BlogPositive

Snow bound

Did you give up trying to get to work today? As I work at home I didn't have that problem, but I did have to get into town for an appointment. There is about 6 inches of snow outside and I cleared the car with a brush. I knew that the journey would split into 3 bits in terms of difficulty. Firstly getting out along our drive and onto the road. Driving on fresh snow that only a few vehicles have passed over. Interesting and a bit like a slow waltz. The second bit down into the village was about the hairiest bit - a steep hill down and still lots of snow on the road. Then several miles on slippy back roads and after that plain sailing as I was onto the main A road. However none of it was really difficult or dangerous. Yes I slithered around a bit, but the road wasn't busy so it wasn't an issue. Yes I had difficulty getting the last 10 yards back to the house. But that was right here and the neighbours could have pushed if needs be. In fact that is just what we've been doing when one of my neighbours slewed into the bank just now. So I'm very glad that I went out and didn't just give up even before I'd started. Having that attitude of just having a go, see what happens, I'm sure I'll cope really helps. It's all too easy to just sit on the sidelines and believe that you can't achieve things. That attitude in life will not even take you outside your front door, let alone onto the promotion, fantastic new job, brilliant new life that you have always wanted. So if it's in the snow or in your life, just give it a go.

Getting to grips with the to-do list

I was so busy training last week that I ended up with only Wednesday evening to catch up with admin and prepare for two days of delivery and client and supplier meetings. I jotted down everything that needed to be done and the list had 16 items on it. It has to be said that there were 3 items on that list that didn't HAVE to be done immediately but everything else was critical for the next two days.

Now I know that some people are completely overwhelmed by having a to-do list like that. However I view it very differently. It's a bit like being in a sweetie shop with jars and jars of different sweets. There is so much choice. Today I can have liquorice allsorts and tomorrow butter toffees. Having a long list to me is great as it gives me a huge choice over what I do and the order that I do it in. I had about 5 hours to get most of it done and it didn't really matter in what order it was done. So as my feeling changed minute by minute I was able to select things from the list that I felt like doing. It was also good because I could make a start on one thing - printing out materials for example, and then go on to something else whilst that was in progress, therefore working on two things at once.

The trick is to look at things differently, in a positive light, rather than being weighed down by negative perceptions. How could you look at your to do list differently? How will that help you be more successful?

Old and simple remedies

There was an item on the news tonight about some research into flu. They've found that you can significantly reduce your risk of infection by wearing a mask. Not just any old wad of cotton though, a proper sugical mask. Its really surprising that no-one has done this research before. It just indicates that there are still old fashioned and easy ways to solve problems still waiting to be discovered, even today in the 21st century. We should remember this when trying to solve our own problems. Instead of seeking a complicated and many layered solution, ask yourself "Whats the simplest and easiest answer to this problem?" I have a friend who is trying to get his dog looked after when he's on holiday. Taking it to the kennels seems obvious but its complicated by their strict opening hours, his lack of car and of course the cost. He has another friend who loves dogs, would pick it up, drop it off and lavish it with love and long walks. Problem solved easily. The other day I ended up at Birmingham instead of Bristol when my flight was re-routed. The complexity of getting from there to my final destination by public transport was baffling. Just hire a car, get in it and drive there. Simple. Sorted. Ok, not very kind to the planet but got me where I needed to be. So don't struggle with long winded answers, solutions that need a degree to understand them or resolutions written on more than half a page. Get simple and your problems at home and at work disappear more quickly.

Be spontaneous

It's great to be focused and have a plan to achieve your goals. Having to-do lists and knowing what you have to achieve every day is a great motivator. Knowing where you are going keeps you moving in the right direction. However it's also important to find time for spontaneity. We can start to feel hemmed in and restricted if we stick rigidly to our plans and don't take advantages of opportunities that might come along. Taking the spontaneous path sometimes can leave us refreshed and invigorated. We may gain new momentum and encounter fresh ideas. Whatever else happens we get a beneficial change of environment and do things differently. This weekend is allocated to catching up on admin. I've been really busy over the last few weeks and have had very little time for being organised. Those day-to-day things that need keeping an eye on in the office just don't get done when you are actually out of the office most of the time. So far I've been pretty productive, getting some stuff in the post, dealing with the incoming mail, getting expenses sorted out. Then I decided to have a break and go out. Its brilliantly sunny here and although its cold, I really wanted to be outside. I've spent too many days inside when the weather has been really inviting. So I took my sacks and headed off to the wood to collect fire-lighting sticks. I always keep a stock indoors and they are starting to get low. I was rewarded by the sight of a deeply coloured red squirrel scurrying away up a tree as I passed and several pheasants taking flight at my approach. The floor in the wood is really yielding with fallen leaves until I reached the north facing slopes where the ground was still all frozen. That really brought home to me just how cold it has been. Having got back I am feeling invigorated and ready to grab some lunch and get on with all the things that are still waiting to be done. What have you done spontaneously this week? What can you do today that you weren't planning?

Embracing Change

I was completing delivery of a Spring Forward programme in London on Tuesday, had meetings yesterday morning and travelled back on the train in the afternoon.  It was interesting to note the progression of autumn as the train swept North through the countryside.  Most of the trees further South are still green, whereas the trees that I see from my office on this frosty morning are mainly dressed in autumn colours.

I actually love the autumn with its rich colours and harvest plenty, but I know plenty of people who bemoan its coming, unpacking winter warmers and shivering over their Lemsip.  I like it cos it heralds for me the coming of winter and from the first flush of autumn crocus I am waiting for snow.  Also this year it has provided plenty of inspiraiton for my poetry and on the train down to London I scribbled down three more pages towards my collection of equinoctial verse.

However, love it or hate it, autumn follows summer and the winter is hard on its heels.  We can't affect that, its a change that comes at us every year.  Despite that many of us will sit around in denial for ages, clinging to our summer frocks and strappy sandals.  And often that is our reaction to any kind of change, whether happening at work or at home.  Sit tight and it might miss me, hunker down and someone else will deal with it, shout and get angry and they'll do it differently, if I keep doing what I've always done they'll let me carry on that way. 

We all deal with change in a myriad different ways and it is important to recognise that many changes are like a juggernauts heading for us and we cannot stop them or even affect their direction. If that is the case then its going to be a lot less effort to just accept that its happening and find a way to deal with your reaction to it.  After all we all have that winter coat at the back of the wardrobe, its just a case of digging it out and dusting it off.

What are the autumns in your life that are threatening to mow you down?  How are you reacting to them? How can you celebrate that change instead of moaning and whinging about it?  What is your eqivalent of the snow that you can look forward to after the change is over?   

Bank Holiday Blog

Welcome back to work all of you, some of us were here all weekend!  Catching up with reports cos its been a really busy spring and summer so far.  But seriously I don't mind.  The weather up here in deepest Cumbria was not fit for much else and I actually really enjoy my work.

Then I wondered how many people in their heart of hearts would really have enjoyed what they did over the bank holiday (or any other holiday to think of it).  I have spoken to a number of people today who said "Well we didn't really enjoy it but........"  Sorry - GET A LIFE!!  This is not a rehearsal for something better that might come soon.  Life is too short (yes really) to spend your time on your holiday doing things that you don't enjoy.  Here are some things that I don't enjoy

• Motorway jams
• Queuing to get tickets or queuing for anything really
• Too many people congesting pavements, footpaths, mountains
• Going out in the rain just because its a holiday

Because of this I often do not go anywhere on a bank holiday cos I encounter lots of things that I don't enjoy.  Now its OK cos I  have the time to get out and do things at other times.  However it wasn't always like that and I also had the same policy then.

If you have time off from what you do for work then I believe that you should do things that you enjoy. Many of us though are doing things through duty or habit or because everyone else is or even worse because you think you should.  OK I know that there are some things like the lawn mowing that have to be done - but otherwise make a positive decision about doing things you love or even to do nothing at all.

Seabiscuit

Last night, tired and jetlagged, I cut the work and watched a dvd. It was called Seabiscuit - about a famous US racehorse.  Its a fabulous story about achievement and should probably come with a half tissue box warning!  You can read  more about him here http://www.seabiscuitonline.com/index1.htm

One of the great messages of the film was that this little horse just kept winning against the bigger guys cos he just didn't think of himself as small. In reality he was only a small pony and with the right techniques and encouragement he was winning races against much bigger thoroughbreds.

It made me think about how small we all often think we are.  The smallest cog in a great wheel, the lowliest person in your team, the one making the smallest contribution to anything. And if that is the way that we continue to think about ourselves then that is the way that we'll end up. I could think about myself as just a freelance trainer but I know that what I do amounts to much more than that. What I do makes a big difference to people's lives so I am not JUST a trainer.

Maybe you are saying to yourself "But I am ONLY...."  " I am JUST...." Listen to your own language. If you are talking yourself down why would you expect anyone else to give you space on this planet. Its time to stop talking small and start thinking bigger.  About your life, your career, your hopes and aspirations.  You can be like Seabiscuit and take on the big guys and win.