Ever heard someone say they 'want to start a business' but they don't know what the business is?

How about if someone wanted to be a professional athlete, but wasn't sure what sport?

There are other questions to ask yourself before you jump into the deep end of starting a business. There are better discussions we can have with people before they go out on their own.

Be patient, be good and as always, just be nice.

This VLOG is a little different to some of the others, because it is filmed in one take to document a particular experience.

It is just one take, to show that it is OK to not be OK all the time. Really. It can seem like its the people that always have their lives all together that are telling others to be OK, or on the other side of the coin, that there are people who seem constantly plagued by difficulty who talk about it the loudest. Everyone has their moments, everyone has times of doubt or sadness.

I thought today that I would simply show without editing, that there are times, or things that strike an emotional chord with you and can upset you, and that's OK.

Today is a difficult day for a young friend of mine, and rather than simply say "It's alright to be upset when you are feeling down" I thought I would lead by example, go first, and put it out there. Talking about a time in my life when I needed a little push to be able to allow my emotions to come to the surface. It's not easy, but that's why it is important.

Feel free to share this wherever you think someone needs to hear it or see it, and thank you for taking the time to watch it.

For more information on how to have good conversations with your friends visit www.ruok.org.au

If you need support, or someone to speak to you can contact these organisations
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Kids Help Line: 1800 55 1800
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467

 Off the back of some conversations I have had recently with people about Indigenous Australians and the situation we as a country find ourselves in dealing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and individuals, I thought I would film something that was basically the conversations I've been having. Given the vitriol that I have seen on social media and in the regular media lately, I think its worth looking at the situation perhaps in a different way.

Its not super long, but its longer than my regular VLOG's because there was a bit of ground to cover, but you can also listen to it as audio, you'd still get most of the info out of it.

Hopefully we can improve some understanding here and work on solutions rather than just finger pointing and passing blame. Misunderstanding and fear is one of the biggest blockers to progress, and the #JBNProject is all about providing solutions, not just talk, so lets raise the level of understanding, along with the equality of opportunity.

Enjoy, and Just Be Nice.
​- J 

It seems crazy to me, that with all the reasons that people can be concerned or worried about things, that we still have such a crazy inequality of worry.

As a man, there are a whole bunch of things in my day to day life that I never consider as a problem, while there are many of my female friends who have to consider a whole raft of other things when doing something as simple as leaving the house. I can't fathom being worried about those things, and many men can't, because we aren't taught to, and we rarely have reason to.

Its no secret that there are many problems in the world that need a lot of effort and collaboration to solve, There are also some that could be solved quickly, with a simple decision by the majority of people to be gentlemen and Just Be Nice to each other. Take the worry away from walking to and from cars, take the worry out of going out for a drink and that gives everyone more time and energy to focus on all the other problems that could use some solving!

Part Two looks at a couple of these opportunities and Part three will look at a few more in an effort to open the eyes of guys who actually don't even know these things are issues, and to help the good ones bring those who are unaware up to speed. There will always be things to worry about, I just hope that we can all start to worry about the same things together so that we can hopefully then go out and make a real positive difference for everyone.

​Thanks so much for watching and subscribing, and remember...

Just Be Nice.
​
- J

It has come to my attention over the last few years that there is a bunch of men out there that aren't quite sure how they should be conducting themselves around women.

It doesn't matter if you are online, on an app, or in person, there are some things that we need to stand up and take responsibility for as gentlemen!

Abusing women in person, on Tinder, Twitter, groping people in clubs, generally being pests. Its not ok, and its not funny, mostly it just results in women being scared and wary of men. 
​
I propose that as a gender we just agree that a handful of things aren't ok! I will be illustrating them over a couple of VLOG's so there is no confusion.

You don't have to marry every person you go on a date with, and freedom of speech gives you the absolute right to think and speak your mind however you feel fit. It does not however mean you can just abuse whoever you like and try to make people feel scared and terrible because you're having a bad day. With permission, feel free to do whatever you guys are down with! Without permission..... Just Be Nice. Stop the unsolicited dick pics, abuse and grabbing. We can do better! 

With all the problems that we have in the world currently, this is an easy place to make a huge adjustment, working to help women feel safe no matter where they are, what they are wearing, how much they've had to drink and what they are doing.

Ironically, in a world where women feel safe and comfortable around men... Dating and striking up conversations would probably be easier! If you aren't one of the bad ones, that's fantastic! The good ones need to speak up and put an end to it. Clearly we need the men to stand up and say something because women have been doing it for years and it appears to fall on deaf ears.

Gentlemen lets end dance-floor creeping, Tinder-abuse and generally being idiots around women!!

Watch Part One Here!

After being asked by a businessman in Perth called Jason why I do what I do...  I thought about it further, and while there are so many reasons and circumstances in my life that have led me to care the way I do, there was one story in particular that I thought I would share for VLOG_006.

So here it is... There is a bit of talking, and a bit of skating and a bit of dancing, because its all me... I look forward to hearing from people about their 'Blue Shirts' and why you are doing whatever it is you are doing now.

Thanks very much as always, and remember.

Just Be Nice.

Missed Parties. Missed Weddings. Missed Dates. Late Nights. Early Mornings. Long Days. Emails. Emails...... More emails.

There is a lot of work and sacrifice that goes into doing what I do, its not glamorous, I don't live in a penthouse and drive a fancy car. But I do it because of this video below.* 

Last year I changed my defining metric of success from how much money I can accumulate, to how much I can do for others. Now, I am a business man, and I believe that the way to help the most people is through sustainable and successful business! The business still runs like any business, balance sheets, sales, marketing etc, but changing the metrics for me personally have allowed the freedom to make sure that we can create an environment that produces amazing moments like the ones below.

Rather than try to find ways to do everything myself (which I think is inefficient and not necessary) , I have teamed up with a whole bunch of charities who maintain relationships and deliver incredible results to at-risk and in need humans. This day we went out with Anonymous X who distribute clothing and essentials to rough sleepers in Melbourne.

This particular night, we connected Diane, a woman from the other side of the country, who had been a part of the #JBNProject by purchasing some apparel from Odin, with PJ, a rough sleeper who received new apparel from Odin.

It is amazing to see such gratitude and appreciation from both sides of the story, and through the course of a 10 minute conversation, Diane came to learn PJ's story and to see that homelessness can be the result of a whole myriad of reasons.

Its because of these moments, and the impact that we are able to have that I can keep up the amount of work required to reach even more people. And for that, I am grateful to Sean, PJ, Diane and everyone who's ongoing support makes this possible.

*A tear may have been shed in the editing of this video.