Come play with us!

My art exhibition @newtown RSL went well (sold 9 of 13 pieces, pretty good hit rate). It's still there till July 1, if you're in Sydney, pop along for a drink or to see Monsieur Camembert, or Diesel and check it out.

Gearing up for another Ludic Creative Life is not a rehearsal day. I guarantee you fun and food for thought (and afternoon tea!); details below if you'd like to join us!

Trotting off to Paris on June 22nd. Spending time in Lake Como and the Loire Valley seeing all the chateaux as well, and even a night at Mont St Michel. Every now and then I'm overwhelmed by what a nice life I'm having!!!

Till August,

Cindy

Here’s a summary of this month:

• improve your business with improvising
• if the crazy boss is you, selling consulting and specialities
• Reengineer your life; a new magazine and 100 bulls*** jobs
• interesting ideas: Words, aging and small houses
• and fun (as usual)

May it make you smile!

Cindy

One more chance to improve your business skills through impro games, at the Ludic Creative Life is not a rehearsal workshop in Sydney on Saturday June 17th 2006. It runs from 12 to 5, and is a heap of fun!

The best recommendation we can give is that one past participant sent his wife along; and so far 2 of the 25 or so people who've come so far are coming back this time. You can see testimonials and recommendations on my website, but here is one now:

"Fun, practical exercises, tools. The day was well put together – a layered experience that took me through skills and improvisation exercises. At the end of the session I realised I had achieved my outcomes. Great fun too!" Suzanne Mercier – Business Alchemy International.

Life is not a rehearsal is on Saturday 17 June 2006, at Social Life in North Sydney, 12 to 5pm. It's usually $150. Put ezine in the discount code when you enrol, and get it for $100.

One of my articles, entitled BPR your life, will be published soon in Leadership Excellence. Read it on my website first!

Check out this magazine of the future, Chief Learning Officer. It looks just like a real magazine, except it's online. Then consider how looking for a consultant in your business is just like relationship counselling.

And if you're interested in plugging into new markets, discover why grey is the new gold. Or check out this review of a new book called 100 Bulls*** jobs and how to get them...

In last month's ezine we talked about crazy bosses. What about when the crazy boss is you - Molly Gordon says: "I know a lot about crazy bosses because I am one. In fact, I'm here to tell you that there's nothing like self-employment to bring one face to face with the prototypical Crazy Boss". She doesn't necessarily offer an easy solution (when are there easy solutions) but it may put you on a path to letting yourself off the hook or managing up (or in?).

Rain Today give some very practical advice on preventing "unpaid" consulting. They say if you stick to the diagnosis, and not the solution, you will find that your client will recognize that you understand their problem, and if they see their problem as big enough, they will likely be willing to invest in your solution. (ps the meat is in the last 3 - 5 paragraphs)

I'm constantly surprised at what people write and buy books about... check out the world-expert in finding lost objects! Read his 12 step process for finding anything (and then wonder what they put in the cereal that woulld make someone think that someone needed to write this?). Or email me back and tell me that you used it, and it was very very helpful, and I shouldn't be so judgemental!

A few well-intentioned souls have begun a project to truly understand a word. They have taken the approach of explaining it with photos, drawings, sentences putting it in context, and then several different Americans of both genders pronouncing the words. So far its mostly technical info (lots of prefixes like "dactylo-", and lots of nuts and bolts). Here's one for Torx tamper resistant drive.

Found this interesting interview with a researcher in anti-aging, The implications he suggests are quite far-reaching. "Couples could turn themselves into the other and get some sense of what it’s like to be someone else. A lot of the misunderstanding in the world is that we don’t see ourselves in other people’s shoes.... A student could actually be Ben Franklin in a virtual constitutional conference instead of just dressing up... I think we’ll realize that we like expressing ourselves in different ways. We do that to a limited extent. We dress up differently. We put on a tuxedo for one event or blue jeans for another event. We’re changing our appearance a little bit. But we’ll be able to go beyond clothing and fashion and hairstyle and makeup"... Read it and surprise yourself.

And since they don't seem to have perfected the anti-aging formula yet, find out how much super you'll need to retire.

And I'm thinking the mobile hermitage would be a part of my perfect retirement village - a few dozen of these round a big central amenities block. This I found when browsing this collection of resources about small houses (cabins, tree houses, cottages). It includes a short list of books, a message board, and links to websites for architects, builders, and organisations interested in small and sustainable homes. From the Small House Society, "a voice for the small house movement."

Just for fun, take a moment to watch this powerpoint style presentation on the Eight Principles of Fun. I love the quote “When all is said and done, a lot more is said than done”. It’s the final quote. Do turn on your sound, it’s got some beautiful Strauss accompaniment!

If you live in Sydney, remember to pop along and see us play Scared Scriptless Theatresports® every Friday night. It’s at the Clarence Hotel, 450 Parramatta Road, Petersham. There are 2 shows now: at 8pm the Theatresports® show - guaranteed comedy (in the vein of "Thank God you're here", but more story).

The second show is more surprising. The Late Show is 45 minutes of non-stop improvising; it starts at 10:30 (10 minutes after the first show), and goes till 11:15. Great for a post-Leichhardt meal!

Love to hear from you if any of these ideas spark something good for you and yours!

C

Cindy Tonkin The Consultants’ Consultant
Certified Management Consultant

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This month's images are original artworks ©2006 Cindy Tonkin. These will be on display @newtown, level 1, courtesy of the Inner West Cultural Services and Marrickville Council till July 1 2006. From the top: On Top, Happy, Golden, Flat 3, Chimneys, Calm, mostly 60x60cm works.

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