Peter Pullar

I have left my telemarketing job

2011-11-16T14:33:00.000-08:00

As I have not achieved the minimum acceptable performance standards as a telemarketer in this job, I am no longer employed there.
I happily thanked my team leader for training, coaching and encouraging me when I was there. I also thanked him and the company for having given me that great training and experience in talking with people and having them take action.
I look forward to now spend more of my time and energy applying what I have learned in my own counselling and coaching business.

I am back in Kew again

2011-10-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

Back in the same room on the top floor at the back of 244 High Street. I was cramped in Richmond and I now have plenty of space.
I no longer have the fridge - I can use the one in the kitchen however I do now have a wired internet connection which is much more reliable than the wireless one I had last time.
My address again matches the address on my business cards and I love the view over the park that I see through the window.

Telemarketing

2011-10-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

I am quickly catching up on my own personal development after many of years of living in social isolation.
I am being employed as a telemarketer, and every day I speak with hundreds of people over the phone.
I am amazed at how, in the few days since when I started in this telemarketing job, I have massively improved the quality and depth of the way I interact with family, friends and other people in my life. I and am shocked to discover how very little connection that I have had with other people in my life, even in my recent past.
Hour after hour I gain insights into dozens of individual people's lives.
I love the gracious way so many people speak to me, a complete stranger who has a name and is speaking on behalf of a charity.
I feel so moved as I hear of how much people are willing to stretch themselves to give to so many causes.
I feel so sad as I hear of each health challenge that various people share with me about. Right now all I can give them is some empathy for a brief amount of my time, and to pray that they will soon do better. I believe that the best thing that I can do for them is to stop them from wasting their own time and mine in commiserating, and wish them a brighter future.
It makes no sense to me that many people are incredibly articulate on the phone and would love to support the charity, yet are not being creative enough to think of ways of working around a physical disability. No. I have driven a maxi taxi in Brisbane and seen more than enough people who do amazing things in life despite their disabilities. I do know it is hard and I do realize that I know little about their circumstances, yet I also know at least a little of the huge difference between those who keep being victims, and those who are willing to go beyond that.
I look forward to becoming a better communicator so I can more effectively communicate what I am offering. For example the times when I am offering even those who have little or no money an opportunity to still support the charity that they want to support. Instead of asking for their money, all I am asking is for them to allow me to send them a book of twenty raffle tickets to sell to family and friends over the next few weeks.
Wouldn't instant transformation from poverty consciousness to prosperity consciousness be absolutely awesome!
The greatest highlight is the enthusiasm with which some people are so willing to support the charity.
Right now I am wondering what it is about nursing homes that causes people to be unable to give? Do we need to burn those places down and free the inmates from their confinement so they can again live in the nurture of a loving family and the richness of the interaction with the wider community? I am seriously thinking of changing my own giving programs to include more charities that support home care.
I do know that one of the costs of telemarketing is the annoyance that it causes to some people. Yet for now that is the way that it is and to me the benefits far outweigh the costs. Yet the costs may be nowhere as great as they seem. Some people love to have something to complain about. The weather, the neighbours, and the fact that somebody had the gall to disturb them by uninvitedly ringing them. I know that they will not thank me for giving them something to complain about, and I also know that they are probably enjoying passionately complaining to a lot of people. No matter what I do in life, many people will upset themselves with their expectations that I don't. All I can do is to continue to do what I believe is for the greatest good for all concerned, and courteously give all those who are negatively impacted by my actions my empathy and understanding.
Some people have unrealistic expectations. They think that having an unlisted phone number or placing their number on the national do not call list will stop them from receiving phone calls from charities. I do my best to briefly and simply explain that that the action will not achieve the outcome that they desire. Another expectations is that, before I have heard that there is actually a human answering the phone in reply to my "hello", that I identify myself. I consider that it makes sense for me to wait for at least "hello" before doing that. Otherwise the communication tends to get totally out of sequence.
Some people just hang up. Others communicate more, allow myself to identify myself and who I am calling on behalf of and then tell courteously me that they are not interested. Many are not so courteous, and I understand that my call may be an unwanted interruption. I certainly do not always respond courteously to all people all the time. Especially when I am tired or stressed.
A huge number of people are too busy. They are time poor, a common malady in our society. I have suffered it in my own life and still do. What is each person busy doing? Maybe each of us are wasting at least some of our time, or at least not using our time as effectively as we could.

I love being back in Richmond

2011-10-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

I am enjoying being back in Richmond again. I went to the gym and was amazed to see the market in Gleadell street where the Richmond Recreation Centre is.
I had forgotten about the Saturday street market, and was excited to see the van where they sell delicious fresh fish at an affordable price. After my workout, I went there and was enthusiastically welcomed by Frank and the others there. They wondered where I had been the last few years. They gave me a very generous amount of trevally fillets for my $5 and I happily went home to have one for my breakfast. It was so delicious that I went back to get more. There was a man playing Hotel California on his guitar next to the fish shop and I had tears of joy streaming down my face as I experienced that abundance of affordable delicious fresh natural food, the atmosphere of the place, seeing the familiar faces and hearing the familiar voices of the stallholders. I also got some affordable delicious fresh broccoli and a $1 punnet of juicy delicious ripe strawberries.

Why is it so hard for people to lose weight?

2011-10-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

There are several reasons why people find it such a struggle to lose weight. One is the lies that make you fat. The misleading and the misinformed opinions about how to lose weight, much of which is given to us by innocent well meaning people.
The other is our subconscious need for a protection mechanism because of our fear of being vulnerable. Weight does work as a protective mechanism. For security, big bouncers are employed to ensure that there is no fighting or trouble at social functions. Even though some of those big guys couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag, nobody ever attempts to fight them because of their size. And rarely does anybody fight in their presence.
However our fear of vulnerability may be totally unfounded. It is wise to really deal with fear. If you are fearful, you are far more likely to attract the very thing that you fear. Often our fears are unfounded. They may just be based on something that happened in childhood when we truly were more vulnerable, yet if we were to face that same situation today, we would have the knowledge and the strength to easily deal with the situation. On the other hand if there really is a threat to personal safety, it may be far more healthy to deal with that risk rather than carrying around all that extra weight.

Updating my goals on 43things.com

2011-10-03T13:20:00.001-07:00

I have been updating my goals on www.43things.com and putting my higher priority goals further up towards the top of the list.
I notice that many people have some of the same goals that I have on 43 things. I look forward to sharing with some of them as we work towards achieving our goals.

Another interview

2011-09-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

I interviewed Graeme Warring from Australian Karaoke Distributors Pty Ltd. He concisely answered my questions "What is karaoke?"
"What do you consider is the most important thing that people need to know about karaoke?"
"What do people need to get started in karaoke?"
and "Where can people find out more about karaoke?
I like YouTube's new editing function that allows me to cut off the unwanted start and end bits off the video.

Family get together

2011-09-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

I had a choice of events to attend on Sunday. I chose to attend a family get together with my sister's family because it would be my first opportunity to meet several members her partner's family. I am glad that I did as it gave me the opportunity to enjoy talking with these people.
As I am still just starting off in my new business, I love sharing my experiences with other people, especially those who would already like to know more about me. I also feel grateful for what several of these people shared about their lives and for giving me the opportunity to enjoy learning from them. For me, I now feel so alive being away from the isolation of my previous career.

A supportive community

2011-09-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I attended "Personal Success Intensive", a seminar run by Success and You. I enjoyed being with people who are committed to me getting what I want in my life. I then went on to do their "Life Design" seminar. After those programs, I have been able to attend their monthly "Success Club" meeting where we can meet up, support each other in achieving our goals, network, have fun and share with each other what is going on for us. Many of the members of Success Club are life coaches who are trained and experienced at having people achieve what they want in life. While I am more committed to being a counsellor than being a life coach myself, the input from these life coaches assists me immensely in building my counselling business to better serve my clients.

Sharing our strengths

2011-09-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

I was walking along Oxford street back into Sydney and an Aboriginal woman asked me if I had any spare change. I thought for a moment. I was a bit short of money as I had stretched my budget in my attempt to move extremely rapidly into my new career so I said no and began to move on. In fact I was feeling hungry from my attempts to make my food budget last the next three days. I stopped, reconsidered and went back to the woman who was now sitting at a table. I asked her if I could sit down at the table and talk with her. She said yes. I told her that I am facing financial difficulty too. I shared with her about the financial challenges I was facing. She said "If I had a hundred dollars I would give it to you. However I don't have a hundred dollars. If you go to Wayside Chapel on Monday and see Father Long he will be able to help you." On Tuesday after completing all the things I had planned for Monday and for Tuesday morning, I walked from Glebe to the far end of Kings Cross and experienced the Wayside Chapel. They assisted me respectfully, lovingly and with great care. I was asked if there was anything else I needed. A shower? Clean socks? Anything? The only thing was a shower and I much better after it.

Moving on

2011-09-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have enjoyed my room upstairs at 244 High Street Kew. The great view over the park from the window and being close to my work. There are plenty of trams and buses nearby. However as I begin my new career, I no longer need to live in Kew. I will spend some time in Sydney and some in Melbourne and do not believe I am in the position to have my own place until my new business is more established.
So today is moving day for me. Time to move on. Time for me to let go of a lot of those things relevant to my old career so I can focus on counselling, coaching, facilitating workshops and promoting my new business.

Time to dust off the cobwebs

2011-09-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

After several years of neglect I believe that it is now tome for me to again update my blog.
I have at long last moved on from my old career as an electronic technician where I mainly worked on my own. I was being paid $20 per hour and while I attempted to do the job well, it was not fulfilling for me. The way I managed to get through each week was to take each Wednesday off work and do building maintenance as a volunteer at Bridge Church. Over the last few weeks I have had very little work in my old career and I have been working extremely rapidly into starting my new career as a counsellor, coach and workshop facilitator.

Teaching men to talk

2008-12-12T22:24:00.000-08:00

I have found many women are dissatisfied with the quality of the conversations that they have with the men in their lives.
I wrote a book Train Your Man to Talk and have been pleasantly surprised that several women have purchased it and found it useful.
With the feedback that I received, I have revised and added more to the book.
By publishing it as an e-book I can sell it for less than $10
There are no shipping charges and you can start reading it immediately instead of waiting for it to arrive in the mail.
That way you can have that much less of the loneliness and frustration that you feel when your man just remains silent when you desire him to talk.

My journey up to 100 kg and back

2008-06-21T02:51:00.000-07:00

I enjoy doing life coaching however I was not being as effective as I wanted in coaching clients who wanted to lose weight.
I decided to get my own weight up to 100 kg so I could share from my own experience.
I learned so much, and am now able to effectively talk with almost anybody about the topic.
What really shocked me is that the way I grew my fat belly was so similar to the way many people attempt to lose weight.
Doing plenty of exercise, having only two or three meals each day, feeling hungry nearly all the time and often eating fattening foods instead of healthy food.
Simple tasks like putting my socks on, tying my shoelaces and riding my bicycle were so much more difficult with my belly in the way.
I was breathing heavily doing tasks that would normally require little exertion.
I could feel the stress on my knees, ankles, wrists and hips and was concerned about getting serious injuries if I tripped or fell.
My blood pressure had become high.
At 100 kg my body mass index (BMI) was greater than 30 which most people classify as obese. I felt fatter knowing that.
Returning to normal I was so glad to again enjoy just foods that make my body feel good and to not feel hungry nearly all the time.
In less than 3 weeks I was down to 92 kg.
I was getting impatient to lose weight and at 89 kg I noticed that my body was taking a long time to recover from intense exercise and injuries as I was not eating enough to recover quickly.
I decided that losing weight is not worth having as a goal.
I replaced it with the goals of gaining health and eating more healthy food.
I was amazed that a short time after focusing on these new goals I noticed a further decrease in my waist measurement.

How to achieve a lower percentage body fat

2008-01-28T19:10:00.000-08:00

I did not write a book about this topic.
As I did my research I discovered that it would probably not be worthwhile for me to do so.
I found that most people who have a lower percentage body fat as one of their goals also have conflicting goals.
Can you imagine the internal turmoil of having that conflict?
I also noticed that much of the information about how to reduce your body fat percentage is wrong and a lot of the remainder is misapplied.
I have tried some of it myself and regularly measured a trend in the opposite direction as I applied it.
It was an interesting experience for me though I did miss the pleasure of seeing some definition in my abs.
So much so that I am again having a lower percentage body fat as one of my goals.
All the methods that I use for measuring my body fat percentage are again showing a consistent trend to a lower percentage.
Then I began to think about how I could use my skills and ability to be of assistance to those who genuinely are interested in having a lower percentage body fat.
Sales and marketing are not my greatest strengths and my target market is besieged by many powerful marketers.
Many have purchased products that have not worked for them.
I know what I offer is customized to the unique needs of each individual client and it does work.

How to achieve a lower percentage body fat

2008-01-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

I did not write a book about this topic because, as I did my research, I discovered that it would probably not be worthwhile for me to do so.
I found that most people who have a lower percentage body fat as one of their goals also have conflicting goals.
Can you imagine the internal turmoil of having that conflict?
I also noticed that most of the information about how to reduce your body fat percentage is wrong.
I have tried some of it myself and regularly measured a trend in the opposite direction as I applied it.
It was an interesting experience for me though I did miss the pleasure of seeing some definition in my abs.
So much so that I am again having a lower percentage body fat as one of my goals.
Then I began to think about how I could use my skills and ability to be of assistance to those who genuinely are interested in having a lower percentage body fat.
Sales and marketing are not my greatest strengths and my target market is besieged by many powerful marketers.
Many have purchased products that have not worked for them.
I know what I offer is customized to the unique needs of each individual client and it does work.

How to get your man to talk

2007-10-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

Each time I hear a woman complain that her man does not talk, I want to do something about it. So many women say they do not know what to do about the problem many think they have tried everything they can think of.

I have written a book "How to get your man to talk" for women to use as a resource in dealing with the lack of quality conversation with their partners.

I am thinking of also writing a book for men who complain that their woman talks too much, however it is actually not about making the woman talk less.

I encourage people to be responsible rather than blaming their partner or themselves for any lack of quality in their relationship.

Success Coaching

2007-10-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

I returned to Australia, desiring to return to the United States as soon as possible.
I was able to earn some money doing the same type of work that I did before. However I was very dissatisfied. I really want to work with people instead of working on electronic repairs and installation my own.

I assisted on some of the Success and You seminars and then trained to be a success coach. Having been trained in counselling, I already had many of the necessary skills for coaching. I still needed to learn to promote my services.

I very much enjoy coaching and have received much positive feedback from people who have received coaching from me.

I assisted on the communication course at Landmark Education, and as usually happens from assisting I got a breakthrough in personal effectiveness. I received benefits in communication, enrollment and self confidence and have done several more coaching sessions with clients.

I am continuing to train and develop myself to provide an even higher standard of coaching for my clients.

What is freedom?

2007-08-03T02:55:00.000-07:00

"I can be free to do whatever I want at any time" may be a valid answer if it were not for the fact that other people exist.
As our actions impact on other people, a way of managing that impact may give us more freedom than an unstructured society would allow.
Rules (laws) can be part of the structure.
There are many people in this world and there is a large probability that at least some people may conflict with any rule that is created.
Looking at history, societies have failed when they have attempted to live without rules. Some societies have many unjust and repressive laws.
I am learning a lot about the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence. Both of these documents were originally designed to limit government so as to ensure that the people are free from repressive and unjust laws.
I am currently enjoying my experience of living on a farm in Lindsay, California USA until August 20, 2007.
I do feel shocked to discover that the state of California has so many laws and restrictions on what we can do on the farm. It is not at all surprising to me that so many people will simply disobey most environmental laws.
Many of these laws are designed by people who live in the cities. They have possibly been made without considering the needs of the people who live in the country.
It seems to me that we value controlling others more than we value our freedom. We are allowing ourselves to be more and more controlled. We are even signing away our sovereignty, binding ourselves to foreign law-making bodies without any firm guarantee that we can retain our freedom.
I care about people and I also care about our environment. I do not want to be unnecessarily suppressed, controlled and restricted. I prefer to be free.
There may be some very good reasons for refusing to sign international treaties such as the Kyoto protocol agreement.
I believe that we need to be educating the people in this world rather than making laws to control them.

Helpful hints

2007-07-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

I started digging a post hole just after sunrise. I was looking forward to having the trellis built to grow some grape vines. I did not realize that the water pipe was under where I was digging. Water began to gush out of the hole that I had dug.
I immediately turned the water off at the meter and dug the hole around the pipe I had damaged. As I dug, I thought about installing a tap where the water pipe was broken. I went to the store to buy fittings to repair the pipe. They did not stock fittings big enough for the pipe, and directed me to the agricultural supplies store.
As I selected the necessary parts, a customer in the store recommended different parts to make the repair much easier. I am so glad that he did, as the ground was hard, and he saved me from spending a lot of time digging a bigger hole.
He had repaired broken pipes before and knew about how to do it easily, and had taken the time to tell me.
I am now thinking about how I could assist people in their lives, just as the customer at the store did for me.

It now is working! What is next?

2007-06-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

I have at long last got my personal website working properly. The forms on the contact pages are again sending the messages to my computer. The index page seems to display correctly on all computers that I have tried, and it seems to load fairly quickly, with only one image on the page now.
I still want to update the recordings on that pages and several other pages on the website but not yet as my microphone has stopped working.
What do I do first? Do I repair the roof of the barn? Do I write some more? Do I edit and clean up my websites? Do I post to another blog? Do I repair or replace my microphone and put new recordings on my website?
For now I will continue to write down more possible actions and then prioritize the ones which seem to me to be most important for me to achieve my goals and purpose in life.

The right to life

2007-06-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

I was riding my bicycle along Wellington Parade East Melbourne one morning and I noticed several people in the street carrying "pro-life" placards outside the clinic.
I felt shocked, and appalled at the sight. I thought "What a waste of time and energy" as I thought about other more useful activities on which these protesters could be spending their time.
It is not that I support the "pro-choice" platform.
It is that these people are focusing on the symptoms of the problem rather than the cause. I believe that they may be creating more of the problem rather than working to address the reasons why people choose to have abortions.

Read more. http://peterpullar.com/life.htm

How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?

2007-05-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

I will always remember the day Frank (my father) sang these words to me.
I, like so many other people have had many conflicting ideas about how to be a man.
Lesley (my mother) often criticized Frank, and only now am I beginning to understand what is likely to be true.
I believe there is no simple formula to follow. The advice "be yourself" may be true, though I did not find the advice at all useful.
After years of attempting to model Lesley's idea about what she expected of Frank, I have found that is definitely not the way to go. Many of the role models that I admired were not the best role models to follow. Many people said Frank was weak. Yet only now I have discovered that much of what others claimed to be Frank's weaknesses were in fact his strengths.
It was late in Frank's life when he sang that song to me.
I think he was still feeling lost in those roads to manhood.
I certainly was.

Read more about being a man

Coaching and counselling

2007-04-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

I see coaching and counselling as two very different processes.
As a coach, I am directing the client to take the actions that he needs to take to achieve the goals that he has told me he wants to achieve.
As a counsellor I am actively listening to the client and reflecting back what I hear and observe.
I think there is an enormous unmet need for counselling. Nearly everybody I see has unresolved issues that they carry around with them. There are many secrets that they are unwilling to tell anybody. It seems to me that all families have this huge web of interwoven threads of unresolved issues that stand in the way of people relating openly and honestly with each other. I have been shocked as I hear how long each person has been burdened by every one of these issues. I now feel sad as I observe what is going on, though I feel much joy whenever I can facilitate the resolution of one or more of these just by actively listening and being there for the person.
I wonder why so many people keep judging instead of accepting each other, as I enjoy life so much more when I do not judge. If more people were able to accept others instead of judging them, I believe there would be much less need for counselling.
Some clients have situations where coaching is more suitable. They may need to be made aware of the resources that will get them toward their goal. There are skills that they may need to develop. The client leaves the session with a list of actions to take, and can report back to me with their progress. For me, I tend to feel more excitement in coaching, and more joy in counselling.
.

Getting children to eat vegetables

2007-03-02T21:57:00.000-08:00

I heard so many parents complaining that it is so difficult to get their children to eat vegetables that I decided to do something about it.
I have rarely had any difficulty getting my daughter to eat veggies.
I observed the differences between what those who find it difficult and those including me who are glad to say they don't. I discovered that there are various things one group does differently from the other group so I wrote a book on the topic. It is published on www.enjoyveggies.com

About 4 years ago

2006-10-20T03:11:00.000-07:00

I had been shopping earlier in the day, and was happy to have put all the delicious crisp fresh lettuce, celery, carrots, silverbeet and other vetetables in the refrigerator.
My daughter was feeling a bit hungry, and decided to prepare herself something to eat.
She opened the fridge door and looked in. I saw the shocked expression on her face as she exclaimed "There is no food in here. Only plants!"
I often laugh as I remember that occasion. I often feel very disappointed at the lack of delicious fresh vegetables when the fridge has only other types of food in it.

An interesting dilemma

2006-03-22T14:23:00.000-08:00

Just before my birthday I won a 63 centimetre (26 Inch) colour television in a random prize draw. What a surprise! This brand new big beautiful telly is all mine!
But what would I do with it?
I rarely watch TV. Here I am at Telstra Stadium a few miles outside Sydney with this big 40 kilogramme box, and I am scheduled to travel on the bus back home to Melbourne that evening!
I rang a friend who I have known for many years who lives in Sydney and he was willing to get it from the stadium for me. The box was too big to go on the bus, and it would have cost me more than I was willing to pay to freight it to Melbourne.
I heard that my friend has a friend who was thinking of getting a television.
Wow! what an opportunity to give my friend who has done so many favors for me!
I gave the set to him, and he was extremely happy to give it to his friend that same evening.
I got so much joy from that opportunity to give, and each day since then, I smile as I think of the pleasure my friends and I got from it.

I'm moving back to Richmond

2006-03-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

I have been neglecting my websites and blogs over the last few months, as I have had been living much further from work. The extra 2 hours of commuting each day leaves me little time to spend on the internet.
Having attended the Derek Gehl seminar at the Sydney Telstra stadium, I have now decided to move back closer to my work again. That will allow me to put into practice what I learned over the weekend.
I appreciate having been given the opportunity to learn about what really works on the internet, and am eagerly looking forward to making changes to my websites.

Is that a zebra?

2005-12-27T01:56:00.000-08:00

I was driving to a family lunch before Christmas. Along the way the passengers in the car said "look - a zebra! To me it looked like an ordinary pony club function until I got out of the car and took a closer look.

I still wonder. Are those stripes natural or are they painted on?

I had nothing on this morning

2005-12-02T22:31:00.000-08:00

About 6 am I participated in the photo for the Birthsuitshoot calendar.
I initially felt hesitant to undress for the occasion, as I thought about the legality of appearing naked in a park at the edge of the city centre. Clouds were obscuring the sun, and I missed the warmth of the sunrise. I put my concerns aside and began to enjoy the excitement of joining in with dozens of other participants following the directions of the photographers. I felt relaxed seeing other men and women alongside me, though found the lawn we laid down on to be a bit prickly at first. The photos seemed to take a long time, as I began to feel cold waiting for the last photo to be complete. I am glad that I participated, and look forward to doing it again except would bring more warm clothes for afterwards next time!
I look forward to purchasing one of their 2006 calendars as a memento of the occasion.
See the newspaper article Melbourne Age Sunday 4 December 2005

I have moved

2005-10-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

As well as doing my usual work, websites and other activities, I have also transported dozens of items over the past few days in the process of moving.
While it does not seem to make sense to go to all this trouble to move much further away from my work and away from where I had internet connection and telephonesset up, I am already found the change well worthwhile.
It is a whole new lifestyle. I now enjoy more natural surroundings instead of the noisy inner city atmosphere, and I have time as I travel to work each day to relax, read, write or just rest both morning and evening each day.

Creating a new website

2005-10-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

Bob Allwright asked me to create the website for www.brilliantattitude.com.
I was very happy to be able to contribute in some way to that program that makes a difference in the lives of so many young people (and adults).
Normally this would be a very easy task for me, however this one was more challenging. I had to learn to operate the website building tools used by this website's web hosting provider. I also wanted to create a style for the website that is similar to that used on the Brilliant attitude pamphlets and business cards. It seemed to me that none of the available templates either resembled or be easily adapted to that style.
I am more accustomed to creating from a blank page, putting the graphics, layout, text, navigation and images on in the way that seems to best suit the requirements of the website owner and his customers.
Although the task took several hours, I enjoyed learning more about the programs and seminars that Bob provides, and reading the testimonials as I placed them on the site.

Communication difficulty

2005-08-06T02:58:00.000-07:00

I could clearly see the difficulty that Mary and John were having. So I told them the following story.
"This guy used to regularly go to the fruit section of the supermarket and get a few of those curved yellow fruits that he enjoyed. However the supermarket had closed so he went to the greengrocer and asked for some oranges. He was very annoyed because the greengrocer, instead of giving him the sweet curved yellow fruits, gave him fruits which were shaped like a ball. Instead of the delicious creamy sweet taste, these tasted awfully tangy. He could not easily pull back the peel to eat them, and sticky reddish yellow juice leaked out on his hands, the plate and the table."
I asked John what he would do if he did not get what he wanted.
He said he would go to a different greengrocer.
Mary was shocked at the thought of John leaving her and going to another woman.
I continued on with the story.
"So next time he went to another greengrocer. This greengrocer did not give him the curved yellow fruits that he wanted either. The man thought this greengrocer is just as stupid as the first! Again he got round fruits. He said to himself "These idiot greengrocers are driving me bananas. They are so stupid!"
I asked John how he would feel if he kept getting round fruits instead of the sweet curved yellow ones that he wanted. He laughed and said he would probably throw the oranges back at the greengrocer.
Not only did Mary and John have a good laugh.
They also realized that the word "friendship" had a different meaning for John than it had for Mary.
That misunderstanding had been a major cause of their heated arguments they had often been having.

Good luck?

2005-08-04T14:54:00.000-07:00

While I appricate the warm gesture of a person wishing me good luck, I have my reservations about that greeting.
I believe that luck is destiny not personally guided.
From my own experience, and from the examples I see around me, the best of life results from consistent effective management and action.
When I choose to take responsibility for creating what I truly desire in life, I experience more personal satisfaction and can contribute more to others.
However when I leave it up to luck to deliver what I want, my results are much less consistent. I have less to give. I lose my freedom. I have less power.
I am more committed to excellent management than good luck.

I loved

2005-07-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

I was soldering some plugs on to the end of some audio visual connecting cables.
I knew that I could have purchased ready made leads at a price much lower than the cost of employing me for the time that it takes me to make up these leads.
There are several reasons why I make up these leads
1. I need them now and can not wait for the cheaper ones
2. The cheaper ones are not readily available in the right length or configuration
3. I want a higher quality than the cheaper ones.
As products can be cheaply imported into Australia, I am effectively competing with lower paid workers in other countries for the work of manufacturing leads.
I can imagine that it could be difficult for young people wanting employment, sending their resumes to many prospective employers hoping to get a job.
It was much easier for me when I first got a job. I got a job at the first place that I applied. I started immediately - fitting plugs to the ends of leads.
When I received the following poem from my 19 year old daughter, I began to think that it is time for me to make a stand.

I Loved

I loved a sunburnt country
Our anthem was sung with pride
Move over good old Clancy
Our Australia has died

I dreamed of my kids rewarded
For their work, whatever trail
But what ethics are reccomended
When our laws to protect them fail

I believed our country sacred
Our ground beginning a united tale
But all I see is polluted
Endangered wildlife's up for sale

Let this be once last reminder
To every ex-sheila and ex-bloke
G'day's sweet days are over
And their Australia is a joke

Amazing views

2005-06-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

I am amazed by the beauty of the views that I saw when I was working at a home in the hills. The place is designed to make best use of the great outlook from nearly all the rooms.
I felt so much joy whenever I looked out the wide windows at the ever changing scenery in those moments that I looked up from the jobs that I was working on.
The pevious day, I had experienced another beautiful view at a home overlooking the bay. I felt happy and excited as I glanced at the view thought about how much I love every aspect, from daylight to dusk on that crisp calm day.
I am inspired to enjoy the smaller aspects of beauty that I would otherwise overlook in the less spectacular environments that I am usually in.

A difficult choice

2005-06-20T16:25:00.000-07:00

The manager did not like me leaving work by 6 pm.
I wanted to be on time for my appointment to donate at the blood bank.
I feel dissatisfied if I cannot do things like that because of work committments, yet I want to also be an effective team member at work.
This time I chose to keep my appointment. I know that I miss out on some overtime at work, and that extra money would be useful. I also know that the manager feels let down, having to do several tasks that evening without my assistance.
Yet I feel unsatisfied if I continue to not do at least some of the things that are important to me.

Balance

2005-06-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

I had been working extra overtime. It helped me pay my bills, but at a cost to other areas of my life.
I had very little social life and my health suffered. I felt tired instead of having lots of energy.
I am glad to have recovered. I appreciate living a more balanced lifestyle.
I have learned from the experience to take better care of myself, and to support others in taking good care of themselves.

The way people spell my surname

2005-05-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

My name was incorrectly spelled on the name tag which I was required to wear. A new name tag could not be prepared as the office was not open in the weekend.
Wearing that name, I remembered how some "friends" used to call me "Peter the phantom puller".
I recalled the times when I felt angry as I saw and heard television personality Graham Kennedy joke about "Peter the phantom puller" on his live television shows. I took it personally.
When I heard that Graham Kennedy has died, I suddenly realized that I had unnecessarily been resenting him for all those years.
I began to laugh as I realized what that joke of Graham's was probably really about.

Reformat

2005-05-27T05:31:00.000-07:00

My daughter asked me to help her get her computer going again. The problem was that she had erased everything off the computer by reformatting the hard disk drive.
We were talking about similar mistakes, and I said we are lucky that nobody has reformatted the whole world. She suggested that may have happened many years ago, causing all the dinosaurs to be erased.

Sound?

2005-05-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

experiment

A great evening

2005-05-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

I thought about who I could share my joy with as I happily rode back home after having enjoyed the music, dance and celebration on Sunday evening.
I was glad to have taken the time to listen to what the youth community had provided, and experience their energy. I loved the rap dancing - those young men can really move! I found these youths really inspiring. They seem to be leaders. They are more than willing to stand in front of the older community, and bring smiles to the faces of so many who I would have assumed to have preferred a more traditional style of music.
I also acknowledge these older people for their willingness to accept and appreciate the music and dance.

Gratitude

2005-05-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

I began to list some of the things that I am grateful for.
I am grateful for life, for health, for the ability to see, and the ability to hear.
Also family, friends and the freedom that I enjoy.
The list goes on and on. I feel more and more joy as I continue to write and think about all that I can be grateful for.
As I write, I see how much I often take for granted. I realize that I do experience so much abundance in my life. Continuing to list more of what I have, I feel more joy and excitement. I am now focussing more on what I do have instead of focussing on lack. I look forward to adding to the list on http://givetogive.info/Gratitude.htm
Do feel free to add your comments.

A dream

2005-05-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

This morning I had a vivid dream.
I dreamed was in the city and there were as usual many people about.
In my dream noticed that there were some newly installed small interactive display panels installed in a few places in the city square and some of the streets, and that I went up to one and pushed a button on it. I made a selection and it played a video of a song being played on a piano, with the words of the song clearly visible in the picture. The song was about all the things a person had spent money on. Each line of the song named an item, and how many dollars it cost. In my dream I felt embarrassed as there were many other people who may possibly hear what was being played. I also felt uneasy as here was a list of many thousand dollars of items, and I know that I also had spent a lot, yet had saved very little in comparison. I woke up, and as I rarely remember dreams so clearly, I wrote down some of what I remember of the dream.

Sending out the wrong email

2005-05-12T04:10:00.000-07:00

I regularly send out a newsletter to 80 people. I use a program on my computer which automatically sends the emails, using a list of recipients and the file that I send. However today I discovered that I had sent the previous edition of the newsletter. Oh no! I think that from now on I wlll always test the process before processing all the emails!
I found out the cause of the problem. I had saved the file in the wrong place in my computer. I knew there was something unusual happening, yet did not check that the system was working. I have learned the importance of being aware of those times when I notice something unusual, and stopping to consider if I need to do something about it.

WW2 Drawings

2005-05-09T04:02:00.000-07:00

I had almost completed putting all 29 drawings that I had been given on to the website. The project had taken me several hours, and for a while I wondered if I would ever get it all completed. As I got closer to completing, I became more and more excited. After I had put the last drawing up and linked the index to it, I thought about other things. I suddenly realized that I had forgotten that I needed to go to work early this day. I quickly got ready. I had not allowed myself time to prepare lunch and had not checked that I had all the necessary tools and equipment for the job I was going to. I arrived at 9:15 am. The previous week I had told the customer that I would be there at 9 am. I had to borrow some tools from the customer. Fortunately he had all I needed.
If I had planned the morning, I would have allowed myself time to ensure I had all the things I needed for the job. I would have prepared lunch and avoided feeling hungry towards the end of the day. I would have arrived on time and given better service. And all day I would have had the completion of putting up the drawings to look forward to.

Computer support

2005-05-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

I had been very busy and had not managed to schedule a few hours to visit my daughter and repair the computer she had been using. I had prepared a replacement hard disk drive for her and she had installed it, but it did not work. I could hear her frustration as she followed my instructions. She had mentioned that there seemed to be some plugs not connected to anything, but I dismissed that, thinking that there are usually a few spare plugs inside computers. She felt tempted to throw the computer out the window or to kill it. I went through the procedure again with her on the phone. We discovered that the CD drive and the floppy disk drive were not working, and I suggested that the power may not be connected to them. It was those plugs she had mentioned at the start! I could hear the excitement as the machine began to start up. I thought "only a few more frustrations to go. I hope the modem is not going to be too difficult to set up."
My daughter was a few steps ahead of me as I struggled to find out how to set up the modem. I refused to tell her how to set up the internet connection, and asked that she ring the internet service provider's customer support line. Only a few minutes later I received the following in an email from her.
"Subject: AAARRRRRGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
THANK YU THANK YU THANK YU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's bit-rate or colours are a bit out of it I think but I'm netting again.. THANK YOU!!!

Melbourne Dream Team

2005-05-07T05:28:00.000-07:00

I was tempted to go to work on Saturday. Yet I realize that I would have only have been working for the money. I really wanted to go to the dream team meeting and meet those people who I enjoy spending time with. I wanted to learn something new. If I had gone to work on Saturday morning, I would have earned some money, yet I would have missed out on something that is important to me.
Years ago, I used to enjoy the work I was doing. I am skillful at repairing and installing electronic equipment. Yet I have now become more interested in being with people. I am now unsatisfied with my career that tends to isolate me from people.
By going to an event such as Dream Team, I become more skilled at being with people. I am also satisfied and more fun to be around.
In the short term, a choice to work on Saturday might seem to be best. Yet I have probably made a choice more in accord with my long term goals by going to the event and having fun.

Visit to Joe's Organic Markets

2005-05-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

I am always amazed by Joe's generosity whenever I visit him.
He works long hours in his shop selling organic fruit, vegetables, groceries etc. Joe is very passionate about the health benefits of organic produce, and was concerned that my health may not be as good as it could be as I was neglecting to choose organic produce. It is true. While I have eaten plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, I have often chosen to buy from the local market instead of taking the time to visit Joe. I know I am healthy yet I could be more healthy. I so often feel an improvement in my health and vitality after I visit Joe's shop.
I notice that I am not being true to my own values if I am neglecting my health just for the sake of convenience. It is costing me more time than it would take me to visit Joe, and I am missing out on seeing Joe and enjoying his delicious fruit and vegetables.

After 26 April

2005-05-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

I had felt very humble since then.
When I shared my experience of Anzac day with a group of people a week later, I was asked "what does that say about you?"
I had been thinking about that and had not come up with any answers.
I was asked to come back to the group next week and tell of something that I can brag about.
Already, before I went home, I had thought about my health and fitness. I take time and effort keeping myself fit and healthy, and feel proud of the results I have achieved. My health supports me in my life allowing me to enjoy life and contribute more to others. I feel great as I appreciate what I have achieved, and how that has inspired some people in their efforts.

Anzac Day 25 April 2005

2005-05-03T03:41:00.000-07:00

I went to see the dawn service at the Shrine of Rememberance in Melbourne. The service started at 6 am, and a large crowd had gathered by then. After the service, I went into the shrine. I had never been in there before. Hundreds of other people were in line before me, and I consider it was worth waiting for. The awsome stone structure with daylight shining in through the middle of the roof. In the centre of the floor is the rememberance stone with the words "GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN" I felt very grateful for those people who had fought for the peace and freedom I enjoy in Australia. I decided to ring my uncle who had fought in the Second World War. He mentioned that he had recently visited Melbourne, and seen a play at the Atheneum Theatre. It was a story about Edward Dunlop and his diaries from the war. My uncle knew Edward Dunlop during the war, and recommended that I see the play. The following evening I saw that play. I was very moved as I saw it. For the following few days I felt very humble as I recalled that experience.
A few days later, my uncle sent me some drawings from his time in the war. and I have put some up on a website.