IN Hard Knocks

By Ara Jansen

Time hasn’t dulled Joe Cocker’s passion for life and his career. He returns to Perth next month with a new album in tow.

“Buckets of it” is how Joe Cocker describes the enthusiasm he still has for his career. After five amazing decades in music, the one-time Mad Dog from Sheffield still gets a thrill performing and recording.

Known for songs like Feelin’ Alright, You Can Leave Your Hat On, Up Where We Belong and With A Little Help From My Friends, the 66-year-old singer recently released his 22nd album, Hard Knocks.

On the album, Joe worked with in-demand producer Matt Serletic (who came to prominence through his work with Matchbox Twenty) as the pair set out to create a “classic Joe Cocker record” which would be played on radio around the world. The result is 10 songs – ballads and rockers – which show off Joe’s gravelly white soul voice against a modern backdrop, after a couple of Joe’s recent albums have featured more classic rhythm & blues.

Joe (who has an OBE) and his wife, Pam, live in the small remote mountain community of Crawford in Colorado. When he’s at home, he loves tending his tomatoes, reading, playing snooker and walking in the wilderness which borders the Mad Dog Ranch.

The couple have also created the Cocker Kids’ Foundation which has raised close to $700,000 for local kids in support of arts, sport and education. Among their activities, the Cockers have opened their home for tours and Joe performed a local concert.

The singer’s mobile doesn’t work in Crawford either and this isolated world is a perfect foil for the business and chaos of touring and making a new album. With the release of Hard Knocks the singer says he will be on the road for much of the year, especially when the summer festivals start in Europe and the US. He says he’ll be definitely making as many trips to his mountain home in between.

“There are times when I am away from home for three months. Someone told me to ‘get over it’ but I have travelled the world and been to most places a dozen times and these days, three months is just a little long. Two months is okay but three is just a little long. I think you become a little dehumanised at that point, no matter how nice the hotel rooms are.”

Joe Cocker is joined by special guests George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Diesel and The Dingoes on February 19 for a concert in Sir James Mitchell Park, South Perth.
Tickets from Ticketmaster.

Thanks to Sony Music Australia we have five copies of Joe Cocker’s Hard Knocks to give away…
To go in the draw, simply become a fan of Realmark on Facebook at

facebook.com/realmarkre

A rough start for many Australians

For many Australians, 2011 has got off to a very challenging start.

Queensland has been hit the hardest, but some parts of northern Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria have also been dealing with devastating floods. I’d like to begin by first acknowledging those who have been impacted by these natural disasters, our thoughts are with you all.

As well as the dreadful human toll these floods have taken, the damage is well into the billions of dollars and there is no doubt this will impact the country economically. Considering this new financial load, I do think the RBA may choose to hold interest rates when they meet in February.

Being a member of the property industry I can’t help but think about what this means particularly for Queensland’s property market and those agencies who operate in devastated areas. There are so many issues to weigh up, so many homes and properties have been damaged, some even swept away or completely destroyed. Will people want to live by these water courses anymore? Also from a property management perspective, how will agencies deal with all this devastation, what does it mean for leases and tenants etc? What about those who have lost their livelihoods, how will the banks be managing defaults due to the damage?

The answers to all of this will surface over coming weeks and months as QLD and other affected areas continue the long and arduous task of cleaning up. While the initial impact of these disasters always makes the news, it is often the ongoing recovery we don’t see and that in itself can be a long and scary battle.

However, Australians (no matter which state they may reside) always seem to shine when things like this happen and there has been many an inspiring story to accompany the chaos around the country. Something good to take from some really tough times I guess.

To donate to the Queensland Flood Appeal visit

www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate

IN Resolution

If you’ve tried to make changes to your life before and haven’t succeeded, try looking at it from a different perspective.

It’s a new year and with it comes the promise of a clean slate and a second chance. Change seems easy and so the tradition of making a New Year’s resolution remains popular.

The top three resolutions we make regularly are to lose weight, pay off credit cards and quit smoking. Laudable goals, but the fact is that only 5 – 10 per cent of people who made a New Year’s resolution will actually achieve it.

Susie Vergers, business coach and founder of Change Creators, says the reason why New Year’s resolutions commonly fail is due to the mechanics of the change process used.

“Failure in achieving goals and resolutions is not due to a lack of will-power or commitment,” she says. “Doing things the same way over and over again and hoping for a different result is the problem. True change requires you to approach the things you want to change in a significantly different way than you have done before.”

Susie suggests three ways to better achieve your resolutions:

1. Think differently about what you really want to achieve: If you think you need to lose weight, stop smoking, drink less or go to the gym more, better health, more vitality or more energy is probably what you really want. Once you understand your deeper motivations take another look at how you can achieve the goal. For example, if your new goal is being healthy, then there are a range of options available to achieve better health. Options that are best suited to your lifestyle, budget and personal preferences have a greater chance of working in the longer term.
   
   
2. Stick with the tension: In any change process there is a conflict set up between the new way and the old way. You have set a goal for a stronger financial position but the part of you which loves the comfort of the old way says “just charge it, it’s only $50”. This tension is a natural – albeit uncomfortable – part of change. While this tension can doom a change effort, be patient and persistent. When the inner conflict and the tension it creates are overcome, change can come quickly.
   
   
3. Learn about change: Most of us have never been taught about the mechanics of change. When you understand there are normal progressions in any change process you can avoid the pitfalls. The following books might well help: Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard (by Chip and Dan Heath), Path of Least Resistance and Creating (by Robert Fritz) and Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organisations (by John Kotter and Dan Cohen).

So this year try thinking differently about the things you want to change, because you never know what true change you might achieve!
www.changecreators.com.au