HappyVentures

Answer this honestly: Did you greet the day with unbridled enthusiasm this morning? Or did you wake up, realise it was no longer the weekend and had that "the weekend's over!" feeling wash over you as you caught "just five minutes more" naptime?

I'm starting to really love Mondays. And yes, this is a change. Previously I would lie in bed thinking "Oh god, I've got so much to do this week" and start my day (and my week) off on a less than positive note.

Now, the research around intention-setting has alerted us to what we know intuitively: How we start affects how we finish.

So it makes sense to wake up with joy. And short of having an alarm that rings with "I've got that joy, joy, joy down in my heart!" at six o'clock every morning (that would just be annoying...), I wondered what I could do on Mondays that would really set me up sweet for the week, and it was ... coffee. Yes that legal addictive substance that I mentioned last month. One of my biggest treats is to drink coffee in ... gasp... a coffee shop. It's even better with a friend. So, now on Monday mornings, Caro and I go to a cafe, I fawn over the fawn liquid, and we plan our week (and month). And then we seek out beauty and let nature inspire. There's something about a national park that just releases all those possibility endorphins. By the end of the day, we both have our businesses sorted and are relaxed to boot.

Bring. On. Monday.

I may have been a little bit presumptuous last issue when I declared that I would be introducing the HV Poster Child this month. Presumptuous because that was assuming that HV has only one poster child, and that's not the case. (I have a whole swag of amazing business owners who are doing their thang with HV zeal...). So let me get it right...

Introducing Happy Venture's First Poster Child [insert swirling seventies music].

I came across this guy's work a couple of years ago (before Happiness became the new black). I read his book, the Building the Happiness-Centred Business, and thought, yup, that's cool. And then didn't give him a second thought until I saw him in the Sales pages of a national newspaper recently, and thought, yeah, his time has come.

Paddi Lund is business owner who decided over a decade ago to put happiness ahead of money. He ripped out the reception desk in his office, put in a coffee machine, filled the air with the smell of freshly baked bread, took down his signs, fired half of his clients, and locked the front door.

He now makes three times the average for his profession, working three days a week.

I really like how Paddi worked out what he (and his customers and staff) really wanted and then delivered more. Apparently, the number one idea that people get from his books is the importance of thinking differently in business. Not bad for a Brisbane dentist, eh?

Check out Paddi's philosophy at www.PaddiLund.com

Happy Venture Quiz:
What would your business look like if you only worked with your ideal clients, and your service or product was so wonderful that they just couldn't help but tell their friends about it?

So how did you go with International Do Nothing Day? I found it an exercise in restraint as the body and mind kept wanting to go on automatic. (It WAS a workday, my mind kept telling me.) So it was great to find out what my natural work habits are (and see if they're really that helpful). For example, I had an unbelievable urge to "take care of" some paperwork sitting next to my desk, and put on some washing, and ... check my email. The computer stayed off all day and I count that as a major achievement. I also got to read a book and watch a movie. And just sit with my cup of tea and watch the trees... Overall, the day of nothing was an exercise in letting go of what I "should" do and reconnect with what I want to do (or not do)... Very fulfilling...

It has been a month of technological advances at Happy Venture HQ. When we last spoke, ADSL had finally arrived in our office, and after a few weeks of working out "Now, what's possible?", we have added VOIP and Skype to our communication repertoire. What and what? VOIP (pronounced Voyp) is Voice Over Internet Protocol which means using your broadband connection to make telephone calls (so it's sometimes called Broadband Voice). And Skype is a nifty piece of internet chat software that allows you to talk to any other Skype users in the world for free. So, now I can talk with my national and international clients or participate in conferences on Skype and we don't have to pay those pesky national / international telephone rates. And the quality is excellent. When you're kitted up with a simple headset and mic, it just sounds like the other person is right there in your head. (Not sure is this is a plus or minus yet ...) VOIP is a different story. I've found the quality to be poor.

The verdict: VOIP has some, um, development potential. Skype rocks.

I'm often surprised at what you can often do in a very short amount of time. I've been working four-hour days for the last few months and the productivity increase still amazes me. The other week I was really chuffed to find a new web-hosting service that had so many features that I had a new website up in an afternoon.

You see, I've been toying with the idea of using a blogging platform for a non-blog website for a while (because they are so easy to update, searchable, interactive, etc). I decided to give it a go for one of Caro's new ventures, Noosa Booklovers. Essentially it's a storehouse of the reviews she does for The Radio but we're thinking it could easily become a meeting place for book lovers on the coast, and perhaps some community could emerge from it. Admittedly, the site's pretty barebones at the moment (we have another 60 reviews to upload), but it's there and Carolyn can easily add her new reviews each week. Plus the webhosting package I went with (for very very little outlay - ten bucks a month!) has the capability to add a dedicated community forum or mailing list (or a whole lot of other interactive stuff).

It's amazing how easy and powerful web software is now. And most of the stuff I use is Open Source (which is software developed by programmers who share their code with the community to be tweaked and developed).

Power to the people.

Australia

Coaching in the Alps

A fun-filled week to develop
peak performance strategies for sport, work & life!

Relax and have fun while you learn how groove theory, seam-watching, unfreakability & success recipes can support you to reach more of your potential.

Coaching in the Alps delivers a series of short ‘masterclass’ sessions providing coaching principles and strategies for learning, development and performance in any activity.

Accelerate your progress in all aspects of life by applying elite sports coaching principles;
Define goals to optimise your success;
Turn knowledge into ‘know-how’;
Discover what really drives results;
Develop strategies for sustainable change.

This program is being hosted at Karelia Alpine Lodge, in Falls Creek, in the Victorian Alps. All welcome.

Dates: 24 September – 1 October 2006

Facilitators: Pamela Sinclair & Jane Buxton

Like to find out more about Pamela and Jane's Coaching in the Alps? Download the PDF

For more information, contact Jane Buxton
Mob: 0403 056 241 by 8 September 2006

Australia: Queensland: Sunshine Coast

Coach Meet

Calling all coaches on the Sunshine Coast... Come meet other coaches on the coast, share resources, techniques, experiences, knowledge, and more. Next meet is on Friday 15 September, 2006 from 3.00pm to 4.30pm at Mooloolaba. Call Trish on 07 5485 1811 to find out more.

happy ventures is for business owners who realise a successful business is not only reflected by your financial bottomline but also by how much you enjoy what you do. happy ventures is published monthly by Trish Weston and unless otherwise attributed, everything is her opinion. She'll occasionally back something up with evidence and research, but only if it improves the story. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please feel free to email her.

If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe to happy ventures, just go to http://www.worklifedesign.com.au/ezines.htm