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This month seems to be all about Blog Awards - CONGRATULATIONS to Peter from Holtieshouse, Peter has made it to the 2007 bloggies finals in The Best Blog from Australia and New Zealand. If you are in Aussie you can still vote, but quick... it closes today (their time). GOOD LUCK Peter!
I also forget to do housework, I can spend hours and hours outside, shovelling sand, laying pavers, weeding and planting and watering, but when I look around inside, it all seems just too daunting, and I need to have a little lie down. Perhaps I should start taking photos of in the house, that might motivate me?
What got me thinking about this, I DID do some vacuuming yesterday, and I was rushing about trying to get it done in a hurry (so I could get back to the blog, what else?) when I thought 'hang on, what if I was ENJOYING doing this, like I do in the yard - after all, it's just work, same as..' so I slowed down, put my mind into a different set, and waltzed about like I was having a good time. It worked. As they say "if you ACT enthusiastic, you'll BE enthusiastic!" Anybody else use that one? I picked it up a long time ago, got it from a Dale Carnegie course in empowerment psychology and sales techniques.
That was another really good time I had... it was in the late eighties, when I was working as the Computer Manager at a quite large firm of accountants in Adelaide. I got lucky with my career, I think it was more the times than good management, and it certainly wasn't about schooling and education.
I sometimes tell people, 'I left school at fourteen', and joke '... and that was reform school!' But it's not actually a joke, at thirteen years of age the system decided that I was an incorrigible and sent me off to live with the Good Shepherd nuns for a while. It was good though, they taught me to do shorthand/typing and that was really the start of my career. I never looked back, at age 16 I got my first job as receptionist/secretary for a local real estate company. I have studied a lot over the years though, learning the tools to do whatever job I was doing at the time.
But about the Carnegie; because I was a manager in the firm (quite a feat in itself for a non-qualified female of 'exotic' appearance, in those days)... we were all sent to do this Carnegie course, it lasted for 3 months, once a week, and it involved a lot of competition - we had to learn things, and do things, and be leaders and speakers, and motivate others. And in every category or exercise there was a little prize, and you got your name on the prize board. Now, there were more than thirty of us when the class started, and I think about 5 or 6 females.
A large part of my job involved working with the clients, from very small business with one or two staff, to some really big companies, with multi-departments. My speciality was in computerised accounting systems, and I extended this to systems analysis and design. Great stuff .. big job, but the relevance to the story is that I was very used to dealing with men in business; I would give presentations to management, reporting on existing practices and making suggestions for how to improve or renew. So the tools I picked up during the course were invaluable, and I still use many of the techniques I learned then, when I need them.
But the best part of all, is something I will go and have a look for now, and see if I can show you.
Yeah - I found it, I tell you what, this blogging sure gets you back into the storage boxes, doesn't it...
The thing is, I cleaned up (well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, and I'm bragging, but I did do well).
My name was DELLA MAJOR back then, after each category activity we all got to vote and the one with the most votes got their name on the board. The Highest Achievement Award was also a 'category' on which we all voted.
Not bad, considering my minority status in this group of high-octane, achievement oriented blokes! A work-colleague that was with me on the course was really p****d off with me too, he just thought he was the best thing since sliced bread, and expected to win, he never really forgave me either, and was a part of the reason I eventually left to start my own business - but - that's another story...
Now, I have some pictures for you to look at:
from the Passion-for-Pixels newsletter (you'll also find them on the links in my sidebar - this has got to be the BEST photography site I have come across):
If you haven't had a look at this site yet, it's really good, you can look as a guest, or load your own photos, and there are active forums where members help each other, and critique - it's a place I certainly wish I had more time to be at.
Sorry I cannot show you some of the entries (copywrite), but it is worth a trip to have a look.
The picture is one I thought good enough to upload to the 'for-fun' gallery.
10 Comments
I love that pic, Della and with your permission I might just paint it one day when I finish the painting I'm now supposed to be working on!
Great post, Della. You took me back to the stories my mother used to tell me when she first started working. Every Monday morning the staff would be gathered together and Dale Carnegie's "How To Win Friends and Influence People" was the 'bible' they were coached in.
Wow, good for you for cleaning up the awards...too bad about the guy that couldn't hack having a woman do better than him. I loooove out-smarting guys like him!
Like Lee, I love that photo, Della, it's a really unusual composition.
Nice and interesting reading for me,Della ! I also were more a self made woman then a "study" one. I hated school and almost slept through all lessons or made fun of my teachers (my favorite sport, lol) but then in real life I was pretty good and can look back with pleasure !
These blog awards are not very serious. I saw one blog winning with nothing on but advertisements (payed of course) and stupid content praising these things
Hi, Della, sounds like you are truly a "self-made" (whatever the heck that means) woman. Hurrah for you. You get my vote for great photographer, great techie and great story teller. Keep 'em coming.
all things seem to happen for a reason.. it seems you took the most from each! Good going!
.. i do love your picture.
Hi Lee, yes, I still have the little Golden Book, the basic ideas still work today. Of course you can paint my photo, I would be privileged...
puss - we were standing on top of the Pinnacles, in the Border ranges, I was trying to get the perspective of how high-up we were. It was a very overcast day, so I'm lucky the photo did come out well, thanks.
Hi Gattina, my school days were a misery, the only thing I was happy doing was the sports things, but as it turned out I did have a brain, I just didn't find it till I was about 28 years old. I think, about the blog awards, even if you don't win, it's more about the people around you getting in there to vote?
thanks Steve ::smiles::
Self-made is right Suzz, I am only sorry it was too late when I realised I could have been anything I wanted to be, sorry, but not unhappy, if that makes sense?
DesLily, absolutely, I think that too - where I am meant to be, doing what I am meant to be doing!
Ta, Della. :)
Hi Della..
Great blog just on my way out but thought I'd say hello.xx
Hi Della
you have had a good career since leaving school. I like that pic also congrat at getting all those awards
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