Reflections on and wishes for the New Year - with a little help from the 60's ....

It has been an excellent Holiday break, and I hope you have all also had a great time with family and friends. Like many of you, I am sure, I was lucky enough to get some time on things that I do not usually get around to - mainly artwork and photography - and I set myself the project of creating a gallery of "good stuff".

I've been a long time user of flickr (images here) but only fairly recently found RedBubble. This site is an interesting mixture of art, writing and design - all to a high standard - and, like the best social network sites, it is very well self-policed. People politely ignore your junk, and if you don't stick to "RedBubble etiquette", well ....

So, as I was wondering about a New Year's message before returning to daily work, I was also organizing an online art gallery. And I found some inspiration from the 60's. I used to paint a lot - but one image came to the top of my mind, for which I had also written a companion poem. Both are a bit "of their time" so please indulge me, but the sentiments seem to sit perfectly well today.

In the 60’s, everything was possible: colour was everywhere, music and the arts were being re-invented daily, there was a little money in the pocket, education was opening up, civil rights came of age ... and things always smelt good. Yet politics was rubbish, and the world was on edge. Society was changed for ever by people who never realised what was impossible, who never wanted to fight, who just hoped to make things better and help everyone have a good time.

My wife and I both feel very optimistic about 2010, and this weekend's remarkable "blue moon" boosts that positive feeling. Still, it seems to me that a little extra "60's spirit" could help us all through this New Year.

So, with that in mind, here's the painting, the poem and the sentiments .... and on to a brilliant 2010.

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Walking with my girl

I see the scent of sawdust,
Moist with coloured inks.
I feel the fog and the trees
Singing in unison.
I taste the thunder of Heaven,
And paint the thoughts of flowers.
I hear the music of peppermint
And the melody of darkness.
I smell the sweet spray of contentment
And the voices of friendships.
But within all of these,
I sense the presence of God.

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Original artwork and poem are here, on RedBubble

Posted via web from mick's posterous

New Year's thoughts - from Patti Dragland, at Strategic Sense

It seemed to me that I couldn't really improve on these sentiments for the New Year, so I am re-posting Patti's latest blog ...

"As the New Year approaches and the second decade begins to emerge and form itself, here are 8 wishes from me to you for 2010 and beyond. Happy New Year and the greatest of success and prosperity!

I wish for you….

• That your family comes first on your priority list

When working with clients I recommend they hold every decision up to these criteria; “Will it be the best thing for you, your spouse, children, and family.” All other filters are held up AFTER that. Money should be the last filter. When it comes right down to it in this day and age, a job is neither secure nor long-lasting. Money comes and goes and there are many ways of changing your direction to make it flow. Your Family is only here once, risk this and you risk a future of the most important piece of our lives, human intimacy and love.

• That you recognize relationships trump data

It has been a decade of measurement, excluding those things we call “intangibles”. I wish for you the insight to understand your people are not intangibles; they are living, breathing, hard-working individuals who are the literal ‘hum’ of your business’ productivity. Seek to get to know them, understand what drives them, support them and give them a reason to trust you.

• That you stand up for what you believe

You carry with you a set of values, stand firm and true to those values, for when crossed your happiness will slide. Life is short; we spend most of our adult days working – not living the values you hold dear will inevitably eat you up. I spent a year crossing mine, it was painful and miserable. I tried to buy-in to something that did not fit my value system and it resulted in a huge crash. It always will. You will know when you are doing it, for your whole internal self will feel ill.

• That you believe in yourself

It is a difficult job to be the CEO or Leader in a company. It is lonely, scary and hard work. Leaders who truly believe in themselves are not afraid to admit when they make mistakes, they’re comfortable saying, “I don’t know” and are willing to try new things. Follow your integrity, be honest, be open and always be yourself. These are the keys to learning how to believe in you.

• That you always play

My work is my play, I have designed it so. I do what I love to do each and every day – and I remember to play, at work, at home, and in life. My wish for you is that you find balance in playing at everything you do. Stay fit, engage in life around you, and seek to find play in your day, laugh and laugh hard. Every single minute you are alive is a reason to be joyous. Find the humour in the pesky and frustrating. Seek to see the absurd and enjoy the twist life has created for you. Joy comes from your internal vision and how you see the world around you.

• That you surround yourself with positive energy

I am speaking of the people with whom you choose to surround yourself. We have all known someone who sucks the energy right out of us and by simply being in a room with them we leave exhausted and drained. If you hire or promote “brilliant” people who also drain your energy, it does not matter how much money they make for your company, everyone around them will be miserable, especially you. Always hire and promote those who lean toward the positive, you will know them by how they make you feel when you are with them.

• That you have a great set of advisors

There seems to be an expectation when you became the CEO that you would always know the right thing to do, say and choose. Everyone looks up to you for the perfect answers and the reality is, you are not always sure what those are. Living in your head will only make decisions and actions more difficult. Seek out a wonderful set of advisors and confidants who are there for you to bounce ideas off of and can guide you as you make decisions. Ideally, these people have been at the top and know what you are going through. Select only advisors who you truly admire and wish to emulate.

• That you seek knowledge and awareness of Global Trends and Technologies

Isolation in your four walls of an office without the gaining of knowledge of the world around you will inhibit any ability to create momentum and innovation in your industry’s sector. Know what the world is doing, what it wants, the direction it is going and pay attention to how your company fits into those trends. Being left behind can make the ‘catch-up’ much more difficult in the long run. Success is keeping the eyes open, the mind willing to change and the passion to seek ways to creatively be in front of the pack. Opportunity is yours; it just might not look the way you thought it would."

Thanks, Patti!