One thing predominated my tweets last week.  And there was more besides…

The main thing?  Infectious, overwhelming, inspiring enthusiasm.  And the opposite, which just serves to further prove the power of positive.

Lovely Looe!

Many self help books tell you ‘How to never work again’, or similar.  The best merely say to do something you absolutely love doing is the way forward – so that working doesn’t feel like work.  I’m lucky enough to be in that position.  But I do become very excited when I see proof of it all around me whilst on holiday.  Firstly, Pauline the conductor on the little one carriage train that tootles between Looe and Liskeard on the Looe Valley line in East Cornwall.  First she traveled through the train asking if anyone wanted to get off at the Halts – request stops – as she had to inform the driver (another woman – Train Driver just sounds like a male preserve?).  Then she took our fares and chatted.  Half way through the journey, she has to jump out of the train to change the points as we travel slowly up hill, zig-zagging.  I asked her about this as we arrived at Liskeard.  “Yes.  It is great fun.  I’m just so lucky to be able to do this”.  She didn’t call it ‘my job’.  It was just an endless piece of fun to her.  Then Richard of the Plough in Duloe.  He told us excitedly of his plans for refurbishment of his restaurant pub.  You just know it is going to succeed.  And the food was great too (see @canmencook) .  And then the opposite.  A miserable barman in a pub in Cawsand.  Everything was negative.  Everything.

Some people are drains.  Some are radiators.  I know which I prefer.  And research suggests that being so negative actually shortens life span.  Smile – live longer?

Had a quote from Disraeli too – you can get your WILYs from TV!  We were watching a serial from BBC, 1978 – Ian McShane as Disraeli (as far from Lovejoy as one can imagine).  “Complete honesty is often mistaken for political cunning”.  Isn’t that just fab?

Daffodil Festival at Mawgan In Meneage church showed the power of volunteers and gifting.  8200 donated daffodils arranged by an army of floristic arrangers – and making over £5000 in 3 days.  Uplifting.

…plus 8119…

What I Learnt Yesterday – week 3 – is all about the same sort of eclectic learning that happens everyday – because everyday is a school-day, and when you stop learning you stop growing.

It is a bit weird looking back at a week of tweets…I am realising I have a very wide range of interests, looking almost random, but the thing that links them all is people and soft skills.  This is why I am publishing them on this site (But the occasional food or eating metaphor may slip through…I can’t stop my @canmencook mentality either!)

Here’s some highlights:

• Intolerance – we always think our way is best and only?
• Weather forecasts – sometimes scare you and don’t prove correct
• Chicken metaphors are great
• New projects are scary but great once you get going
• Praise is priceless
• John Lewis know Customer Service.

Chicken? No, not the silly spat in cocooned Westminster, but a delegate on a course. “If you treat and feed a chicken well, you get better eggs”.  The workshop was about  Banter or bullying, and how to draw the line – but the quote has wider implications.  It is why praise is good, managers who coach and train have more successful teams who are high achieving, and a positive inclusive environment helps everyone work more effectively.Not bad from one chicken!

The praise bit was my sister, a school secretary, who had to stand up and present a piece of software to a highfalutin audience. She also had to demo it.  She moved from being rather Eeyore (from Winnie the Pooh) about it, to being decidedly Tigger when the Chair texted her after (how modern) to praise her. She is presenting it again in high spirits today to the teachers, and now instead of panicking, just said “Bring it On!”.

John Lewis needs more explanation. My auntie (severe Rheumatoid arthritis; husband with Alzheimers and Parkinsons; and a little bit of social care) had bought a new lighter vacuum cleaner.  My sister (she has done a lot of good stuff this week!) had fitted it together but auntie couldn’t even press the on switch.  Old scool, she said “I’ll just have to put up with it” Instead they took it back, and the assistant (sorry, Partner) at JL in Liverpool, took one look at auntie, and took the first vaccum back no question.  Then spent 30 minutes working togetehr to find one that she could cope with.  And they have done and it works and everyone is happy.

Well done John Lewis (and sis for taking the initiative).  JL Partnership obviously know how to feed and treat their chickens!

Izzy – Time Share Dog

(This week we also looked after a time share dog – my friend, Julian is away a lot so has to farm out Izzy.  We missed her yesterday after she had gone home. Gives me a chance to put a gratuitous ‘ahhh’ pic in though…)