Achieve More –  ODDS & ENDS 12 Try to work smarter, not harder. Smart work is the yeast that raises the ‘dough’.             To be more efficient you will need to exercise a great deal of self-discipline, get more organized, and learn to prioritize your jobs. You can do that! A Handful of tips to…

         Reading gives you new information; speech trains you for a job; writing teaches you accurate expression.           Make a special effort to improve your skills – don’t take them for granted.             Our electronic servants are fast becoming our masters therefore it’s time to improve your verbal skills.           Unless you take control…

          Success in your life will largely depend on how well you get on and communicate with other people.           There is nothing like a smile and the use of a few simple words of praise to please others.           The ability to ask simple questions and to make the time to listen carefully can…

         Unless your writing is easy to read many of your readers will not finish reading it.          Because much of today’s writing is boring and hard to read it is worthwhile revising an old blog just to remind you of a few tips.          Today we have a flood of refugees and migrants into…

         Good leaders are in short supply.          They are not born. Leadership is principally a behavioral skill and can be learned.          We should be selecting ambitious people and training them to lead.          Tomorrow’s leaders will be the ones with a broad vision, who are good communicators and have a social conscience. They…

         Farming needs people with many practical skills. Many learn skills from their parents  – usually, it’s best to learn from others.          We once had many solid training schemes from Young Farmers Clubs to farming cadet schemes. I started my career as a farm cadet working for the Taranaki Farmers Cooperative.          In those…

        How old should you be to vote for a council or parliamentary representative? This topic is being debated at present.         Take your mind back to when you were 16 could you have made a sound decision at that time?         At 16 I had left home. I was working on farms as a…

         One day the phone rang. It was a call from Noeline Holt, the Administration Officer at the Citizens Advice Bureau, Head Office. Would I join them for a morning tea meeting as they had a request to make.          It turned out they wanted to improve the CAB clubs.            Would I be…

OPPORTUNITIES What ifs?          “Things come, and things go, and we are never quite sure which way to flow.” After retiring from working we have time to explore our memory and ask ourselves; “What if?”  My grandmother use to say; “Waste no time with vain regrets.”          I am very happy with the career path…

GOOGLE before GOOGLE AgLinks Recently I was asked; “What was your greatest work achievement?” A hard question to answer.          I have had a lot of fun during my career.          I explored America as an Eisenhower Fellow. Lectured at the University of the South Pacific. Trained doctors in Vietnam in training ways, and I…