Lessons from Sons of Anarchy Series

This interesting and compelling series had me hooked right from the start. The story line and characters were real and fascinating. Even though it is a world far removed from anything I have been exposed to, there is a familiarity in the characters.




If you haven't seen it I would highly recommend getting the Sons of Anarchy box set. The 7 series set is a crime drama of a Motorcycle club in Charming, USA and was created by the very talented Kurt Sutter. He wrote, produced and directed the series and even had a small part as one of the motor cycle members, Otto Delaney. The series ran from 2008 to 2014 and in November 2016 FX officially announced that they would be doing a spin off series about the Mayan MC .




Actress Katey Sagal, known for her role as Peggy Bundy in Married with Children, won a Golden Globe for her role as Gemma Morrow in the Sons series. Gemma was the wife of Club Founder, JT Teller, and mother of current deputy President, Jax Teller. She is married to President Clay Morrow, and between them have a closet full of secrets. As the story unwinds so do their secrets and nobody is left untouched, from their family, to the motorcycle members and the community at large.




Lessons learnt are substantial, with the strongest point coming across as Communication. From the misunderstandings that lead to various club members and rival club members loosing their lives, to the kidnapping of Jax's son and the ultimately break up of the Morrow family. When communication is not open, whether in business or at home, there  can't be trust and you can't grow your relationships. Communication, open and honest communication, is vital for all relationships to develop and for business to flourish. Whether dealing with your colleagues, your business partners, children, life partner or family members we have to let others in and trust those who care for us. Communication happens in many different ways, from open heart to heart chatting, to talking about what is really happening, and hearing what people around us are saying and going through.




When mistakes happen, and they do, own up to them and let the support of loved ones around you encourage you to make it right. By covering up what has happened with lies, and more lies, can only lead to disaster and in this case a massive misunderstanding that got a lot of people dead! Selfish decisions lead to the destruction of others and often unchangeable consequences. When we don't consider our actions we can leave a wake of hurt and destruction behind.




We see that lying, whether to protect those you love, or even selfishly to protect yourself, is never a good thing and can only end badly. Eventually everything comes to the light and the lies and cover ups are not easily spoken away. The lies are compounded and lead to further problems. When Gemma lies about what she has done that is the start of the demise of her beloved family. Always did she put them first, except when her actions were on the line and once she went down that road it was hard to come back from what she had said.




Respect is another lesson to be learnt here. Respect for each other, for the law, for our families and for ourselves. When we don't trust our partners, we are unable to show them the respect they deserve. Respecting other people's opinions is so important, and can lead to a healthy trusting relationship. without respect there can't be common drive to the end goal. without respect there is no will to work together and no desire to build on the foundation of your relationship. Respecting our colleagues and stakeholders is the only way to grow and develop your relationships in business and ultimately your own brand.




Family is very important, to law abiding citizens and criminals alike! protecting the ones we love, especially our children, could come at a cost. Protecting our children means we have to sometimes have to make hard decisions and certainly put their needs above our own. In the Sons, Jax's children are exposed to a lifestyle he never wants for them, and despite his best efforts he is never able to walk away from SAMCRO. His wife is stronger and when she makes the right decision is penalised for it. The children never win in a situation like this. Again the miscommunication! If only people spoke to each other, about how they feel, what they have planned etc. So often we see it in other relationships, don't we!




Watching the members of Sons of Anarchy live I life I thankfully will never be part of, certain themes jump out at me that would have changed everything for them, and even saved lives. Trust, communication, respect and truth. This is true for all walks of life and for all areas of our daily interactions from home life to business relationships.

I'm really enjoying my running. Its fantastic to be putting in the hard work and dedication and being able to see results. Today I did my first 8km run, who would have thought!! Just a couple of months ago I was running 2km at best.

Having a training partner certainly helps. Wayne has been awesome, he's been running for about 2 years and has completed a few marathons. He's so willing to pass on his knowledge and to encourage and support me. We are running at 5am during the week, 4 times a week. Weekends are used for longer runs, and I need to get in some cross training soon. Swimming is a good cross trainer,.

Having a training schedule is helpful. It keeps me focused and goal orientated. I am doing my first half marathon in July, at the Knysna oyster weekend. That's 10weeks away, and I'm happy to report that I am ahead of my schedule. It is so good to be able to see my progress. Last week I did 31km for the week. Whoop whoop!!!

I've been searching some blogs, and will be back soon with some inspiration from the web.

How is your training going?

Here are some pictures from the amazing Vodacom Corporate Triathlon last weekend in Port Elizabeth.

Good news is all 3 of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber individual teams finished, and within the times we anticipated!



3 excited participants

our amazing supporters

Team and supporters with our medals

Red carpet after 4,2Km run



Still smiling after 18km cycle

 Now that the bug has bitten, where to now!???

 

I've entered the Knysna half marathon in July, am so enjoying my running.

 

hope you are having an exciting weekend.

 

Zoe

 

The Challenge

Dear Bloggers

About 8 weeks ago I challenged some peers to do the corporate ironman with me. Each as individuals, doing all 3 disciplines ourselves.

Well, the past 8 weeks have flown and ironman fever has hit Nelson Mandela Bay! With only a few sleeps left one hopes that the training was enough to conquer this milestone. For the avid athlete the corporate ironman probably doesn't conjour much respect, but for my colleagues and myself we have gone from almost ground zero to doing all 3 disciplines. 380m swim - 18km cycle - 4.2km run.

Driving around the city and seeing the ironman branding, road closures and 'infrastructure construction' at the beachfront is so exciting. We welcome many participants, supporters and friends too the bay this week and its truly an honour to be part of ironman South Africa's 10th anniversary.

Good luck to all who are entering and hope to see the rest of you there as supporters!

Zoe