A good case for pylons

Today I feel on top of the world, but thoroughly shattered. I guess that is what I get from getting up at 5 AM. Not in itself exceptionally early, but a killer if you only went to bed at 2:45 AM. I'm not going to go on about having lots to do; instead I'm going to completely changed tact today. I will come back to the history of money and how we can heal our money relationships later or should I say soon (note the way I am being deliberately vague in order to keep my options open).

Anyway, what caught my attention this evening was an item I heard on "Costing the Earth", the BBC Radio 4 programme that looks at environmental issues. Now my approach to environmentalism is like everything I do, very pragmatic. I can't see how there is any sense in trying to get people to voluntarily change their behaviour if the consequences of that change is:-

a) Too far removed from the timeline of their conscious existence. That is, most people believe that the impact of their behaviour is way beyond their life span and unfortunately they don't hold the same values about generational responsibility as the Native Americans. I have heard it said that traditionally some Native Americans took the view that they should never do anything without considering the consequences on seven future generations. Put simply; it won't be their problem so they just don't care. And

b) The type of shift in behaviour is so great that people can't conceive how they would function if they had to give up or drastically reduce their environmentally damaging behaviour. For example we have become so used to the car that asking people to stop driving now that our lives are based around them is like asking people to give up mobile phones. Yes we can live without them but why should we. In my view cars are not the problem; the problem is that they use fossil fuel that has a greenhouse effect. So rather than expecting people to cut down on car journeys, wouldn't it be easier to make non-polluting cars compulsory.

Costing the Earth was looking at the arguments for and against pylons versus underground cabling. Apparently pylons are ugly and spoil the appearance of the traditional British landscape. I was shocked to learn that pylons are ugly. I have always quite liked them and I've never seen them as an intrusion on the landscape. I can remember being totally mesmerised by pylons as a child. To me they looked like a space army of giants marching across the planes. And in my imagination they were friendly, their outstretched arms protecting us from the hostile invading armies of aliens.

If I was naturally biased towards pylons; what clinched it for me was the revelation that it costs between 3 and 18 times more money to lay underground cables than it does to put up pylons. 1 mile of electric cable carried by pylons cost roughly £1.5 million. Conversely underground cabling can cost around £18 million per mile. Guess who gets to pay for it. Yes you and me through our fuel bills. I'm sorry, but electricity is already at a price point where I am seriously contemplating kerosene storm lanterns to light my house; so there's no way I want to pay 18 times more than I have to just to keep someone in the countryside's view of fields and trees “unspoilt”.

So much for the big society! Shouldn't the people in the countryside sacrifice their views for the good of the nation? If they aren't prepared to do that then I'm sure they could volunteer to cover the difference in cost through a local levy. That seems like a win-win situation to me. Perhaps I’ll send a link to my blog to OFGEM!

What are your thoughts on pylons – works of art or eyesores? Please share your views; I look forward to reading them.

If you tolerate this your children will be next

I think I'm in rant mode today. Not only has it been ages since I've had a rant; but there's so much to rant about today!

Finally Dr Liam Fox resigns! Durh: come on – it took him eight days to work out that taking your best mate to work and giving him privileged access to your employer’s information was possibly the stupidest thing anyone could ever do. Okay, maybe you could get away with it once on “bring your mate to work day” (similar to “bring your daughter to work day” but I don't think that they’ve been invented yet); but every day! Can you imagine if you worked for Apple or Barclays ...or anyone really; turning up to work every day with your mate; allowing them to sit in your meetings; letting them have access to company information (even if you didn't give them express consent, clearly they would have access to everything that you left and secured on your desk or your PC). How long do you think you'd be able to get away with that? Perhaps one day, maybe two. I'm pretty sure your senior manager would call you into their office and asked you what the hell you thought you were doing and promptly sack you. Oh but Dr Fox's senior manager is David Cameron and perhaps he didn’t think that there was anything wrong with it either. Are they really asking us to believe that for the last 18 months the Tories were unaware that this is what was happening? I am surprised that it took the Labour Party so long to bring it to our attention.

Moving on: Wow things have gotten rough in the UK! If you never quite believed that ordinary people do not matter to those in power with money and influence; what could say it even more clearly than the treatment offered to the most senior members of our community when they are at their most vulnerable. Moreover our obsession with remaining young really only ever had one outcome; if I recall they made a film about it. It was called Logan’s run. We may not quite be there yet, but as the song says “if you tolerate this your children will be next”.

Elders of the community used to be respected and valued for their wisdom because we recognised that having lived longer they had experienced more and therefore knew more. Now that you can experience a lifetime of knowledge at the click of a button by asking Google; we have erroneously convinced ourselves that elders have nothing of value to offer. Of course not all elders are wise and all of us, I'm sure, can think of cantankerous unfriendly old people who we would rather not engage with. However, I was taught to respect those older than me. Even if these days the younger generations think that they know it all; do we not owe our parents the same love, care and compassion that they offered us when we were unable to provide it for ourselves.

The treatment of elders in the NHS is primarily the result of the lack of resources that is put into this part of the service. It takes a lot of love and compassion to wipe up human excrement, to feed and bath someone who may be abusive and unappreciative due to dementia. It takes a lot of love and compassion to be kind and caring when you are stressed out of your mind due to the pressures of your own life and this is compounded by being overworked underpaid and undervalued. Is it any wonder that many nurses operate as if they are totally disconnected from the human being at the end of the service they deliver?



And on the street tonight an old man plays
With newspaper cuttings of his glory days

And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
Will be next
Will be next
Will be next

Manic street preachers: If you tolerate this your children will be next.

What would you rant about today? Please share your views I look forward to reading them.

Peace in our time

Today is the 10th anniversary of the destruction of the World Trade Centre by terrorists and the sad loss of over 3000 lives. My heart goes out to all those who have had to live without their loved ones as a result. Whilst there is no hierarchy of grief and despair, i.e. one person's misery is of no less value than another’s; I do find myself wondering how it is that the loss of what is a relatively small number of people, in terms of global disasters, has been allowed to dominate our thoughts and actions for so long.

As far as I can make out, no lasting good has come out of these events given that they occupy so much of our thinking. Indeed the number of lives that have been lost in retaliation, plus the justifying of despicable actions and the heinous treatment of others in the name of national security, seems to far outweigh the loss that America suffered. Perhaps it is because the mighty USA believed that it was invincible that it reacted with such ferocity; restructuring American society to be driven by fear and suspicion of everything non American.

Who has suffered the most? The Americans or the people who live in close proximity to those they have identified as the axis of evil?

The world is full of examples of people who have turned great personal loss into a quest for peace and reconciliation because they have understood that there is no such thing as fighting for peace; that revenge only nurtures your future nemesis and hatred eats away at the soul.

How different the world would be if instead of seeking to hunt down and destroy, America put all its efforts into redressing the injustices perpetuated by its dominance of world trade that engenders so much anti-American sentiment and thus provides ample material to radicalise those opposed to its actions.

It is understandable that until now it has been too soon to think beyond the immediacy of the pain. Now that 10 years have passed, let's hope that this milestone signifies the start of a new era of thought across the world , primarily focused on bringing lasting peace through mutual understanding.

Are workshops, boot camps, and seminars a feeding feast for fake gurus?

Joanna Martin and Me 

Up until last year I've never been to a work shop.  I had obviously attended workplace training and gone to conferences as an employee, however the idea of sitting in an audience with a motivational speaker asking me to put up my hand and lots of other woo woo, touchy-feely things just wasn't my cup of tea.

Friends and colleagues who were involved in this kind of thing used to send me tickets all the time and I just used to delete them, shake my head knowingly and think "what a waste of money and time".

Then I found myself on the outside.  Outside the regularly scheduled training paid for by the employer.  As a self-employed business person you suddenly realise that all your personal and professional development is now down to you!

So, around about this time last year, I tentatively turned up for  my first workshop and was immediately hooked!  Whilst there will always be the wolves that prey upon the unguarded sheep, if you get to attend a good workshop, and the majority are, they can be mind blowing. 

Like everything, there is good and bad and you soon get to realise which speakers are there to give you a learning experience and which are just there to flog their latest product.  Not that selling from the stage is a problem; it's like Joanna Martin, (who is one of the most fabulous speakers I've ever heard, and I was privileged to hear speak recently, (courtesy of my good friend Sandra Smart of Playvybz.com – the real world, award winning internet radio station)), says your job as a presenter is to inspire the audience to take action towards their personal growth. 

Two weeks ago I attended the millionaire women's workshop hosted by a Anneesh Elizabeth.  The line-up included five amazing business women, each an expert in their fields.

Rachel Elnaugh, business investor from BBC TV Dragon's Den,  Joanna Martin, a world-class speaker, who trains 7-figure Entrepreneurs, Lilach Bullock , one of the UK's leading social media experts, Sarah Staar, video marketing genius, and Anneesh Elizabeth, leading business psychology expert.

Each gave very different presentations, both in terms of their style of delivery, the energy created within the room and their ability to give us enough information to take the next step towards our personal growth.

The nicest thing about women’s workshops is that the energy is brilliant to start with. Together with having a shared agenda and shared experience, the opportunity to learn and grow from other women in the same position as you has to be one of the best ways to stay grounded and authentic when starting and growing your business. 

Obviously it's possible to get similar support from going to meetings with men, and I also accept that not all women's meetings are full of positive people.  I have encountered those women who have allow the energy balance between their feminine and masculine to tip towards the masculine side.  Such women I experience as competitive, challenging in the sense that they give nothing of themselves away: However, these are few and far between.  My usual experience of being in the company of women is that is energising, nurturing and often healing.  Women have so much to give to the business world and these workshops give us the confidence to be successful as entrepreneurs.

All the speakers were excellent and provided great value in their 90 minutes. To keep this post short and sweet, I'm going to concentrate on the speaker that had the most profound impact on me, Joanna Martin.  Her presentation on teaching you to become an effective presenter and sell from the stage was delivered with the skill and poise that you would expect from a master of should I say mistress, presenter.  She really lived up to her ethos of providing the audience with enough information to take the next step.  She established and maintained a real connection to me and the other participants, and even though her presentation was towards the end of the day when we were all flagging, she raised the energy to a new level.  I would highly recommend her as someone to go see you if you get the opportunity, and even take her programme.  She convinced me.  I'll let you know how I get on.

However, I can't finish without mentioning the organiser Anneesh Elizabeth, leading business psychology expert.  Not only was she able to bring together these world-class speakers, the event also included a sit down meal at the end of the day in order for people to network in a really relaxed environment.  That was a lovely touch and perhaps something that every event should aspire to.

My biggest admiration goes to her for stepping aside and not delivering her own presentation in order that the event didn't overrun.  Due to technical difficulties with the sound at the beginning of the day, the day was running behind from early on, so by the time we came to the late afternoon, it was clear that the event would not be finished by the scheduled time.  I guess there are few organisers who, having put so much into an event, would have put the needs of their audience above their ego and forego the opportunity, not only to speak ,but also to promote their own product.  Well done Anneesh, I will definitely look out for you on the circuit and catch you next time.

So having had such great experiences at these types of events and seen the benefit they make to individuals who are committed to their personal and business development, I decided to join the ranks of the best. Yes you've guessed it, I will be running an event; A Women’s way to wealth and abundance, on Saturday, 30 July, 10 am - 4 pm at the 7 Dials Club, 42 Earlham Street, Coven Garden. London, WC2H 9AL. 

It’s a dynamic one day workshop looking at those sticky issues that can be barriers to women looking to start or grow a successful business. Selling, social media, personal image and branding I will also be covering the 3Ps to wealth and abundance Passion Purpose, Personal Development and Passive Income.

 For details please go to the following link: http://womensway.tycoonwomen.com/?page_id=2

Whilst it's a woman's workshop, conscious, heart centred guys are always welcome to join our feminine energy buzz.

Have you ever been really and truly inspired by a presentation that you've heard? 

Or have you initially been inspired, rush the back of the room to purchase a product, only to realise a few weeks later that you had been mesmerised by the sales pitch and what you actually bought is not what you thought?

I would love to read about your experiences of good and not so good workshops.

Promoting scarcity only adds to the problem

There is something about the way in which things are advertised that really gets me.  I have a physical reaction to it.  It's almost like retching just before being sick.  This feeling is so deep; I feel it touches my soul.  What am I talking about? Well I'm talking about the way in which many people in business create a sense of scarcity in order to encourage people to buy.  The way in which some marketers hike up the price and claim that things are worth 10 times even 50 times more than the price they are actually selling them.  

What is it about our society that causes people to only want something if they believe they can't have it or it is in scarce supply?  It just feeds this want more, want it all mentality that is so prevalent and so harmful in western culture. If you don’t believe it is harmful, just look at the level of dissatisfaction, stress, mental ill health and crime in our communities. Always wanting more is not good for you on any level.  How can you have peace and find contentment if you are never satisfied? 

I have a theory:  if there is a heaven and a hell, then they are in fact the same place.  A land of paradise, where there is plenty for all.  The difference is that those who experience it as heaven have found contentment and are satisfied with what is.  On the other hand, those who see it as hell are always discontented and therefore, they experience it as hell because they always want more and cannot find peace.

There is a difference between striving to achieve and being continually dissatisfied. It is in the quality of the experience. When you strive you know what you seek, you set your goals and head towards them. Being dissatisfied is about wanting more without taking the time to appreciate what you have. It is direction-less because it is driven by what you see others having rather than your higher goals and desires for yourself and others.

All most all the marketing gurus and experts I have come across subscribe to the view that you have to create scarcity and basically incite our greed (as opposed to our need) response in order to be successful. If this is the case it is because we have conditioned ourselves to be this way.   

In recent years there has been a growth in the philosophy of abundance, possibly the best known example of this is The Secret. Many business people have been attracted to this idea as a way of increasing the flow of wealth in their lives. However, how can you purport to believe in abundance when you sell through scarcity?  

As far as I'm concerned if you're not part of the solution then you are part of the problem.

Well I refused to do it.  At Tycoon Women, the price offered is the price it is worth.  I'm not going to pretend it's going to go away in a moment if you don't buy it now.  I'm not going to claim that it is worth £1 million and then offer it to you for 50p. 

I will only ever sell products that I sincerely believe in, that I consider have real value, that I believe will be of  benefit to the people I offer them to and that the actual price is competitive.  My discounts will be offered through economies of scale and they will be genuine discounts.  There it is - old fashion, honest offers that respect your intelligence and honour our integrity to each other.

Are you fed up of being treated like a moron by being offered nonexistent discounts? If you use this pricing strategy did you ever try it the other way? What was the result? I’d love to read about your experiences. 

image:Business Woman Welcoming You With An Open Hand by photostock

One of over 250,000

For the first time in my post student life I went on a demonstration. Yes I was one of the over 250,000 people who took to the streets to protest about the Con-Dems programme of spending cuts. Why did I march? Good question. I don't think for one moment that the government is going to take a blind pit of notice. There seems to be something about being in power that seems to translate into the belief that you are the ONLY people with the ONLY right answer and consequently, the right to have your view dominate everyone else's.

Clearly in a country of 61 million people, 250,000 (or even 500,000 which is closer to the number that were actually there as the TUC stopped counting after 1/4 million) is not a representative sample, but what it does show is that this many people were prepared to do more than sit in front of their tv and complain.  Therefore, we shouldn't see each person as a single voice. Each person probably account for at least ten times more than than their single presence becasue they are representing all the "I dont like it but I can't be bothered to do anything about it" brigade- and we know that there are always a lot of them!

When you see this strength of oppinion in a nation not noted for public demonstrations of mass dissent it definately is telling you something.

So what about the people who do like it and can't be bothered to say? Well they already have it in their favour, so one can say they've already been heard.

Call me an idealist, but if I was in power, I would want to feel that even if people didn't like what I was doing, they were prepared to live with it becasue it was the best that could be done in a bad situation. The government cuts aren't the best that could be done in this situation! It seems like they haven't even tried to find a fairer way of providing help to the people who will be most affected.

The public bodies being asked to make the cuts have had to make them so rapidly that the majority have resorted to the only way they know how -  slash and cut immediately. Those Tory borough who are boasting that they have managed to do it without cutting services should share their insights and expertise with the others rather than just gloating! Gloating does not serve the community. This is just another reason to make the cuts over a longer period as argued by Labour and the unions. If there was more time,  more knowledge of what works could be shares. Let's not pretend that skills, knowledge and experience are distributed equally across the public sector. Community is about helping the weaker members and that goes for organisations as well as individuals.

John Mackey on Conscious Capitalism