Right now, all I can hear is the echoes of what I have been coaching and advising people of for the past couple of years. Let me list a few of the cliches that come to mind:

- The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

- Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.

- Think of this as the universe giving you a push in the right direction.

There are various phases that we go through in life. In The Pursuit Of Happyness, Chris Gardner names each of the phases in his life, saying to himself that this part of his life, he calls running etc. Well, for the past couple of years, I would have to say that I call that part of my life Helping Others Succeed.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a great time. I have met and worked with some incredible people, many of which I now am proud to call friends. But, all throughout that time, there was a little itch. You know what I mean don’t you!

That itch was my dreams, goals and ambitions and for the past couple of years I have been putting those aside with the view of helping others to achieve their own goals and ambitions. Over the past few years, I have been involved in the personal transformation of thousands of individuals, and I have been doing it to the beat of someone else’s drum. But because the direction I was moving in was closely aligned to my own, I was able to silence the voices inside that told me I needed to be doing something bigger.

Well, to cut a long story short, the vehicle I was travelling in to help people broke down, and it is un-repairable. The driver has bailed and there is a whole load of people now stood on the side of the road. But looking back at the bus we were on, its kind of nice to not be on board any more, and now I get to choose which vehicle I continue my journey on.

So moving forward, you will see a lot of new things here, and this will include a lot more of MY voice. It is time to start creating my own cliches, and having people quoting ME instead (seriously, I remember once long ago hearing that a friend had been using my words when he was talking to his daughter!). Those of you who have had a taste before will know I am a little like Marmite, you either love me or you hate me. I am not vanilla, and do not believe in being bland or mediocre. My goal is for you to get to your goals, and you will do that either one of two ways – either because I have inspired you to act, or I have pissed you off so much you will do it anyway to spite me (either way, you’ll get it done!). Believe me, this is going to be one heck of a ride!

Along the way, there will be other people who play important parts, and I will certainly introduce them to you. Some of these people I know already, and some I am yet to meet. But the one thing I know is that success is a team game, and I know there are people around me with some pretty incredible strengths doing things I could never do! (Its like having my offensive line back again, only without the jaffa cakes! You’ll be hearing a lot more sporting analogies from now on too!)

Anyway, for now, it is time to focus on sowing the seeds of even greater success. For you, I would suggest signing up for my newsletter using the opt in form on this page so you can keep informed of everything that is to come.

Life’s a game of inches. The inches we need are everywhere around us! And if I’m going to have any life left, its because I’m still willing to fight, and die, for that inch!

Watch this space!

Life’s a game of inches. The inches we need are everywhere around us! And if I’m going to have any life left, its because I’m still willing to fight, and die, for that inch!

This part of my life, I call MY VOICE!

Everywhere you look at the moment, people and organisations seem to be making cut-backs; down-sizing, streamlining, anything possible to reduce costs and outgoings. This leaves fewer people to do the work left behind, and an increase in the number of people expected to multi-task or be multi-skilled. The ones left doing the jobs are expected to be able to carry businesses through the current tumultuous times and into the expected bounce back predicted in this week’s budget. This also leaves a lot of people out in the job market, many of which never would have imagined having to apply for jobs ever again.

So how are the decisions made about who to keep and who to hire?

Well, it is an interesting situation, unprecedented in the information age. Equally skilled people are attending interviews and trying to outbid for jobs, offering to work for less than other qualified candidates just to get the position.

But is cheaper labour the only consideration for employers? Well in a few instances I am sure it is. However, in the majority of cases, there are more important things to take into account. Below are some of the qualities and values that are desired in employees now.

Attitude – Nobody owes you anything! You have to be prepared to work for what you get, no matter how long you have been in the industry. Adopt the attitude of enthusiasm, willingness to learn and being open to new ideas.

Teamwork – With teams now smaller, personal relationships will be even more strained. People who are able to get on with others are now at a premium. Be someone that is affable and easy to get along with, rather than someone who is critical and judgmental of others.

Flexibility – The phrase “not in my job description” will not be used for a long time with being followed swiftly by a P45! Be prepared to take on new tasks, try things outside of your role, and generally muck in where necessary.

Responsibility – Take ownership of tasks, be interested in the overall outcome and results and be focussed on the success of the business as if it were your own.

Willingness – To learn, to change, to try new things. You have to be open to change and embrace the new economy. It is the ability to let go of the past and embrace the future that will make you successful.

Optimistic – There is enough negativity in the world. People want to be around those who make them feel good, that help them to experience the positive aspects of the world, rather than just reflect and repeat what so much of society is saying.

Extra Mile – Above all, this is the most important quality. Just doing enough is not going to get you noticed or appreciated. You have to be willing to do more than is asked, to find ways to add even more value, to yourself, your boss and without doubt your customers. There are so many ways to add value in every situation you will find yourself in, so practice doing it whenever and wherever possible.

So whatever situation you find yourself in, adopt these qualities and approaches in your life. Although the above are focussed on work, they can just as easily be applied to any other area of life.

So how is personal development affected by the credit crunch? Well, it is actually doing better now than ever before! Working on your mindset is the key to adopting the above concepts, and there are seminars, books and audio programs out there to do exactly that. Personal development is something that is attracting people from areas that may have previously been more reluctant to want to work on themselves.

The ideas taught at such seminars give you the cutting edge over the competition. A better outlook on life, improved communication skills, and an improved understanding of people in general are just some of the things you can expect from attending such events. You just can’t afford not to know this stuff if you want to be at the top of your game in any field!

Get yourself along to an event in the next few weeks, and watch the results you are experiencing in life skyrocket! Check out the video below for an idea on how to apply these ideas!

Stronger U is born!

Lincoln University saw the beginnings of an incredible new program, and another way of me being able to teach the tools of NLP and Personal Development to those who really need it! In this case, we are now teaching the techniques and ideas at universities and colleges across the UK.

The first session we delivered was on Exam Success, and involved taking the psychological and NLP principles of learning and remembering, and combining it with the ideas of success on a large scale. I guess I have a tendency to take some of my learning for granted, and so teaching people of this age something completely new has an incredible effect. The look on the faces of he students as the concepts dawned on them is the exact reason why I do what I do.

What did we cover? Well we went through learning styles using VAK – Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic modalities. In the end, they had over 20 different ways of revising, depending on their dominant preferences. Concepts of memory such as “Learning is State Dependent” showed the importance of being able to relax in exam situations. Finally, the 5 steps to being successful in any exam, which of course you can only find out on the training!

I can not wait for this to explode in universities all over the country, and also potentially overseas! We are having a meeting next week to discuss options and where to take this next as we already have several institutions looking to find ways we can help them.

Want to help share the message? We are looking for contacts in universities and colleges who see the huge benefit of teaching these skills and techniques. If you know anyone who can help us or would like to be involved, email info@strongeru.co.uk.

Look forward to lots more updates about this incredible program. Stay tuned!

Have you been getting the Advent Calendar emails? If not, sign up now to my Newsletter… just put your details in the sign up form on the left now. Here is a sneak preview of one of the messages going out soon!

“All I asked for was sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads!”

Whilst we might not agree with his strategy for success, there is something about Dr Evil’s plan that we can learn from. In fact, so many bad guys use them in films, it is a wonder why the good guys haven’t cottoned on yet!

We have all experienced the power of the sun, particularly the oh-so-pleasant sensation of sunburn. In an attempt to show how good your holiday was to your friends, you spend every waking moment exposing parts (that haven’t seen the light since your birth!) with the hope that you will return akin to a Greek God! When we take it a little too far, we end up glowing like a homing beacon and signposting to all the tour guides that you are the stereotypical holiday maker ripe for selling to!

And yet, that is a fraction of what the sun is capable of. Think back to childhood and days spent with a magnifying glass and some (insert your particular victim here… paper? ants? dolls?) and then you start to get close to the true potential of light. All it takes is Focus!

Focus is the catalyst of true power, taking potential and fashioning something only distantly related to the original source. We have all experienced this ourselves, although we may not have noticed it until one of our colleagues remarks “Woah, what’s got into you this morning?” (Notice focus can be used both positively and negatively!) The challenge is that many people spread themselves too thinly, trying to do too many things all at the same time, and never using their own laser-like focus on anything for long enough to notice the difference.

Your challenge is to find a way to focus on whatever it is you are doing today, and throughout Christmas with 100% intensity and commitment. If you are working, give it your all until it is time to finish rather than be thinking about what you are going to do later or how you are going to spend your weekend. Likewise, when enjoying your spare time, immerse yourself fully and forget what needs to be done the following day at the office… the time is now!

Not only will this make a massive difference to the success of your life, it will also have an incredible impact on those around you. Once given your undivided attention, people will feel far more connected to you, and enjoy being with you on a far deeper level. How would this affect the relationships you have with those around you right now?

I finally worked out how to win at Monopoly recently. You see, my old strategy had been ineffective; trying to spread myself too thinly as opposed to using the military concept of massing of forces. Now my strategy is to build up my properties even if it means mortgaging everything else, as well as keeping a reserve just in case you draw the wrong card from the Chance pile.

It is funny, but how you play a game teaches you a lot about how you live your life. I learnt a lot about investment strategies by playing the game Cashflow from Robert Kiyosaki (click here to find out more). You might think that games can’t possibly be effective mechanism for teaching and learning, but delivered in the right way and with an effective debrief, they can be outstanding education tools.

The thing about learning through games is you can never be certain what the lessons will be, as the learnings for each individual playing the game will often be different. You will learn whatever lesson you need to learn at that particular moment! You might learn a completely different lesson by playing the same game or you might learn the same lesson playing a different game, especially if you still haven’t really got the message.

Today, I was teaching business games with year 7 students in East London, and throughout the day there were lots of lessons. One of the biggest lessons from today, and this applies to YOU as much as it did to the students today, is that in most instances you only get ONE CHANCE, and that every opportunity you have should be taken with both hands. If you don’t get it right first time, there often isn’t a second time. Whether you are in front of the investors in the Dragon’s Den, meeting a potential life partner or simply being there for your family, how you show up speaks volumes to the people around you as well as your unconscious mind.