Monthly Archives: October 2011

Are we there yet? Anyone who has children or looks after children will know the question along with the other favourite Why? and it got in my head last week. I am losing weight on a weekly basis at a good rate, however last week it was only 3 pounds ( 1.8 kg) so I was disappointment. I had it in my head it should have been a far greater weight loss.Then all the feelings in my head mounted up, but I did everything by the book, this is ridiculous, the pain and the suffering I have been through just to lose 3 pounds or stupid words to that affect.

My wife Val reminded me that since June 23rd I had no lost over 5 stone ( 72 pounds/32 kg) and that I needed to get things into perspective. The same as a child I wanted to know why was I not there yet, instead of being happy that I was over half way to the goal I had set to lose 10 stone ( 140 lbs / 65kg) and it got me to thinking we do that in business all the time, we concentrate on whats not happening rather than on what is.

When we start to make changes to our businesses or our lives things do not tend to happen overnight, of course there is always and exception to the rule but these are rare. In my case I have been over weight for at least 40 years so the weight went on over those years it cannot come off in a month its going to take time. In business if we have identified what we need to do it can take time to see the results coming through. I coined a phrase years ago, It worked so well I stopped doing it! Many people I meet and deal with in my coaching business have more than enough ability, they have simply forgotten to continue with the basics that they used do do when they first started up the business.

It is also easy to also easy to focus on things we have no control over instead of those we have. In my case I control what goes in my body by what I eat, so therefore if I consistently eat the right things there can be only one outcome. I may have to alter certain food from time to time as my knowledge of nutrition increases but the simple facts are less calories in than used means weight loss.

The same rule as simple as it sounds applies to business, more money in than out means profits. My father had a great expression Turnover is vanity profit is sanity.

Ask yourself this question if you are a business owner, How much time this week have I spent developing my business? A lot of business owners spend lots of hours working but on what? Be honest with yourself see things how they are not worse than they are. Small changes every week can add up to a massive change at the end of a year.

My daughter Heather was 2 years of age on 23rd September this year. Her favorite question is Why? No matter what I or her Mum ask her to do her next word is Why?

I ran a seminar this morning to which one of the attendees then spent sometime with me after the session as he wanted clarity on some of the points I had raised.

During this session I made sure I gave him clarity to which he said thank you, this has been great fun and learning, he then asked a question, Why do people not put this into practice? I said because a lot of the time Business owners are overwhelmed and unfortunately do nothing. He again asked but Why? and you know what I am not sure I know.

I have now reached a weight I do not remember ever being and I have a long way to go to reach my target weight,but I am so clear about the outcome its working and well. It would be fair to say however it has taken some 45 years to get act my act together, Why? I think I a still finding that out as I go through the process. Plenty of well intentioned people over the years have tried to help me and I did not listen so who am I am to say anything about people who don't appear to act on good advice.

I truly would love to know why you may not of act on sound advice over the years, but chose to find out the hard way. I promise if I find out why I have waited 45 years to lose weight I will share it. Please share your thoughts I would appreciate it.

As a fat guy among many fears a big one is getting yourself parked in an airline seat. I usually fly with BMI as their seat belts apparently are longer and you can book an aisle seat in advance so its stops the red face when it does not meet in the middle. I have always wondered how a seemingly helpful stewardess can wait for that an entire plane of 250+ passengers to be quiet before she or he announces Sir would you like a seat belt extension? in a loud voice and holding it up that orange extension belt. Everyone has a look and then to add insult to injury they ask Do you know how to work it? Here is the thing its probably not that loud its probably in my head but none the less its embarrassing.

Having just secured a new client in Northern Ireland whom my first visit to was last week you can imagine my joy when he sent through my airline tickets. You guest it Easy Jet. My fears started when I opened the email, first thought seat belts, second thought arm rest, third thought will the plane be full will I get a spare seat beside me? So what should be a huge positive i.e. new client paying my expenses etc was now beginning to be a nightmare in my head.

However I had forgotten I have now lost nearly 5 stone (70lbs,31kg) since I was last on an Easy Jet flight. While waiting in line to board the aircraft and of course with Easy Jet there is no seat allocation you just fight with the rest of the passengers to get what seat you want ( Easy Jet call it first come first served not fight in fairness but you get the scene) My first check is the amount of people I see in the line I have mentally counted 120 that means spare seats, that's good that means take an aisle seat and at worst no one will sit in the middle one and at worst someone will sit in the window sit. Lets face it no one wants to sit beside a fat guy on a flight do you? My heart was still racing and all my fears of the past where in my head mind and soul, I am really at this point not in a good place.

I get on board about 30th to board the plane and get an aisle seat hurray is the cry in my mind. I sit down with all the normal fears and try to fasten the belt, then my head realizes the arm rest is not attached to my backside or pushing into my belly. Then the seat belt clicks shut without a problem, so at this point feeling lucky I pull down the table and it does not hit my belly so for five minutes I sit with the biggest grin on my face like the cat that got the cream that kind of great feeling. Then someone had the audacity to break this feeling by asking may I have the the window seat? I said boldly why not have the aisle I will move to the window seat to which they were very happy. I sat in that window seat like it was all my Birthdays and Christmas,s rolled into one.

Past fears control a lot of how we act and behave I am learning that while I have lots more weight to lose things are changing for the better but my subconscious mind has not yet caught up with my reducing sized body. I am back in Northern Ireland next with the same airline bring it on