Thank You and Goodnight

Sporting analogy time!

The last ball has been bowled, final whistle blown, the buzzer has buzzed and the ball is in the 18th hole.
The tape has been broken, an ippon scored, the touchpad touched and the chequered flag waved.

In short, I have finished my Associate Degree in Applied Business trough the University College at the University of Tasmania.

This blog was started as part of the Associate Degree and as such this will be the last on this platform.

Before I sign off this blog there time for some self indulgent wank. Not quite the November Rain film clip but a little taste.

Firstly, thank you.

The University College system at UTAS. What an amazing opportunity it provides to be able to study at a tertiary level when studying, to me, was so very foreign. It’s opened doors, expended my way of thinking and allowed me to meet new people. The tutors were amazing, the workshops were brilliant and the course content was engaging. I can wholeheartedly recommend the University College to anybody looking to study. And no, there has not been any money change hands for that endorsement. And who believes anything I’d endorse anyway?!?!?!?

There are heaps of people to thank through this whole process and I feel it would be remiss not to pay homage to a few who helped me through.
Clayton and Cherie Hawkins have been great supporters and inspiration of mine since before the whole thing started. Commencing the Associate Degree was, almost, Clayton’s idea. He came to me asking if I could help him attract workmates to do the course and I thought, “bloody hell, I could do that.” Thank you to Cabbage and The Bear.

My employers over the journey, particularly two gentlemen I hold in very high regard, Roy Loh and Gerry O’Dea were both my manager during this period and encouraged me to continue when things got a little tough and allowed me time when needed to get it done. I respect very much both Roy and Gerry and thank them very much.

My mates who kept me on track. Whether it was Simon, Moose, Dutch, Jono, or Kate or whoever I spoke to about the course, I’m so very grateful.

Finally on the thank you train, Sarah and the kids. Snuffo, Oodn and Moose understood what I was trying to achieve, and still do. They were the positive influence and first to pat me on the back when I earned it. Such a large past of completing this Associate Degree was role modelling education and hard work to them and I think I’ve achieved that goal and they have helped me do that. Sarah, I’ve said before and will say again, is the June Carter to my Johnny. “Hey Babe, I think I’m going to do uni,” wasn’t met with apprehension, but excitement and encouragement. In all my life, I would be completely buggered without her. And that’s not understating it. Thanks Babe.

It has been a challenge and the second part to this is a story of mental health.

Since being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and having the behaviour of a lifetime explained the doors were opened.
With medication, therapy and creating a support network I was able to attempt uni, something I had dreamed about but never imagined I could achieve.
Things did get tough. Working two jobs, three kids and learning to be “normal” on top of uni study was a workload I was not really prepared for but had a bash at regardless.
Mental, like physical, health can derail a person. There were times when I thought, “I’m just some nutter,” but continued because and in spite of the condition. Because because of the energy it gave me and despite because of the energy it took and the overwhelming desire to not let it beat me.

The Associate Degree has given me the confidence to study again and start my own business. As mentioned in this article, https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/6891237/life-of-learning-mental-illness-three-kids-two-jobs-and-a-degree-at-36/?cs=12  I am now working for myself. This article was me telling my story hoping it would help people want me to help #TellYourStory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image by Simon Sturzaker

Creative Bill Media is just that, a vehicle to tell your story. I hope that people read this article and learn that I am the person to tell their story.
To follow my continued blog go to creativebillmedia.com.au or search us on Facebook.

Thank you for reading my blogs over the last few years and I hope you continue to stay connected as we all tell our story.

Be a Proper Human

I’m not sure what it is. Be it cricket season coming to an end, humidity, lack of proper nutrition or people are just a stain on the earth but I’ve noticed a lot of bad recently. And I’m not here for it.

The most horrid was the story of the fella in Brisbane who set his family on fire, killing his former wife, three kids aged six or under and himself. I’m no domestic violence expert and do not claim to be, but 35 years experience as human has taught me that this is not the way to settle a dispute.
I’m not mega clear on the case and, to be frank, I’m not sure I want to know too much more other than to offer this stinging critique to the uneducated and some sections of the media.

To say that this person had “mental health issues” which caused this scene is nothing short of a slap in the face to decent people living mental health issues.
To try and justify this act of pure horror by saying he was mentally ill is akin to saying Martin Bryant was having a bad hair day when he visited Port Arthur. So bloody wrong that my blood become angry.

Millions of people the world over live with mental illness. We, I say we and not they because I live with them, live normal lives, get married, have kids, have jobs, contribute to society and do not go around setting cars full of kids on fire.
We try to be the best parents we can, the best spouse, employee and friend that we are capable of. We rely on a support network, medication, yoga, exercise and diet to maintain equilibrium and self check to make sure we are on the right page. We can identify if we are in a bad place. Personally, I can identify manic and depressive phases and have coping mechanisms in place. I know that after a big old episode of mania there is, in me, a rebound depressive phase and how to handle it.

In this case, it suits the narrative of the media to say he had a mental health issue because he was a footballer, fit, not ugly and a father of three girls.

This is what stigma is. It’s the labelling of people to suit a narrative.

I will NEVER suit this narrative. I believe every day that it is my responsibility to #BustTheStigma of mental illness through my deeds. The only narrative I want to fulfil is the one that people with mental illness can achieve great things in life. Churchill, van Gogh and Cobain are examples of this. Churchill was a great wartime leader with depression; van Gogh produced some of the world’s great pieces and Cobain the flawed genius behind Nirvana. These three show that, in spite of deep personal battles, greatness can be achieved. All three could have hidden under a rock and fitted the lifestyle of a crazy person but chose not to. They chose to show that people with mental illness could be the greatest leader, greatest artist or lead singer in one of the greatest rock bands the world has seen.

The media has put the cause of mental health advocates, campaigners and patients back years with its coverage of the events in Brisbane. Now I am linked to someone who was evil based on the stigma and pigeon holing of this person who was sub human and is now looking for a cold place in hell to hide for eternity.
Just like at school where the “football star” was the popular kid who got shithouse grades but skated through on his footballing talent, got the girls despite being an arsehole because of his footballing talent and would bully those who didn’t play football and get a free pass because of his footballing talent, this case shows that if you have a little bit of skill at something that people care about you can get away with anything. You will be universally loved because you shared a field with someone who was better than you. I don’t want to labour the point that this person was a “football star” because he wasn’t. He trialled for the NRL and did not make the grade. An NRL star is Wally Lewis, Jonathon Thurstans, Cameron Smith or Billy Slater, not a bloke who never made it. I guess the song is right, he was nothing short of a Friday night hero with division one dreams.

I’ve been thinking on the topic of domestic violence and abuse in general. The simple message is, “be a proper human.”

By being a proper human, communication channels are open, respect is displayed and examples are set about how treat people.
At home Sarah and I work very hard to set an example for our kids to follow in relation to how they treat their fellow man. We do not stand for bullying, stereotyping, violence, ignorance or intolerance.
We encourage and value empathy, caring, communication, research and tolerance.

Living in this world full of people who will characterise people based on race, religion, limitations, society has created a world of people who believe they are a cut above those who might not fit their ideals. People consistently stampede over the values of others with little care for those they are hurting. These people, and in this particular case, the media denting the good work of those dealing with mental illness, will make claims that will suit the message they are trying to sell.

Here’s a tip, and I’ll give to you for free.

Before labelling, check to make sure your sticker is firmly attached first. Label not, lest ye be labelled.

Celebrating Australia Day

We just had an Australia Day BBQ.

I’m not going to get into the debate over whether we should celebrate our national day on 26 January or not suffice to say we SHOULD have a national day. Whether it’s marked as it is on the day the First Fleet arrived, 27 August (Bradman’s Birthday), 28 July (Albert Namatjira’s Birthday), 29 Jun (Eddie Mabo’s Birthday), 17 February (Banjo’s Paterson’s birthday) or 22 September (The date Cathy Freeman won the 400m at Sydney) is irrelevant. It’s a date to celebrate the fact we have people from more than 200 countries living in a great land, free of war with a high standard of living. To paraphrase The Full Monty, “I don’t care if you are black, white or brindle coloured, you belong to us.”

This is the thought that I reflect on on Australia Day.
Regardless of the date, we are part of a multicultural society and the day itself, not the date, is to rejoice in what we have in this country and that is all of my favourite things.

It has my family. Sarah, Snuffo, Oodn and Moose. We live in a nice house, have cars we love, the kids attend a public school with access to public health, fresh water and a standard of living the envy of many countries. We can watch what we want on tele because of the freedom we have. We can play sport, go fishing, watch movies and laugh without fear of reprisal. We have a happy home that is safe from terror and war. This is never lost on me and even on our worst days we can think of the line from Michael Crossland that “somewhere, someone is wishing to live your worst day.”

We have mates. Today’s BBQ was my cobbers from work. I may have mentioned before that I love working with the team at work because they are genuinely good people. Sarah had only met one of them before but as they left felt like old mates who has been known for a lot longer. We had a gay couple, a young couple, my boss and even a vegetarian Pom sharing a BBQ with steak, snags, roo burgers, kebab sticks, BBQ corn, vegetarian food, kabana, King Island and Mersey Valley cheese and domestic bear and wine. We laughed, joked, told tall tales and enjoyed the tucker.
Exactly what Australia Day should be about. Not about Brexit or Megxit, who you vote for, if back burning would have saved lives or if the composted leaves helped keen the ground wet to slow the fires. It was about coming together, united by our affection for a country to share a meal and some drinks.

We had a playlist for lunch which was made up of song requested. There was a call for Fleetwood Mac, 80’s to current British chart toppers and Aus rock. At one point, during “One Said To The Other” by The Living End I took a photo, a snapshot of what Australia is. The scene of people sitting around an outdoor setting in the sun and enjoying each other’s company.

I’m not sure I’ve shared this story in my blog before but last weekend was Oodn’s birthday. We had a day out at the pool with her friends in Launceston on the Saturday and we had a family BBQ on the Sunday.
We saw something at the BBQ which was absolutely brilliant. We were at Bells Parade in Latrobe and as we finished eating a huge crew Asians came to have a BBQ. This is what Australia is. They asked if we were done, offered us a beer in exchange for cooking oil and chatted away with us. Their kids played with our kids and the spread they had was BBQ on a grand scale. For all the “go home, we’re full” people, this crew showed us what a BBQ and Australia is all about.

However you choose to mark Australia Day in its current form, be that a BBQ, a protest, a commemorative ceremony or quietly wishing for the old days of the Triple J Hottest 100 being on the radio while you had a Test Match at the Adelaide Oval on the tele, I hope you remember the true meaning of the day, not what separates us.

Australia Day, the naming of the Australian of the Year and citizenship ceremonies are to bring us, the 22 million people who call this land home, together. I appreciate your right to dissent against the administration for the date and I appreciate your right to wave a flag in celebration but above all, I appreciate your right, as Australians of any colour or creed to celebrate the good in our country which, to my mind, is the greatest country on Earth bar none.

Self Care Required

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

A good few weeks since I’ve sat down to write.

Well, I have been writing, just not this blog due to being so busy with several other exciting projects going on around me. These projects, while exciting, have impacted my mental which is what I wanted to write about today.

Last week, in the midst of at least four projects of differing scales outside work following on from a very busy Christmas with feeds and get togethers with family and friends, a house guest and a million visitors it all got on top of me.

I should know by now this is a risk. When things are going well it’s easy for a bipolar patient to have things go “too well.” And that’s exactly what happened.

In a manic phase, everything is a good idea. That could be writing a children’s book, building a business, being creative, coming up with better ways to do something or whatever it is, if things are going well there is a risk it could escalate.
My escalation was pretty rapid, I found that one minute things were going well then, like a freight train, the fast speech, irritability, fidgeting, racing thoughts and addictive behaviour started. Cottoning on to what was going on was easy with a quick, objective look at the situation in consultation with Sarah and we activated our plan of sleep, good food and reducing the irons in the fire temporarily.

A period of self care was required. It involved our usual “bunker down” plan where not much was required of me for a couple of days to be able to sit and just settle. Some might see it as lazy to watch tele all day but in reality it was hard work. The hardest part is the act of sitting and completely zoning out, getting engrossed in the show. The challenge comes from the kids who want to interact while you have a couple of days off and the guilt of not helping to peg the towels or stack the dishwasher.

A couple of days passed and things were back to normal and that’s when New Years happened.

To my mind, New Years is one of the most dangerous times of the year for a person with mental illness, particularly bipolar around resolutions.
I don’t make resolutions purely because of the pressure it places on me. I could easily say I want to play Div 1 hockey, set ourselves up better financially, greater mental stability, lose 20 kg, get off the cigs for good, read more, read a bedtime story every night or pack the dishwasher straight after tea. All these things look like good ideas but the pressure to achieve is huge. One cig, putting on two kg, not being picked for Div 1 and the self loathing starts.

Touching on self loathing, it’s important to remember that if something doesn’t go according to plan, it’s highly unlikely to atomic clock will stop. Missing out at that job interview, crashing your car, getting crook are all things that, in the most part, you can’t help. So why get all wound up about it? I’ve learned and would like to say to you that detours happen but the destination is always the same – happiness.

Through this most recent manic phase the learning of this lesson was the most telling result. It wasn’t the eight hours of Simpsons I watched or the unstacked dishwasher, it was this was a minor detour and the road ahead is clearer for the experience.

 

We’ve Done a Bit – Decade Ender

I seem to have my feed flooded with “decade enders”.

These are articles summing up the last 10 years, wrapping everything up with a nice little bow heading into 2020. There have been “Greatest AFL game of the decade” (to my mind the 2011 Grand Final), “Greatest ball of the decade” (cricket, to my mind Ryan Harris to Alistair Cook) and “Greatest sporting scandal of the decade” (to my mind a toss up between Israel Folau and and Essendon drug saga).

I thought I’d jot my personal decade ender touching on a couple of the biggest moments.

Firstly, since 2010, my two greatest moments have been the birth of Oodn and The Moose. Sorry Snuffo, you are equally as important and loved but 2008 knocks you out.
All three of our kids amaze me every day. When things get hard or tough (thanks Galaxy Song), I look to the phenomenal feats of these three.

Snuffo took to goal keeping playing hockey and loves it. I get immense joy out of watching him save goals and talk to his teammates on the field. He has leadership qualities in the way he applies himself. As a key position player I think he is like Tom Hawkins in that he gives everything he can for the team and is unselfish in his praise for others when he himself is worthy of praise. He is extending himself by going to extra training and is giving himself the best chance to be the best keeper he can be. I also lived out a dream with Snuffo getting to play competition hockeu on the same team. I’ll never forget that rainy day in Burnie when we played Division Two together. Let’s hope we can do it again.
At school, Snuffo ends the decade with year five under his belt. We are very proud of what he has achieved from winning class end of year awards at Sorell to reports from his teachers that he does the very best he can with the tools at his disposal. This is what we ask of all three of our kids, that they strive for their peak at all they do and Snuffo shows that in his school work. He may not always get the marks he’d like but his effort can never be questioned.

Oodn also took to the hockey field late in the decade. The original plan was for to play, as an eight year old in under 13s competition, five minutes a half and get a taste for it. That plan soon flew out the window when she scored six goals and racked up votes in the best and fairest for fun. She went from the little dot of a thing hiding on a wing to playing a period of the Grand Final at centre half.
Scholastically was have come to know that Oodn is Lisa Simpson clever and has been asked to join extra curricular activities next year. She has won end of year awards, received perfect school reports and developed friendships and two schools, keeping in touch with her BFF, Brooke, in Sorell.
Both Snuffo and Oodn are loyal to their mates and this shows in the bonds they have formed with family, schoolmates and teammates.

The Moose came along in 2014 and life has never been the same. If I’m lacking perspective in life and need to remember what is important, I talk to Moose.
We knew about halfway through 2013 that we needed another to complete our family but we could not have hoped in our wildest dreams that we would get a Moose.
Put simply, he lives his best life everyday.
If he likes something, he loves it, if he doesn’t, he hates it, if he wants it, he’ll do his best to get it and if he doesn’t want it he walks away. His philosophy on life is just that simple. That’s not because he’s not clever, far from it, it’s because he knows what makes him happy.
Going to school for this first time this year, he wasn’t a fan of Sarah dropping him off but when he got over the separation anxiety he showed his true colours, completing a power of work at a very high standard and reaching, easily, the benchmarks set for kinder kids.

Also on the home front Sarah and I celebrated out 10 year wedding anniversary with a family holiday to the mainland. This was the second family trip we had taken having been to the footy a couple of years ago and was the biggest we had undertaken.
We took in Melbourne Zoo, Lakes Entrance, Barlings Beach, Canberra, Orange, Parkes, Albury, Maryborough, Harcourt and back on the boat. Roughly 3,700km in about a fortnight which included mini golf, Questacon, Parliament House, Telstra Tower, the Royal Australian Mint, The Dish, Kryal Castle and a whole heap of things in between. We ate great food at Smoky Dan’s in Barlings Beach and Greasemonkey in Canberra and saw a million play grounds.
We put in a lot of hours to be able to have trips like that and will continue to do so. The reward is there. Next year could see us back in Canberra, up to Gladstone or even over to Margaret River. We haven’t made up our mind yet but do plan to do another #MainlandRun at some stage. Time to save those pennies!

The year 2013 was a major year in my life personally. After a few episodes of mania and a bout of depression it was finally time to get some mental help.
The exact details of the episodes are scary and a little bit funny at times to talk about, particularly if we get the chance to have a stubby and talk about full frontal male nudity cleaning a shed at 2am and getting “dressed” to go to the hospital when my great mate Simon came to pick me up when shit got very real one night. After plenty of doctors visits I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This came as a shock and threw me into a tailspin but looking back now, knowing what was/is happening with my mind has made life so much better.
I don’t resent My diagnosis, I don’t think “woe is me I’m mental” or look for reasons why I have wound up living the life of a mental patient, I view it as a tremendous tool I have been given.
The medication I am on levels out the crazy and in the six years since I have been able to write better, be creative, be stable in a job and, most importantly, be a better husband and dad.
I talk openly about my condition, wear odd socks as a beacon of it and believe wholeheartedly that people are better for lived experience. If I can share my story, it might just help some poor bugger who is struggling which is why I don’t hide my mental, instead embrace it for what it is, a chance to help someone else and be the best I can be with this special tool I have been given.
The absolute highlight of my diagnosis was when Moose was born. I have been lucky enough to deliver both my boys but Snuffo came in the middle of a manic phase and my memory of it was tainted, memory loss is a symptom of the disorder. Medicated, we went into the Royal Hobart for Moose to be born. With this stability I can clearly remember the smell of the hospital, his first cry and when I was the one to discover we had another boy. I caught the baby and immediately handed him to the midwife who whacked him on the scales reporting, “Oh, he’s 10 pound 12.” My response created the nickname when I replied, “Holy shit, he’s a moose!”
Seeking help for my mental was one of the hardest things I have done in admitting I am not invincible, I am not just a bit weird and that I may have to take medication for life. But it taught me that seeking professional help is something that explained the behaviour of a lifetime and gave me an opportunity to be my best self.

Looking at that phase of 2013, I must thank, without restriction, Sarah and my great mate Simon. Sarah, as I have said many times before and will continue to say, is the June Carter to my Johnny. She has given up so much for me to follow dreams and chase rainbows, asking for little more than everything I can give her. I feel at time I don’t measure up. This decade she has been promoted to the rank of “Mum Deluxe.” A rank only held by three others previously – my Grandma, my Mum and my cousin Cherie. I love you.
Simon is a genuine thick and thin mate. I’m think and he’s thin perhaps.  He’s taken me to hospital, he’s seen me cry and we have shared each other’s experience through mental illness (me) and fighting cancer (him). We take the piss out of each other in vast quantities but have a relationship where we have each other through the highs of umpiring Cricket Australia games to the lows of poor health. I’d be in a pretty poor place without him.

Uni – well, uni. In 2017, I embarked on a uni course having spent the previous 15 yeas studying nothing but the Laws of Cricket and my naval sitting on the couch. After three years I am one assignment being marked away from finishing an Associate Degree in Applied Business with the University College at UTAS.
Study has really broadened my horizons and I’d like to thank Clayton for encouraging me to give it a go. I have done this I never thought I would, met some great people, learned a lot of cool stuff and I’m inspired to continue my education in 2020.
This blog would not have come about had it not been for my university studies.

Other highlights this decade include going to Alice Springs and Adelaide to umpire cricket, moving to and away from Hobart with seven years spent in a place that I swore I’d never live.
It’s also great being back in Sheffield and West Devonport cricket and hockey colours.

It was a decade of great change family wise on my side with Grandad passing away just, Bradman like, one day short of he and Grandma’s 60^th wedding anniversary. We are sure when Grandma passed it was of a broken heart, much the same as her third son, my Uncle Pete, did when Grandma left us.
We saw Greg and Dannielle married then lost Dannielle, sadly.
There was Matty’s brilliant wedding to the lovely Steph in WA, nephews and a niece from Soph, the introduction of Brayedon and Lucy to our family and finska battles in the back yard.

The Rumpus Room Podcast has been launched. If you don’t have ears sensitive to swear words, jump on for a listen on Spotify! – https://open.spotify.com/show/3PmpoN0htEhMw0pR2TSXiW?si=KBy_SvsMQxeshvnP8TibEQ

I’m sure there is much more I’ve missed but this has turned out a belter of a decade. Sarah and I are now mid 30s, with experience, kids doing well and ready to take on the challenges of a new decade, making 2020 our bitch!

How Much Is Your Time Worth?

I had a few troubles coming up with a topic for this blog, hence the long spell between pieces but I had a phone call from a mate of mine yesterday that got me thinking about what we really want in life.

This mate is a husband, father and quite possibly one of the nicest men I have ever met. He was climbing a ladder in a career littered with broken dreams and disappointment but had climbed to a level many could only dream of, including me.

But as he approached what he thought was another milestone, he gave it away. Snap. Not because he didn’t love it, not because the higher he climb the harder it got, but to be able to spend more time with his young family.

It’s a similar story to mine and I was able to relate to him in that since I gave up umpiring cricket and moved back to the North West of Tasmania 18 months ago I have been to more birthday parties for nieces and nephews, brother, sister, in-laws and my Mum and Dad than I had in the previous eight years. We have been able to have Christmas in our own place instead of on the road, go to family Christmas parties and have family and long lost friends drop in.

This is the lifestyle I wanted and I’m sure m mate will find this too as he moves into the next phase of his life with his wonderful family (seriously, his wife is amazing and his boys are brilliant).

As we come into Christmas, now is a good chance to sit back, take stock and look at where you want to go. Particularly this year being the end of a decade, what to we want from the next 3, 6, 12 and even 60 months? I know I have learned a lesson that I want to be the best I can for my family and friends. Someone dependable who is present in their lives. Recently Snuffo and Oodn have been involved in hockey clinics that I’ve been lucky enough to go to, even coaching the West Devonport Under 13 Red team brought me more joy than having a test cricket asking me for centre before scratching his guard.

This is not always easy. Life does still get in the way. Working a second job on a Sunday can make things difficult at time to be exactly where I want to be. That coupled with management of my mental daily by making sure I stay on track with regular exercise (not that scoring a duck boosts your step count) and medication routine as well as taking regular time to reconcile thoughts and discuss with my absolute nearest and dearest how I have been.

I have this thing I do when I meet people who talk about their work in less than glowing terms, I ask them, “if you could walk into any job tomorrow, what would it be?”
I have heard some shocking answers but this Christmas I encourage you to sit back, maybe with a nice Hearts and Bones Shiraz, Boag’s Draught and ask what do you want to do. I don’t expect to have a heap of comments, responses and retweets with people going from barman to air traffic controller but what I hope to see is comments, responses and retweets of people with ideas of how they can be the better version of themselves by giving to their family the gift of time.

New years resolution season, I don’t make them but if I was to go down that rabbit hole, it wouldn’t be to drink less, exercise more or drop a lazy 20kg. It would be to be as present as I possibly can be for Sarah, Snuffo, Oodn and The Moose. Money is great and it makes the world go round, but what’s the point of money and a career if you don’t have anybody to share it with, or some biblical line like that about gaining the world but losing your soul.

 

What would Mum say?

It’s very hard not to have a negative reaction to something negative. If your footy team loses you get grumpy, the kids fight you need tell them off or if you wife puts and empty carton of eggs back in the fridge you scratch your head and lament the fact there is not any eggs.

But in this blog I’m going to try and make a positive out of something that genuinely made me crabby this morning.

On my usual trawl of Facebook, I found this video and it, well, pissed me off. Not because I’m a big Michael Crossland fan, but because we as a society have reached this point.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10218761820748409&id=1586705360&sfnsn=mo&d=n&vh=e

The video highlights that an innocent picture of a topless child having fun is considered not up to standards set by Instagram, one can only imagine that Instagram are worried about child porn. This may be the case but if they look at the context of the photo, the fact this child is a miracle and the willingness to share by the parent of the child means this is far from exploitation and simply a gesture of love.

We post photos of our kids all the time. We’ve shared Snuffo with his busted leg, Oodn at Little Athletics and Moose living his best life. One of the joys of social media is that people who follow us can be invited to share the good things in our lives. My Mum, Great Aunty Lola, and all our family and friends can share in the fact Snuffo and I got to play senior hockey in the same team, Oodn won an award in assembly at school and Moose, well, is living his best life (can you see a pattern there?).

How about the socials adopt a new policy? One that allows us all to safely share what we want without fear of predators and seeing basically what everyone’s mother gave them?

My social media policy is simple – if my Mum wouldn’t like it, it doesn’t go up.
So, that means, photos/videos or explicit material, extreme coarse language and bullying behaviour is not acceptable. That’s not to say Mum is a prude, in fact quite to opposite, she understands life and is a huge backer of what we do but I have a level of love and respect for Mum that means I won’t stick anything on the socials that would make her uncomfortable.

Michael’s video clearly illustrates the “what would Mum think?” model. It shows what would be her grandson enjoying some time in the sun. The other photos in the video show people wearing next to nothing and they are lauded as sexy, hot, and desirable. Here’s a thought, if you are that worried what people think about you that you need to post photos of yourself in skimpies, you may need to investigate your self esteem and values.

Society needs to sit back and consider what is important in life. Is it looking at hot as possible to people you may never have met more important than someone inviting you to share the joy of a child into their circle? Are we so distracted by people putting themselves on display that we miss the point of sharing in the small pleasures in life? How did we get to the point where a semi naked person is more valuable than the love of a parent?

I encourage you to make the most of this situation by coming on board with my social media policy. I’m not saying this is the silver bullet but if we live by the “what would Mum think?” rule on social media, maybe our change will see a change for good.

Remember, every time we post something positive, it squeezes out something negative. Surely we will be better for it.

 

Inspire and Succeed Part II

Enough of the negative and examples of how not to sell, pimping your product with perceived value, on to the fun part. The good stuff.
I say “good” but, in reality, three speakers at Inspire and Succeed in Brisbane were amazing. Because of their message, because of their sales techniques and because they were so relatable to little old me, a Sheffield boy in a hall that was the size of the Sheffield Rec. I could not throw from one side to the other.

When I say relatable, Michael Crossland was as far from relatable as you could get in terms of what he had been through and achieved in his truly remarkable life. Cancer, meningitis, bells palsy, being told he’d never be a father, a bloody loyalty card at the hospital with stamps all over it. He’s been to college in the US on a baseball scholarship. All this after being part of an experimental cancer treatment as a child that eventually killed 24 of the 25 people on the trial drug. The drug itself killed them.
But within this amazing story I heard tales of family, friends and the true meaning of life…to live life.
Crossland spoke about his mum a lot and by the end of the presentation I was left feeling like I needed to give his mum a bloody good hug.
The two things Crossland had that the other two snoozers in Part 1 (https://wp.me/p8spCk-lj) didn’t were credibility through his story and an understated sales technique. Instead of showing all the awards he’d won (I don’t even think he mentioned the Olympics) or go the hard sell to move what he was selling. His technique was to stick up one solitary slide with the package he was offering, a couple of words then onto the next chapter of his brilliant story.

Crossland gave us quotes that will stick with me going forward, such was the strength of his inspirational story;

“It’s not the adversity that defines you but how you deal with it.” – Michael Crossland

“I do 110 per cent plan A, no plan B. If plan A fails I come up with a new plan A.” – Crossland

“Give without memory remembering and receive without forgetting.” – Crossland

Through his charity work in Haiti he is an entrepreneur giving back. Much like Branson, Crossland knows the value of using his powers for good. It’s not all about wealth creation, having the biggest network a massive house and a flash as shit Rolex updated with the latest fashion model each year. It’s about having enough and then sharing what you have. This was the biggest takeaway. The Maserati is lovely but to help a child in Haiti go to school to break the cycle of 80 per cent unemployment is the real reward.

There are two more speakers I’d like to highlight and see if you can spot the common theme between Crossman, Messenger and Branson.

Lisa Messenger was the founder of Collective Hub Magazine which was distributed in 37 countries around the world. I’ll stick my hand up as someone who has never seen it but, then again, I haven’t seen a lot of things. I mean, I’d never been in an Uber, into the Virgin Lounge or seen the Sydney Harbour Bridge from a plane before.
Messenger has maybe the shortest slot of the day and used it to tell her story of how she got started in the media including the tale of how she gave 20 copies of her new magazine to doctors surgeries and hairdressing salons in her home town and watched that town be the highest selling newsagency for her magazine in Australia.
There was also her pitch to Branson himself. She lined up with a whole heap of other people and did something none of them did, she backed her idea, the magazine, by offering Branson a box full. Others pitched wanting to be brought out by Virgin. Such a clever tactic and confident approach saw Sir Richard sit for an interview.
Messenger had nothing to sell. This was brilliant. Her presentation was like a TEDx Talk. Easy to listen to, methodical and wasn’t full of itself in any way.
Messenger gave us some great quotes which included;

“It’s not the big that eat the small but the quick that eat the slow” – Messenger

“Give something people want to belong to.” – Messenger

My favourite concept from Messenger was about humanizing relationships and removing cash as the value to place back onto the people within the business, be they customers, clients or employees.

The main event was one of the world’s great entrepreneurs in Sir Richard Branson. The founder of Virgin and one of the most benevolent billionaires in the world.
Branson was amazing. He was easy to listen to, he spoke basic common sense and told stories of his rise. His manner was infectious, his answers to questions well thought out and engaging.
Everyone in this great big hall were transfixed as Branson regaled with tales of publicity stunts, his romantic gesture that led to Virgin Airlines and his ethos toward staff.
On staff, Branson said he happily hires ex-convicts and people without super duper uni or school marks. He believes in second chances and cultural fit for staff. There is a quote below that he gave that relates to this.
One thing that struck me and mate me respect him more was his views on family. Sir Richard has been married for 45 years and has two children. He refers in all his stories to his wife as “my lady” and speaks with genuine affection for his kids. To me as a father and someone starting out in the world off business, this is super important to me. Finding the work/life balance is a challenge at times but Branson’s words made me realise that, even though there is money to be made, you should never let this cloud your relationships with your family.
He spoke for 100 minutes ish and even took unscripted questions from the audience which impressed me. Not so impressed with the fella who asked about the logistics of space travel. I would have gone with a, “Sir Richard, you have all you need and more, what gets you out of bed in the morning?”

Branson quotable quotes.

“If you are dyslexic you compensate with things you are good at,” – Branson

“Set yourself slightly bigger targets throughout life. If you keep aspiring to things that are thought not possible you need to try or you won’t achieve anything,” – Branson

“There are some jobs where you need to be at school but schools are aimed at cramming facts into kids so they pass exams. Virgin no longer ask for exam results. If every company stopped asking, schools would become places of real learning. Entrepreneurial kids who have a good idea can learn everything going on in the real world but, if it fails, will you need an education to fall back on,” – Branson

On a whole, my first experience of a seminar like this was a positive one. The negatives (Part I) were far outweighed by Crossland, Messenger and Branson.
The difference in the speakers in Part I and Part II is that those in Part II got it. They weren’t all about making a bucketload of cash, they were all about the people.

I must take this opportunity to thank Ian from Plain Black Creative for making it all happen and my new mates Sharnie and Nicole for their hospitality including food, beer and introducing us to wine on tap. Yep, it’s a thing and it’s a sensation.

Looking forward to the next one but it won’t be Tony Robbins.

ZAA249 – Reflective Blog

The “What Next”

ZAA249

Looking back on my last five blog posts I’ve looked at a couple of challenges, tried to build excitement around my project and this blog is to bring it all together and have a look at where my project, The Sport Official Podcast” sit in relation to what I have learned over the last three years of the Associate Degree in Applied Business.

As I look at my project, I know it can work. Interview styled podcasts with match officials from all over the countryside as each official has a story to tell.

Reflecting on the unit at the moment I realise it hasn’t been my best unit. I was all excited for the prospect of launching this project but my detail has not been what it should be, missing the brief on assessment piece one majorly and changing the goal posts as I have gone along.
This has caused stress for me and I’m sure for my tutor!
This unit is called a capstone unit aimed at bringing together all I have done over the last three years but I missed that part and went at it like a stand alone project like others we have done.

With that in mind I have been able to reflect on what I have learned over the last few years and I look mainly at the project management unit of a year or so ago.
For this project I needed to complete a Gantt chart but I really struggled with this. Gantt charts are considered the best way to maintain direction and plot the whole project from concept through to delivery. As I have three kids, working full time, hobbies and part time work also this Gantt chart should have been my bible to refer back to. This unit has called for business planning to be completed and I have dropped the ball on this as I got all carried away with the creative aspect rather than the nuts and both. Sir Richard Branson says, “Detail is everything, make sure you worry about the detail.” If only I had heard this a few weeks ago to keep me on track rather than halfway through and a fail mark later.

Ethic is an interesting aspect to this podcast and something that I have grappled with. I have had potential interviewees worried about the backlash from saying the wrong thing. People are genuinely scared to dip their toe in the water in case a shark bites their leg off. From my point of view, I need to create a safe space where the water they are dipping into is a pool rather than Bass Strait. Ethically I have two options and using the deontological theory of Kantianism. In Kant’s theory there are always two options, very binary, in my case it is, “Always court controversy” or “Never court controversy”.
In relation to my project, I know that having something controversial like a discussion a certain decision of an official or technique has the advantage of gathering more listeners but conversely could scare potential interviewees who might bear the wrath of their sporting body if they say something contradictory to the party line.

In looking at the business of sport unit from all the way back in term one of year one, where anything in sport can be made a business. We looked the Indian Premier League T20 competition and how a small idea to play very short form cricket has developed into the biggest cash cow the sport has seen since the Kerry Packer days of World Series Cricket.
From my angle, officiating is not a glamorous aspect of sport but we are seeing more and more that officials at high levels in particular are being more a part of the set up with some contracted to sporting organisations for huge retainers and also receive match payments.
Relating to my podcast, in interviewing officials from any sport at any level, any official at any level can learn from the lessons of each other and this may help them develop their officiating to a point where they can make some really good money from it.
The business of sport unit also taught me about sponsorship dollars and providing a return on investment for sponsors meaning when I attempt to obtain sponsors for my podcast I need to make sure the potential sponsor is relevant to the project and can see a definite ROI for their sponsorship dollars.

Mike Craw spoke about mentors in the units we had with him and I have been lucky enough to team up with Leon Compton from the ABC who will be working with me on voice and interview technique. I have sent my first interview to him and am now awaiting feedback which I am very keen to get.

The project is on track, despite not having the business plan done and sponsors have not been obtained. It’s a difficult chicken and egg situation with sponsors bound to be looking for proven listenership but the ability to produce a podcast requires money.

If this unit has taught me anything, it’s been about time management. The balance between family, work, uni, hobbies and working within the project and, bit extension, the unit, has been a major battle. I wanted to have at least four interviews recorded by this stage but currently have two in the can. There will be opportunity within the next couple of weeks to get at least three more. My ultimate aim is to have six before Christmas. So, that’s my next step, get a few more recorded and edited for uploading and release.

 

Inspire and Succeed Part I

We are told we should plan, research, understand what we are getting ourselves in for and to a degree I agree. When makings life’s big decisions like what house to buy, car, where to holiday or whether to start a family it’s important you know what you are in for.

Over the weekend I went into a scenario unplanned in regards to not knowing what I was going to see. There was an element of planning in terms of booking flights (Virgin, of course), working out a place to stay, how much spending money was available and securing tickets to see Sir Richard Branson himself.

The unplanned bit for me was not knowing what these seminars are all about. I read there was to be a host of speakers to help the people who paid up to $2,500 to go to the event be inspired and succeed.

Professional speakers who are making a living out of being on the circuit.

They all had their story to tell but what was interesting was their motive for being on the Sir Richard undercard. Two took the opportunity to inspire by telling their remarkable stories while the other took the chance to spruik their wares to a captive audience of about 4,000.

I’ll come back to the two who took the chance to inspire in Part II because as I believe in a positive finish, as if Branson wasn’t positive enough!

Those who chose to sell seemed shameless. They, mostly, were vultures. One was ok and shared enough of himself to be relatable but the rest were telling the crowd how they could save 20 years on their mortgage by signing up to a course that cost $3,500 where you don’t even get to talk to the guy selling, simply dealing with one of his minions.
But wait, there’s more…..
If you signed up for these courses in financial security, Norex, Amazon and some other thing where you buy a house in New Zealand and flip it to sell for a profit, the protagonist would f@@k the offer in half, but only for today. That’s more than $10k worth of value for only $3,500. “We only have 50 spaces available” (classic FOMO marketing) and for the first 20 you get to come up on stage with the business being prostituted out on the same bill as Branson.

I’ve never experienced this sort of selling in person. And don’t panic Mum, I didn’t sign up to the course in how to buy cheap shit from China and sell it for a 40% profit, turning over $20k per month that you could only learn how to do by doing the course.
To say I was shocked is maybe a bit of stretch but once I knew what was happening it was all good.
In fact, the Amazon bloke, Adam Hudson, was the bloke who gave enough of himself to make you think that his course might actually be worth doing. He finished off the podium in terms of speakers but can be satisfied with his strong fourth place.

Crashing into the barriers was the bloke selling his $3,500 course one how to reduce your mortgage by 20 years. David Leon. I’m sure it’s great but his presentation and almost fire and brimstone evangelical approach to sales made me sick. At one point, after he has encouraged 50 people, remembering that some paid $2,500 for their ticket, he put a call out to the audience for a volunteer. This poor naïve lady stood up and was brought up on stage. He f@@ked the offer in half again and put the hard sell on her by giving her 10 seconds to decide if she wanted in. He threw bonuses and one on one sessions into the mix and eventually put a clock up on the screen. In front of 4,000 this poor woman who must have thought she was getting a freebie was railroaded into signing up to a $3,500 package. There is an element of “sucked in you put your bloody hand up” but the technique of peer pressure to sell was amazing and this “salesman” needs to take a bloody good look at himself. It was a situation where the lady could not win.
And then there was quote of the day. Not because it was particularly inspiring, or even salesy, it was just cringe worthy given its delivery in terms of time.
Leon called his current clients stupid. Just as people were queuing up to give him money to be one of his stupid clients. I tell ya, if it was me lining up to shell out $3,500 and he called his current clients stupid I would give him his form back with a jar of vasoline.

I mentioned Hudson was just off the podium and Leon was crashing into barriers and I think he took the next speaker with him, Graeme Holm.

I’d suggest that Holm is the reason the collective noun for a group of bankers is a wunch.
From the moment the extremely annoying emcee and the video came up to show what this digger was all about and it looked like all he was about was himself.
You’ve all seen those music videos where they show the band backstage before heading out to the stage in front of 90,000 people at Wembley, yep, he went down that path. I’ve worked out the difference between old mate and Bono from U2. Bono doesn’t wander around thinking he’s Graeme Holm.
The presentation was littered with self-deprecating fat jokes, LITTERED. Like a wheelie bin at a popular fish and chip eating beach car park that had been raided by 42 seagulls and left the paper from arsehole to breakfast time.
It was totally unnecessary and turned me off so quickly that I had no idea what this snoozer was saying or trying to sell. I actually got to the, ‘If he makes one more stupid joke about being a chubby prick I’m outta here,” point. And it happened so, as prophesied, I left.
To continue the Irish connection, Holm had a bit of a Jimeoin complex going on too, except Jimeoin is funny.
No highlights from Holm apart from the coffee we had and seeing a vending machine that sold high visibility vest and phone chargers in the foyer.
And if you didn’t know he was one of the most awarded finance snoozers in Australia by the fifth minute you were clearly busy trying to find a unicorn farting rainbows in the corner of the room.

It’s not all bad news, in Part II of this saga I will go through the genuine highlights, some amazing speakers and Branson himself!