It’s The Season To Be Silly

I enjoyed the MTV Movie Awards, as it was pure reckless abandonment. The producers had a non-mainstream Tom Cruise act in a skit where he replayed his role as an entertainment mogul (Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder). Perhaps, art imitates life especially affirmed after his nefarious and unusual couch-bouncing antics on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005. He walked a tightrope of non-seriousness by seriously playing a character.

If you act your goofy side, how does this affect you? Will your reputation be tarnished? Sure, we need to act appropriately in public and even in private, yet is seriousness a quality we need to exaggerate all the time. Boys will be boys, they say; however, men will be boys, sometimes. The film ‘Grown Ups’ highlights the reality that being adult is, hard work. Maybe, there’s always the kid within us that’s bursting to get out, sometimes.

Who audits our adult behavior? Who are the behavior police that arrest us for juvenile behavior?  Do we need to be professional entertainers to have the carte blanche to do silly things onstage and in public? People are interested in our other side – the alter ego who can be just as fun and human at the same time. It is like Sherlock Holmes cannot exist without his arch-enemy/nemesis, Moriarty.

Perhaps, it is all about having fun. Can we have fun at work and at play? Can we have fun and be funny at the same time? Let your hair down. There’s always time for unserious business. 

Fund-Raisers & The Joys of Racing

When John 'Cookie' Cooke and I chatted last night about triathlons, the subject of fund-raising came up, naturally. We were agreeable about raising funds as part of our training campaign next year at Lanzarote, Canary Islands. As part of a unique Family of Ironman triathlon finishers, we have the ability and belief to make a change through our relationships, capabilities and experiences. We are a bike-rack away from a new acquaintance or future friend. Like attracts like.

He was raising funds for his next challenge. I raised funds for Ironman Korea in 2006, and again in Ironman New Zealand 2010. Both events enhanced my reasons to race. I felt it was richly rewarding for me to help in my small way; everybody deserves a chance.

I am thinking of raising more funds next year for Ironman Lanzarote and Ironman Canada. I have a few charities in mind, however they would be lesser-noticed charities. I have a soft spot for the physically-challenged (athletes and paraplegics) and may seriously direct my expanded efforts on this group. I will think through and decide shortly. My friends online and offline, have been very supportive and I intend to leverage on their shared sense of altruisim, charity and care. I want to connect with like-minded individuals and their cache of humane values - it is energising and enlivening!

Appreciate giving, and you will receive many folds in return.

Just Having Fun

This afternoon, I conducted a teambuilding session for leaders in education. It was a short session that emphasised, among other outcomes, having fun.

Having fun - sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? How do you have fun? Is it about playing games, and having a few laughs? What is having fun all about?

What we learnt at the end of the session - when I had them reflect on the experience - was that fun was a welcome addition to a working day. Having fun could mean: learning a new skill; solving a puzzle; realising that there are other creative ways to solve the same problem; enjoying a joke; or discovering that we shared similarities.

Having fun may boil down to making a choice. If you decide you want to have fun, you probably will. Fun involves emotions that make you feel good. Don't we want to feel good? Sure, you do. We can feel good by giving or receiving a compliment. We can encourage somebody to do more, because we express that we believe in them.

When you have fun, time appears to go by quickly. It involves values like passion, enthusiasm, curiosity, and intrigue - and these make us more alert, and interested in others.

So, go ahead - have fun at work, and at play!

Leadership by Charity

‘It is better to give than receive.’

This morning, I decided to sign up for yet another charity cause. In the Ironman Korea 2006 edition, I raised about US$400 for Standard Chartered Bank’s Save A Sight charity initiative. I was delighted that I had enthusiastic supporters who nudged this process along for me.

Sometimes, it just feels naturally good to do something beneficial for others. There are many values we can activate from being charitable. These include generosity of spirit, abundance, care, consideration, recognition, passion, trust, faith, choice, wellbeing, choice and collaboration. Each value connects with another, and they can be combined to create even stronger and robust values. That is why values can be spread, promulgated, propagated and acquired.

Acts of kindness are about being thoughtful. When someone says to you: ‘It’s the thought that counts!’ it means that you have expressed values that are considered thoughtful. Fundraising has always been a popular way of expressing our values that assist others to live better quality lives.

When you select the Cystic Fibrosis Association of New Zealand as your charity to fundraise for, you can be sure that every single dollar you raise will be used to ensure people with Cystic Fibrosis lead a physically active life, something that is essential to preserve their lungs.

Children affected by Cystic Fibrosis need all the help they can to breath easier. Breath4CF was established to help families meet the cost of their children's physical activity needs and to ensure that their quality of life is enhanced and prolonged. Breath4CF grants funds to people with CF for gym memberships, entry fees, lessons, sports equipment etc, in fact Breath4CF will help towards any physical activity for a person with Cystic Fibrosis, that produces a health benefit.

If you would like to make sponsor my charity for the Ironman New Zealand race, please do so at my fundraising web page.

Already, Terence Ng has pledged $1 for each kilometre I complete in the swim, ride and run. The children thank him for his $226 [wink]. Thank you for reading.