Health or wealth?

Question:
Dala Lama was asked what surprised him most about humanity

Answer:
Mankind because ...

• He sacrifices his health in order to make money
• Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health
• Then he's so worried about the future he does not enjoy the present
• The result being he does not live in the present or in the future
• He lives as if he's never going to die
• and dies never having really lived

Receive Team GB support

The question is..."is it all in your mind"?

I have had an amazing summer! I was privileged to go to several events at the Olympics. As I am sure you heard, the atmosphere was amazing. This had a major impact on the athletes resulting in a record number of British winning medals. It is this phenomenon which I would like to explore today:

It brought home to me the power of our minds. Arguably the difference between our athletes in Beijing and in London was not significant physically. The fundamental difference was the support. The support had a huge positive impact just by influencing their minds.

How can we utilise the incredible power of our minds on a daily basis to perform higher than we are currently achieving, through support?

Quick Quote
"What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds" ~ Wayne Dyer

Find your Team GB supporters

Support comes in many guises and although most of us won't be lucky enough to enjoy thousands of people chanting our name in encouragement, here are some great ways to ensure you have the support you deserve:

1. Family - For the luckiest amongst us we are able to receive and provide unconditional love and support to/from our family. Lead by example and offer encouragement daily.
2. Friends – Cherish your friends, be their "Team GB" and surround yourself with people who happily boost and encourage you.
3. Coaches – You will receive support and encouragement from a coach and increase your self-belief. For example, people who work with me, without necessarily improving their natural ability, increase their confidence, strive for more and achieve greater results.

In my experience, a coach has a similar impact to a cheering crowd (albeit not so loud!). If you would like to benefit from this, please ring me on 07764 235394 to discuss how I can help you.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the incredible power of the mind, support and the Olympics at so please leave your comments below:

PS There are other ways to boost our minds but I am leaving those techniques for another time.

Are you saving something for a special occasion?

A friend of mine opened his wife's underwear drawer and picked up a
silk-paper-wrapped package:
'This,' - he said - 'isn't any ordinary package.'
He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box.
'She got this the first time we went to New York , 8 or 9 years ago. She has
never put it on, was saving it for a special occasion.
Well, I guess this is it.'
He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other clothing he
was taking to the funeral house; his wife had just died.

He turned to me and said:
'Never save something for a special occasion.
Every day in your life is a special occasion.'
I still think those words changed my life.
Now I read more and clean less.
I sit on the settee without worrying about anything and just relax.
I spend more time with my family and friends and less at work.

Money is to be spent not saved.
I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to,
not survived through.

I no longer keep anything.
I use crystal glasses every day.
I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if I feel like it.
I don't save my special perfume for special occasions, I use it whenever I
want to.

I go out with my friends whenever I want to rather than thinking I don't
have the spare money or time.
The words 'Someday...' and 'One Day....' are fading away from my dictionary.

If it's worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see it, listen to it or
do it now.
I don't know what my friend's wife would have done if she knew she wouldn't
be there the next morning, this nobody can tell.
I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends.
She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels.  
She might have told everyone how much she loved them.
I'd like to think she would go out for Chinese, her favourite food.
It's these small things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had
come.
Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.
Live for today, for tomorrow is promised to no-one.

Determination is key...keep running...

I can’t wait for the Olympics to start and we are lucky enough to have tickets to a couple of events. The Olympians who are taking part are amazing, not so much because of their natural ability, more for their dedication. Most people are born with much innate ability. Only a few reach their full potential. My passion is helping people reach their potential given their current position (it’s too late for many of us to reach the Olympic stage!) and to achieve their own dreams however large or small. For me it is not about gaining Olympic gold, but about achieving the most you can. In this newsletter I am going to talk about dedication – determination and perseverance. What can we learn from these elite athletes?

This 3 minute video is inspiring (made me cry!): Click here. Let me know what you think by commenting below.


Quick Quote
"The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running." ~ Author unknown
in reference to Ecclesiastes 9:11, "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."


Never give up

​1.       Be clear on why you are aiming for your goal – a strong “why” will keep you motivated when the going gets tough
2.       Surround yourself with people who believe in you and stay away from doubters and nay-sayers
3.       Make some progress every day whilst understanding that everyone has set-backs and that the path is unlikely to be smooth
4.       Don’t break the chain – print off a wall chart with the days of the year on and mark off every day when you make a step, however small, towards your goal. Aim to build a very long chain without breaking it.
5.       Reward yourself for your achievements – time with a friend, relaxation time. And be kind to yourself by acknowledging every effort you make however small.

If you have any suggestions or stories, please share them

Is it possible to have it all?

Last week, during a course I attended on taking my business to the next level, I was forced to confront a dichotomy which has bugged me for the last couple of years. Is it possible to go "all out" to achieve a goal and at the same time achieve balance? As someone who naturally likes to give everything to achieving a goal once I have set it, it is sometimes hard to maintain the balance I strive for. Also I have noticed that many people who are successful in their work either later struggle with burnout or lack satisfaction in their personal life, and people who focus on another priority such as their family don't achieve all that they hoped for in their working life. Is it possible to have it all?

7 Practical ways to "have it all"

1. It is not a race. Striving for challenging goals is a positive way to grow and to achieve great things. But make sure the timelines are realistic and commensurate with the amount of time you have to spend on them. If you are only working 30 hours a week, it will take longer to achieve your goal than if you are working 60 hours, although you do need to be commiting a "critical mass" of time for some goals.
2. Ensure that you have goals for all aspects of your life including your health, fitness and time with people who are important to you to maintain balance.
3. Segment your life so that whilst you are at work you are focussing on work, and whilst you are with people you love you are focussing on them (ban all additional appendages such as iphones when you are spending quality time with someone)
4. Manage your time efficiently and effectively so that you are being truly productive when you are in "work mode".
5. Ask for help, delegate and make sure you build a strong support structure
6. Accept that there will be times when life is slightly out of balance but you are achieving lots in a certain area. If possible, try and keep those periods finite and as short as possible, or worst case, if things get really crazy, make sure you have scheduled breaks for the other people and things important in your life when you can.
7. Acknowledge that nothing and no-one is perfect and keep a sense of humour when things don't go to plan!

This is all easier said than done, and it is a continuous process. Contact me if you would like support, structure and help finding your own practical solutions.
Please comment and share your challenges and solutions.  It is great to be able to learn from each other.

Are you selfish if you spend time on yourself?

I have many clients who have numerous responsibilities such as children, jobs, businesses, houses, cars, parents... They feel overwhelmed and often it is the "me time" which gets usurped. We can feel that we are being a "martyr" for giving so much - time, energy, compassion, and that some day we will be rewarded for our commitment and hard work. I like to think of myself as a Golden Goose, laying golden eggs. The eggs are the things I create, nurture, develop or support. Without a healthy Golden Goose, there are no golden eggs.

It is pertinent to note that when on an aircraft, we are told that if there is a shortage of oxygen to fit our own mask first. This then puts us in a strong position to help others including our children.

Quick Quote
“It’s hard to be selfish and it’s easy to self-sacrifice.” ~ Nathaniel Brandon

A fun exercise to better understand your priorities

1. Write down on a piece of paper, your top ten priorities in order (most important first) from the list below

      Housework       Career/business       Hobbies
      Sprituality       Personal Development       Friends
      Relatives       Children       Relaxation
      Health       Challenge       Dreams
      Fun       Me       Diet
      Exercise       Partner       Love
      Passion       Home       Environment
      Income       Travel       Material possesions

2. Circle those which promote the health, energy and motivation of the golden goose
3. Underline those which represent golden eggs

Questions to ask yourself:

• Do you have enough priorities which take care of the golden goose?
• Are you living according to those priorities on a daily basis?
• What changes could you make to move your time towards your priorities?

What is truly good for you, is truly good for everyone else.

If you would like to go through a more detailed version of this exercise with my support, or would like support in helping achieve some of your priorities, please ring me on 07764 235394.

Do you think it is selfish to have "me" as your top priority? Please give me your reactions and let me know your thoughts.

Real mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids

Happy Mother’s Day!

Real Mothers don’t eat quiche;
They don’t have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils
Are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,
Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough
Doesn’t come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don’t want to know what
The vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask ‘Why me?’
And get their answer when a little
Voice says, ‘Because I love you best..’

Real Mothers know that a child’s growth
is not measured by height or years or grades…

It is marked by the progression of Mummy to Mum to Mother…

The Images of a Mother
4 YEARS OF AGE – My Mummy can do anything!
8 YEARS OF AGE – My Mum knows a lot! A whole lot!
12 YEARS OF AGE – My Mother doesn’t really know quite everything.
14 YEARS OF AGE – Naturally, Mother doesn’t know that, either.
16 YEARS OF AGE – Mother? She’s hopelessly old-fashioned.
18 YEARS OF AGE – That old woman? She’s way out of date!
25 YEARS OF AGE – Well, she might know a little bit about it!
35 YEARS OF AGE – Before we decide, let’s get Mum’s opinion.
45 YEAR S OF AGE – Wonder what Mum would have thought about it
65 YEARS OF AGE – Wish I could talk it over with Mum.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,
the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,
Because that is the doorway to her heart,
The place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,
but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows
and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

I love this poem - gives me a great excuse for my dirty oven too!
Pass it on to other great Mums out there today and boost them too..

Thanks to parenting expert Sue Atkins for this lovely poem