"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Eliot (1888-1965, Poet and Critic)
Category Archives: Quotes to inspire
Precious Sunday
I have had the book ‘Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom, on my reading list for a very long time. Weekends are so precious to me, but often hectic with young children and many domestic duties to be taken care of. What a treat to sit a read a book on a Sunday. I cannot remember the last time I read a book cover to cover in one sitting. It is a book about life’s lessons – and there is…
Postive outlook delivers success.
I read somewhere recently that positive people are far more likely to be successful. I wish I could remember the details because it was fascinating. A study was done by looking at the authenticity of the smile in school photo’s – apparently there is a muscle in every persons face that just cannot lie. If you are truly happy this muscle moves – it adds the glint to your eyes. Those who were authentically happy in school photo’s – were…
Getting out of your own way..
I have just finished speaking at a conference to an audience of 1000 business owners. Each of them had started their business… done the hard yards… created something from nothing. But the question I asked myself (in my head) as I was shared my story… ‘Why?’ What makes one person get on with it, whilst others talk about it? You know that my personal motto is ‘If it’s meant to be it is up to me’. I left the audience…
First Steps..
"Vision is not enough; it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up to the steps; we must step up the stairs." – Vaclav Havel
Shared success
"Success is counted not by how high you have climbed, but by how many people you have brought with you" Anonymous
The risk of doing nothing
"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in the bud became greater than the risk it took to blossom" Anais Nin At RedBalloon we are currently planning for the new financial year – with the ‘painted picture’ document as a guide the team is now working out how the business will deliver on the vision. It’s so exciting. I love planning – creating the future. The one thing we do know is that the market…
Pearl of wisdom from Homer
Gallup Organization talk about the cost to business of disengaged employees that is that employees aren’t just unhappy at work; they’re busy acting out their unhappiness. Every day, these workers undermine what their engaged co-workers accomplish. Actively disengaged employees made up 18% of the Australian Workforce in 2006 costing some $AU32.7 billion. (We are the second least engaged after the French- ouch that hurts.) But this quote sums it up from a famous ‘business commentator’: “If Adults don’t like their…
Unreasonable George…
You may have come across these before. I had a very challenging day yesterday and I had to remind myself that ‘if it was easy everyone would do it’. So I pulled out these quotes from George Bernard Shaw to remind me of what it takes. "The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround him… The unreasonable man adapts surrounding conditions to himself… All progress depends on the unreasonable man." "People are always blaming their circumstances for what…
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...
Give them something worth saying.
Seth Godin may have written a book about ‘purple cows’ – and the need for businesses to stand out, but the concept has been around for a very long time. Who was it who said there is no such thing as bad publicity – not sure if that is true. I often speak of the need for a business to stand out, that it is up to us as marketers to give people something worth saying… We want people to…