been counting

Yes, I have been counting getting ready for the bean counter next week for my tax return. No matter how small your business, having a good handle on the financials is so important. I think I have mentioned before how this was one of the downfalls in my personal life many years ago, and something I have had to work hard at.

In past years, I would go to the accountant at tax time swimming in my own sweat of anxiety. There were a couple of years that I even failed to put in my returns and paid a hefty fine for it, which only added to the anxiety each year.

Now with the inner work that I have done around money, I can now tackle the financial side of the business with a degree of confidence. With modifications over the past couple of years, I now have a reasonable system in place to keep track. I currently use a free online accounting system called Manager. It is simple to use and does everything that I need to at this stage of the business, with option to expand its functionality if the business changes over time.

---

Flying Solo Tip 085365 : Only start a business once you have a healthy wealth psychology and good financial systems setup.

---

run of the mill

Just a run of the mill kind of day. An onsite photoshoot, and delivery of images to meet a very quick turnaround time and deadline.

I took the train to the photoshoot and everyone in the carriage was connected to some kind of device or another. It is so strange to actually observe the human race is such states of comatosis. It reminded me of another poem I wrote, in the early 90's. I had to write an assignment about workplace relations and what would be the key challenges in 30 years time, and writing that assignment had been the inspiration for this piece.

I remember that the comments back from the assessors was that it was a very creative piece of work. Pity I had not had the foresight to follow through with some of the ideas that I had conveyed in that assignment - I could have been a very rich person today. I had written about how most people would work from home, isolated from each other because they would all be connected through computers, of how home appliances like the fridge would order the food, and that everything would be delivered on time, on schedule, on automation. Anyway, here is the poem :

World of machines

World gone

Blasted into the infiniteness

Of the Universe.

I had lost thought an age ago

But how long ago

I honestly do not know.

They were able to do

Everything for me.

But, as I lost thought

To the world of machines

I also lost time

To comprehend, and

To understand.

---

Flying Solo Tip 084365 : Be the master of your connections with the world, and not enslaved by connections of convenience.

---

wise words

Last night I was the official photographer at a student graduation ceremony for one of the private schools here in Sydney. In a year's time I will be one of those mums, watching my child go through another rite of passage.

Normally such award ceremonies are filled with stuffy speeches with people in stuffy coats, however there was an exception last night. A truly inspired speech from a gentleman that has accomplishments and accolades longer than his arm, but I was totally enthralled by what he had to say to these young adults about to enter into the big wide world. I don't believe that there was a dry eye in the 500 plus crowd when he finished - the words were delivered with such inspiration you could feel the energy change within the room.

I actually felt a bit sorry for the speakers that came after.

The gentleman spoke about life's journey in such a poetic and beautiful way. He recommended to the students to carry two passports in life - the passport of gratitude and the passport of generosity. He spoke of listening to your intuition, but to sprinkle it with reason. He spoke of learning from nature - especially trees - knowing when to shed bark and leaves with the changing seasons. He spoke of tolerance. He spoke of about darkness and light in life and that both are essential to fully live a life realised. He also spoke of failure and that failing is essential for true success, for without failure we do not learn or are able to extend ourselves to something greater. I do not do his speech justice here and only wish there was a transcript available, so rich it was in wisdom, hope and courage.

He did also mention a Portuguese poet, Fernando Pessoa, who I had not heard of before and am now keen to read more of his works; and recited this short verse:

I am nothing. I'll never be anything. I couldn't want to be something. Apart from that, I have in me all the dreams in the world.

---

Flying Solo Tip 083365 : To inspire, speak not just from the heart, but with heart.

---