Bruce McIntosh. Photo source
Have you ever looked at the world around you and thought…
Why am I finding things so hard?
Have you ever found your inner voice asking again and again and yet again
Surely there must be something else?
Surely there’s something more in this life for you?
And…
somewhere in all this you guiltily reflect
About all that you do have
You remind yourself how very grateful you should be
And yet your inner voice continues to irritate, and nag and ask
What else is there?
What new journey will you embark upon?
What new worlds will you explore?
Back in 2004 I decided it was time to do more than just ruminate
I decided to act
I decided to move beyond the familiarity and comfort of my little world
I decided that my journey was to improve the world for other people
So…What was my starting point?
My world is a dairy farm on the side of a mountain at Jamberoo
This is the view from my front Verandah
I can see for miles across the Pacific Ocean.
When the sun comes up it looks even better than this
It looks idyllic doesn’t it but as the never-ending drought stories remind us farming can be a tough gig
As I watched the seasons come and go
Watched my family get out of bed every morning at 3am to start another long day’s toil
I developed a burning desire to re-imagine the way the community values our farmers and what they produce
If you want to make a difference you have to shine a spotlight on your cause.
To quote Richard Branson “No-one is successful alone”
Building a network for personal growth in the 21st century hinges on connecting and collaborating with the right people, openly sharing knowledge and insights with individuals who understand at a deeper level our goals and aspirations and who nurture a collective interest in our growth and that of the whole group. Its only when we learn to move together that we start to move faster
One of the early people in my network was Bruce McIntosh. RIP Bruce McIntosh 1928-2018.
Bruce was one of two people on The RAS of NSW Cattle Council who took me under their wing and listened to my big ideas for revamping of the dairy cattle judging and promotion of dairy at the show. He encouraged me to join forces with others, utilise collective skills and experience, to add new connections and insights and communicate the support I needed to step into the future.
Bruce was a big picture thinker who gave his time and expertise freely, because he knew that by doing this the pie gets bigger for everyone.
Thank you Bruce I am very grateful you came into my life.
