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I Challenge you… (without challenging you)

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know I’m reading the book titled ‘think like a monk’, by Jay Shetty. It’s a great book! – thoroughly recommend it. It’s really got me thinking (whilst I’ve been reading it)…. about values, passion, etc…

And only the other day, did I see the below…

How awesome is that! Talk about passion!! Ferrucio had no desire to build a super car, but being told that he’s all about tractors and knows nothing about super cars… it was a challenge! The fire, the passion to prove someone wrong came out and Ferrucio built a super car!

It’s like that in life – when was the last time you were challenged?

Doesn’t have to be directly challenged. But in a situation. Where you thought to yourself – right, must do something.

The question then is, do you actually do something about it?

More often than not – we don’t have the resources, money, time, etc…. but aren’t these just excuses?

I’ve once used the phrase on my Friday Thought, ‘Knowledge is Power’. And then… as Pirelli go on to say… (and I often repeat it….), “Power is nothing, without Control”.

In this context – it’s all about what you can control. Doesn’t mean you HAVE to control it. If there’s something out of your control – there’s not much you can do, and you don’t have the power to. But… if it’s within your control… then you have the power!

Ferrucio made tractors. He had control of a factory that made tractors. He had the power to adapt. Gained some knowledge on super cars – bought in the right people, and started to produce super cars.

What can you control? – maybe you need to look around and think, what is within your control, and what would you like to change?

I was recently speaking to my Sensei. I mentioned to him, the football coaching was going well, explained that I’ve passed my FA Level 1 and got the coaching badge. Thinking about Level 2. Explained, what the different levels (up to 5) mean. I said… I can’t do premiership on Level 2 (then inserted a laughing emoji!)

His reply… “… but there’s nothing stopping you in doing all the levels, and then doing the Premiership, right?”

Damn! He’s sooooo right! There is nothing stopping me.

I can control which FA Badges I do. I then can have the power to coach at various levels, achieve the results…. through learning and gaining more knowledge.

What are you in control of, and have the Power to do?

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Tech to help with Mental Health

With a new lockdown on the horizon – many cities, like England’s second biggest city, Birmingham, is going into a ‘lockdown’ from Tuesday.

I appreciate this will have a huge affect on many folks mental health.

There’s many people who have been isolating and not going out…. there’s many who have been sensible, and there’s many who have no choice but to go to work/school, etc… however there’s been an increase in new cases, and therefore new measures are coming in place to control the spread of Covid-19.

Now – one area that is being talked about is mental health.

It’s not easy. If you’re at home. Not in your usual environment – talking, and meeting people (this includes family and friends).

To be able to talk – can be difficult. However, there is technology that can help you.

Introducing you to Replika. An AI (Artificial Companion) that will talk to you, get to know you and talk to you.

That’s right. Whenever you wish to talk – you open the app and start to text away. They’ll learn about you over time, and the Intelligence will be able to converse with you – like a good friend!

Now – nothing can replace the real conversation with real people – but technology is advancing so quick – that AI is able to learn about you, hold a conversation and ensure you’re ok.

It’s important to talk – and thoroughly recommend, if new measures are introduced in your area or community – please do look after your mental health.

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

Sometimes I can be impatient. I want to work on things quickly. Figure out if they work or not. Lean startup methodology type of thinking.

And today’s Friday thought comes to you with some humour…

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

This week, and indeed next week see many pupils return to school…. let’s all remember that each child is different and have their own values.

I remember Albert’s quote of, ‘if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll always be a failure’.

We want our children to… Think differently.

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

Sometimes, you just gotta get up and do it! We can easily think of excuses to delay…. do it tomorrow…. and you never end up doing it!

As you know, I love the content that Gary Vee puts out… and the below is my Friday Thought. Don’t delay, Do it Today!

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Bal’s Friday Thought…

Often it’s hard to break cycles. When you’re stuck in one…. you’re stuck. But are you? Well…. yes, and no.

You’re stuck because you may not have the right support network, the right comments/motivation, the right ambition & desire… to break from that circle. The key thing is you’re not stuck. You can break free…

I saw the below from Humble the Poet (which by the way, has some really good books out) – and I’ve slightly modified it… Go, Break The Cycle!

(Also… I shared this on my Insta Story… follow me, I’m @mrbalbansal on Insta)

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Shopping Social Media

From delivering Pizza’s to $1.3bn

You must have heard in the press recently, how the Birmingham based business that started in 2012 has recently been valued at $1.3bn!

Ben Francis (who started the business) was studying during the day, and working for Pizza Hut during the evening delivering pizza’s… found that there was no gym apparel that suited him (or he liked!)

Ben Francis.

So… what does someone in that position do? – That’s right… start to make some! And that’s exactly what Ben started to do.

And the success has been phenomenal.

Why?

Because of a few principles…

Stay Humble. This is on their offices. And the hashtag on Insta has their fans sharing selfies and other photos. Steve Hewitt, Gymshark’s CEO, advised that, “It takes zero talent to work hard and zero talent to stay humble; if you get those things right you will always do well in your journey.”

Focus on the customer. They have a clear audience… 18-25 and those who like fashion, music and obviously, those who go to the gym. They say, “Utilise the best technology to create exceptional customer touchpoints, via your website and in-person. If you do mess up, own the mistake, respond in an exceptional way and carry on.”

Visionary. Part of Gymshark’s mission statement reads: “In everything we do, be true to our own vision and respectful of others. We are here to bring ideas to life. There is no idea too big, or too small… We are not future-proof. We are the future.”

The Dream Team. No, not that programme from the 90’s. Build the dream team. The brand’s HQ houses 500 team members and aims to “create a culture where every morning feels like Christmas morning” according to Hewitt. 

There’s a few more, but these were the key ones for me. So… follow your passion, enjoy the ride…. and delight your customers.

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

My summer book… helps me provide today’s Thought!

You can only control what you can control. Don’t spend energy and time worrying about anything that isn’t in your control.

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Floppy still being used!

Last week, I was with my uncle (socially distancing). He was working on his computer – inputting some information into an excel file. He then wanted to attach the excel file to an email, send it to someone who then will receive the information and can make changes and update a central excel file they have with the information being shared.

I suggested – why not put the excel file in a shared location (Dropbox, Google-Drive, etc…) and then no need to email, everyone can work on it – and everyone can see the changes and what’s being done.

“That’s too complicated, it’s easier to do it like this”.

It’s always easy when you know how.

Then, it was suggested if the file is too big, they should use a usb stick and put the information on that and share it with whoever needs it.

Made me laugh. Looks like we’re going backwards rather than forward! I bet airlines get their updates via pigeon carrier – LOL! (close – they use Floppy disk…… what?!)

That’s right. The Boeing 747 receives it’s critical updates via the old 3.5″ Floppy Disk!

Navigation data aboard Boeing 747-436 airliners is updated via a 3.5" floppy drive. The aircraft were built in the late 1990s

Ask they would say in rhyming-slang, “Can you Adam and Eve it?!” – which means, can you believe it?!

These bad boy aircrafts were built in the 1990’s and not much has changed.

Boeing 747-400 - Wikipedia

There’s still 414 of these in the skies (well, operational…) as of June 2020.

Now… whilst writing this, many of the younger generation will be asking, what is a ‘floppy disk’?… It’s a small plastic device, that slots into a drive and holds information. Not alot of information. Just to add.

The hot new archaic music format is 3.5” floppy disks

Ok… you know how much 1GB is, right? – below shows how many floppy disks you would need to equal 1 Gigabyte…

How Many Floppy Disks Would It Take To Equal 1 Gigabyte? - Page 12 - TechRepublic

Just imagine the number of floppy’s required to provide critical updates.. how time consuming it must be for the engineer!

Why am I sharing this…. to learn how we can be quicker, easier and simpler when the need to share or transfer information is. And help the older folk amongst us…

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Monday Motivation

Netflix and….Rest?

We need rest.

It’s important to get the right amount of rest required. But it can be hard to switch off. We have so much going on around us… content overload!

Again – we need to rest. We need to switch off. But when your favourite series, programmes etc.. are on Netflix, we can often keep on watching till the early hours!

But worry not. We now have Restflix!

That’s right. It’s a new app – that helps you rest!

Available on both Android and iOS – you can download the app, and get the rest you need.

It uses a proven technology called binaural beats to harness the brain’s responsiveness to sound and help create a meditative, restful state. You can play more than 20 live channels that feature soothing sounds, bedtime stories, guided meditations, and much more, all of which are designed to gently ease you into a full night’s sleep.

Restflix offers unlimited video and audio with no interruptions, helping you to overcome insomnia, tinnitus, night-time anxiety, and hit each day with greater energy and vigor. It’s available on all major platforms, including Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, iOS, and Android.

I thought it’d be important to share this…. for a couple of reasons…

  1. We’re still going through tough times – Covid 19 is still around, and we’re still under partial lockdown in places, people are stressed and worried… so getting the rest needed is difficult.
  2. Holidays are cancelled. More people are having a staycation – in fact, they’re not even going anywhere, just staying at home! – and with that, need some rest.

So, go ahead… download the app…. and get some rest, via Restflix.