Christmas is over for another year

Today we took down our Christmas decorations. We don't hold to a particular day, it's more to do with when's convenient. I like taking them down, not because I don't enjoy Christmas, but because if means the beginning of a new year. It signifies expectations. Now all the ideas I had over Christmas and New Year can be put into action.
Christmas is like putting life on 'pause' for a week or two and now it's time to push the 'play' button and get on with what the year has in store.
That's exciting ...

My turn to stay home ...

Over the past few years I've been privileged to travel with my business, filming aid projects in Asia and Africa for various clients. One of my favourite countries is Cambodia where I have been five times. (You can see some of the videos and TV I programs made in Cambodia on my Youtube channel. http://is.gd/6VJAT8)
Next month however it's my turn to stay at home while my wife travels with a Mission team from our church. Our church has been sending short-term teams to Cambodia for some time and it has certainly given the whole church a greater understanding of how Christianity can benefit a developing country like Cambodia.
The team will spend two weeks in country and for most of that time will visit local aid projects. At some, they'll get involved by teaching English and building water filters but in my experience, the real value is in what the team will learn. The recent history of Cambodia is truly tragic and the impact of the Pol Pot era is evident still throughout the country,
But there is hope - mainly in the younger generation who were born after the Khmer Rouge were toppled. One of the big problems is trust. In Pol Pot's time, you didn't trust anyone - your wife/husband, your children or your parents. You never knew who might be an informer.
It's hard to build a country without trust - but the younger generation seem to be getting it right.
At least l'll be able to follow the team as they travel to places I have been a number of times and I'll be able to 'picture' what they're experiencing. Here's more on the team.

Getting a clear view ...

We've been spending a few days in the Snowy Mountains staying on our son's property. Things are different down here. On 250 hectares, your neighbours are a fair distance away. New Year's Eve was celebrated here with absolute silence. Nothing. (At least there were no wild parties next door).
At night though the difference is even greater. The night sky looks like it's been digitally enhanced and been hung about 1,000 metres directly above you. The stars are magnificent. The Milky Way is as 'milky' as it's ever been and the evening star almost as bright as the moon.
With no light or air pollution from a nearby city God's creation is magnificent to see.
The stars are the same ones you can see from the middle of Sydney, it's just that there's nothing in the way to cloud your vision. To me, it's a reminder to make sure we have a clear view of what we're doing. What gets in the way of your Vision? Maybe it's worth clearing the view?

The discipline to get marketing

As a self-employed consultant there are the occasional days (or weeks, if I'm honest) when the phone doesn't ring or the e-mail doesn't arrive. When you have no clients to service, the temptation is to think 'woe is me' and do nothing.
Each time this has happened, I've focused on ramping up my marketing. This might be as simple as going back through my business e-mails for the past few months and see if I've missed an opportunity or need to follow up on an enquiry. It might mean writing another of my regular newsletters or looking at what needs to be updated on my web site.
Each time I have done this it has produced new business. So whilst it's not the natural thing to do when business is quiet, so far I've proved that it works.
Why not give it a go?

The right tools for the job

My son and his mate are doing some road building on my son's property in the Snowy Mountains. The mate has his own Caterpillar D5 bulldozer which he imported second-hand from the US.
It's ideal for road building making short work of the scrub and even trees that get in the way. The cab is air-conditioned and there's a CD player and CB radio installed as well.
It's true to say that the D5 is a big boy's toy but one that's very useful for road making.
Got me thinking about the importance of selecting the right tools for the job. The D5 would be no good for a garden path or even for landscaping in the backyard.
How often do we stop and think about the tools needed for the job at hand? Selecting the right one will give you the best start for whatever you're doing.

Lessons from history ...

It's amazing how ignorant you can be about your own country's history. I have just finished reading Peter Fitzsimons book 'Eureka - The Unfinished Revolution'. It's the story of the massacre by government forces of the diggers on the gold fields of Ballarat on the morning of Sunday, December 3rd, 1854. The diggers had agitated long and hard for the gold licensing laws to be repealed. The government at the time was concerned that the new colony might go the way of America and that there would be a revolution against the Queen.
The court cases following the attack, at which all the accused diggers were acquired of treason led to the downfall of Sir Charles Hotham, the governor of the state of Victoria.
Ultimately all the changes the diggers had agitated for became law with a number of the leaders of the revolt ending up on parliament.
It's a great yarn and although I knew of the Eureka Stockade as an event in history, I had no understanding of the reasons behind it and how the diggers ultimately triumphed.
Well worth a read.

Sharing our feelings?

Welcome to the start of New Year. My resolution is to write something meaningful each day on this blog. Not sure it will be world shattering, but if it gives you pause to think, then I'll be happy.
With our local church about to send off a team to Cambodia, I've been reading "The Road of Lost Innocence", by Somaly Man.
Somaly was left orphaned during the Pol Pot era in Cambodia and sold into the sex slave industry.
I'm yet to finish the book, but one thing she highlights as she was cared for by a variety of family and non-family members is that Cambodian society taught you never to share your feelings.
With anyone. If you shared your feelings, this made you vulnerable to attack and abuse. In the Pol Pot era, keeping silent about what you had seen or heard was your best defence.
Its true of course - keeping quiet does 'protect' you, but what a diminished life that would lead to.
One of the biggest problems today in the Cambodian Church is that people still do not trust each other.
This year - find someone you can trust to share your life and thoughts with.