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Today is my birthday. I have finally turned 39, a number that I have been using for quite some time, just to get use to it.
I woke up unexpectantly at 3am and have stayed awake ever since. Instead of going back to sleep, I looked out my window and soaked up the view of the parkland. I don't think I have ever seen it at 3am before. It was beautiful, peaceful and the perfect setting to the start of a new year in my life.
I woke up unexpectantly at 3am and have stayed awake ever since. Instead of going back to sleep, I looked out my window and soaked up the view of the parkland. I don't think I have ever seen it at 3am before. It was beautiful, peaceful and the perfect setting to the start of a new year in my life.
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Mellissah Smith
I am not sure about today. You know, when you wake up and your sleep wasn't particularly restful, then you go to work and for a second, you have to remember why you are actually there.
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Mellissah Smith
There is a reason why this marketing blog has been neglected and it's not something that I particularly wanted to share.
And, to some extent, I won't.
However, today I received in the mail a book and it was a reminder that 'everything happens for a reason'.
I travelled around the world twice in six weeks for business and when you do such an exhaustive trip like that, twice, you immediately get a feeling that 'it had better be worth it'. Fortunately, it always is. Afterall, its a journey and when we embark on any journey with an open and honest mind, we move that step forward to realising whatever it is that we were meant to realise.
Both trips were different. Other than for the business aspect, they could not have been more different. The first trip was one of adventure, excitement, opportunity and putting in place things for the future that needed to be put in place.
And, to some extent, I won't.
However, today I received in the mail a book and it was a reminder that 'everything happens for a reason'.
I travelled around the world twice in six weeks for business and when you do such an exhaustive trip like that, twice, you immediately get a feeling that 'it had better be worth it'. Fortunately, it always is. Afterall, its a journey and when we embark on any journey with an open and honest mind, we move that step forward to realising whatever it is that we were meant to realise.
Both trips were different. Other than for the business aspect, they could not have been more different. The first trip was one of adventure, excitement, opportunity and putting in place things for the future that needed to be put in place.
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Mellissah Smith
I cannot be sure whether it is because I have a whole heap of friends are reaching major milestones by turning 40 and 50 respectively, or that it really is a reflection of where I am in life, but there has been alot of discussion of late about the meaning of life. And to be honest, I really like it.
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Mellissah Smith
Sometimes, life doesn't go as planned. And that is ok.
As we continue to embark on the journey of life, we will experience it in it's enormity. Sometimes we will be so happy, we will literally want to pinch ourselves. Other times, we will be grateful and know that we are lucky to be in the position in life that we are in. There will be times where we will be sad and disheartened, but those, we hope will be few and far between. They will only help us build character and learn what we want out of life and what we do not.
I have had a few days of being disappointed by someone else's actions. But that's ok. They are living their life and I am living mine and at the end of the day, it's their life to live and we can only choose our own paths and learn the lessons we need to learn from our own experiences.
As we continue to embark on the journey of life, we will experience it in it's enormity. Sometimes we will be so happy, we will literally want to pinch ourselves. Other times, we will be grateful and know that we are lucky to be in the position in life that we are in. There will be times where we will be sad and disheartened, but those, we hope will be few and far between. They will only help us build character and learn what we want out of life and what we do not.
I have had a few days of being disappointed by someone else's actions. But that's ok. They are living their life and I am living mine and at the end of the day, it's their life to live and we can only choose our own paths and learn the lessons we need to learn from our own experiences.
Published in
Mellissah Smith
Sometimes, life doesn't go as planned. And that is ok.
As we continue to embark on the journey of life, we will experience it in it's enormity. Sometimes we will be so happy, we will literally want to pinch ourselves. Other times, we will be grateful and know that we are lucky to be in the position in life that we are in. There will be times where we will be sad and disheartened, but those, we hope will be few and far between. They will only help us build character and learn what we want out of life and what we do not.
I have had a few days of being disappointed by someone else's actions. But that's ok. They are living their life and I am living mine and at the end of the day, it's their life to live and we can only choose our own paths and learn the lessons we need to learn from our own experiences.
As we continue to embark on the journey of life, we will experience it in it's enormity. Sometimes we will be so happy, we will literally want to pinch ourselves. Other times, we will be grateful and know that we are lucky to be in the position in life that we are in. There will be times where we will be sad and disheartened, but those, we hope will be few and far between. They will only help us build character and learn what we want out of life and what we do not.
I have had a few days of being disappointed by someone else's actions. But that's ok. They are living their life and I am living mine and at the end of the day, it's their life to live and we can only choose our own paths and learn the lessons we need to learn from our own experiences.
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Mellissah Smith
"Losers live in the past. Winners learn from the past and enjoy working on the present toward the future." Denis Waitley.
If I look back at the past, I only see the positive influences that are directing me to the future. A fall in the park as a seven year old, taught me to be strong and that everything heals. A teacher in fifth grade that had me in tears because she dared to give me a A- on an essay, only to have to change the mark to an A once I brought it to the Head Masters attention, taught me to stand up for what you believe in. My Year 8 crush who never even noticed that I existed, taught me that not everyone is on the same page. Crashing my boyfriends new car when I was 20 years old into the garage wall while trying to park it, taught me to not sweat the small stuff.
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Mellissah Smith
Last night, I had the most awful dream, that a friend who has been unwell, was pushing himself to the limit and not letting himself get better, had a car crash. It felt so real. In the dream, I found him all mangled, and lifeless. After months in hospital, it was time for him to get out, but there was no-one to look after him, as he had literally no-one in his life. No-one knew what to do, and no-one felt it was their responsibility. I started to cry in my dream because I felt for him. Then, the tears streaming down my face woke me up. I was completely shakened. It felt so real. The pictures in my dream were so real. It took moments before I realised that it was just a bad dream.
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Mellissah Smith
In Australia, it's Mother's Day today.
A day that we show appreciation for our Mother's and tell them how important they are to our lives.My Mother is an interesting woman. She is highly religious, has an incredible sense of resilience and shows compassion to people around her like no-one I have never seen before.
As a child, I remember looking up to her. I loved that she wasn't showy like some other people's Mother's and that she always stood in the background, quiet, yet very supportive. She was the type of Mother that would bake a cake, pop into the school unannounced and give a slice to each of the kids in our class so that they could enjoy her delicious baking for morning tea. Knowing that I had a phobia of eating food out of a lunchbox, she also use to drive 10 kilometres to drop me off fresh lunch, or my favourite fish and chips, on days when the canteen didn't operate - so I would not starve.
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Mellissah Smith
Last night I watched snippets of The Voice. I am totally mesmerized by how taken I have been to this show. Here I am, a person who cannot stand watching television when a good book is on offer, yet I have been sucked in by this cleverly collaborated show.
In this case, it's all about the judges. Keith Urban's to die for looks and voice - OMG! Seal's sexiness and Joel Madden's incredible charisma - who would have thought? Even Delta, who I liked before the first two episodes, then found her speaking voice and over-acting mildly irritating, is now back in my good books. She is delightful. She has settled into the role and with these four judges, Australian Television reality shows has gone to another great level.
Last night, a very talented young girl who I know, sent me a link via Facebook to look at a video she produced as her entry to The Channel V Presenter Search. Watch this BUT PLEASE PRESS THE LOVE HEART BEFORE YOU EXIT:
In this case, it's all about the judges. Keith Urban's to die for looks and voice - OMG! Seal's sexiness and Joel Madden's incredible charisma - who would have thought? Even Delta, who I liked before the first two episodes, then found her speaking voice and over-acting mildly irritating, is now back in my good books. She is delightful. She has settled into the role and with these four judges, Australian Television reality shows has gone to another great level.
Last night, a very talented young girl who I know, sent me a link via Facebook to look at a video she produced as her entry to The Channel V Presenter Search. Watch this BUT PLEASE PRESS THE LOVE HEART BEFORE YOU EXIT:
http://presentersearch.vmusic.com.au/view-entries.aspx?Search=Georgia Sinclair
A clear example that there is talent out there waiting to be found.
For Channel V, holding a competition like this is great for driving people to their website. What was surprising though, was how hard it was to find out what to do on the website. I found it really hard to work out that you have to click on the picture, then click on the video, then click on the love heart. All a bit confusing. Not sure how it is possible that one person was able to get 300k love hearts clicked. Sounds dodgy to me, because it isn't very easy to actually work out how this competition is being run.
What are your thoughts? Does the website make it hard to like this competition? Are you struggling to work out what to do? What are your thoughts.
P.S. How hilarious is the video. Very, very funny!
P.S.S. Scroll down on the Channel V page, find Georgia Sinclair's picture, click on the picture, then an extended screen will pop up. Click on 'watch video', then laugh your head off, but before you press close, MAKE SURE YOU CLICK ON THE LOVE HEART.
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Mellissah Smith
Imagine this. You are walking down the street to buy an ice-cream. You are thinking about what ice-cream you want. Five selections come to mind, each with their unique selling proposition and price point. You select. You pay through mind authorisation. You are at a dispenser, and your choice pops out. You open the wrapper and start eating.
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Mellissah Smith
Ever wondered why you see the same number by coincidence over and over again?
While researches say that it is merely a case that our minds just recognises a number and attunes itself to it, could it really be more than coincidence?My number is 8. I park always in a carspot that has an 8 in the digits, I feel lucky when it is a date with an 8 in it, any ticket I receive always has an 8 and the address of many places that I go to has an 8 in it.
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Mellissah Smith
It's old news now, but it has me thinking... how realistic is it for the average small business owner to aspire to such great heights?
You would have to have been sleeping under a rock to not know that Facebook has just finalised an acquisition of the 12-man band, Instagram, for a cool price of $1 billion, give or take a few dollars, in shares and cash.
Firstly, congratulations Instagram! 12 people, 1 billion dollars, 18 months of sleepless nights. I am in! I am up for it! How can I join your club? I am prepared to wash dishes, empty your bins and learn to cook the most delicious lunches you can ever imagine for a decent share of the proceeds. Photosharing never looked so appealing.
Billion dollar deals are few and far between. They tend to go with over hyped market analysis and valuations of the hottest trend of the moment. Remember the dot com boom? Did anyone really survive? Did the big deals ever really get a decent ROI for investors? Maybe for those smart enough to get in and out of the deal very fast, but what about the mere morals. The Mum's and Dad's who put their superannuation into investments that newspapers told them where 'hot'? What about these people? Do you really think that they are laughing all the way to the bank or are they in fact just making these young millionaires richer by the second and the more they publicise the fact, the more the Mum's and Dad's who often don't have a clue about such things, invest more and more cash that they don't have or were saving for retirement.
Do I think Instagram is worth $1 billion? Hell No! Seriously, that is more than $33 per email address. Are they serious that this is going to get them a decent ROI? Are we all falling prey to the hype and ridiculousness of the social media era?
Sure, social media will be here forever - or at least until something else replaces it, but are these valuations giving false hope to small business owners hoping to crack the jackpot?
I have not used Instagram and probably never will. Being a narcissist and promoting the fact isn't really my cup of tea. I don't need to showcase what I ate for breakfast, that I met a celebrity for 2 seconds in the street and begged them for a photo, or that I am supposedly having a great time even if it was me who had to set up the tripod to take my own photo just so others thought that my life was fantastic and something that everyone around me should be jealous of.
And... where are the boundaries. Yes, my nieces and nephews know what Instagram is and have been sharing photos for ages. Some have children as little as 3 or 4 years of age, parading in their cute little bikini's. Well, I think this is ridiculous. Great spot for Pedophiles to hang out and get their jolly's.
There is not enough policing of social media and everything has a place. These valuations on companies that have made no profit are not realistic and does have little or no reflection on what companies are really worth. What it says is that an eccentric billionaire, had a good idea that Instagram would be a great add-on (which it probably is) and wanted to showcase his power by buying it at whatever cost. Not bad really, since it isn't really his money to buy it with. It's Mum's and Dad's at home who have given their money to super funds and fund managers, that love nothing more than to do a deal. After all, isn't that how they make their fees.
You would have to have been sleeping under a rock to not know that Facebook has just finalised an acquisition of the 12-man band, Instagram, for a cool price of $1 billion, give or take a few dollars, in shares and cash.
Firstly, congratulations Instagram! 12 people, 1 billion dollars, 18 months of sleepless nights. I am in! I am up for it! How can I join your club? I am prepared to wash dishes, empty your bins and learn to cook the most delicious lunches you can ever imagine for a decent share of the proceeds. Photosharing never looked so appealing.
Billion dollar deals are few and far between. They tend to go with over hyped market analysis and valuations of the hottest trend of the moment. Remember the dot com boom? Did anyone really survive? Did the big deals ever really get a decent ROI for investors? Maybe for those smart enough to get in and out of the deal very fast, but what about the mere morals. The Mum's and Dad's who put their superannuation into investments that newspapers told them where 'hot'? What about these people? Do you really think that they are laughing all the way to the bank or are they in fact just making these young millionaires richer by the second and the more they publicise the fact, the more the Mum's and Dad's who often don't have a clue about such things, invest more and more cash that they don't have or were saving for retirement.
Do I think Instagram is worth $1 billion? Hell No! Seriously, that is more than $33 per email address. Are they serious that this is going to get them a decent ROI? Are we all falling prey to the hype and ridiculousness of the social media era?
Sure, social media will be here forever - or at least until something else replaces it, but are these valuations giving false hope to small business owners hoping to crack the jackpot?
I have not used Instagram and probably never will. Being a narcissist and promoting the fact isn't really my cup of tea. I don't need to showcase what I ate for breakfast, that I met a celebrity for 2 seconds in the street and begged them for a photo, or that I am supposedly having a great time even if it was me who had to set up the tripod to take my own photo just so others thought that my life was fantastic and something that everyone around me should be jealous of.
And... where are the boundaries. Yes, my nieces and nephews know what Instagram is and have been sharing photos for ages. Some have children as little as 3 or 4 years of age, parading in their cute little bikini's. Well, I think this is ridiculous. Great spot for Pedophiles to hang out and get their jolly's.
There is not enough policing of social media and everything has a place. These valuations on companies that have made no profit are not realistic and does have little or no reflection on what companies are really worth. What it says is that an eccentric billionaire, had a good idea that Instagram would be a great add-on (which it probably is) and wanted to showcase his power by buying it at whatever cost. Not bad really, since it isn't really his money to buy it with. It's Mum's and Dad's at home who have given their money to super funds and fund managers, that love nothing more than to do a deal. After all, isn't that how they make their fees.
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Mellissah Smith
You learn new things every day... but you need to be open to it
Apr 10, 2012 Written by Mellissah Smith
Easter is but a faded memory (too much chocolate, an abundance of hot cross buns and vino to wash it down) and most of us are already back in the grind of every day life (that means "work" for those of us who are not still in holiday la la land).
I have arrived safely at my desk at 11.30am after an early morning interstate flight and am a bit weary even though I have just spent 5 days away, in the most picturesque setting possible with loads of sunshine, great wines and good food. The company wasn't too bad either ;-)
Queensland is such a stunning place. Like most people who travel up there, I always dream of living there permanently because in a week, you don't get bored, the flies don't bother you too much, and you cannot get enough of the sun and surf. It is pure paradise. Beautiful one day, perfect the next as the slogan goes.
Never one to 100% tune out on business, I learned a few things during my Easter break that I would like to share with you:
I have arrived safely at my desk at 11.30am after an early morning interstate flight and am a bit weary even though I have just spent 5 days away, in the most picturesque setting possible with loads of sunshine, great wines and good food. The company wasn't too bad either ;-)
Queensland is such a stunning place. Like most people who travel up there, I always dream of living there permanently because in a week, you don't get bored, the flies don't bother you too much, and you cannot get enough of the sun and surf. It is pure paradise. Beautiful one day, perfect the next as the slogan goes.
Never one to 100% tune out on business, I learned a few things during my Easter break that I would like to share with you:
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Mellissah Smith
Sun, surf, flying a plane and riding motorbikes - not a bad combo this Easter!
Apr 03, 2012 Written by Mellissah Smith
I am so excited! Tomorrow morning I fly to Queensland and after a couple of quick meetings, I will be off to the Sunshine Coast to enjoy the Easter break with my beautiful family.
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Mellissah Smith
