Love

It’s months like these that prove I can’t plan out thoughts for this blog really (considering I’m rewriting the draft of last night following the London Attacks and now again tonight, whilst listening to One Love Manchester on livestream in Manchester).

It seems like a week doesn’t go by now when evil makes a noticable presence in the world. Bombs, cyber attacks, stabbings and rouge driving – all in the names of various causes. It really is disgusting. As I mentioned in a tweet earlier:

It really feels gloomy and makes you wonder what’s coming next. But I know we must stand strong. We should stand with Manchester, with London and with everyone facing terror in the world right now. As I’m sure many have said throughout the last few weeks, we can’t give in and live in fear – that’s what the twisted evil people that believe this is how to behave want and standing together we should fight for what we live for and what we believe by standing together and carrying on.

The resiliance and response seen in the last few weeks in both cities and the outpouring of support from people all over the globe has been astounding and restored my faith in humanity with the blaring message that regardless of race, religion, gender and political standing, we can stand together and share one love for each other. We might not agree on everything, but many of us believe in having that option to coexist so we can speak these opinions, have the debates and negociate democratically together. These are the people I will always respect, regardless of if I agree with you or not.

Whether you’re a believer or not, an important passage was mentioned in the Life.Church message series, and I think it’s important to know more than ever this week –

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

For all those that have donated, had a moment of silence, offered and served help or given a message or tribute to those affected and their relatives and friends, thank you for having a heart in humanity.

To Ariana and her team, you have my full respect and admiration for pulling One Love together and from what I managed to see online, a fantastic show.

 

For those wanting to donate, the Red Cross have an emergency Fund for Manchester and I’m sure there may be something similar set up for those in London too. You can donate to the Manchester fund from here.

 

Take care everyone this week, stay safe. I stand with you Manchester & London and One Love to you all.

Mike


Off and On

Well, it seems we have week 3 of disasters this time with the failures at Heathrow. It really resonates with what I mentioned in my post on WAVE Media on Wednesday. There should always be a backup. Be that a plan, another resource, a saved copy of your stuff in case the worst happens.

I can’t say I’m perfect at keeping things safe and backed up, but where I can I make the effort. My camera photos are saved to an SD card and backed up to Dropbox and subsequently my laptop. So are my WhatsApp messages to Google Drive. Many of my work files are backed up automatically by our IT Department as a blanket “Snapshot” of each NAS drive (personal documents, personal desktop, corporate share) every hour and kept for up to 3 days. Even this website and it’s sister sites are backed up a couple of times a day and I try to ensure if I’m at home or out and about I’ve got a couple of sources of internet available in case one fails and another phone in reach if mine goes out of signal/range and I need to contact someone.

When it comes to non digital stuff, I try to keep a plan for things too. Like pulling in resources over the weekend after the cyber attack happened to ensure the centres would be able to be up and running at work – which thankfully weren’t needed with our IT Department enacting their own.

Things in this world do sometimes go wrong and so long as you have a plan and you know how to get up and running again as soon as possible and if not at all, what you can do in the meantime, things can usually get back to business pretty quickly. In BA’s case, a backup supply would have really helped. Would it be possible? Who knows until more facts come in. Here’s hoping next weekend won’t fail us.

Take care everyone,

Mike


No Words

I didn’t get around to posting yesterday. I’m glad I didn’t, because my original message seems irrelevant now and my thoughts at the start of this week are short but sweet.

On the shuttle bus to work this morning I heard the news. Roughly 22 dead, some of them children.

I must ask to anyone out there that thinks this is OK. What is wrong with you? Is it a mental disability, a misunderstanding on what Islam is about? Do you get thoughts in your head urging you to kill people? If you can answer yes to all or just questions 2 or 3, then get help for your mental health!

By blowing people up you’re not a Muslim savior, you’re not a hero. You’re just a killer.

I stand with you Manchester and my thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected. If you’re missing or unsure of a loved one, contact them now to make sure they are safe or call one of the numbers published across news and social media and on the Greater Manchester police site.

Living in fear will only let the terrorists win, so let’s all try to stay strong, keep calm and carry on.

Mike


Cash? Or Check?

So, this was a busy week!

A potential move forward on my flat refurbishment (that didn’t happen) after 2 weeks of nothing, a move around of offices and a large scale cyber attack that’s left my local hospitals/places of work in a rather awful state. No rest for the wicked eh? Or is there?

I can’t pretend the NHS was the only place affected by the attacks of Friday, quite far from it actually. But it’s taught us a rather important lesson in security, backups and keeping things up to date.

It’s easier said than done and I’m pretty guilty of forgetting to back things up myself which thanks to the wonders of automation I have less of a worry over.

The thing that bugs me is not only the anonymity of the attack (which I suppose is a given with the vast array of hackers and malicious software writers out there) but also the lack of motive. Considering this was on such an unprecedented scale and given the timing in world events, somebody must be pretty bored or with a sick sadistic mind to think that launching this is okay (and considering they earned more in a day for pressing a button than I do in a year for working hard, somebody pretty greedy too).

My heart goes out to all those affected by the incident and whom now have to work over the weekend through days and nights to fix things and patch up before the potential second attack that security experts think may happen tomorrow.

Take care out there guys and let’s see if the Internet is still alive next week (provided all the servers holding it up are still running).

 

Mike


Waiting

Sorry for the delays in posting in the week, it’s been busy. Busy busy busy. Well, sort of.

It would have been a productive week if it wasn’t filled with chase up emails, calls and patience being pushed (I of course realise the hyposcrisy of making you wait an extra day for my rambilings 😉 )

When it comes to things not progressing – especially when you you’re relying on other people, frustration and stress can be on the rise – esepcially when others are asking you what the hold up is. But before you blow your top, ask yourself these three questions:

  1. Is there anyrthing you can do to help change the process or influence the forward progress?
  2. Is the person or party you’ve asked for help not congested with higher priorities?
  3. If you’re stuck with resistance, have you reached out to higher powers to help?

If you can’t answer any of the above questions justifiably then it might be worth investigating, if anything, to cover your back.

Whilst you must be assertive when chasing up to ensure your message gets across, don’t forget to be a little polite, nobody likes assumptions or being compared to a metaphonical donkey or orifice in the rear southern regions! After all, should the person you’re asking be a ‘yes’ in question two above or indeed be waiting on somebody else in order to get their job done, you don’t want to end up making them feel like the akward middle child in your argument.

Thankfully in most organised societies people have a productive task system and methods of communication, whether that be platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, Basecamp, or Wrike or through more traditional means such as regular meetings with the secreatary that calls up or emails now and again to find out where everybody is up to.

However you need to get out of your rut, don’t make the mistake some make by just letting it roll, because before you know it you’ll see this post in the feed again next week and realise you’re still no further when there may well have been an opportunity to move ahead.

Have a good rest of the weekend everyone and keep moving forward!

 

Mike


Complications & Interruptions

That’s apparently what life is filled with according to Christmas film Love Actually, and they’re not kidding.

Sometimes you’ll have a great week, sometimes things get in the way. When the plan changes at the last minute, what do you do? And what do you do if this keeps reoccurring? 

These are questions I’ve asked myself several times over the last few months when I’ve had a short list of things to do on Monday morning and left on a Friday afternoon lucky to have maybe started one and done several things that weren’t on the list in the first place (or indeed my job to do sometimes).

I can only apologise for a lack of blog posts this week too due to connectivity issues and no other time than the evening to do the work.

The lessons I’ve learned as a take away from this is to always have a backup plan, to follow the 3 Ps I talked about last week like a life mantra and to accept that sometimes you may well have your route planned, but roads close and queues happen, it’s where you plan to go next that you should just keep your focus on and before you know it you can divert yourself back to where you need to be, just like the blogs will be next week. 

Mike


Prepare, Prioritise and Persevere

Do you ever get the feeling you’re never quite getting to the end of your work? Or perhaps a task you hoped to start on Monday still feels no closer on Friday on the account of so many other things getting in the way? Yeah, me too.

In my daytime work, there are things that are still bubbling in the way in the background that I’d love to get done but many daily and monthly responsibilities, letdowns by other people you have to rely on (as apparently whilst to get it perfect you have to do it yourself, you also can’t be everywhere at once) and meetings/problems/projects that drop in at the last second, they often get pushed to the wayside for weeks or even several months at a time.

The important things I’ve learned through all this can be taken down to 3 Ps.

The first is Preparation, a term I already try to incorporate into a mantra I call PASTRY (an acronym I hope to later explain in a future post on sister site WAVE Media). You should always be prepared for the unexpected events, even if it seems unlikely they will happen. On top of this you should prepare for what happens when other bumps appear in the world which whilst trivial, can soon add up. If you have a contingency plan though, at least you can rest in the knowledge that you have it under control.

The second is Prioritisation. This one is usually a given, but clients often feel that they’re work is the most important. Being the one doing the work, it’s best to be the one in control (or at least partially) of deciding what is to be done first and then following in an order that allows for minimal disruption. The rule of thumb I’ve learned in this is “Do they need it now?”. If yes, crack on. If not, add it to the queue and be honest with them that it might be a while. Simple as that. At the end of the day, there’s only one you and being only human you can only do so much.

Finally, there’s Perseverance. The world keeps turning each day and people hope their projects they’ve requested will keep up with that. In the relentless run of work, it’s important to keep going as best as you can as failure is only really guaranteed if you don’t try. Your clients will appreciate your perseverance when the going gets tough and you might just surprise yourself. As the anonymous saying goes:

“The moment you’re ready to quit is usually the moment right before a miracle happens. Don’t give up!”

Happy Sunday and go get ’em!

Mike


Thine Be the Glory: The 2017 Easter Toast

Perhaps one of the more sung hymns this Sunday in churches today as of course it’s Easter Sunday.

For those of the Christian faith around the world it’s the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ after being Crucified on Good Friday, being placed into the tomb, only to find the stone rolled away on the third day and Jesus walking around again to the astonishment of his disciples.

For many who participate regardless of faith, it’s a relief to finally finish the 40 day (or more if you did include the Sundays too) tradition during lent giving something up and tucking into a mountain of chocolate. It’s also the joy for many who work, if you’re so lucky  to have Bank Holidays off in the UK, to have an extra couple of days off either side of the weekend.

The central theme around Easter of course, regardless of your background is new life. Spring plants will start to grow and reclaim the land after the winter and the association with eggs won’t be completely lost in the animal kingdom at this time either.

So if you needed an excuse to start off on a new venture, perhaps express something you’ve been holding back or perhaps to take a new big life step, use this time to serve as inspiration to help you take your first step on the journey of a thousand miles.

If you’re not starting from afresh but looking to build on what you already have, then perhaps looking towards a change or upgrade is another great option, whether you go for refurbishment materialistically or emotionally, refreshment or perhaps reviewing and revising to help the next financial year go better (or better still) for you.

However you celebrate this Easter time and whatever you may have taken away from it, I sincerely hope you’ve all had a lovely weekend and you will have some downtime in it if you haven’t already, so you can go back fighting fit on Tuesday with a fresh look into future life.

Happy Easter to you all!

 

Easter 2017 Greeting. Own Work

Mike


In the Works

This week has been one of productivity in many facets. For one it seems my whole flat is undergoing refurbishment, from damp control downstairs and kitchen update, to the workspace upgrade upstairs (that will hopefully keep pace next month). There’s talks going on to refurbish more rooms at the Trust as well as working on next steps for our new staff intake and a wider uptake of people taking responsibility with the Ed Tech resources we have across the sites. And perhaps further goings on to expand more of the stuff I create and the people I work with. More to be revealed in the future.

With all this work going off I’ve often thought it’s worth remembering to keep your bearing when you’re working and keep your eye on the final destination to prevent things from losing track. That said, if a possible diversion comes up, it’s worth looking on the map to see if it serves any benefit. It’s often said that you don’t know what’s around the corner and if you miss a potential turning, you’ll always be wondering or perhaps regretting. This works the other way though too hence why it’s worth considering rather than being hasty. If this sounds a little confusing, take a look at Freeway Theory from How I Met Your Mother.

Here’s to the future and what it may bring through the choices we make.

Mike


Spin Cycle

It’s been quite the week. On Monday I attended the funeral of my late almost step-grandad (not legally, but the family is close enough to be family), on Wednesday I went had a crazy day at work and learned a few lessons, On Thursday/Friday I threw caution to the wind and began stage 2 of my home workspace and Thursday/today thanks to having a little sun I managed to process more laundry in 2 days than I can usually get done in 2 weeks over the cold winter period in a Victorian building.

Through all this I’ve learned an important lesson and see in it action. At the funeral we were reminded of how Angelo was a hard working man, that started here with very little and worked hard to achieved what he had and from all our knowledge, he was about the family and was always caring to everyone that he got to know. Whilst this isn’t a ‘life changing’ message to me it has encouraged me to try and take more control of what’s happening around me. Take up the leadership side to my new role rather than waiting on the thumbs up to do something, to go ahead as soon as it’s possible rather than thinkning “meh, I’ll wait until I can afford the lot” and being brave and stepping out when opportunities arise for you to do so.

Ironically, due to the weight of the week and all that’s happened, I sadly failed you in delivering a post on Wednesday. The post from Tuesday was mostly prewritten so I was able to have that out just in time, but Wednesday sadly wasn’t. Rest assured you’ll have one this week and business should be as usual with hopefully a couple more exciting things along the way!

It’s an age old lesson but it’s surprising how well it hits you when you realise the world around you is always changing. We don’t always notice it day to day as the world spins at over a thousand of miles an hour (1,040pmh/1675 km/h to be exact), but when life goes into a spin cycle you need to put your best foot forward and make your choice before it gets too late and the world has moved on without you.

As I wrote in lyrics of “The Middle of the Day” (yes, it’s a demo recorded for a uni assignment!), when you come to a crossroads, whilst everything is a choice it’s often wise to pick a direction rather than pacing around and letting the day pass you by. So grab your guide (if you need one) and get walking down your path this week or be brave and seek into uncharted. You never know what’s around the corner until you take your first step and after time, you should be able to look back and see just how much you’ve acheived along the way and potentially paved the way for future people hoping to travel down the same route.

Happy Sunday

Mike