Number 1 skill in life…. which can often be the hardest to do. Because giving up is easy.. letting go…thinking, ah… next time! Or I’ll leave it as it’s too difficult.
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Tag: People
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Monday Motivation…
Willing to risk the unusual?
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Going Sober for October!
Morning folks! – Hope you had a great weekend…. and hope you have a great week ahead!! – You’re awesome!
Bal… what do you want? – you’re being nice.
I’m always nice…
Not always Bal. And what’s this ‘Sober October’ you’re talking about?
Ah… okay, I’ll be honest with you. I’m looking for you to donate some money to a Cancer Charity because I’m doing Sober October!
That’s right – nothing to do with Technology, Digital… or anything Innovation related. Nothing to do with Lean, Process or anything Data related…. but you know what, I’m going to share with you all what I’m doing this October because it’s for a great cause.
As you may know… I like the odd beer now and again, and really appreciated Jameson bottles I recieved for my birthday.
However, Macmillan Cancer Support is a great charity – and they have opportunity for folk to take part in ‘Sober October’ which means, you raise money and go Sober for the whole month of October!
As difficult as it may seem… and there were times I craved for a beer… but I’ve stayed sober. Sticking with the Coke Zero when out.
So… if you think I can do it, and would like to donate some money to charity, that helps those with cancer – which is only a good thing – then please click on the link below – (Thank you!!!!)
http://www.gosober.org.uk/users/bal-bansal-2
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Thanks for the Like and Share…
You may have noticed… I’ve been writing this blog for a while. In fact, it’s nearly a year and a half! Crazy… right?!Â
Numbers (of visitors and readers) has gone up… and some months, it came down… especially over Christmas – maybe your pigs in blankets were more important…
Replies and comments were a many on some posts… nothing for several weeks.
But what I did notice… is who has supported me.Â
That’s right. I’ve seen those who ‘like’ my posts. There’s those who share. There’s some who even retweet!Â
And for that – I’d like to say a huge Thank You! – You’re awesome!
But all of this got me thinking… and I recently saw, a post about how friends and family should support each other. And I agree…
We see a lot from Celebs. Let’s be honest – a nice photo on Insta can get several thousands of likes… but do you like your friends post… someone who maybe starting a business or who may have an idea they want to pursue!Â
A good friend…. who works for a rival drinks company to the one I work for, recently shared one of my blog posts on LinkedIn. He also tagged me in a post of his… and I commented and liked.Â
Friends do that.Â
Support each other.Â
Not just friends. Family. Colleagues. Well-wishers. Anyone… can support those just starting off…. because remember….Â
With social media being so big… use the means you can. Help each other grow. Buy your friends products.Â
If they’re no good – provide them feedback. Let them know your thoughts. So they can improve. If you think you could help them… help them! It could be design… it could be making… it could be marketing…. it could be logistics….Â
It’s all about support. And collaboration.Â
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
Forget the Past…
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
Sometimes we expect too much…
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
The Grass….
Yesterday, it was announced that Toyota would invest $500m into Uber.
Was does this mean?
Well, firstly… It means, Uber is now estimated to be worth around $72bn. Quite a jump from the recent valuation of $62bn.
Secondly, It means… Toyota are certain this is the future because they also invested $1bn in Grab (Uber equivalent/competitor/rival in South Asia).
Thirdly, It means.. self-driving cars will be on your roads sooner than we think.
Yes there have been problems, especially when one of Uber’s self-driving SUV’s killed a pedestrian in Arizona, USA. You could call that a big problem.
Uber have been investing… but, being honest, it’s been a struggle for them. Expensive lawsuits… the fatal accident… etc… and sometimes, what you need is, someone to come along – to confirm what you’re doing is right… to ensure you keep going… keep experimenting.
Toyota is doing that. They know that car ownership will be a thing of the past. We can see trends of that in certain cities… where it’s easier, cheaper and quicker to use the train/underground/subway… or even a bike. Why own a car? – there’s so much expense that goes with it… the insurance, road tax, MOT, etc…
It’s very much similar to the ‘Estate Agent’ industry. They’re going through a massive shake-up. Country-wide, who own 50 Estate Agent brands and employ over 8,000 people, have about £200m debt and yesterday had to raise £140m ’emergency funds’ – which they did, with the help of their board.
Go back 3 years… and look how their share price has tumbled….
Why? well… On-line estate agencies have become more popular and more and more people are using them. They’re less and less going to the high street. Countrywide own all the high street estate agents.
Technology is enabling customers to do things quicker and easier.
Toyota know this. They know self-driving technology will, one day, be the norm. We’ll have self-driving cars. There’ll be phases of it… as the technology gets better and better. People won’t want to own cars. They’ll just summon a vehicle to them… use it to get from Point A to Point B.
We kind of do that with taxi’s, right? Summon them to pick us up from Point A and take us to Point B.
Uber made it easier via an App.
Toyota know a thing or two about cars.
Combine the two together…
It’s all about collaboration.
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
Real is…
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We all need to get away…
Bal, where have you been for the past few weeks? – no new activity on your blog…
Well… I did mention I was going to jet off for a few weeks in the sun and copious amount of food. Which I did. And thoroughly enjoyed.
This was my view for the past few weeks…
I didn’t realise how much I needed the break. I was going at 100mph. I had so much going on, both at work, my personal ventures, startups I’m involved, institutions I’m working with… and on top of that, lots going on at home!
It was only a few days into the holiday, that I was able to totally relax and reflect.
It was at the moment, I was floating on a pink lilo that I realised how fast I was going… and that not only did I really need this break, but needed to slow down and reflect.
We’re all guilty of it. Working. Head down. Moving forward. Not stopping.
But we need to.
So what did I do on holiday… well, I relaxed. I read a book (which was excellent by the way, and I recommend it!) – it was ‘The subtle art of not giving a f**k’.
I was also able to reflect… on everything that’s going on. Able to re-position, able to re-adjust some of my priorities, able to… re-fine my long term plan.
‘Bal… you have a long term plan?’
Don’t we all? – as I was taught at Kodak… Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail.
I do always have a Plan B. Courtesy of Mr Mike Tyson, who reminded me… ‘Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face’.
So all in all…. great holiday, great book, great to re-energise myself, good to slow down and reflect and best thing… re-focus.