http://www.entertrainment.co 60 http://www.entertrainment.co/blogdetails.aspx?p=46 What We Can Learn from Prog Rock! Rush have to be one of the most influential bands to carry the quotProgressive Rockquot banner Their Album 2112 made it into the top 1001 albums of all time see Wikipedia entry on the Planet Rock poll, and more Progressive Rock has much to teach the Learning Community, since Prog Rock's use of imagination stretches the imagination The Album Cover is strangely relevant to the revolution that is happening in education: Neil Peart Drummer for Rush and creator of my favourite rhythm style described the Starman in an interview with Creem magazine: quotAll the naked man means is the abstract man against the masses The red star symbolizes any collectivist mentality quot There is no success to be had in sheep-dip training One-size-fits-all doesn't even work in clothing! So we've formalised our 2112 approach to quotThe Learning Campaignquot 21 days of follow-up post any learning event, 12 weeks of integration, 12 months of activities, tools, mentoring, evaluation, and coaching all tailor-made to fit you! Fascinatingly, my latest research into neuroscience suggests that none of us lives in the same world This is because all sensory inputs other than smell are filtered through a screening system that evaluates their meaning and relevance again past data Since none of us share the same past - not even identical twins - with have no choice but to evaluate and respond to the world in our own way This is one reason why one programme will work magnificently with one group, only to fail miserably with another! You are all so special! This also means that trainers and I mean quotreal trainersquot - those with a Vocation and Vision to train need to read each group anew And the same must be said for preparation and follow-up Cue Rush 2112 we must tailor but also make alterations to our bespoke learning architecture Trainers are also a bunch of Pirates - nicking anything that works! So, forgive me for not going into too much detail about how this Campaign for Learning approach makes us different from other providers know, that if you are a client or potential client, all will be revealed as we go through the rapport building phase of our exciting engagement! For more, hit that Contact link LearnFast Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.entertrainment.co/blogdetails.aspx?p=45 We can add real value to our daily lives by turning lsquovaluersquo into a mnemonic for how to re-pattern, re-programme our mind The New Testament holds out the hope of dramatic transformation, a personal metamorphosis, through the lsquorenewing of your mindrsquo ndash through changing your patterns of thinking So how do we provoke these personal paradigm shifts Letrsquos make V A L U E stand for the elements of the process: V = Visualisation A = Affirmation L = Language U = Underline E = Entrain You will all have your own associations for the meanings of each of these words ndash so, to move forward, letrsquos agree on a common understanding Visualisation I was shocked to find out that, regardless of any sensory learning preference, all sensory inputs save for scent go through the junction box of the visual areas of the cortex This means that visualisation has primacy over all our other sensory processing ndash except for scent What you see can condition how you hear something! What you see can easily change how you taste somethinghellip and what you physically feel Taking control of what we internally visualise becomes an important key to success How do you see yourself How do you see the World around you Is it a friendly Universe Or is it a difficult World in which to live The ways we lsquoseersquo internally are what we call beliefs ndash and according to your faith, your beliefs, it will be lsquodone unto yoursquo For all of us then, it is time to change some of the movies we are watching if we wish to add value to our lives See yourself as you would wish to be Visualise your relationships as you would prefer them to play out Visualise yourself earning the income you would want Visualise yourself at your target weight, and wearing the kind of clothes you would wish to Capture your own imagination with a compelling vision of all you would prefer in life Affirmation As a lsquoMentorrsquo, the major phrases I listen out for are peoplersquos ldquoI amhelliprdquo statements Our ldquoI amhelliprdquo statements reveal our beliefs Rather wonderfully, we can change our beliefs by re-patterning our ldquoI amhelliprdquo statements! As with visualisation, what ldquoI amhelliprdquo statements would you prefer to hear coming out of your mouth or flowing through your thoughts How many of us poison our minds with destructive and limiting beliefs such as, ldquoI am unattractive,rdquo or ldquoI am stupid,rdquo or ldquoI am useless athelliprdquo Your mental awareness is a faithful servant ndash and whatever statements you articulate inwardly or outwardly , your mental awareness will gather evidence to support So, if you see yourself as unattractive and affirm this, your faithful servant will pay exquisite attention to every put-down you hear about your appearance ndash and will notice every time you look in the mirror and catch yourself looking less than glamorous Itrsquos time to free the new you! Itrsquos time to upgrade your ldquoI amhelliprdquo statements! Try these on for size, ldquoI am attractive!rdquo ldquoI am a quick learner!rdquo ldquoI am a non-smoker!rdquo ldquoI am earning insert your chosen income per year!rdquo Crazy though this sounds, it workshellip eventually Yoursquove undergone a long period of programming to get you to where you are today The evidence wonrsquot change overnight, but you can begin the transformation in an instant Affirmations need to be positive, personal, and present tense as opposed to future tense Your mind, your faithful servant, will then find ways to make your circumstances match your affirmations Develop affirmations for your personality eg ldquoI am kindrdquo your finances your looks your health your weight your relationships your state-of-mind even your possessions Language You can multiply the effectiveness of your inner visualisations and affirmations by externalising and articulating them out loud The New Testament states, ldquofaith comes by hearinghelliprdquo This makes the mirror one of your best friends I find it impossible to stand in front of the mirror, affirming out loud that, ldquoI like myself!rdquo or ldquoI love myself!rdquo, without rapidly shifting my mindset into the positivehellip in fact, I usually soon begin smiling or laughing You arenrsquot going to love others effectively until you learn to love yourself The Apostle James had many unpleasant things to say about the power of the tongue as a force for harm He asserted that we needed to get control of our tongues My belief is that if we can control our thoughts and our words, we will master self-control and change our destiny One of the secrets is to be gentle with yourself When you catch yourself articulating a negative message ndash gently interrupt yourself! There is no value in beating yourself up about it Just use an interrupt pattern and restate yourself I might choose the humorous interrupt of saying out loud, ldquoWhoops!rdquo and then following that with the statement, ldquoLet me rephrase myselfhelliprdquo or ldquoLet me start againhelliprdquo Let the way of peace be your pilot ndash asking yourself, ldquoDoes this bring me peace rdquo If not, change what yoursquore saying until inner peace floods your consciousness Underline ldquoUnderlinerdquo is a wonderful word, as is ldquounderscorerdquo or the old-fashioned ldquoundergirdrdquo They are supportive, reinforcing words They draw attention to the words they underline! Nothing draws attention to your words more than your actions Underline your visualisations, your affirmations, your language ndash with your actions Act as if what you are articulating is already true Our beliefs affect our behaviours ndash but the opposite is true too You can transform your beliefs in yourself by behaving differently Act as if you were already as confident as you would choose to be Act as if you are calm in that important meeting or interview Underline your the words of your life script with corresponding action Entrain ldquoEntrainrdquo is a technical word that has transformed my life It describes the phenomenon of getting in to sync with another stimulus or signal Eg, tapping your foot to the beat of a catchy tune ndash means you have entrained to the beat When we find ourselves making similar gestures to others, talking at a similar speed or volume, using their tone or even their choice of words ndash we have been entrained by them You too can become an Entrainer ndash the leader By teaching other people about the transformational techniques you are learning, you can strengthen the power of these techniques in your own life Expression deepens impression This is why complaining out loud about some supposed annoyance is not necessarily helpful or cathartic More often you will find yourself become angrier as you lsquorehearsersquo the imagined offence or irritation Far more powerful is the phenomenon of rehearsing excellence by sharing positive ideas and strategies with others The more you rehearse and review, the more lsquorealrsquo they feel The other way to entrain is to become entrained yourself by people who are already exhibiting the kinds of excellence you desire and aspire to You are what you associate ndash or whom you associate with The old proverb suggests that, ldquoBad company corrupts good character rdquo I agree The opposite is also true ndash associate with enough positive and lsquosuccessfulrsquo people and it will rub off on you As a result of understanding this, some of us will have to change our circle of friends Change your circle of friends and you will transform your circle of influence [This blog entry is also available as a downloadable podcast: V A L U E ] LearnFast Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.entertrainment.co/blogdetails.aspx?p=44 Todayrsquos Wisdom Literature takes a snippet from Proverbs 6 Solomon, recognised as the Wisest man among those born of women, was a Naturalist He drew much Divine Inspiration from Nature, and here is one of my favourite lessons 6 Go to the ant, you sluggard consider its ways and be wise! 7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest The Ant truly has many lessons for us in this day and age So many of us have lsquono commander, no overseer or rulerrsquo ndash and rightfully donrsquot want one But such lsquofreedomrsquo is a two-edged sword With one side we cut our own broad swathe through life ndash feeling energised, motivated, and liberated Yet the other side demands of us discipline, diligence, and the foresight to manage our own affairs The latter can be a drudge ndash and there is no escape from the responsibility So what sustains the ant to lsquostore its provisions in summerrsquo that it may then lsquogather its food at harvestrsquo I would like to say lsquoVisionrsquo ndash and lsquoan understanding of seed time and harvestrsquo, but i suspect that ants donrsquot think in terms of such constructs We are not ants, however, and the concepts of lsquoVisionrsquo and lsquoThe Seed Principlersquo are useful for us On my time management programme, we talk about having, ldquoa place for everything, and everything in its placerdquo as a means to peace of mind and positive workflow The Ant shows us another aspect, having, ldquoa time for everything, and everything in its timerdquo This is echoed in Ecclesiastes when it says, ldquoFor everything, there is a Seasonhelliprdquo What lessons shall we take away today Amongst them could be: 1 lay aside provisions that you will need once the growing season of abundance is over ndash jam for tomorrow 2 is like no 1 ndash the principle of deferred gratification that is at the heart of sustainable societies and businesses 3 intrinsic motivation ndash being a self-starter, rather than extrinsic motivation ndash waiting for someone else to give you a shove or encouragement Nehemiah, the Governor of Jerusalem in a time of conflict, is my kind of man of faith His concept was to trust in the Lordhellip and double the guard! This may lay behind the half-truth that, ldquothe Lord helps those who help themselvesrdquo [I say 'half-truth' because I do believe the Lord and good humans help those who are in no position to help themselves ] Having faith means working harder, not sitting back like a sluggard! Go to the ant any time you feel like being sluggardly, and then take that next physical action step towards pursuing your goals LearnFast Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.entertrainment.co/blogdetails.aspx?p=43 We've all had our share of happy times and unhappy times Many things we cannot control or influence, yet there are more matters within our sphere of influence than we sometimes allow ourselves credit for For example, the power to make fresh associations Association is the very Operating System for the mind and it needs more updates and upgrades and bug fixes than Windows or OSX!!! One of these updates/upgrades is to learn the secret of assigning a meaning and assigning a purpose to each day and the events therein Life may have a purpose - who really knows if there is a great plan and what one's place is in it Most people whom I've met who say they know the purpose and great plan - tend to be complete nutters What we can say for certain is that your brain loves to work within a framework, a pattern If that pattern is a clear 'purpose' - the brain can work with your intentions It will then assign 'meanings' to events that fit the assigned purpose - this is how people take certain events to be a sign of something with deeper meaning This is also why people follow religions, political parties, and read their horoscopes - they are looking for meaning and a purpose - for life to make sense I say, however, it is time to evolve revolve if we are to insight a revolution against mindless superstition higher than this passive approach and choose to assign a purpose for each day This is the wisdom that got Viktor Frankl through the death camps and led to his liberating form of psychotherapy Thankfully, most of us are not facing such life threatening challenges that need to be reframed with a new purpose However, cliches often hold their own wisdom, and one I hear so often is that 'x' is 'dead boring' We must liberate ourselves from such self-limiting patterns and make everything significant carpe diem indeed! LearnFast Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.entertrainment.co/blogdetails.aspx?p=39 Messianic MirroringhellipGo, Brand Thyself! ldquo22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law rdquo [Mark Ch 1 - emphasis mine] As we enter a time of increasing uncertainty, many people are attracted to strong voices that seem confident and assured By way of contrast, todayrsquos equivalent of the teachers of the law often project a lack of commitment that inspires zero confidence in their hearers Thus we end up with people feeling drawn to all manner of fundamentalists ndash both secular and religious, political and all prejudiced After all, fundamentalism is essentially a belief system that inspires certain patterns of behaviour In these contexts, I see this as a very bad thing Any following of any set of beliefs that prevents rational assessment is not a form of faith but a form of laziness However, there is a powerful flipside I believe, in building a personal brand, one should inspire confidence After all, if you donrsquot believe in yourself, why should anyone else The Greek Philosophers encouraged us with the saying, ldquoKnow Thyselfrdquo I would say, ldquoKnow thy strengths ndash then project them with confidence!rdquo Any fool can pretend they know something about something they donrsquot ndash wersquove all met many of them, and, regretfully, too often in lsquosalesrsquo roles Irsquom not suggesting that kind of psuedo-confidence at all Irsquom suggesting you harness the power of knowledge by being an expert in certain areas ndash become the Voice in that area Jesus confronted the so-called experts of his day, challenging them with the assertion that they werehelliprdquoin error because you do not know the Scriptures, nor the power of Godhelliprdquo Letrsquos do our homework and then lay aside all false modesty In this day and age, people respect strength Be bold, be strong, and then do NOT be silent! LearnFast Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.entertrainment.co/blogdetails.aspx?p=40 I wonder what the first words were out of your mouth on New Yearrsquos Day I pondered this before opening my mouth this time! Mine were, ldquoI Amhellip Able!rdquo This made me think of Cain and Abel ndash in the Biblical Narratives Cain was jealous of his brother Abelrsquos abilities Abel was truly Able Whilst this, and what follows, is in no way a proper exegesis of the passage, it DID capture my imagination this morninghellip so Irsquod like to share with you Taking responsibility in 2011 is certainly one pathway to greater autonomy I believe our ldquoI Amrdquo statements define much of our inner and outer experience ndash as the inner world, so often so is the outer world Catch your ldquoI amhelliprdquo statements for awhile Do you say things like, ldquoI am no good athelliprdquo and you can fill in the object of the sentence I have decided to focus on what ldquoI Am Ablerdquo to tackle this year To me, lsquoCainrsquo reminds me of lsquoCaintrsquo or lsquoCanrsquot'! Letrsquos remember that Cain slew Able As you watch your ldquoI Am rdquo statements this year, also arrest every ldquoCanrsquotrdquo that comes into your mind before it gets onto your tongue and leaves your lips Even substituting the word ldquowonrsquotrdquo is better than any use of ldquocanrsquotrdquo in a statement Your ldquocanrsquotsrdquo will slay your ldquoablesrdquo! If yoursquod like to begin with a new slate, write down, ldquoI Am Able tohellip rdquo 9 times, and fill in the gap with a different comment 9 is at the top of how many matters we can track with our working memory, so more that 9 loci of attention for the year ahead will be less helpful than focusing on the essential 9 think 9 Gifts of the Spirit and nine Fruit of the Spirit ndash interesting, eh Of course you could write down as many positive I Ams as you like, then reduce them down to 9! Then, if you get the buzz from this, write down any ldquoI Am not ablehelliprdquo comments yoursquove caught yourself sayinghellip and rewrite every one ndash transforming it into it opposite positive! With love from your Mirror Guru LearnFast Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.entertrainment.co/blogdetails.aspx?p=41 The reasonable man adapts himself to the world the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man George Bernard Shaw I stand amazed at two of the most committed Christians I know in my life Never have I met two people more blind to their own lack of love, courtesy, and thoughtfulness Iremember another committed Christian accusing me of adulterous activity with a good friend with whom I just had a good friendship These are people who think they are pleasing God and pleasing to God!!! This is why I fear the lsquoreasonablenessrsquo of Fundamentalism, regardless of the Creed-Brand-Bagde it wears 2011 requires the wisdom of toddlershellip those who dare to ask, ldquoWhy rdquohellip and perhaps, ldquoWhy Not rdquo or even, ldquoWhat would happen ifhellip rdquo I am no longer impressed with hardline religious reasoning that says who are we to argue with the Almighty When I was a young parent, and my children younger still, I would not hold them to account for their actions They were lsquoinnocentrsquo at least until age 12hellip and, frankly, I wasnrsquot much move evolved than them ndash just a little more experienced God, on the other hand, claims to be much more lsquoevolvedrsquo Thus, in 2011, I abandon guilt and other cancerous emotions, and pursue only that which is good, and true, and noble, and kindhellip hang on a minute, that sounds like a New Testament quotehellip AND I intend to be unreasonable I believe lsquoreasonrsquo tends to protect only those in power and who are taking advantage Itrsquos time to say, ldquoNo!rdquo a lot more oftenhellip and ldquoYes!rdquo to being true to ones own self LearnFast Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.entertrainment.co/blogdetails.aspx?p=42 I thought, ldquoWhy not begin 2011 with a commitment to broadcasting via blog, Internet Radio, et al rdquo I know that as I approach 50 years of age, therersquos a great deal of matters I wish I had known at 18 ndash and all material that was accessible at that age Of course, Irsquom sure that if I reach 80, Irsquoll turn my nose up at my so-called lsquowisdomrsquo of 50 years experiencehellip but one must try! Thus, my three guiding lights for 2011 are lsquoLoversquo, lsquoKindnessrsquo, and lsquoOomph!rsquo lsquoLoversquo is a great guiding principle ndash asking oneself, ldquoIs this the loving thing to do rdquo is a great filter on onersquos behaviour Irsquom not talking squishy love herehellip sometimes people, such as bullies, need to be put in their place ndash but thatrsquos the loving thing to do lsquoKindnessrsquo, for me, is always tangible ndash something you can see, hear, touch, smell, or taste It is inseparable from lsquoActs of Kindnessrsquo ndash one of the reasons I like the Salvation Armyrsquos approach to practical lovingkindness lsquoOomph!rsquo is something else I am distressed by the lack of lsquoCustomer Servicersquo in the UK A lack of lsquosparkrsquo I want to engage with peoplehellip in shops, in the street, on the phone ndash at every contact point Peter Gabriel said, ldquoI have the touchrdquohellip do you Oomph! is the drive that lights the match the first time itrsquos the confidence that causes your signature to flow it is the natural style of the artist at home in their own skin and style It is not hesitant, nor is it apologetic It is focussed on the results it wants It is the chilli of lifehellip and by God, the Spice Must Flow! LearnFast Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.entertrainment.co/blogdetails.aspx?p=38 Are You Teaching Wolves to Chase Sledges This is adapted from Gavin Kennedyrsquos excellent book: ldquoEverything is Negotiable rdquo Please buy the book, it is truly inspirational, practical, and worth every penny A Cautionary Tale of Wolves and Sledges Sven, the head of Arctic Circle Sales for a Swedish freezer food company, is chosen to lead a team selling their products to the Inuit communities of The Northern Territories of Canada The team use dog sledges, and carry a rifle for protection from wolves and other predators One day, Sven is sledging home when he hears a wolf howl In moments, a lean mean, wolf is chasing him and the dog team Unfortunately, hersquos used his last bullet to shoot a moose for food Thinking laterally, he chops a leg of the moose corpse, and throws it to the wolf in hot pursuit Luckily for Sven and the dogs, the wolf takes the proffered gift and ceases to chase the sledge At the next team meeting, Sven tells his tale, and it is agreed that all salespeople will carry meat with them in future in case of pursuit by wolves For three months this strategy works brilliantly, and Sven becomes the toast of the Sales Team As dusk is falling one evening, Sven is sledging home once more, and, as had become the custom, the lone wolf began chasing the sledge again Sven took this with good nature - as if he had a bond with the wolf - almost an old friend But this time he heard the howls of additional wolves ldquoHere you go, boy!rdquo he cried as he threw a generous chuck of moose to the wolf The wolf ignored it, and was joined by a pack chasing the Sven and the sledge with a fervour that Sven had not seen before Thinking laterally, Sven cut off more an more portions of moose, until, one by one, the whole pack had ceased to chase the dog-sledge ldquoPhew!rdquo thought Sven as he breathed his audible sigh of relief To his surprise, at the next sales team meeting, he discovered that he was not the only member of the team who had encountered increased numbers of hungry wolves The team agreed to carry more moose on their journeys, and to throw as much meat to the wolves as was necessary to gain their safe passage back to base camp Thankfully, this worked well for another month, and Sven was once again hailed as the hero of the day An Inuit village was chosen as the location for the next monthrsquos sales meeting, and as the sales team sledged in from over the Northern Territories, they were met with a hostile wall-to-wall barrier of Inuits blocking their access to the village Sven, as leader, asked whether the Inuits were unhappy with the time saving, nutritious products he, and his team, had brought to the Inuits The Chieftain declared that they were all more than happy with the delicious frozen food Bemused, Sven asked, ldquoThen, what is the problem rdquo The Chieftain replied, ldquoUntil you came here, the wolves used to leave our sledges alone - now we cannot go anywhere without being chased by wolves!rdquo mdashEnd of Storymdash As a Nation, we seemed a very pleasant cross-selection of people As such, we are all in danger of training wolves to chase sledges When we generously give concessions, this generosity will not always be reciprocated Tough negotiators like wolves will thank us for the concession and then continue to chase our sledges - knowing we will yield more Does this mean that we need to become equally tough No I believe that being perceived as lsquohardrsquo or lsquopushyrsquo would be anathema to many of us Instead we must just brand Card 8 into our consciousness until it is second nature For every concession we must trade - we must seek a concession in return, and these concessions must become less and less as time goes by When we teach wolves to chase sledges, we will discover the opposite - concessions will get larger and larger as the wolves learn to press harder This principle is true for all relationships Every time we seek to please others by making a change, we train them to push harder on our lsquopositionrsquo Strong relationships are forged by strength-respecting-strength This merely requires that we always lsquotradersquo so that there are indeed lsquono free lunchesrsquo LearnFast Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.entertrainment.co/blogdetails.aspx?p=37 What does it mean to be a good 'M A T E ' Bob Dylan during his 'christian' phase challenged the church to show him someone who knew how to live a life of love Love is what I call a 'Life Currency' - something we exchange with a view to a result There are many life currencies that help each of us be a good friend or mate to others I am using 'mate' in the non-sensual sense - rather in the British meaning of being a close friend 'Love' is a difficult concept to qualify practically, so let's think about the other life currencies I've used M A T E as an acronym: Money, Attention, Time, and Energy or Enthusiasm To really show love and to be a good mate, sometimes nothing speaks louder than the action of putting your hand in your pocket and just helping a friend out materially That's the easy currency, so let's have a look at the others 'Attention' is far more exciting as a life currency For example, when was the last time you really felt someone listened to you -really listened to you Being listened to is a wonderfully life-affirming experience Try it today with someone else and notice how you become the world's best friend Sometimes more powerful than listening is the authentic use of touch I've just come back from two weeks in Texas where I was 'Billy-no-Mates' - knew no one Now, whilst I'm very comfortable with my own company, I must admit it felt like the most lonely two weeks of my life Why No attention! However, I had an experience that was fascinating At one of the restaurants I frequented, most of the staff were unusually attentive compared to other restaurants in the area, and contrasted with what I usually experience in the UK It was almost as if they should have put on the menu, quotwould you like the chatty service option, or would you prefer to be left in peace quot Being on my own, I would have chosen the chatty option - which was exactly what I got on the first encounter with the staff Immediately, I felt assured and welcome - and felt the attention was driven by a genuine interest in me as a person rather than a potential tip giver I have to say this was not true for all the staff All were professional, but some were just outstandingly 'emotionally literate' Of my 12 nights in Houston, Texas, I actively chose to eat at this one restaurant 6 times Even more interesting was a couple of experiences of non-verbal attention On two occasions the manager took time out to talk to me, and also sent across two of the Chef's special creations That was impressive What was more fascinating was one of the bar staff Very engaging in conversation, I couldn't believe the positive response she provoked when she touched my shoulder and exchanged some kind word It was almost a religious experience in the sense of loyalty it engendered in my mind I am pretty sceptical at times, so let me assure you, this was no pick-up! It was just someone who was very comfortable with others, and unconsciously brilliant at connecting through touch in an unambiguous way Not many people can do this, so I would have to say that touch is an aspect of attention that has a higher life currency value So am I encouraging you to go and touch someone today Nope! Physical contact takes a professional touch! It has to be 'real' and feel natural so practice with your nearest and dearest before you reach out and touch a stranger! When the time is right, recognise that in Western culture, the upper arm from shoulder to above the elbow is usually regarded as 'safe' and should give an unambiguous message that you're just being friendly If in doubt, research! Our 'T' of 'M A T E ' is 'Time' Giving the gift of time seems to becoming of higher value as its incidences become rarer Take time to share a smile with a stranger - many won't know how to respond, and many will blank you, but the buzz that comes from seeing someone else's eyes light up is worth more than all the times it doesn't work We may talk about 'quality time' but what is this Fundamentally, its the time you go to work! Most of us give our companies the best years of our lives and the best hours of the day This means that giving a friend quality time may also mean taking a day out to give them the best hours of the day Trying to pay attention when you're tired and exhausted is not giving someone else quality time The final ingredient in this exploration of how we can be a better M A T E is 'E' for 'Energy' or 'Enthusiasm' I was always struck by the concept, quotGod loves a cheerful giver quot How many times do we give time, money, or attention begrudgingly It spoils the gift When someone spends time with me, I want them to want to spend time with me I want them to be excited at the prospect I want them to be enthusiastic about it and so I should do unto others as I would want them to do to me! If you are reading this blog for commercial reasons - let me conclude with a reminder of my restaurant account above There's profit in attention If you want loyal customers - don't just ring them up when you want something from them Pay attention, and it will pay dividends LearnFast Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT