So you think it's rough...

Many people in different parts of the world have screen savers of our existence. They have pictures of the tropics showing the trees, waves, and just natural beautiful scenery. If you were to ask them about that picture they're looking at they will answer - "Paradise". (Just do a quick search and look at the images)

Here's the thing. We have challenges too.

In the Caribbean, we have to maintain that paradise. To maintain anything of value we have to do our chores.  It goes for many aspects of our lives - our relationships, our finances, our health, our surroundings, etc.

Here's a little hint. When you think you have it rough, just know that we who "live in your postcards" do not get to enjoy it as much, cause we have to work hard to maintain it.

In life, it's not about us. We are here to fulfill a purpose, which we need to identify quickly, so we can do our part. It's about more than trying to survive personally. It's about more than trying to pay the bills. Life is made for living to the fullest as God directs. How many of us stop for directions ever so often?

Here's what we've found living Paradise. Sometimes when we think we have life rough, we identify others who have it even more rough, and decide to live with an attitude of gratitude.

Have an awesome day and live life a little, functioning at island time.

It's annoying...

At points in our lives everyone has situations that annoys them. It's an element of life that we just can't seem to get away from. It may be something that you've observed, experienced, or perhaps got a third party story; the thing is everyone gets annoyed at some time for some reason.

Recently, someone borrowed something from me, kept it an extremely long time, and after being asked to return it (as I needed to use it), I found that it was broken. Not a word was said to me by the borrower, I only found out when I was doing the cleaning checks.

Do you think they'll ask to borrow it again? Your guess is as good as mine.

Here's why:

• They kept mine for so long that I needed to go and borrow one myself. (Now something about that doesn't make a whole lot of sense.) 
• They broke mine and said nothing. Therefore, it's will I repair it / get a new one. They'll never know in a hurry. 
• I've often heard, if you have to borrow something more than three times, then it's best to get your own. That quota for borrow / lend was long passed. 

The thing is, if there's a genuine need, I'm reluctant to lend again since being burnt on the last occasion the memory's painful because I take care of what is entrusted to me and they didn't. I am also out of pocket, which though it may be small it wasn't conveyed to me there was a problem, and since it's small then you can buy your own. 

Just thinking...about money

How can business be done faster at a slower more methodical pace? Is a question that comes to mind on occasion.  We live in the islands and often times end up so busy that we rarely get to enjoy what's around us.

They are people who have to spend thousands of dollars to get here to have a sea bath, feel the sand sift through their toes, or just feel the salty air against their skin as they sip their favorite drink.

We are surrounded by all the wonderful herbs that can help with the healing of most illnesses. Yet, we are too busy to enjoy them.

Why do we have the internet? In an age of the super highway one would think that by now we can do most things more easily. The banks are still being resistant to PayPal; even though the said PayPal has authorized that citizens within the islands can use their system for receiving payments and not only make them like once before.

How can this help enable the entrepreneurial climate? I would have thought that by now a seminar about using PayPal to enhance your business banking experience would have been introduced to the public. I would have imagined that such a seminar would be speaking to the safety of using such a service and what you should look out for in terms of virtual trading on the internet. We seem to be fearful of what can happen rather than equipping our business people.

I will stop here now. Got to head out for the office and realized that I was just thinking something that can be quite viable. Now I can't wait to get to work.

Have a great day folks. We'll link soon.

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Did you know? Our key asset is regional thinking.

For all the talk about hard and tough economic times, I still don't think we've learnt to think things through. Never mind our population has a high percentage of literacy, what are we doing to capture it? If I look at the answer, absolutely nothing.

I remember the days when we were students, our lecturers gave us projects which when we did the research and provided answers, we would never really see our projects again. It was those days when the lecturers were smart. We would get a grade and they would get paid, since the projects we received were real world.

Universities now have loads of computers and smart devices that can easily access the internet via the various hotspots on the campuses. Why aren't our economic challenges given as projects and the grades given are for solutions to real world problems. It would be a perfect match since students rather than just bragging of the level at which they got their various certifications can also speak about projects they actually did and their outcomes. Employers would then be happy to know they are hiring the best minds.

Emphasis would change from whether a candidate has the experience or not, to what their participation was in various solutions to challenges that society faces. Here are some examples of results from such exercises.

• The Caribbean enjoys the highest arrival of tourists due to their innovative programs for wooing customers to its shores. Our research shows we know what they want and how we can deliver it to them customized to their needs.
• The Barbadian [place your country here] were able to avert massive layoffs due to workplace innovations that the students researched and institutes
• The labour force expands not via the provision of jobs, but through the creation of needed businesses our future has evolved into a new era. 
• Local business examined and implemented cross border entry strategies that facilitated expansion of various categories of start up enterprises just over eighteen (18) months old. 
• Richard Branson recognizes the Caribbean as the worlds leading source of entrepreneurial enterprises. 
• Caribbean small businesses use OM to tighten their costs and revenue structures. 
• Customer service is not lip service in the Caribbean, they have taken practical steps to hone their skills as the worlds leaders in customer service excellence. 
• The Caribbean has solved airlift challenges; reducing inter islands travel costs and enhanced profitability for the carriers

Are you beginning to get the idea? Case studies can be real. Instead of a grade, be paid with tangible workable recognition that enhances your post student opportunities. 

Social Perils of the internet

There are times in this modern age that while you may be serious about business and trying to earn a living you encounter some nuisances. Here are a few:

• Hackers - can cause a major interruption into your day. Their attempts are not necessarily threatening to life, but the impede on your valuable time. 
• Spammers - peddling all kinds of goods and services that really do not advance your business. Don't they look to see what type of operations they are sending information out to?
• Love sick idiots - they have never met you, don't know anything about you, and want to keep sending sickening email about their affections towards you based on photos etc. Keep your thoughts to yourselves and don't even let the rest of us know you exist. 
• Dreamer schemers - they come up with some impossible schemes and are always telling you about how much millions of dollars from some dead person they want to transfer to your banking account. Having never met them, and looking at their illegal schemes, they want you to trust them with your banking information and contact details. Some are loony enough to fall into this trap. 

Let's make a concerted effort to be more responsible with regards to our use of the internet. In real life terms it is like, the graffiti artists who feel compelled to do their art on people's wall. I figure if you want to display this type of art then you should invest in your own wall on your own property. 

These are some of the social perils of cyberspace. 

No More Pity Parties...It's all a matter of Perspective

Have you ever thought that you were having a really bad day? When you thought that no one else in the world can be experiencing what you are going through. The world has a way of being unusually tough on you with grief and pain that no one else would understand until they have experienced it. I have had those days. 

Some days I would get aches in my body that surely they are isolated to me. Other days there were experiences that left one wondering how we survived. Recently, a taxi driver asked another man as they got out their vehicles in the parking lot, "How's it going today?" to which the other said, "My feet are hurting like crazy, but just now I saw a man with no feet, so I'm pretty good despite the pain." Over hearing the conversation, I thought "Wow, what a change in perspective..." 

Growing up, I always heard, "With God all things are possible". Admittedly, you never get the meaning of what that truly means until that time in life when you get an "AHA" revelation. I mean sometimes we don't understand any of these...

• How come the healthy die young and the sickly live a long time? 
• How come christian relationships break up and the unbeliever seems to be married for ever?
• How come the reckless seems to get the breaks and the careful, methodical types remain stagnant?
• How come people who know exactly what to do with the money they would get seldom do and those who don't have a plan, are less educated, and all the other qualities that shouldn't count always seem to get the money?
• Why do those who live carefully get cancers and illnesses while those who seem to have a death wish seem to live?
• I'm sure they are many other similar scenarios, however you get the idea. 

I have found that God is always in control, learning that when I see things from my finite point of view that God has the total picture knowing exactly how everything will turn out. You know, it's the growing through that's painful though. I'm sure the bible has many scriptures that would speak to this blog, however you're going to have to look them up yourselves. It's about a personal relationship with God, so get to know him for yourselves. God has taken me through situations, that only He could navigate so I just let go and trust. 

For me, though it's easier said than done. No More Pity Parties - You never know what others are going through that's worse than yours. So next time you think you have it bad - prayer, praise, and declare. I do mine in the name of Jesus Christ, cause that's who I believe in. 

Until next time...

Richie B. 

This picture in this article takes away the excuses that most of us tend to have. Though I don't know the person in the image, he's an inspiration to live life to the fullest.