1. One of the world's top speakers in SA end August

and conducting a special Future Global Trends 2007 morning seminar for the Congruence Group on Wednesday 30 August

18 months ago, Warren Evans wowed a select audience in Sandton on his remarkable insights in to Future Global Trends and how they will affect business - and South Africa in particular in the next few years. His track record of nearly 90% right on his predictions suggests you should be taking notice.

Evans is revered in the global speaking community as the founding president of the International Federation For Professional Speakers, an expanding global body now encompassing 9 member associatons. He is also a Past President of both the Speaking and Training Associations in Canada, and the recipient of numerous awards and honours as a speaker. I personally saw him deliver the opening address of the Inaugural Global Speakers summit in Singapore last year and found his delivery and content compelling.

During this seminar on Wednesday 30 August in Sandton, he comes with new insights in a fast changing world. In short, if you are in top management or own or run your own business, this is an unmissable opportunity to spend the morning with a world class speaker on a very "today" topic.

For details please go here and online bookings please go here. I'll be there and it will be good to see you and shake your hand!

2. The perils of overload, the virtues of balance.

*feature article*

Since the beginnings of the internet a mere 44 years ago and its popularization less than 20 years ago, life as we once know it has changed completely for onliners. Access to information is now virtually limitless - and at almost lightening speed, it's getting quicker all the time. Soon download time and bandwidth won't be an issue.

There are more books being published than ever before, and the rate is accelerating. If it isn't in the store, order it or just go online and let Amazon.com (or amazon.co.za) do it for you. Libraries are better stocked than ever before. So there is really nothing stopping anyone with or without connectivity getting any information they want. The only thing that stops us from doing or accomplishing virtually anything - is ourselves. So what stops so many of us?

Trouble is, today there are more distractions than ever - over 50 channels on digital TV, much more traffic to play in, more shopping malls and less icebergs. Today we are reading, exercising and sleeping less, working, eating and drinking more, There's more to buy, more to get, more Joneses to keep up with, but still the same 24 hours in each day. Before we blink - Christmas has come around again.

As the pressure mounts, we're losing track of our time and what we do with it. We're finding it more and more difficult to organize ourselves and stick to our plans. There are so many really important things that we want to accomplish "when we get to it" - but we never seem to because we're caught up in the pattern of what seems urgent (much of what isn't really…) and the rigmarole of everyday responsibilities. When we do take the time to attend a seminar or read a good book we often fail to implement what we've learned.

A consequence of our new microwave society is that people expect answers the same day. Our children want everything - and now! "Please" or "thank you" are now the new tools of manipulation rather than gratitude. "Anything I can do to help?" is now a rarity.

Progress accelerates. Since 1980, more new patents have been awarded than all the centuries leading up to that year. But these accomplishments are being made by a miniscule percentage of the world population. For the majority, it's a blurr. The accelerating pace of change has become so frenetic that those that didn't get with the programme, for whatever reason, are made aware that they're still stuck in the old economy. Not necessarily a bad thing if pace is not for you, but for those of us who live life online, taking time out to evaluate if you're on track is vital. Remember when it was "Do you have a fax?". Then "What's your fax number?" - assuming you must have one like everyone else. The cell phone followed, then shortly afterwards email. How did we survive without them? And in reality, how are we managing to live with them? Not too well, it seems. In retrospect are you better off online, or offline?

In getting so ahead aren't we perhaps getting a little ahead of ourselves? Don't we sometimes forget why we're alive, or is it just that we've not found out yet?

It is more important and infinitely more rewarding to read your 4 or 8 year old a story than it is to browse the web. It's far more fun walking and talking about the day gone past with your spouse than watching the box. It's a great idea to switch off your cell phone at supper time and leave it off - yes, until the next morning! And life can be great - and different if we just leave the TV off all day - especially if it's a weekend day. Imagine!

If we don't take control of our lives, we will wake up one day realizing that we don't have much of it left because we forgot to take care of ourselves as we spend increasing amounts of time with our heads buried in a monitor. No amount of money is worth paying that high a price. Truth is that once you're gone, no one will care how hard you worked to earn it, they'll be too busy squabbling about who's getting it.

They will, however, remember the legacy you've built and how hard you worked to build it. You'll be remembered for what you said and who you inspired. They'll remember who you were rather than what you had.

There's something in this for you too. While you build your legacy, you'll be able to reflect on the pleasure of contribution, what fun life can be if you let it and what a thrill it is to see others grow and prosper because you had time for them.

That's got to be the real reason why.

Paul du Toit.

P.S. Puzzled by what this article has do with item 3 (Mind Blowing Customer Service)? Come and see...

3. Seminar schedule

(seminar = a three-hour participative, relevant and usually fun talk.)

Mind Blowing Customer Service - featuring Paul du Toit (Each delegate receives a seminar goody-pack containing a take-home souvenir DVD of the seminar)

Please go here for information on these affordable value-packed upcoming seminars. The schedule is:

Cape Town 23 August *next week!*
Bloemfontein 24 August *next week!*
Polokwane 1 September,
Durban 10 October,
George 12 October and
Rustenburg 15 November.

I will not be running this seminar in any of these centres in 2007, so if you have customers and haven't seen this seminar yet, register now. This seminar consistently rates in the 90's. It's just R649 per person includes VAT. Our watertight money back guarantee is still in place if you're not satisfied with the value, and you get a souvenir DVD to take home with you. Go here for a selection of unsolicited testimonials. To book, go here or phone share call 0860 503 191.

4. Public course schedule - upcoming.

All our public courses are aligned to unit standards. Congruence Training is accredited through the Services Seta No. 0522/04/04/05. Our trainers are certified assessors and we have moderators on board. Programmes are offered in house and public

All dates, venues and online booking facilities for upcoming courses in Johannesburg and elsewhere on Presentation Skills, Customer Service, Negotiation Skills, Conflict Resolution, Time Management, Stress Management and the Winning Attitude are posted on our website http://www.congruence.co.za/ and updated regularly.

5. What goes down, can come up and whack you in the eye!

This bit inspired by Warren and his trends....see item 1.

I guess what really hurts about the recent interest rate increases (while we're busy riding the biggest middle class boom in the history of our country - South Africa, for my most welcome international readers) is that it had to come at the same time as soaring fuel prices at the pumps. There is no doubt that the boom has now been reduced to a smoulder, as they always do. Take heart in this irrefutable law: Booms and corrections come and go, some are long, sometimes they're brief, every now and then markets go in to free fall, and every now and then they stagnate.

Perspective can help us through many difficult situations. It's not the credit card that's at fault - credit cards are wonderful tools if you use them properly - it's the way we use them. So lets use them wisely. A good rule is, if you can't pay it off at the end of the month, you'd better do without it for now.

Writing of trends, how about the rugby tri-nations? 49-0, then 35-18, then 20-18....do you see the emerging trend that I see? Can you imagine Rustenburg...103-6 to us?

Stay well, don't worry, keep perspective, say thanks today to someone who helped you, and tell someone who needs to hear it that they are special. And hey - thanks for reading this, I think you're really special

Until next time...

Paul du Toit.