Well I don’t exactly like the word ‘cheap’ – but it rhymed with cheerful… what I mean is ‘financially enlightened’. We have worked hard at RedBalloon to ensure that we have something for everyone’s budget – to make sure we have in the experience range the sort of gift that you give to your child’s school teacher and even for Secret Santa. Regardless of religion, Christmas and the end of the year is a time to be thankful. For family…
A few weeks ago I decided to run a LinkedIn poll, after I had read Daniel Nettle’s book ‘Happiness – the science behind the smile’. I enjoyed it and found it easy to ‘consume’. One thing I discovered was that we all ‘sense’ happiness differently, and our environment could be a contributor to what we consider happiness. Even the notion of thinking about happiness can change our experience of life. So I asked the question “All things being considered do…
[First on LinkedIn] The greatest gift we give is the gift of time… and over and over again I hear from many volunteers about the privilege it is to serve. But does that mean that a ‘thanks’ is still important. A colleague recently shared a pamphlet with me regarding carers working with people with disabilities. For many years she’s been witness to a disabled relative who rarely expresses a thank-you for the support and help provided by both paid and…
[This appeared on LinkedIn Thought Leaders first - on 24 October 2012] In Australia we have a notion called ‘tall poppy syndrome’ which means that culturally people who have merit are derided by their community. Not very productive really in a country which needs strong, decisive leaders more than ever. True leadership does not reside in a title or job description – it comes from how we act. In the business I founded RedBalloon.com.au one of our core values is ‘leadership’….
“The only thing that stands between you and what you want; is you…..” Gina Mollicone-Long. I had the privilege of listening to Gina speak for the Entrepreneur Organization Sydney last night… 2.5 hours of fast paced – goal getting rather than goal setting. And out of context it is difficult to share the three points she covered: How the mind works, The process of getting a ‘breakthrough’ and fast achieving results. Tips and techniques to take control of your outcomes….
[First appeared in LinkedIn Thought Leaders] Isn’t it funny how life holds a mirror up to you? I have a colleague who has been on the journey of thanks with me from the start. I returned recently from an overseas trip to share what I’d learnt from Shawn Achor, the author of The Happiness Advantage, and the principles of positive psychology that fuel success and performance at work, including the importance about being mindful about happiness. One of my colleagues…
[This article first appeared as part of the LinkedIn Thought Leaders program - I will republish articles on my own blog - for the sake of putting all my thoughts in one place - the Linkedin posts will appear here a few days after they are first published.] One could argue that work is work and as such why should you expect to have a good time. I’d worked for a lot of large corporations, some better than others, before…
Shawn Achor and I chatting at the final EO dinner in Istanbul Shawn Achor concluded his presentation, after telling why happiness is important, and sharing what happiness looks like – by telling the group actions that we can take to create long term happiness. He did warn; all the knowledge in the world does not necessarily mean that we will be in action. (We all know to stay healthy we need to be active and eat well – knowing this…
Perhaps I am posing a far too obvious question… but the thing I consider, is the effort and energy it takes to be happy, worth it? Perhaps it is easier to be grumpy, disconnected and uninspired…. the statistics however do not lie. Suicide remains a major external cause of death, accounting for more deaths in Australia than transport accidents. In addition about 20% of people will be affected by depression and 6% will experience a major depressive illness in Australia…
Imagine running a business based on fun - that's what I decided to try when I left a very serious corporate career in marketing to set up RedBalloon...
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Pride & Purpose
Planning for the new financial year is upon us again. The leadership team at RedBalloon is in the midst of brainstorms and planning sessions with their teams, exploring how they each can help deliver our purpose: creating happiness by giving people more good times. Its times like this I’m so grateful for the wonderful contribution we make to peoples’ everyday lives. Be that ticking an item off their bucket list, celebrating a 30th, 40th, 50th or 60th, or simply providing…