[dazmond]

i consider myself to have a  positive attitude to my business most days.when we have spells of bad weather like most of us are experiencing at the moment i crack on the best i can.

even during the deep snow and ice we had over the 2 winters a couple of years ago i did a bit of work here and there and had an emergency fund built up to dip into during the worst of the snow.

so do you consider yourself having a good attitude towards window cleaning or do you find it a constant battle to motivate yourself and struggle to make ends meet?


regards


dazmond

[H S and Son]

The first lines in the book 'The Road Less Travelled' by M. Scott Peck is Life is Hard. Once you've accepted that you're halfway there.


Every working day I get up and am fully aware of my daily living responsibilities to myself and my partner. I do my best, every day, sometimes I find it harder than others, sometimes I find it easy. The weather if its unpredictable doesn't help and can make things harder when it comes to motivation. I know today though that whatever the weather brings then things will be okay so I dont panic like I used to. Maybe putting a good wedge each week to one side helps in that regard, to pay my tax, fund new vehicles etc and keep myself on the straight and narrow. Next week doesnt look good according to the forecasters, but Im sure come this time next week I'll have earnt a reasonable sum of money and will have been able to do my best and keep sufficiently motivated to run my business as I see fit.

[danny martin]

hi daz i think iv got the right attitude towards my work go out get it done then relax when its all done until next time its due. hasnt always been that way but im better of now just get out there get it done an you feel better when its all done with a few days of.

[Window Washers]

I would say I have a forward thinking positive attitude, but every year without fail I get to the point where I question if I am wasting my time in this business as Intermet Marketing is my passion always has been.

It must be the weather that does it but really not sure though, as I really dont mind the cold, I laugh more when it rains yet at the same time love the sun.

I read books now to keep myself motivated and also to come up with new ideas I can implement, I had only read 1 book uptill a couple of years ago and that was the magic of thinking big that always made me positive after reading.
I now can't get enough of them which is a surprise as I am not great at reading as have a hard time digesting the information, I prefer to watch and see hands on.

Daz I can tell from your posts your a positive guy that has had a hard run, I enjoy reading your honesty in the post you provide for us to read.

Working in the snow rain, wind etc is part and parcel of working out doors, offering to guarentee all the work done they have no cause for complaint and should they would get it fixed.

Customer services is a very good skill to have in this business as well as positive attidude,
I get ichy feet if schedules are not met, I motivate staff with bonus's depending on thier needs. I have one of them gaining customers for an xbox 360 this is during his working hours by just being nice to people it works wonders for motivation

[gary999]

i dont work i dont eat..simples!

[dazmond]

i find that i have a plan in my head every working day of what work i want to get cleaned and how much i want to earn but i also know things dont always go to plan so i try and maintain the attitude of "ill take my luck as it comes" each day i wake up!

its amazing how this simple attitude stops me from getting too frustrated when things dont go to plan!!

i had a bad attitude towards lots of things before i started to straighten myself out around 5-6 years ago.

im building a much better business for myself and have been for a few years now.my new attitude is paying dividends not just in monetary terms but the way i conduct myself in dealing with the various different customers i have got on my books also makes them better with me 9 times out of 10.respect and loyalty being two of em.


regards


dazmond

[EandM]

No.

[bobby p]

im dedicated to it now.  before i started as a windie i had a real life crisis when i was very close to cracking up,this biz has given me a focus and nothing will stop me till iv about 6 lads working for me and im living the  good  life . i expect that to be in a couple of years time tops

[dazmond]

thing is bobby your living the good life now mate!!any of us that have well established rounds with a good solid customer base is successful!

keep up the owl noises as you work!i tend to whistle instead but each to their own!its weird innit?i find window cleaning quite calming for a troubled mind!!plus  keeping the wolf from the door and money in the bank for holidays etc!


best wishes


dazmond

[bobby p]

youre right Daz , it IS the good life. 

 i must remember to get an owl sticker to put on the van  as a reminder so that it becomes second nature to call out often !

[Perfect Windows]

i consider myself to have a  positive attitude to my business most days

A crucial point is that on the days when you can feel you're not as balanced as normal you can rationalise it and know that your positivity will return tomorrow.

Vin

[lee_dewing]

I've been doing this job nearly 8 yrs.

Been on my own for 6 yrs (worked for a windy)

Now 40 spent all my working career in the print industry. (quite good money but never happy.)

Still not earning what i should in this job but i do enjoy it most of the time.

Use to get stressed about the weather, but after a few years i realised i always earnt the same year end wether we had a bad winter, wet summer etc.

As said i by others i try to read more, MATT i read most of "road less travelled" really didn't like it (IMO)

Just read "fell the fear and do it anyway" (very good, IMO)

It's funny how many want fleets of vans on the road, not saying that's wrong and it is good to be ambitious
but it makes me wonder if you'l just create what you escaped; a lot of stress.

I'm happy to increase my business but more on the refineing principal, replacing with better paying work.

I like the freedom of this job, i set realistic targets and always work as much as possible; if anything i need to take more time out.
I hope to be doing this in the near future by boosting my income, so "working smarter and not harder" as the CIU catch phrase goes.

Not had a decent holiday for a while.
Plan to get website done soon.
Ordering hose reel and micro bore Today from gardiners, so leave trolley on van as much as poss.

Got my aqua-dapter friday, only used for a few hours as weather too bad.

Breaking done all my goals into tiny bite size chunks as i have sat on my hands the last couple of years.

Must get some money saved up and i am doing this, not as much as i would like but doing something.

Thanks to you all on here for all your advice.
Lee

[Tom White]

so do you consider yourself having a good attitude towards window cleaning or do you find it a constant battle to motivate yourself and struggle to make ends meet?

Sometimes I have a great attitude; very determined, set achievable targets and get them all done.

At other times I just can't be arsed.  Isn't that the way things are?

I'm fairly good these days though, when I wake up in the morning and that voice in my head says, "I can't be arsed to go to work today", I tell myself to do it anyway.

I also know certain days of the week I'm not great, usually Mondays and Fridays; so I book jobs in for these days; gates that need to be left unlocked or a business whom I usually tip my hat to with a phone call prior to turning up.

I find that as long as I look after the small stuff; keep organised, it's easier to get the work done.

Or sometimes I just take the day off.

[Halfadaylee]

I've been doing this job nearly 8 yrs.

Been on my own for 6 yrs (worked for a windy)

Now 40 spent all my working career in the print industry. (quite good money but never happy.)

Still not earning what i should in this job but i do enjoy it most of the time.

Use to get stressed about the weather, but after a few years i realised i always earnt the same year end wether we had a bad winter, wet summer etc.

As said i by others i try to read more, MATT i read most of "road less travelled" really didn't like it (IMO)

Just read "fell the fear and do it anyway" (very good, IMO)

It's funny how many want fleets of vans on the road, not saying that's wrong and it is good to be ambitious
but it makes me wonder if you'l just create what you escaped; a lot of stress.

I'm happy to increase my business but more on the refineing principal, replacing with better paying work.

I like the freedom of this job, i set realistic targets and always work as much as possible; if anything i need to take more time out.
I hope to be doing this in the near future by boosting my income, so "working smarter and not harder" as the CIU catch phrase goes.

Not had a decent holiday for a while.

Hey Lee,
Feel the fear and do it anyway by Susan Jeffers is on my desk, I will read it over the next week or two. Thanks for the recommendation.
Art
Plan to get website done soon.
Ordering hose reel and micro bore Today from gardiners, so leave trolley on van as much as poss.

Got my aqua-dapter friday, only used for a few hours as weather too bad.

Breaking done all my goals into tiny bite size chunks as i have sat on my hands the last couple of years.

Must get some money saved up and i am doing this, not as much as i would like but doing something.

Thanks to you all on here for all your advice.
Lee

[Tom White]

Feel the fear and do it anyway by Susan Jeffers is on my desk, I will read it over the next week or two. Thanks for the recommendation.

I've read it; it's okay; it's written by a psychologist, but it is spiritual in nature - love, compassion, and forgiveness are big themes in the book - along with the practise of acceptance ("Yes I can deal with this!"), but some of it is American new agey type stuff with positive affirmations "I am a wonderful person" etc, which isn't my cup of tea.

It does say that having a positive attitude is vital, and it is; and feeling a feeling is good - it's the thinking we do about a feeling which isn't so good (conventionally speaking).

I'd say the book is a good beginning, but not a means to an end.  The chances are you'll read the book, be positive and fired up for a few days, and then slip back into old habits.  That's not being positive, I know, but neither is it negative; I think that's realistically what we do when we read books like that.   But maybe that's just me eh?  

I've also read the already mentioned A Road Less Travelled and the sequel, Further Along the Road Less Travelled.  Eckharte Tolle (a bit too flowery for me), Byron Katie (a bit too girlie for me), Jon Kabat Zinn (spot on but a heavy read) have also been read.  Along with loads of Buddhist books - and I mean a yak load of 'em; along with being an active member of a 12 Step fellowship, a Buddhist sangar and I'm in my 2nd year of a two year Buddhist foundation course (which covers all of this sort of 'mind training thing').  I also try to fit in an hours meditation a day and practise mindfulness when I remember to do so.

And I'm still a bag of nails at times.  

The first lines in the book 'The Road Less Travelled' by M. Scott Peck is Life is Hard. Once you've accepted that you're halfway there.

Spot on!

[Halfadaylee]

Feel the fear and do it anyway by Susan Jeffers is on my desk, I will read it over the next week or two. Thanks for the recommendation.

I've read it; it's okay; it's written by a psychologist, but it is spiritual in nature - love, compassion, and forgiveness are big themes in the book - along with the practise of acceptance ("Yes I can deal with this!"), but some of it is American new agey type stuff with positive affirmations "I am a wonderful person" etc, which isn't my cup of tea.

It does say that having a positive attitude is vital, and it is; and feeling a feeling is good - it's thinking about a feeling which is bad.

I'd say the book is a good beginning, but not a means to an end.  I give the book 5/10.  

Fuff me Tosh, I rarely forgive! What would you recommend then?
Art

[Tom White]

Fuff me Tosh, I rarely forgive! What would you recommend then?
Art

Learn how to forgive!  

[lee_dewing]

Tosh have you read the peaceful warrior?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Way-Peaceful-Warrior-Changes-Lives/dp/1932073205/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335122138&sr=1-1

I haven't, thinking of that one next.

[Tom White]

No, I've not read it, but I know - or at least I've been told - that many top athletes are now turning to Eastern philosophies (meditation/mindfulness) to help them improve in their sports.

Sounds okay to me!

I've also read some books about Socrates too; he was a really interesting guy; ex soldier and tough as old boots. 

[Halfadaylee]

Fuff me Tosh, I rarely forgive! What would you recommend then?
Art

Learn how to forgive!  

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