The first thing that happened to me on my 50th birthday yesterday was an unprovoked attack by a small child and a dog.
Savage.
50odd. Day 2.
It’s Friday today (informative) and I am officially in my 50’s. I am 1 day in.
When I was 40, Lisa gave me a birthday card with a large ’40’ on the front. I frowned. I didn’t want be 40.
Oddly, 50 feels a bit better than 40. I haven’t processed why yet. But it feels a bit more sophisticated. I feel that I am allowed to pontificate in a similar way as I have done for the last 10 years, but with a greater degree of gravitas. Let’s see how that goes.
Anyhow, today I am going to namecheck a good (and quite recent) friend, Paul Lancaster.
Generosity. It’s Important.
Paul came into our Newcastle HQ yesterday to be filmed chatting about what it means to be pioneering. To be ‘doing your thing’. Without a map.
Being pioneering is a very cool thing to imagine. But it is an often paralysingly frightening thing to actually do. Those that choose such a path – properly – are very, very brave.
Paul is ploughing his own furrow here in the North East as a business connector. But not just any business connector. He is the best business connector. This is because he ‘gets’ that it requires selflessness, proper listening and an authentic desire to help people to help themselves. And I respect and admire that. I really do.
So I have all the time in the world for Paul and people like Paul. So long as they bring me a presents on my birthday as Paul did today. A cool bottle of Noveltea. An alcoholic tea created by two cool entrepreneurs right here in the North East. I chatted to them both in the early days of their venture. It is great to see their product come to life.
So; be generous. ‘Givers get lucky’ as another very impressive friend of mine once said. More about that later.
The Future of This Blog
By the way, I plan (once I find my feet with 50odd) to either educate, inspire, inform or entertain with my little online diary. I’ll endeavour to get better at writing too. So please bear with me*.
*I even had to check whether it was ‘bare with me’ or ‘bear with me’. Bloody hell.
2 Comments
“Givers Get Lucky” — I agree! My own (less eloquent) phrase is “It’s human nature to reciprocate”. In other words, help others, but don’t keep score. It’s in our nature to look to help those who have helped us — and usually when we least expect it.
Have you read “The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and John David-Mann (https://amzn.to/2uo9lrg) ? A great little business parable. Well worth seeking out!
I’ve not read it but I’ll take a look. And ‘my phrase’ isn’t my phrase. It comes from here: https://www.thedolectures.com/. Some of the finest people in the world developed this thing. And I was lucky enough to meet them. Michael.