The Daintree River

I often wonder why people’s expectations of others are ruled by their own wants and needs. In the extreme we see examples across our diverse globe. There are underlying and overt pressures on many people to conform whether it be religious, societal or work orientated. Away from the intolerances of the world, and in our small square of existence, the use of expectation to ensure conformity is prevelant in many industries. ‘You can’t do that because…’, ‘We’ve never done it that way before’, ‘Xyz does it differently so it will not work’. Have you ever felt you’ve had a brick put on your head? It happens. People are afraid of change, of innovation, of competition when of course we should be embracing everything that is new and different. I wasn’t sorry to leave the corporate world in the nineties. Quite frankly I wasn’t cut out for the power plays – small business is my passion. Sure I still have some issues – I work with my father and he’s the boss! – however the freedom of choice that running a business gives you works for me. Ever since I returned to the bush I’ve been involved in a couple of different businesses-the property obviously and a corporate publishing venture in Sydney with my sister, other writing projects and the odd modelling gig. The corporate venture is now simmering in the background as writing takes hold of any free time I have (although not being much of a small screen viewer I need diversions). I’ve been writing for years and been fortunate enough to be paid for my ramblings, yet now my writing has become a serious business – probably because I’m now more serious about it. Being able to change careers if necessary, being adaptable and not being a conformist are some of the characteristics needed to survive personally and professionally. Each of us need to aspire to something. Yet I’ve been congratulated for being a career ‘shapeshifter’ and denigrated by people in each of my career choices. Such divergent attitudes seems to go with the territory if you choose to do things abit differently to others.  One of my closest friends turned her passion for handmade products into a lucrative soap business (she now supplies 5 star motels)  and my sister’s ability to discover an individual’s uniqueness has transformed her brand & design company into a powerhouse of innovation (This week she speaks at Napoleon Perdis’ national conference in Sydney-they sourced her and yes, her elder sister is damn proud). Both of these women are creative types, yet they’ve ignored conventional thinking, negative feedback and the jealousy of competitors to succeed ‘creatively’ in their own businesses. It takes talent, luck and timing to reach many a goal. If you are passionate about the direction you want to head in life you’ll reach it.  Maris Morton is a tremendous example of ignoring preconceptions. Like many successful individuals she knew that despite the boxes you can tick on the way up the ladded there is only one that matters, the magic word, ‘persistence’.