I recently joined a group on Flickr and its amazing how I'm now seeing new things.

For instance, this week there is a theme about nature being "framed". Guess what? I'm now seeing relevant shots. These shots have always been there of course, the only difference is they are now on my "radar", so I see them.

This same idea can be applied to other things we look for in life.

• New customers.
• New business opportunities.
• New relationships.

If we know what we are looking for, we are more likely to find them.

It might be useful to write down what you are looking for in as much detail as you need, and who knows? You might find it!

Need more time in your day?

The most effective time saving tool I ever used was reducing meeting times to 20 minutes.

In my role as a manager and decision maker I was seeing a lot of people. I was busy - so busy I was being ineffective.

When I started having 20 minute meetings people would come to the meetings prepared, focused and usually had a recommendation for action.

If you want to start using your time more effectively, try cutting your meeting times to 20 minutes.

Perspective

Coaching my son's 11th grade soccer team has taught me more than I could ever teach them.

When I put my hand up to coach them I felt pressure for them to win games, until I was taught their main reason for player soccer was to have fun. Winning was important, just not the most important, not even in the top 5. So I made sure they had fun. We won some games too which was nice.

Last weekend the team were beaten 3 nil. It didn't seem important. In fact, coming off the field we didn't seem to care about the score. You see, one of the team lost his mother during the week. Somehow losing a game of soccer didn't seem that bad when you put it in perspective.

8 years ago my sister-in-law passed away after battling breast cancer at the far too young age of 29, leaving a husband and young son. Her ashes sit in a small casket on my china cabinet by my front door.

When I step outside each morning, no matter what the weather is doing, or if things go wrong during the day, when I put it in perspective, life is pretty good.

Paying for loyalty

Today I was told that I will need to pay $10 a year to retain my Whitcoulls loyalty card.

This seems like a really short-sighted decision, asking loyal customers to pay to be loyal!

Shouldn't Whitcoulls be paying me to be loyal to them?

I guess the penny-pinchers are trying to save some money - but at the cost of loyal customers ...

Having an effective trade stand

I recently attended a Small Business expo, showcasing the services and products available to small business owners.

I was very interested in the diverse range of stands offering their wares. Some stands stood out from others and it was interesting reflecting on why. For exhibitors that do it well, they can expect a journey PAVED with gold!

People
Some stands had excellent people who were able to engage easily with visitors. They usually started with a relevant open-ended question that was easy to answer like: "What business are you in?".

Attraction

Those stands that were popular had a draw card. These could be giveaways, prize draws or information packs. I believe a stand must be able to grab a visitors attention within 3 seconds. Sometimes this can be achieved by having an original or popular theme.

View
Successful stands gave visitors a view of what they offered and why you would deal with them. They made it easy to get information in a clear and logical space without any clutter.

Evaluate
Outstanding exhibitors were able to evaluate the needs and/ or wants of the visitor and recommend an acceptable solution.

Deal
Finally, the exhibitor does the deal. For some this will be getting your contact details to follow up after the show. For others it will be a commitment to an agreed action. Some will actually sell their product or service.

It's important that exhibitors and visitors think about the outcomes they are looking for before attending a show.

Exhibitors should develop a success plan that includes measure that will enable them to judge the success of their investment at the show.

#8 Wire

New Zealand's early pioneers used number 8 fencing wire for their paddocks and also used it for a variety of other uses like gate latches, hooks, fixing cars and a variety of other uses.

New Zealanders today also embrace the number 8 wire mentality by being innovative and inventive. Coming up with new ideas using the tools at hand.

I love to embrace this mentality and making use and making do with what we have.

Love over gold

It's interesting how songs have new meanings at different times.

I really love this Dire Straits album, but never really got into the song of the same name, until I actually thought about which I would choose ... Love ... or ... Gold ... ?

Like Mark Knopfler, I would choose Love over Gold.

I don't hear of too many people who found love through their pursuit of wealth, although I do know people who have found wealth in their pursuit of love.