Upworthy is the way

Last 90 Days, Learning Out Loud, Self-empowerment, Travel by Christine Betts

Hubby went to work really early this morning. We have 32 staff and around 27 of them give us no dramas at all. It’s the other 5 we have to worry about. Ditto goes for clients. It’s the old 90-10 rule. 90% of your clients are easy-breezy, the other 10% forget to place orders then panic, forget to pay then scramble at the end of the month… Being in business can be rewarding but I know we certainly earn our money!

So when hubby left, I got up to do my meditation but I qucikly checked my phone and whoops….15 minutes later my phone reminded me that I’d spent 15 minutes on Instagram. (I use the reminder that is part of the app. Without fail I get off my phone as soon as it’s cheery little message pops up.) In my defence, I ended up on an Upworthy spiral, which is a spiral up, not a spiral down! Here’s their Instagram and here’s their Twitter. It’s full of dads doing ballet with their kids, people graduating from college after the odds were stacked against them, and lots of dogs. It’s gorgeous and uplifting and if you have to scroll through Insta today, head over to Upworthy and feel a little better about the world.

Speaking of feeling better about the world! I am loving the Better Than Yesterday podcast with Osher Günsberg. Even though I fell down the Upworthy rose-coloured spiral this morning, I do tend towards the educational in my podcast listening. I can’t stand fluff – if I’m listening to a podcast hosted by women and they start going on about make-up or shopping I am out! It’s such a cliche, I can’t stand it. Osher recommended another podcast called Outrage and Optimism. It’s tagline reads thusly;

Face the climate crisis head on, but understand that we have the power to solve this. From former UN Chief Christiana Figueres and the team who brought you the Paris Agreement, this podcast about issues and politics will inform you, inspire you and help you realize that this is the most exciting time in history to be alive.

Outrage and Optimism podcast

These people know their stuff and walk the talk.

I pledged my support to Zero Co today.

Zero Co: Win the war-on-waste at your place.

Eliminate single-use plastic from your kitchen, laundry and bathroom today.

I ordered the starter kit. We are trying to do everything we can to lessen our impact on the earth. I am excited about all the action that people are taking. This is too important to leave to the Politicians on the whole and it’s exciting to know that everyone can play their part! There are 2 days to go on the Kickstarter so jump on board now. They have smashed their goal of $250,000 so this project is going to be phenomenal when it gets going in June 2020. The founder Mike Smith is putting his 10 years of extremely successful start-up experience into this and helping all of us do our bit.

Another thing I get so excited about is how Australia has cut down so dramatically on single-use plastic bags! We were only 20 years behind Germany…but hey better late than never! I so rarely see people in the shops with plastic bags anymore. Most people take their bags and I am told by a young supermarket clerk I know that it’s ‘only the Boomers’ who complain. 😉

Onward and upward, peeps. <3

http://www.wendellberrybooks.com/

Feature Photo by Stock Photography on Unsplash

11 Comments

  1. equinoxio21

    Agreed about the proportion of employees and clients… Sigh. 🙂
    And about plastic too. We’ve reduced our consumption of plastic bags to almost nihil, by bringing tote bags to the supermarket, and net-like smaller bags for most vegetable and fruits. And simply saying no, in stores or even drugstores to “do you want a bag?” “No thanks I have pockets or a tote bag.”
    Hopefully more will join.

    1. Christine Betts

      In Australia a lot of older people really lost their minds when the two big supermarkets got rid of bags. I sometimes get depressed about the what the future holds but as I’ve found many times, for me, action is the cure for feeling powerless. Thanks for reading. I really appreciate it.

      1. equinoxio21

        Pleasure, Christine. Camus wrote that rebellion (and the resulting action) was the key weapon against powerlessness. Now, one has to be gentle with older people, they “loose” their markers easily. In France the post office is “fully automated”, which means personnel – which hasn’t been cut down – is safely hiding in the back while little old ladies try to battle with automated systems to post a letter… It’s great to get rid of bags, but maybe some “training” for our elders? Over a month or a fortnight?
        Thanks for the post. Take care.
        Brian

      3. equinoxio21

        Must be. But then, they’re not the only ones. 20% of French households don’t have a computer. Yet, by 2020 or 2021 ALL households will have to file an on-line income tax declaration. All. How’s the little old lady in the countryside who’s practically never touched a keyboard gonna do?

      5. equinoxio21

        A nightmare indeed. And since the IRS is broke everywhere, small business often the option of a “fixed tax” to avoid the red tape, but the “fixed tax” is often very steep…
        The true totalitarian world state is actually already in place, it’s the IRS. 5 years from now, every country IRS will communicate with the others, link with your expenses as per your bank account, and you will be taxed worldwide. The US have already established that any income you make in Dollars makes you a US tax-payer…

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