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This week I read The Shack and at first I battled to understand “Papa” but after getting more into the book I realised that God meets each of us where we need to be meet. That is also why He has never taken away our free will…  So I have to read this book again cause there is such a lot that cannot be digested in the first read.

I have also come to realise that we give people power over our lives and this is something that can destroy us.  So I would suggest that you read the book and then make your mind up…

And check out the webiste

Life sometimes throws you a curve ball and right now that curve ball has hit me and knocked me to the ground.  So apologies in there is a delay in my blogging but life will get better soon ….I hope.

This weekend I watched The Mummy and I  can’t say that I enjoyed it as much as the first one.

But is was interesting to watch and the action was good.

And this time round we went to China and not Egypt!

It is now just passed two years since I started my business and I will not lie it has been tough but I have learnt so much.  So here is to the next year ….

I first started to read this book a while back but got as far as the 1^st Chapter. On Sunday I picked it up again and read the book in a few hours. I could not put it down and when I was reading the last two chapters I was crying.

To Randy… you lived an amazing life and you have left your wife and children wonderful memories of the life you lived and shared together and to Jai, Logan, Dylan and Chloe time does heal the pain but the heart will never forget the man you called Husband and Father.

In the end it is all about the memories we have with our family, friends, Colleagues and strangers. People will remember us for different things but it is the memories that will keep us connected.

I love this book and will highly recommend that you read it. Each one that reads it will take different things from this book but will take something from it.

I have taken the following:

“When I complained to my mother about how hard and awful the test was, she leaned over, patted me on the arm and said,”We know just how you feel, honey. And remember, when your father was your age, he was fighting the Germans.”

“Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.”

“It just proves that if you can find an opening, you can probably find a way to float through it.”

“When you”re scewing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they’ve given up on you.”

“He gave me a feedback loop for life.”…Coach Graham

“But my father was a man of his word.”

“The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.”

“It’s easy to look smart when you’re parroting smart people.”

“He was proof, that sometimes, the most impenetrable brick walls are made of flesh.”

“….. she could see that the man had a slight smile on his face, the kind of absentminded smile a person might have when he’s all alone, happy in his thoughts…” “ I came to look at it as a feedback loop of sorts.”

“ Randy, it’s such a shame that people perceive you as being arrogant, because it’s going to limit what you’re going to be able to accomplish in life. Looking back , his wording was so perfect.”

“Let’s saddle up and ride.”

Jai.. I have four very good reasons to suck it up and keep going. And I will,” she promised”…she talks about how we’ve found strength in standing together, shoulder to shoulder.”

“I drove home under the speed limit, and I was smiling like a beauty queen.”

“Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think.”

“Luck is indeed where preparation meets opportunity.”

“Because Tommy was passing it on.” And little did Randy know that he would pass it on as well ….

And I can continue and continue, so read this book and be inspired to meet Randy and maybe just maybe this book will change your outlook on life and who knows you can achieve your childhood dreams…..

This is a movie about a young girl who works as a seamstress by day and a shoe designer by night and is transformed into a modern day Cinderella when she slips into a pair of her shoes.

A light hearted movie about a girl who is changed into a Cinderella when she slips on these shoes and how different her life is when this happens. She is more beautiful and people admire her but after a while she is who she is and when she is true to herself she finally finds love.

In life it looks like we are always in a play either at work, with a client, with friends and when are we truly ourselves we are happy. I am thankful that I have family, friends and clients who surround me and I can be who I am without having to play.

Honest is a wonderful thing and your yes and no must be because you choose to say them.

So I would say that you need to be true to yourself and maybe you can be a Cinderella….life is full of possibilities.

I do believe that you should have good systems in your workplace.

I know that because I have seen so many staff not taking the time to create these systems and then they will do a bit of this and that and somewhere in between they do not know what they have done.

I will spend time to create the systems I need which will allow me to have a workflow from A- Z and then should I stop in between I will know what I did and continuing will be easier.

The systems are not meant to confuse you but to make your work easier.

I have had to create a data capture form for weekly wages as my client had just recently purchased a payroll. The wages were done on excel ( which I did not want to get rid of) but I have had to make sure that all the relevant information could be on one form which can then be used to input into the payroll. So I have one form which has all the relevant Normal Hours, Overtime, Sick Leave, Paid Public Holidays, Loans, etc. Once this form has been completed each week then I use it to input the data into the payroll. When you work with money especially other people’s money then I do believe that I must have a checking system in place. So I will then take all this information and input it on the excel spreadsheet and this can then be checked against the report on the payroll.

All this does seem to be so much more work but I can honestly tell you that if I did not have these checks and balances in place I would not be confident of the work I have done. I need them as all the data can be checked by the employer before any payments are processed. And when you are new at a particular job then it is always good to have your worked checked because mistakes can happen and will happen.

So take the time while you are working to create these systems they will help you in the long run.

Yesterday on the radio I heard about a guy that has been sent to jail for 5 years for cloning credit cards. And quite frankly that is good news. Stealing is stealing and sure he did not kill anybody but you know what in the process he could have. I have a client who checked her Bank statements and discovered that some purchases had been made without her approval (credit card theft) and now she has to pay the account.

Until the bank has done investigations and confirmed that she did not make the purchases. Oh yes the purchases where for just under R9 000.

In the past the Bank would have removed that debt from your account and you would not have to pay but now because there is so much theft you will have to pay first and then be reimbursed. Thankfully she can settle this account but not everybody is so lucky. Would you be able to? Do not let your credit / debit cards out of sight!

My sister also had some problems in the past with cashiers who processed double transaction on her card at a local supermarket when she brought groceries. These people must lay at night thinking of ways and means to steal. Well they do say the rich must give to the poor but sometimes it is the poor who always get caught! Thankfully the bank did reverse these purchases immediately but times have changed so be on your guard.

So imagine you cannot pay this account and default… you will get a bad credit record and the stress that you will go through just having to deal with this mess …cause it does take a long long time for the bank to sort out…could push you over the edge so yes it is good that these guys go to jail and be pushed around a bit.

I love watching this series because on so many levels I can relate to this family.

This is about a family with all there flaws who when the going gets tough still stick together and that is what a family is about. The love which binds us together …yes we can scream and shout at each other but you know what we will always come back to each other. The pain that we experience is felt through out the family and that is so rare.

We are better people because of our family and yes we can also be the worse and yet we do not have to be limited by our family we can break the trends of the past and we can reach that goal because we have a family that is rooting for us.

And when we do not speak to each other for a long time ,and then that day arrives when  we finally stop the stupidity, we can continue as if the past did not exist. We are a family that loves and hates we are a family that hurt together but we are a family.

We may be apart over many miles but we are connected because we have a family.

So yes I love watching Brothers and Sisters because even though the family goes through ups and down one person’s pain is everybody’s pain and one persons joy is everybody’s joy and that is an incredible thing to have if your life.

So pick that phone up, write that letter, sms that loved one but do something and you will feel such an incredible love and yes that is what I am about to do.

I wish I could get all the staff that I have encountered over the years to work for themselves  in order for them to understand the complexity of employing staff.   My first job I told my boss that should I be sick for 1 day then I was needing a break but should I be sick for two days then I was seriously ill and still to today that is what I do and of course now that I am working for myself ….well what can I say …surely you know what I mean.  But for the staff here are a few details that should appear on the sick certificate and if you do not have a sick leave policy then I would suggest that you get it sorted out.  If your company policy is for a sick certificate to be handed in from day one then make sure all the staff are aware of the sick leave policy.

1.    The name, address, practice number and qualifications of the practitioner

2.    The name of the patient

3.    The employment number of the patient (where possible)

4.    The date and time of the examination

5.    Whether the certificate is being issued as a result of personal observations by the practitioner during an examination, or as a result of the information received from the patient based on acceptable medical grounds

6.    A clear indication that the doctor is satisfied the employee was too sick or injured to work for the entire period of absence

7.    Whether the patient is totally indisposed for duty or whether the patient is able to perform less strenuous duties in the work situation

8.    The exact period of recommended sick leave

9.    The date of issuing the certificate of illness

10.    A clear indication of the identity of the practitioner who issued the certificate

Any certificate of illness must contain the following:

The medical certificate should indicate the employee couldn’t work for the entire period of sick leave because of his sickness or injury.