One step at a time

A few weeks ago, after hurting my arm - suspected torn ligaments - floor wrestling a 15 stone hulk during combat training - I couldn't do my weekly Aikido training, nor could I cycle my 2 hour 30 mile slog on a Saturday morning with Cheltenham County Cycling Club. So I decided to take up running to maintain and possibly increase my fitness.

I tried running a few years back but had problems with my ankle, and I wasn't very good at it. But, this time something had changed. At first I didn't recognise what that something was, as I shuffled up the road, puffing and pushing my resistant legs.

Two nights ago I managed to break my pattern of walk - run - walk and ran the whole 2 miles, which is no mean feat as it is a long 3/4 mile slog up a stiff hill out of the village. My beautiful dog Ellie running by my side, the Ipod pounding the right rhythmic beats into my brain, I began to feel as if running was becoming a moving meditation.

When you decide to step up, it is normal to encounter some resistant. The urge to stop was soooo strong. Hastily flicking on to my most motivational tracks on the ipod, I started talking to myself. Soon I was repeating a mantra.....

'step by step, one foot in front of the other - if I can do this step I can do the next step'

I kept repeating it, and soon I was flying down the hill towards home. Ellie galloped alongside me, her ears flapping in the wind. It felt good. As I zoomed into the gate, I hit my stop watch and was astonished to see I had beaten my best time by two minutes. Doesn't sound a lot, but it is.

That evening I thought about my mantra as a metaphor for business. Isn't this the thing we have to do in our businesses? No matter whether you are a sole trader or a huge corporation you can only move 'step by step' - Businesses grow from applying well considered strategies, creative thinking and by taking massive action 'One foot in front of the other'

We all need support along the way. I count myself to be very lucky on that score, but we have to build our foundations with the bricks and mortar of our own self beliefs. No one can do it for us - 'If I can do this step, I can do the next step'.

Over the last few days, I have seen opportunities that I think I maybe wouldn't have seen before, been given some tools for growth and feel more excited and motivated than I have so far this year. Just from that one mantra!

Life is about capturing important moments, seizing the meaning behind the apparently nondescript events.

Look out for great opportunities waiting just round the corner for you and tell us about your successes.

Take care

Jan
Tel: 0800 634 3320
http://www.womenssuccesscoach.co.uk/
http://www.thepeoplewhisperers.co.uk/
http://www.helpforcancer.co.uk/

JAN'S PODCAST

Ending the drama

I think it was Shakespeare that said, 'All the worlds a stage and all the people are actors upon it', or words to that effect. After some years of daily meditation, I am beginning to understand the concept of this. Everyone is in the drama at some stage - if not all - of their lives.

I am a great fan of 'Scrubs', which is a comedy based in a hospital, currently on E4. In one episode Doctor Cox said 'Even though we are helping these people to get well, we are just delaying the end of the story, which is death' or words to that effect. It is the one great universal truth. We are all at some point going to die. And yet we continue day by day to play the drama.

We play the emotional role, swinging from one emotional state to another; joy to depression, anger to harmony and happiness to misery. None of it makes any sense! Then we play the career drama and the success drama, where we all struggle and strive to be better than we are [right now] so we can earn more money, get a better style of life, be free and live the way we want. But none of that is real anyway, because it is only money that makes this 'game' possible. If we lived in caves and hunted large hairy animals every day, we would only need to think about getting the next meal - and that would be it.

How much more simple would that be? Did prehistoric man have problems with confidence and self esteem, or is this only the drama born out of modern society? I suspect that prehistoric man just got on with things and didn't worry about what others thought of him.

You don't have to be a part of the drama of life. It is your choice as to whether you play the 'game' or not. Most people live a pretty boring life, and the drama is a cheap option for sparking it up a bit.

But as one moves towards enlightenment, one realises that happiness really does come from within and is enhanced by the simpleness of life. I find joy in watching spring lambs and new born calves boinging around the fields. We have snowdrops in the village today. How wonderful is that? Spring is so close, you can almost smell it and the birds sound different. Wonder if they get S.A.D?

Next time you are about to lose the plot, become upset, uptight, stressed or worried just think to yourself that this drama is all inside your head. You can make a definitive choice not to experience this in the same way, and just by making that choice you will not have to play a part in it. I can tell you that it is liberating, it's fun and it prevents a whole lot of unnecessary heartache.

Jan
Tel: 0800 634 3320
http://www.womenssuccesscoach.co.uk/
http://www.thepeoplewhisperers.co.uk/
http://www.helpforcancer.co.uk/

JAN'S PODCAST

Gaining Focus

For many years, keeping my focus was an area where I lacked commitment. Experts tell us that we must set goals if we want to 'succeed'.

This was something I resisted for a LONG time, and I am so not alone!

During the downtime at Christmas I decided to sit down and work out what direction I wanted to take for 2009.

2008 had been a tough year, what with losing my dad to cancer, and struggling with a sick horse for three months. I knew that I had far too many balls up in the air and that if I didn't drop some of them I was in danger of severe burn out!

I decided that I wanted to work smarter. Focusing on creating a way of generating income from the things that I was really good at, I wanted to spend less time and effort driving the momentum to create these things.

What happened surprised me!

I qualified as a Life Coach in 2004, but never quite found the fulfillment and vision of success that I imagined. Why? BecauseI had not got clear about what it was that I wanted, and also what I didn't want.

Several things came out of it: -

• I wanted to specialise in one area of expertise


• I prefer face to face coaching, rather than telephone coaching


• I love working with the horses to help people effect change


• I wanted to specialise with women in business


• I was keen to start a womens success coaching group


• I had more influence than I believed I had


• and much more

My point is, how many things are you doing that are:-

1. Wasting your time


2. Not fulfilling you


3. Not rewarding you financially


4. Not necessary


5. Possible to be outsourced to someone else


6. Draining the life from you!

Also, what things are you NOT doing that: -

1. Could dramatically increase your income


2. Transpose time for money scenarios


3. Would create passion, momentum & enthusiasm


4. Could increase your confidence & self esteem


5. Could re-energise you


6. Could change your life!

2009 could be a difficult year or it could be the best year you have ever had. It's your choice. Personally I believe that we emerge stronger from tougher times. If we can find the motivation, courage, integrity, passion and enthusiasm to keep going, then we will rise above these times with a far better model of success - and it is likley to be sustainable.

But - and this is most important - the greatest thing that I learned in 2008 is that you cannot do it on your own. We all need help.

Sign up for your free 'five golden rules to setting goals' report

Tata for now

Jan
Tel: 0800 634 3320
http://www.womenssuccesscoach.co.uk/
http://www.thepeoplewhisperers.co.uk/
http://www.helpforcancer.co.uk/

JAN'S PODCAST

Cutting through the layers

When I started my coaching practice in 2004, I had no idea of how much I would learn from my clients. In the early days, I would see my own issues facing me, and be forced to deal with them head on.

I am a great believer in turning round to face our demons, no matter how ugly and foul these demon(s) might - at first - appear to be.

But it's too easy to become a master of denial, and that's your choice. The problem with the ostrich in the sand attitude is that we lose out on the exciting discovery of exactly how much potential we have. We live within the limitations that we have created, layer upon layer, covering up the power and the fulfilment that is lying dormant, just waiting for the flute of recognition to be played.

The layers of our sub conscious and sub personalities go deep. There are many ways to explore this, far too many to list here, but the first step is to develop awareness of when we are 'running away' from the truth.

Simply notice when you are: -

• Feeling unsettled for no 'apparent 'reason
• Making excuses
• Switching your focus
• Turning to addictive behaviour - reaching for the chocolate, alcohol or anything that pushes back the truth
• Diverting attention to non essential activities - sudden urges to steam clean your trousers, sharpen every pencil in your desk or browse facebook for a few hours are good examples! :-)
• Using logic, cynicism or intellect instead of heart, courage and intuition

This is a good start. Whatever you are doing - or not doing - just stop, and notice. You might say to yourself, 'that's interesting, look what I am doing'. Don't beat yourself up, nor, at this stage, try to stop the behaviour, just be aware of it.

Learn to become aware of: -

• Your breathing - you may notice that your breathing becomes shallow, or you might hold your breath
• Your body - Your body may tense up, shoulders become hunched or your body language become smaller
• Your thinking - do you go on autopilot - what internal messages are you giving yourself?

For me, I noticed that I stopped breathing whenever I become nervous, agitated or angry. With enhanced awareness, I now immediately take calm deep yoga type breaths, pushing my tummy out when I breath in and sucking my tummy in when I breath out, It works a treat, restoring my equilibrium and focus.

It's a minefield of an area, and a definate favourite of mine. Watching people uncover the layers is exciting and rewarding, because once your brain starts to make the switch there is no going back. Progress is fast at this stage, like letting a bird out of a cage for the first time, there's a whole lot of flying to do!

Jan
Tel: 0800 634 3320
http://www.womenssuccesscoach.co.uk/
http://www.thepeoplewhisperers.co.uk/
http://www.helpforcancer.co.uk/

JAN'S PODCAST

Stretching

It is all too easy to stay in our comfort zone. We may not like it, but we always kind of know what will happen on a day to day basis. As a tool for personal growth, I have to tell you it sucks!

Like you, I have been guilty of creating a lovely warm nest for my comfort zone. When my soul tells me, 'Oi! wake up! It's time to get out of this bed and go do something', I usually manage to ignore it. Or at best I 'pretend' to do something, and then crawl back under the duvet.

Since dad died, my nest had got real warm. Snuggled up in the blankets of reclusivity, self pity, anger and denial, I was going to have to be winkled out with a crowbar. Intellectually, I knew that what I was doing was 'wrong', but then I convinced myself that the grieving process takes time, it was too early, it was the wrong day of the month, I could start tomorrow, it didn't feel the right time to take action...blah blah flipping blah.

Fortunately, my soul is made of sterner stuff. Despite the fact that it must be exhausted from kicking my butt around for the last few months, it still managed to set my alarm, boot me out of bed and get me in the car for 9am this morning. I was going to a women's speed networking event. Yay! Snore!

At 7:30 am this morning, the devil on my back {D.O.M.B} was saying, 'stay in bed Janny. You are lovely and warm, the dogs are snuggled up to you, you don't want to go out in the cold on such a nasty day as this. Stay in bed. It will probably be full of women that make cakes for a living anyway'. The D.O.M.B can sound pretty convincing.

Puffing up like an irate blowfish, my soul pulled back the covers and yelled, 'GET UP....NOW!!'

Exit D.O.M.B!

I used to be a real shy soul, so driving to this event I felt myself rising and falling between courage and cowardice, 'what about if no one likes me?' my inner child whined. 'Like that's going to happen!' my inner warrior bounced back. And so it went on.

Twenty women in one room. It sounds a nightmare doesn't it? But it was great, fab, inspirational and so well worth sliding out of bed for.

I am ashamed to say that it's the first networking event I have done for over a year. Somehow my ex business partner and I convinced each other that networking was not for us. Scaredy cats I now realise!

I spoke to most of the women, and synergystically connected with three or four ladies that I felt a real link with. I already have a meeting with one lady, and plans to get together for a coffee with three others. One lady I know is going to make an impact on my project for Help for Cancer.

This fun event also made me realise how passionate I am about my programme. I love the corporate work, but I noticed that when I talked about the cancer project, I lit up, totally lit up. Now you and I know that my soul is saying, 'hey, get it now eh?' and yes okay, I understand and am now committed to stretching those 'take action' muscles to get myself out there.

You don't know who you are until you stretch. You don't know how powerful you are until you take a step nearer the bar. You have no idea of the mass of potential inside of you, until you see it reflected in other peoples eyes.

So get out of bed right now, ditch the comfort blankets and go look for you star!

Jan
Tel: 0800 634 3320
http://www.womenssuccesscoach.co.uk/
http://www.thepeoplewhisperers.co.uk/
http://www.helpforcancer.co.uk/

JAN'S PODCAST

Anything is possible!

Barack Obama is the new President!

Over the last few days, I followed the presidential election with interest but, more than that, I wanted Obama to win. Reading of the millions of American people queuing to vote, it became clear that America wanted change.

Obama's campaign was inspirational, but it seemed to come from a place of genuine intention, rather than the typical sickly American spin. His call seemed to be genuine.

Watching this amazing event in history, made me realise how much we are all seeking change for our world. It is time to let go of the old and forge into the future with the untried new. Somehow, we know that what happens in America, always affects us. I for one actually feel hopeful, even though I have no real idea as to why!

Maybe it is the fact that, on paper, it would appear impossible that a man like Obama, with little experience, could win and, coupled with the fact that he is a coloured man, maybe few thought he had a real chance.

But he captured 'something' in all of us across the globe and I for one am grateful for waking up to the real possibility of world change.

Jan
Tel: 0800 634 3320
http://www.womenssuccesscoach.co.uk/
http://www.thepeoplewhisperers.co.uk/
http://www.helpforcancer.co.uk/

JAN'S PODCAST

Desire V Intention

I have only one real desire. My lifelong dream, since I was a very small child, is to own a smallholding, somewhere calm & peaceful where I can have my horses, alpacas and llamas, chickens, sheep, ducks & goats!

Somewhere with stables and barns and potential training rooms... I know what it looks like - I can feel it - but it hasn't arrived yet!

One Christmas Eve, when I must have been around five or six years old, I found it hard to sleep. I worried that Santa would think I was naughty if he found me awake. I tossed and turned and thought I would never fall asleep. But I did. In the early hours of the morning, in the half light, I woke up to see that he had been. Yay! There was a red sack at the bottom of the bed, but there was also something on top of my chest of drawers.

I got out out bed and felt this 'something' all over with my hands. It was made of wood. There seemed to be buildings and fences! As my eyes adjusted, I realised that Santa had bought me a farm! Well, we know now that my dad had made me a wooden farm. It was wonderful. The 'grass' had been painted green, the buildings orange & brown and it had little white fences. The stables even had little proper doors! I soon added my collection of plastic animals to my farm and played with it hour upon hour.

I was so happy!

I don't know what happened to that farm. I guess as I became older and made contact with real horses, that I lost interest in playing with my farm and animals. But I still have all of those animals in a plastic bag under the stairs. My collection, strangely, includes giraffes, elephants and gorillas. You don't see many of those on British farms!

Over the years, I have done all sorts of visualisations & affirmations. I even had a period where I tried 'magik spells' [ooer!] I have created wish boards with big pictures of the sort of place that I want - and yet I am no nearer to getting it. I live in a lovely cottage, on a farm and my horses are at home, but it's a rental property and there are limitations as to what I can do. Anyway that's not important - what is important is that today I had a huge realisation, and its this....

As long as my dream remains a desire I might never have it!

There! There it is, I have said it!

I truly believed that my desire was directing me towards my dream but, on reflection, maybe it was keeping me from it.

But if I change that desire to an INTENTION, I have a good chance of obtaining it.

Desire is like having a set of fluffy car seats to make your car feel more comfortable - if that's your thing! - but intention is the fuel that actually makes your car go, and five star rocket fuel at that! Wow! What a realisation this is! How could I have missed this? D'oh!

I have been asked what I would like my business to be like, and I have a sense of what I want, and an idea of how to achieve it. But I haven't got my battle gear out and stood behind that intention.

My small team of helpers provide me with support, but what they see in me is a dream. If I asked them if they recognised my 100% kick ass intention, I bet they would say 'er .. no!' I surmise that they think the business may work or it may not, and think I am OK with it either way. And that, to be fair, is how I felt...until today. I prided myself on not being attached to an outcome.

Getting my smallholding is not going to happen without action. I might be lucky and win the lottery, or maybe some generous benefactor may give me a farm - but it isn't likely.

Intention creates: -

• Action


• Enthusiasm


• Tools


• Other peoples support


• Opportunities


• Energy


• Focus


• Drive


• Determination

The list could go on, but you get the picture.

What is it that you want? Is it still a dream? Are you simply desiring it? Right now decide to commit yourself to your intention. Ask yourself power questions like 'what do I need to do to get started on my intention' and keep asking focused action packed open questions. Your enthusiasm will attract others to you, and keep you focused when the obstacles start trying to get in your way.

My intention is to get my smallholding. The steps that will take me there are, as yet, unknown. But given the above list, it cannot fail to create the very thing that I intend to get. No doubt there will be some delightful surprises along the way... and I am ready for them all.

Obstacles?? Pah! Bring them on......

Jan
Tel: 0800 634 3320
http://www.womenssuccesscoach.co.uk/
http://www.thepeoplewhisperers.co.uk/
http://www.helpforcancer.co.uk/

JAN'S PODCAST