Time to Change the World

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed it’s the only thing that ever does.

Margaret Mead

Isn’t it amazing how the same principles keep surfacing time and time again. It’s the commitment, the time and just working at it, one step at a time. History is full of “world changers” – Wilberforce ended slavery through sheer persistence (it certainly didn’t happen overnight) … Mandela spent many years in prison but emerged victorious …

We could do worse than learn the lessons from these leaders – Commitment, perseverance, hard work, patience and passion are all qualities that would help you negotiate your way through your business life.

President Obama and Internet Censorship

The “Internet Kill Switch” bill, or its official name The Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act in America moves to the floor after it was approved by a key Senate Committee yesterday. Under the guise of national security (and we’ve all heard this from China before), the US government is proposing to hand President Obama the power to shut down the Internet for at least four months without Congressional oversight! What it means is that President Obama would have absolute power to close down networks, and block incoming Internet traffic from certain countries under a declared national emergency.

I don’t know about you – but this smells of Big Brother wanting to curb freedom of speech. After all, it was the Internet that helped President get elected to the Presidency. It was the independent news portal Malaysia Today and the Malaysian government’s inability to control the Internet that helped the Opposition party break the UMNO stronghold in Malaysia. For more information on this, check out Prison Planet.

Many of domains are now hosted in USA. Should we be worried … ??

10 Rules for an Executive’s Early Ulcer

Came across this list when I was going over my archives (Us accountants just don’t throw anything away) …

1. Your job comes first – all personal considerations are secondary.
2. Go to the office evenings, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
3. Take your brief case regularly with you – in this way you can review completely all the troubles and worries of the day.
4. Never say “no” to a request.
5. Accept all invitations to meetings, banquets, committees etc.
6. Don’t eat a restful and relaxing meal – always plan a conference for meal hour.
7. Regard fishing, golf, etc as a waste of time.
8. Believe it is poor policy to take all your holidays.
9. Never delegate responsibility – carry the whole load yourself.
10. If your work calls for travelling, work all day and drive all night, so that you can keep the next day’s appointments.

Can’t remember where this came from … It does makes you reflect on our time management. How often have you heard your families and friends tell you to “take a break”.  But we know better and we continue to work 24/7 (well, at least that’s what you’re being told!). Have you ever heard anyone say on their deathbed that they wished they spent more time at work?

Mac v PC

Talk to any Apple Mac user and they will tell you that you’re crazy to use a PC. Talk to a PC user and they say they just cannot make the switch since their businesses are run on PCs.

So – 6 months down the track, after much soul searching (and lots of debates in my head), I took the plunge and went out and bought myself a 27″ iMac. Argghhhh! If anyone says its simple, they lied! I discovered that my accounting package MYOB just didn’t run as well on a Mac. Even the Microsoft Office was slightly different. So you can imagine my horror when all those little tricks that I had for working my way around Microsoft Office just didn’t work anymore!   Even the feel of the Mac was different. So it was back to Kindergarten to learn all about the Mac!

Did you know that there’s hardly any true ergonomic keyboards for the Mac ?!?!?!? I mean … what on earth are they thinking? I was told that my PC ergonomic keyboard would still work with the Mac … But what they don’t tell you is that some of the shortcut buttons on the PC ergonomic keyboard does not work with a Mac – nor do the Numeric Keypad. On the other hand, if you buy an Apple Numeric Keypad, it doesn’t work with the Windows software installed in the Mac.  Total frustration!

Was it worth it the pain and agony to switch to Mac? On balance, I would have to say YES. The Mac is faster, the graphics and design software are definitely better. And once I got use to the way the Mac works, it was brilliant. My recommendation? Buy a Mac – but if you have a business, keep your PC as well. The accounting package works much better on Windows PC and it will help to reduce the amount of gray hairs you will get trying to make some of your business software work on a Mac.

In My Dreams I Have A Plan

How many of us can relate to the words of this Abba song?

I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills
I have to pay
Ain’t it sad
And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me
That’s too bad
In my dreams I have a plan …

But how many of us really do have a plan?  Apart from the fortunate few, most people do end up working all day to make enough to pay the bills and for some, they even earn enough to buy some luxuries in life. We drag ourselves from one day to the next. We dream, but we do nothing about making sure that dream comes to fruition. There’s an old saying: “Most people aim at nothing in life . . . and hit it with amazing accuracy.” It’s a sad commentary about people, but it’s true.

Plans are not just for businesses. All of us should have personal goals and plans (although the thought of just watching life go by sitting on the beach on some remote island does have its attractions … at least until I want that ice cream or chocolate – I don’t think they have those on desert islands).

I love this analogy that I heard a while ago from a pastor at a church “If you want a job, you must first apply for the job. If all you do is suntan yourself at the beach, then God will bless your suntan” or the blonde who kept praying to God to let her win the lottery, and finally God replied “Work with me … You have to buy a lottery ticket!”.

Yes Prime Minister

History was made in Australia today … Today Julia Gillard was sworn in as Australia’s first female Prime Minister in a quick coup. What can we expect? The issues that brought down Kevin Rudd remains to be addressed – boat refugees, emissions trading system, the infamous mining super profits tax … to name but just a few.  It will no doubt affect every single Australian as policies are changed (or not) in terms of income tax, government welfare benefits, work choices, etc.  I’ll leave the politics to the political commentators.

What is fascinating to note is the obsession that some reporters appear to have with regard to Julia Gillard’s hair and fashion sense … Shouldn’t the focus be on her abilities and leadership rather than her hairstyle and dress sense? Would we have the same attention paid to this if Australia’s new Prime Minister is a man?? I’ll leave you to ponder that one!