For anyone joining this blog post series, I am on a roadtrip around NZ, while also working, presenting sessions (and training) on Office 365 and Microsoft Teams at the Digital Workplace Roadshow - perfect way to enjoy some work-life balance! See the related list of posts at the bottom. The blogs include my pics and travel stories, feedback from locals and a "Recharge" segment on something you will hopefully find inspirational :) Enjoy!
Where am I?
Famous for a vibrant creative culture fuelled by great food, wine, craft beer, coffee and events, Wellington is a cosmopolitan city with an energetic personality. (taken from Wellingtonnz.com). Wellington is our capital city and is at the very bottom on the North Island – last stop before crossing the Cook Strait.
What our Wellington community says!
We asked those who attended the sessions at DWR for some feedback, this is just a few of the comments we got:
Favourite thing to do in this location
- Mountain Bike
- Walking all the hills
- Cafes
- Walk on the beach – there are so many to choose from
Fun thing people don’t know about Wellngton
- Maranui is the city’s best kept secret.
- Dragon boat festival in March 🙂
- It occasionally isn’t windy.
Exploring I did!
See the images below, with captions and click to see the full image.
This segment took me from the pebbly east coast beaches of Hawkes Bay, across the mountains to the Kapiti Coast and down to Wellington. I enjoyed the leisurely drive with sunshine, rolling hills and easy roads.
We all seem to talk about the mountain ranges around the places we live. Some of them we shorten. I was talking to people, who warned against not going across the “Rimmers” – the Remutaka Range . In Tauranga, we talk about going over the Kaimais, to get to the Waikato. We joke about Aucklander’s getting stuck in the city and not venturing South of the Bombay’s.
Many times, coming OVER the mountain range signifies coming home. The view, the feeling, the essence of seeing the land we live in.
Driving through the Taraua Ranges, I was quite in awe of the majestic wind turbines – Te Apiti. You can stop right in front of one and listen to the eerie sound of the wind or watch them in motion, standing tall amidst the green hills, dotted with sheep.
I had a couple of clients to see in Porirua so chose to stay at Paekakariki Beach – and what an amazing choice. I loved the long expansive dark sand beach where we could walk for miles (and did!) and savour the famous West coast sunsets.
In Wellington, I had little time, and was lucky enough to park in Evans Bay, a very busy, parking lot, for self-contained campers right on the Marina. This was good for walks, and diagonally across for the venue we chose for the roadshow . This meant I could traipse across a rugby field, in high heels, dragging suitcases of laptops and signs, to get set up. All part of the show haha!
Te Apiti Wind Farm 
Beautiful Paekakariki 
Sunset 
Birds along the walkway 
Layla cautiously treading the loose jetty boards 
The Venue 
Sunrise at Evans Bay
Recharge Segment – What is important to you?
Finding the Why
Too often we look at WHAT and then HOW, and leave the WHY till last. When I talk about this at work, it is about implementing Office 365. Simply, we have the WHAT (the product, systems) , we think we know HOW, (planning the project, processes), but how many companies actually ask WHY? The WHY is the people aspect, and without that, projects fail, systems don’t get adopted, and change wont occur. I have figured out, that is actually what we do best!
Simon Sinek explains this whole concept well.
Take that into our personal lives – without the WHY behind what we are doing; reason, purpose, or meaning, we lack motivation or passion and therefore don’t get the intended results.
The life purpose question is just too hard?
In asking “why?” , it poses one of life’s more daunting , eternal questions “what is my purpose or meaning?”. In most cases answering this question is not only impossible, it is frustrating!
Instead of trying to figure out your “purpose” , it is easier to ask what is important to you?
Amidst the millions of articles, and books of these topics, I really liked this approach and Mark Manson writes about this.
So when people say, “What should I do with my life?” or “What is my life purpose?” what they’re actually asking is: “What can I do with my time that is important?”
Mark Manson
We move towards the things we place the most importance on. So ask yourself how important is this? Or is something else more important? And the thing you place the most importance on, is what will bring results, happiness, meaning and purpose.
How do we define our values?
By identifying what is important to you, this in turn defines what your values are. What would you do and not do, to live up to the things you find important!? What would you sacrifice or do without? For example, lots of people want to own their own business, but few are willing to sacrifice the time it takes, and therefore place MORE importance on their choices to spend time doing other things.
If you want to lose weight, get fit, get healthier, how much importance do you place on that, over NOT doing the things required to get you that result?
Try and distill your points of importance (and values) down to THREE words only, that define what YOUR personal values are, that you can use ongoing.
Tips for Making decisions
Too often, we take jobs, make moves, settle for bad relationships, and follow the wrong paths simply because we don’t question the decisions we make based on our values and what is most important to us.
So when the next BIG offer, cool idea, change for the better, or awesome opportunity presents itself, maybe just ask these questions, before you decide.
- WHY are you doing it? What is the real reason – outcome you want to achieve?
- Does it make you feel the way you want to feel? – For example, will the extra $ bring you joy and contentment, or is the extra hours and time away from loved ones, not worth it?
- Is it a HELL YEAH? – Does it excite you enough to say Hell Yeah, – otherwise is should be a no.
- Does it meet your values you have identified? – can you tick each one off, with confidence, knowing you are not compromising what you have already identified as being CORE to you.
By answering these questions, and building meaning into your decision making and choices, you will drive the results you want to see.
Blog Posts related to this adventure
- Why? – Wanderlust Adventures
- Where am I going? – Exploring New Zealand – maps, and places and people
- Roadshow #1 – Thankful in Tauranga – and musings on Gratitude
- Roadshow #2 – Happiness in Hamilton – and thoughts of Happiness and Joy
- Roadshow #3 – Attainment in Auckland – changing paths and lifelong learning pondering.
- Roadshow #4 – Habits in Hawkes Bay – Rules, Routines and Results.
- Roadshow#5 – Why in Wellington – What is important to you?
- Roadshow#6 – Nelson
- Roadshow#7 – Christchurch
- Roadshow#8 – Dunedin
- Roadshow#9 – Invercargill
