeth/fists/every muscle I have as all the machines I was hooked up to all went crazy.

Good news is...I survived every single one. Much to a lot of the medical staff's surprise. The spinal specialist seemed quite pleased when I caught up with him only a few weeks ago. 

Like my grandmother used to be fond of saying though, "You can't kill the weeds". True story.

So then has come the long and slow process of getting better. 

Yes, at times it has been incredibly frustrating, a lot of the time painful. I still have constant pain in my left leg, some numbness on my left foot and a disc in my lower back that has decided to slip out as a result of all the trauma. I have multiple visits to physio's per week, each of which almost wipes me out. I am constantly standing then sitting, sitting then standing as long term of either, hurts. Stamina is also an issue, pain is kind of like a slow leak on a car tyre. Hence my short days to start with until the tyre gets fixed.

But even with all of this, I am still very much alive and walking, both of which were up for grabs on more than one occasion.

So what have I learnt from all this that could possibly help you? 

And how is it that I have managed to get back to work so soon given the specialist expected me to 

a) never walk again 

b) on the outside chance I would walk again, that I would need assistance for the rest of my life 

c) if lucky enough to be in the 2% of people who have had the same size hematoma in same place be able to walk again unassisted, I would still be messed up for upwards of 2 years before I could return to some normality

So then exactly how am I back at work now, only 4 months later? And mowing lawns at home?

Well, like a lot of my previous posts, the answer is very simple.

DO THINGS FOR YOURSELF 

DON'T LET YOURSELF BECOME A "VICTIM"

​No, I'm not kidding. Allowing yourself to be the victim changes your outlook on things. Negativity can creep in. Depression. Expectation that things will indeed go wrong or get worse. You have to fight this feeling.

So if you can do something for yourself (without getting hurt), plan out how you're going to do it, then do it.​ ​

Own that shit. Then celebrate your success. Even if it's tiny. Every single success counts towards getting - and keeping - your head on straight. It also helps your body repair.

POSITIVITY counts.

During my recovery, I have stood by a few simple rules (most of which have gotten me growlings from my better half Andrea for doing too much) like pushing myself every single day. Every day I got out of bed at 7:30am, even though I had nothing to do. I got my own breakfast (well mainly, the ones where I couldn't get out of bed Andrea made it for me), I made a list of things to accomplish every single day and I nailed every single one. Some were simple like "walk 3 steps" or "change light bulb" right up to "swim 30 lengths at pool" and "mow lawns without stopping". Now sure, a couple of times I took things a bit far and popped a few stitches, but all in all, I have busted what was a 98% certainty prognosis and shown the world what is possible with some stubbornness, drive, setting goals and teeth gritting determination - all of which YOU have in spades too. 

Trust me - this is not something "special" about me.

YOU just need to believe in yourself too and TRY. It is always better to try and fail, than fail to try.

Do things for yourself, never let circumstances beat you, you are the one who gets to choose how you will react to any and all situations. 

Yep, YOU.

Now I'll wind it up here so that you can grab a drink and a bite to eat since it's been a fairly long post. Eating and drinking at regular intervals is advised.

In the coming weeks as I get stronger, I'm happy to talk to anyone if you need help unlocking any of these skills and attitude changes (for free), just put in a request in the comments or email me and I'll see what we can do.

But all in all, remember...

You're so much stronger and more resilient than you think you are.

Talk soon.

Martial Arts relevance in today's business world

Here's an article I wrote for Linkedin earlier this month.

The question that this article is setting out to answer is;

“Why should you pay more attention to a ‘martial arts’ background listed in an applicant’s CV, even if they don't have the “traditional” skill set you're looking for?”

To begin, how often have you seen listed under ‘personal interests’ in an applicant’s CV things like Jiu Jitsu, Karate, Kung Fu, Taijutsu, Taekwondo or Judo as line items? What about ‘Black Belt in’ or ‘4th Dan’? How often have you as an employer simply ignored this as just another sport reference or about as important as ‘gardening’ or ‘spending time with family’ when concerning relevance to your organisation's ongoing growth and profitability?  

This article will present reasons on why only concentrating on the “traditional” skill sets you always look for – regardless of whether or not you are a successful organisation or not - is not always the best option if that's all you use. It will also aim at how you could very well be missing out on hiring someone who could not only change your hiring methodology but also bring important skills into your organisation.

As a semi-retired instructor in a few varied martial art disciplines myself and as a Team Manager within Trustpower’s rapidly growing Telecommunications sector, I am often asked by like-skilled martial artists for advice on how to move from their current “lifestyle” jobs – jobs which have allowed them to put maximum effort into their chosen disciplines but with little CV worthy titles - and move into the world of corporate business with only their current “skills” to trade with. It is these people (in my experience) who have common characteristics that a lot of potential employers are overlooking, perhaps to their detriment.

So often as employers we get tied up in looking at a person’s work history as the only relevant data we require to make an informed decision on who to short-list and interview. These are the skill sets we know historically work in well within our organisations, the tried and tested trigger points that put a CV into our 'yes' pile. With hundreds of CV’s it’s easy to overlook those unwritten potentials hidden under such inane extra-curricular interests that seemingly have zero relevance.

Its time to look a little closer. A lot of us are missing something important.

Consider all of the benefits that being skilled in any martial art could potentially deliver and this will be precisely why any reference to it should be on your “hit-list” when shortlisting applicant's for interviews, regardless of current core competencies the person may have. Yes, there is always risk in changing a hiring process but the questions has to be asked - what have you got to lose? Some time? Let me explain a few things I relate to the martial artist individuals (generally instructors) who come to me for advice with very little on their CV's which relate to jobs they're applying for. Here is a breakdown of why you should perhaps add them to your "wild card" list.

“Discipline”. In any chosen martial art, in order to progress through the various types of ranking systems (generally belts) each Practitioner must turn up on a regular basis and put in a consistent effort towards improving both their physical and mental prowess. This in itself shows commitment – consider what having an employee with discipline and commitment could do for your business.

“Ability to learn and adapt”. Martial artists learn thousands of techniques which are often worked on thousands of times to create instinctive responses to outward influences, not only conflict. This ability trains the mind to be able to categorise different levels of threat (which can easily be converted to business priorities) and how to adapt best for the most successful outcomes. The ability to learn quickly and to have high levels of memory re-call is vital for any Practitioner, again traits that would be beneficial in most organisations who wish to be more agile.

“Conflict Management”. Imagine having an employee with exceptional coping mechanisms when it comes to both dealing with conflict and with the ability to teach conflict resolution. As a martial artist, a student is taught the fundamentals of human behaviour including body language and how to “talk” someone down before any “other” options are considered. Physical is always a last resort and never a preferred option. Martial arts have a purely “self-defence” ethos as well as a focus toward a ratio of 80% mental and 20% physical. Martial Artists are taught to be thinkers. Now re-consider the adaptability, discipline and ability to learn. I'm betting you're getting the picture.

“Integrity” – the higher up the ranking system a Practitioner goes, the more importance is placed on being an upstanding citizen and envoy for their chosen discipline. Each martial art system has its key characteristics that all of their Practitioner follow too, guidelines towards respectable behaviour similar to commandments. Integrity is key throughout them all.

“Health benefits”. An easy one. Most instructors have trained both body and mind to where general illnesses tend to be a lot less frequent. Consider how reduced absenteeism could be of benefit. Plus in conjunction with integrity, if they do call in sick, you’ll know they are.

“Empathy”. Again, one of the core fundamentals of conflict management. Someone well versed will be able to see people dealing with difficulties before anyone else will notice, often without having spoken to them. Martial artists are trained to be aware of their environments, whether they be a battleground or in the office. Often they will be the first people taking steps to support and assist others.

“Teaching/Coaching”. Even as lower ranked students, everyone learns to help someone else, they learn methods of communicating information and techniques which in turn also increases confidence. If you've never been in a martial arts class, go along to one and watch. It’s not only the instructors teaching the students, often it’s the students teaching other students what they've already learned. Its part of the cycle of knowledge.

“Calm under pressure”. Martial artists learn how to deal with dangerous situations, often life threatening. Often when they transition into businesses, they will be the least likely to be running around with their heads cut off. Martial art systems all teach students how to think under extreme pressure. How handy would it be to have someone like this in your organisation?

And finally; “Creativity/Innovation”. An often unknown in the martial arts community is the violence versus creativity argument. So often when a student reaches the levels of instructor, they have learned so many techniques on how to deal with extreme situations, that there almost “has to be” a balance going in the opposite direction and this is where the creativity/innovation factor comes into play. Myself, I write novels and music, my teachers both write poetry and paint, so many others I know all do something creative whether it be house renovations or flower arranging. All vastly removed from martial arts. What does this mean for your business? Creativity is key to Innovation and I myself have come up with many great ideas that Trustpower has run with, some of which are still in place today.

So, my question to you now has to be…are you still going to overlook that “personal interests” martial arts reference on an applicant’s CV if they don’t have the relevant “traditional” skills that you've always looked for?  

 ...And what will you get if you always do what you've always done?

Perspective.

Like I've said in many other posts prior to this...

As in life, the above pic illustrates that sometimes what something looks like, isn't what it actually is.

Today's post is all around interpersonal relationships you have within the teams you're in.

Working so closely with people can occasionally create friction between you and another, sometimes the results can be difficult and involve some kind of managerial intervention - none of which anyone wants.

So why am I bringing perspective and interpersonal relationships up in the same sentences?

Well, hopefully you've already read my posts on dealing with conflict and a few of the other insights I have offered up on awareness.

If this is true, then you'll understand why my inclusion of perspective is more about what YOU'RE seeing around YOU than what others are.

If you haven't read any of the other posts and you are struggling with either one or many of your working relationships, please take some time to go back over some of my old posts. Fingers crossed what I've put together back there will help you when you get back.

For the rest of you, take that handbrake off, we're gonna need a bit more speed if we're ever gonna make the 720 spin on the gravel n grass up here....

So your own perspective is the bit you're responsible for, not anyone elses'. Make sense? Yes. Easy.

What you may not be considering during these interactions that are pushing your blood pressure up, is your....starts with a "P".....anyone....no, its not Pinot Noir.....no it's not "Poison" either...it's "Perspective".

Your perspective should always been your first consideration when struggling with someone you work with, be in your team or outside of it. But how and why?

Pedal down and consider the following statements;

1. Are you getting frustrated with this person based on something they did a long time ago and are "colouring" all their current and future interactions with you with that same brush?

2. Does your frustration/anger actually have anything to do with this person? Or is it you? Do they remind you of someone else who drives you up the wall?

3. Does this person have any idea that what they're doing is affecting you so badly? If they did, might they stop doing it?

4. Has that person been shown that way to do something by someone else and there's a good reason for it that you might not know?

5. How are you feeling? Tired, sad, angry. Write down a list of why then ask how important the things on your list actually are.

6. What's going on for you that might be clouding your views of the situation?

7. Do you think the stress you're under is caused by what's going on around you? Or is it you creating it for yourself?

Slap on the handbrake and turn the wheel hard left.

These are just a very quick few questions designed to challenge how you're viewing the world around you, give you a full 180 feedback back toward yourself and can give you another spin on an "eyes open" on how you're interacting with that person (or people) that's getting up your nose.

Perception and how you use it can be a great diffuser for your stresses and for how you view any situation you find yourself in too - it goes hand in hand with attitude.

So like I said earlier - sometimes what things can look like, sometimes just are not what you thought they were...its just the way you're looking at them that's giving you the stress or frustration you're feeling.

 Now as a further illustration on perception, here's a classic one for you.

To any of you Sons Of Anarchy fans...yeah...

...this might sting a little...​

Have a great day.

The Wolf.

Reading the above, you cant help but have a look around at both your friends and family and yourself, right? 

Tell me, which one are you feeding the most?

Parody Song - College Humour

Great song and video - very clever.

Sense Of Entitlement - Quit it

I'm not one for horoscopes but had a look at this one today and read this, thought I'd share.

Now I agree with this one - Entitlement is a disease. And yes, like most of the nice people I know, I do prize humility and modesty (and humour and honour and empathy etc) in my life. 

I have been down that cruddy rabbit hole where entitlement and negativity ruled but thankfully, I managed to get out, brush myself off from the stank and am way better off for it. 

Now this entitlement I'm referring to is not your “I am entitled to medical care because I have medical insurance” or “I paid for that, so now I should receive it” type of entitlement either, oh no.

This is the “I deserve what you have regardless of what you have done, doing, act etc to get it” sense of entitlement.  It’s this one I have a real problem with. It's so often born out of a nasty personality and deep seated in jealousy.

Now the reason I don’t like it so much is because it’s unfortunately affected so many good people I know and have known.

I have seen truly great people, people I care about, get messed about by being surrounded by self-serving selfish people who choose drama as their choice of lifestyle because it suits them. It’s these people who enjoy pushing their own agenda’s on others. 

It is so often these people too who help grow this sense of entitlement within our society. 

No one can stop them influencing you - except you.

In the next few lines of text, I'm going to try and help you if you have been influenced. If you haven't, hopefully the stuff I've written below might help you help someone you care about who has been.

First things first - no one just wakes up and thinks to themselves that everything should be theirs without having to work for anything unless they've either been influenced, they're a criminal or they're a natural born [insert appropriate swearword starting with an "a" here].

The "my neighbours car should be mine. He's a [swearword] for having it. I deserve it so much more than he does." thinking is just jealously disguised as an over-inflated sense of entitlement, neither of which are helpful in the world, especially in yours.

There are consequences to living this lifestyle with these views. 

Think about this; 
Does that person thinking they deserve their neighbours car just because they think they deserve it, actually deserve that car? 
Do you know how many hours that neighbour had to work to buy that car?
Do you know which of his beloved relatives had to pass away for him to inherit it if he didn't pay for it?
If it was neither, do you know how often he had to play the lottery to win it?
Or how hard he had to work at his job to win it?

The more people who believe the negative way of life and get others on-board to align themselves to it, the better those people pushing it stand to gain and the more worthless asking any questions like the above become. 

Questions like that will never come into a good argument for self entitlement because logic gets in the way of it.

The influencing peddlers revel in the entitlement for themselves and push it onto others minus any sound logic so that they can feel more important and get everything they want without having to work for them and for you.

Their jealousy gets sated quickly because they get the drama to feed on. But they are never sated for long. 

These people are dangerous to your current happiness and well-being.

These people are often the ones too who seem to know all the short cuts in the world to get what they want - most of the time at the expense of others.

Do you think this is the right way to live? Should you get everything you want at the expense of others? Right now I'm hoping you're saying no.

So let's talk about how these people have such an easy way of getting you on-board with their way of thinking, shall we? I'm betting if you know how, you'll be better prepared to stop them. Or if they've got you under their spell already, shedding some light on them [or darkness as the case may be] will help you see it for what it is.

Their methodology is simple. Negativity is easier to swallow than positivity is. You want to buy in to what they're saying because they will sell it to you with benefits for you.

You don’t believe me about negativity being more palatable?  

Try this on for size.

Let’s pretend you and I are talking in a room, it’s a work meeting but it’s relaxed, having a hot drink or something together. We're talking about your performance in your job.

We are in this room for an hour. During this time I tell you the following things;

  1.  I think you are an amazing employee, the majority of work you do is brilliant and here is the proof. Well done you!

  2.       You handled that issue last week really really well, I’m very impressed. I've told my boss too. 

  3.       Thank you for doing that job I asked you to do yesterday, you made my day by taking that off me. You reduced my stress levels by helping. Thank you.

  4.       I hear mostly great things from your team mates about you, they think you’re incredible!

  5.       The project you have done is outstanding, I am recommending you for a promotion

  6.       I am concerned about that last customer you dealt with, I’m not sure you handled it quite correctly but I’m sure it will turn out great.

       

Now, quick question. What will you now be focused on when we leave that room?  

I'm betting its;

"What did he mean the “majority “of my work is brilliant, what about the minority?"

"What did he mean “mostly” good things? There is stuff I don’t do well?"

"I now need to go look at what I did with that customer and see what I might have done wrong."

Not any of the amazingly cool things I said to you about pushing you up for a promotion, how awesome you are, how great you're doing or how all your team mates think you're incredible. You would miss all of that.

Your self esteem wants to hear that bad stuff, it wants to be undermined, wants to know how bad you really are because your self esteem is managed by your doubts, your fears and how you view the world. All of a sudden, you're not good enough any more.

MAAAAAAAAAEEEER [negative buzzer]

Wrong. You're just as good as you've always been, in this case, you're doing awesome. 
BUT YOU JUST CAN'T HEAR IT.

And this is your proof - Negativity is easier to swallow than positivity is.

Negativity through Entitlement is often a play on our core doubts - am I good enough, am I smart enough, pretty enough, handsome enough, a good enough parent, good enough sportsman etc. 

And that’s what these people who love drama and negativity feed on and what they use to bring you in – your ability to swallow their lines and be eager to lap up more. 

They are praying on your self-doubts. 

So what's your greatest weapon against them?

It's your confidence. Don't be suckered in to their way of thinking. Learn to identify when someone is trying to suck you in. Then stick to your own guns. It's your life, your right to choose your own opinions.

Listen for things like "that's not right, you should get more!" or "none of that is fair, you need to be angry!" or "who cares about their feelings, this is all about you!” or "This is not right. You're being taken for a sucker!" or maybe even "You deserve the same, it doesn't matter if you have nothing to do with them/don't like them/aren't there/only talk to them when you want something/aren't there for the bad as well as the good" etc

And stand your ground. I know you can do it. 

So many people - young people more often - are getting caught in this spiral and it's disappointing.

Most of the time these relatively innocents wouldn't have even been thinking anything negative about any of the things life throws at them. 

But with the influencing people in their ears, they soon are. 

After a while, they begin passing this sense on to their friends, then to their own children and the cycle continues.

It's worse when the younger people are trying to understand how the world works and the influencers are right on hand to give them the wrong impressions. 

Again, it is the negative that is easier to swallow, especially when you're young.

Now maybe you're still not 100% convinced how easy it is for these negative peddlers to get you? Let’s try another quick test. 

Please take a look at this picture below.

Do you see this character as being;

HAPPY? 

Or 
SMUG?

If you say happy, there’s lots of hope for you. You can enjoy this characters happiness, nice.

If you say smug however, negativity has caught you, they have you in their deaths-head grip and you’re somehow finding yourself jealous of this imaginary character and you hate him…

Oooo bet you didn't like that line, huh? 

Doesn't this strike you as weird though?  

Why would you hate Mr. Happy?  Ask yourself. Now.

Regardless of your answer, dont panic though, there is still hope for you. 

If you can get over yourself and entertain the idea that you might be wrong in how you look at the world and that you may have been negatively influenced, then here are some simple ideas I hope you will read, believe and try.
    

     1. You don’t and can’t get what you want just because you think you "deserve" it. The world doesn't work this way. You have to earn EVERYTHING. Positivity will help you.

     2. If you always hang out with the same people, you'll always deal with the same things and never expand your horizons. You may also be stuck seeing the world as you do right now. This could be good if its positive but maybe not so good if there's lots of drama and negativity right now.

     3. Everything must be earned in one way or another - be it things, be it someone's trust, someone's respect, someone’s friendship, someone's thoughts toward you, someone’s love, caring, empathy, the lists are really that endless. [yes, this is the same as point 1 and yes - it is doubly important]

     4. There should also be no “cost” associated against gifts. I for one always buy gifts based on thought, not cash, even for my kids. If I think someone will like it, I’ll get it (if I can). So should you. The “it’s the thought that counts” should be 100% true. Anything else is entitlement - and that's disgusting and wrong when the person who bought it for you put in so much thought to it. You ruin any gift if you think this way.

If you are currently being affected and did see SMUG in that character picture above, please begin thinking about the above and;

About how others feel when you are interacting (or avoiding) with them. 
Maintain an open mind. 
Look toward all situations as half full, never half empty. 
Care for others just because you care, not because there's something in it for you. 
Work towards your goals and expect that you can do it on your own, because you can. 
Don’t be held back by any self-serving selfish people constantly trying to show you their negative ways. 
You can be selfish as long as you are being selfish with your happiness and it doesn't / can't negatively impact others. 
You have a right to be happy - go enjoy that right!
Be humble.
Arrogance is not your friend but confidence is
Oxygen is important - always remember to breathe

So lastly as another eye-opener test, please go take a look around. 

Have you noticed that Positive people tend to do better in life? I'm not talking money right now, I'm talking actual happiness. Even when the shit hits the fan, they are often able to better cope because they can often stop themselves falling into that negativity pit of darkness or can quickly climb their way back out.

The positive guys and girls who try to look at the world with their positive slants tend to live much happier (and yes, as a result often monetarily richer) lives. 

But why?

Again, simple answer. Positive people are far more popular to interact with, even though negativity is far easier to swallow. 

How many difficult negative people do you get to choose to keep in your life? 
Not many, right? 

How many happy ones do you have?
Good question to ask.

And here's another solid truth that needs to be said.

“Once you learn how to be happy, you won’t tolerate being around people who make you feel anything less”

So regardless of who you are, where you are, how you are, I would also like to suggest that you do your best to surround yourself with people who reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel. 

That kind of stuff is contagious too. 

Sometimes more so than any of that bitter, jealous negativity coming your way.

Trust me on this.

Ditch any sense of entitlement you might have. Kick your negativity, your jealousy and  those people trying to influence you negatively off to the curb. 

You don't need them in your ears. 
Put your fingers in them instead. Just like below.  

Have a great day.

Heart strings.

Now I'm not one for being all gushy and emotional generally but I got this email from Treys teacher out of the blue. 

Welled me up, I dont mind admitting.

"Hi Darren,
I am Trey’s PE and Health teacher and I just thought I would share this with you. He wrote this in class today and I thought it was very cool….. I would like to know this if my children ever wrote this about me smile emoticon You must be doing something right Dad smile emoticon

Marnie Grant"

I just found the moment that every parent prays for. 

I love my son x