The Newfoundland Fisherman 18th December, 07

A boat was docked in a tiny Newfoundland fishing village.

A tourist from Toronto complimented the Newfie fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

‘Not very long,’ answered the Newfie.

‘But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?’ asked the Torontonian.

The Newfie explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The Torontonian asked, ‘But what do you do with the rest of your time?’

‘I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take an afternoon nap with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs… I have a full life.’

The Torontonian interrupted, ‘I have an MBA from Queen’s University and I can help you!

You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.’

‘And after that?’ asked the Newfie.

‘With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to St John’s, Halifax, or even Toronto! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.’

‘How long would that take?’ asked the Newfie.

‘Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,’ replied the Torontonian.

‘And after that?’

‘Afterwards? Well my Friend, That’s when it gets really interesting,’ answered the Torontonian, laughing.
‘When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!’

‘Millions? Really? And after that?’ said the Newfie.

‘After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take an afternoon nap with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.’

And the moral is:

Know where you’re going in life… you may already be there

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Fix the border lineups, stop excessive idling! 25th September, 07

It’s public knowledge that the Canadian Dollar has recently hit parity with the US Dollar. What does this mean? Well, that’s a loaded question but I can tell you one thing is for sure, the border lineups will only get worse. I can tell you first hand that you should expect at least an hour or two wait at the Peace Arch, perhaps more.

Now, the lineups are not new but have existed even before the loonie experienced its recent surge.

Ok, so what’s the problem with the lineups

Besides the obvious — inconveniencing the public — we’ve got hundreds upon thousands of automobiles sitting there, idling in lineups. Sitting there for hours and hours, burning (wasting) copious amounts of fuel. If this doesn’t bother you, then that just shows what this society has gotten to with our acceptable waste. Newsflash! a single car wastes about just over one-tenth of a litre for 5 minutes of idling. Doesn’t sound like much, but if you count how many other vehicles are in that line-up with you (~100 others?) and the fact you’re probably there for at least 40-60 minutes each we’re now talking a minimum of $100 bucks per hour. I wish I made $100 an hour!! And so do you! So let’s get that back down to something we can all afford

The government is well aware of the impact of our idling vehicles has on the government.

If every driver of a light duty vehicle avoided idling by five minutes a day, collectively, we would save 1.8 million litres per day of fuel, almost 4500 tonnes of GHG emissions, and $1.7 million in fuel costs everyday (assuming fuel costs are $0.95/L).
Idling Wastes Fuel and Money

Why don’t they do something about this? Can they do something about this? Of course they can!

Specifically, at the Peach Arch; they could use the natural landscape to create (and increase) the gradual downward slope leading up to customs. This would allow users to shut down their engines and just roll un-powered down the hill toward customs (this is what Malin and I did last time we were in the border lineup). Currently one can do this at the Peach Arch in both directions but unfortunately the slope is only steep enough for a short distance and otherwise you need to keep your car running.

Now, this is a perfect situation for those of you driving Hybrid’s as you can sit there with no engine running, and use electric power to make your way trough the lineup. If only we were all so lucky.

So what is a realistic solution? A horizontal vehicle escalator (ones you see in large airports), landscaping for downhill slopes, mandatory hybrid automobiles, or something else. I know that as fuel prices continue to climb, and traffic continues to worse, there will be a need for a real solution to all this excessive idling!

Want more to read on this? Check out some of the research that has been done.

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Be happy, The Law of the Garbage Truck 24th September, 07

as seen around the internet….

LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK – Let the garbage go by. By David J. Pollay

How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you’re the Terminator, for an instant you’re probably set back on your heels.

However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly she can get back her focus on what’s important.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here’s what happened.

I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when all of a sudden, and I mean without warning, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the other car’s back end by just inches.

Here’s what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. How do I know? Ask any New Yorker, some words in New York come with a special face.

Now, here’s what blew me away. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!” And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck.”

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you.

When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You’ll be happy you did. I guarantee it.

So this was it: The “Law of the Garbage Truck.” I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, “I’m not going to do it anymore.”

Well now “I see Garbage Trucks.” I see the load they’re carrying. I see them coming to drop it off.
And like my Taxi Driver, I don’t make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

One of my favorite Football players of all time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field. He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best. Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses.

Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

Here’s my bet. You’ll be happier. I guarantee it.

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