Tag: journal

That Time Between Christmas and New Year

However, this is a great time to be reflective and to become a planner. So, if I may, I would like to suggest the following:


My Dear Beloved Reader,

Diana and I hope you have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas, and Santa has been kind to you, and you are replete after lashings of food and perhaps the odd modest tipple. Now, I’m hoping that I’ve caught you at that reflective time that lies between Christmas and The New Year. You’re either still at home enjoying a break or perhaps you have returned to work, but it’s a little slow as so many other businesses /clients are still on holiday. However, this is a great time to be reflective and to become a planner. So, if I may, I would like to suggest the following:

1). Let’s look back at the last twelve months and see how things have progressed in your life. I would strongly recommend that you take a new page in your journal draw a line down the centre and on the left-hand side list all your accomplishments during the last 12 months. Now on the right-hand side of the line list everything that didn’t go so well. If the stuff on the left outweighs the stuff on the right, you’ve had a great year! If not, then we need to recognise the need for change, and perhaps we can start that now with a plan! Just remember that as Mark Twain remarked: “If you always do what you’ve always done then you’ll always have what you’ve always got”.

2). The rudiments of making a plan is to operate from document and not from thought. Sometimes, there’s so much going on in our brain that it’s difficult to focus on an action plan. It’s so much better to get your thoughts out of your brain and into your journal. Incidentally, it’s now proven that those that plan on paper do better than those that plan on a screen. Before you commit your plan to your journal, I believe that you need to start the process with the end in mind. In other words for you to move forward in your life, you need to have a clear idea of where you would like to be in say the next twelve months. Some of the areas for you to consider would be relationships, financial, health, personal development, attainment and I’m sure as you start this journey you will find other areas to consider. Here’s a word of warning. When I first started on this path many years ago, the biggest distraction was the moving wallpaper that sat in the corner of your living room, your television set. Nowadays, it’s the all-pervasive smartphone. I would encourage you to have a ruthless attitude towards your devices. Use them for communication and research. Avoid them for passing the time, and I would suggest that while you are planning the next twelve months of your life, you turn your telephone off! You can catch up on your messages later.

3). Hopefully, you will have been jotting your ideas, dreams and goals down in your journal as you have been reading this article. The next step is to bring some order to your random thoughts. You now need to decide upon the critical areas that you need to work on and start scoping them out in detail in your journal. For me to discuss with you in the short article, all the areas of your life would be impossible. Therefore, let us discuss matters financial.

4). It’s now time to create a visual action plan. I’ve always done this in a ninety-day cycle and have it on my wall above my workspace. First, create a three-month calendar. Just take three sheets of A4 paper and draw out a month on each of them say January, February and March. Now put in the essential elements — your local opportunity presentations, seminars, trainings etc. Now put all the necessary family stuff. Then all the stuff you have to do for the day job. The white stuff that’s left is the time you can put to use to build your fortune. There is no shame in working full time on your job and part-time on your fortune. Using the white stuff that’s left you would list the activity required to initially get the appointments that will lead to presentations and results.

5). It’s essential to be accountable to yourself, and you can use your journal to accomplish this. At the end of everyday list your activity, appointments made, presentations made, customers gathered, new partners introduced. At the end of the week add it all up. Then you can compare week two to week one, month two to month one, the second quarter to the first quarter. Do this for ninety days, and it will become a habit that will never let you down.

Finally, all of the above requires discipline, and it’s accurate to say that the pain of discipline weighs ounces, but the pain of regret weighs tons.

I hope that I have challenged you with this short article and if you need any further clarification, please do not hesitate to get in touch. It just remains for me to wish you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

Until my next post…………………………Toodleoo!

Skills To Make a Massive Difference To Your Income! Lifestyle 101 No.2.


These simple disciplines have made a massive difference to our income, our business and our lifestyle!

Feel free to ask questions, leave comments and give feedback below in the comments section and I’m sure that you will find this short video to be incredibly valuable.

Lifestyle 101 No. 1.

This is the start of a journey where I will capture the best words I can to share what has made us succesful..


I hope you get real value from these ideas I’m sharing with you and please feel free to give me your feedback in the comments box below or indeed ask some questions.

A TED Talk, Desert Island Discs And The Telephone.


Recently, I viewed a TED talk by Simon Sinek entitled “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”. For me, this is a jaw dropping talk that I have now watched several times and made copious notes in my journal which, has provided food for thought, or to put it another way, has nourished the mind. In just a few minutes Mr. Sinek defined the difference between leadership and being a leader. He goes onto explain that people don’t buy what you do; people buy why you do it! If you can internalise this brilliant eighteen minute talk you will understand why some people merely view our opportunity as a means to help consumers save money while making a commission and others are driven by the understanding that they can help hundreds, if not thousands, of people through the power of time leverage, improve their disposable income, change their lifestyle and ultimately build a strong, residual financial wall that will protect them and their loved ones against the uncertainties of the future. According to Mr. Sinek it all starts with WHY?

View his talk http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html

Desert Island DiscsThe other day I had a fairly lengthy drive and I listened to a  couple of podcasts of my favourite  radio program, Desert Island Discs. One featured an eminent cardiologist, Jane Somerville and the other featured Carolyn McCall who is the CEO of Easy Jet. I had to stop at a service station, not to fill up my car, but to fill up my journal with some choice “nuggets” that will be the start of some ideas for our business. It’s my belief that through the use of a journal and having it with you it will encourage you to be more observant during the day and could lead you to become a little more creative in your thinking.

I use my journal to record important telephone conversations. Currently I’m working with a number of team members. Some are very new and others have been with Diana and I for many years. To help me keep track of these varied conversations I keep notes of reviewed and expected activity. This type of note taking then allows me to coach those that I’m working with in an efficient manner rather than trying to remember what the agreed activity would be. Years ago my mentor told me to stop operating from thought and to operate from document. Documentation beats conversation every time! Just a couple of minutes of note taking can replace hours of sloppy conversation.

Before I make a phone call I invariably write an agenda in my journal. So, when I speak with my team member having exchanged pleasantries, I’m able to get right down to the nitty gritty. It makes for really interesting follow up calls when you say to your team member, “Those five things we discussed last Tuesday, how are you getting on?” Your team member responds with “What five things?” and you reply, “Let me see, I made a note in my journal.” The team member now knows that they are in trouble!

Some of my journals are stuffed with photographs, articles I’ve torn out of news papers, diagrams, sketches, doodles and of course my goal and contact list. Finally, why do I keep a written journal rather than an electronic one? It is a scientific fact that the material that you write or handle will be with you for much longer that the information you enter through a keyboard into an electronic device. It’s very satisfying leafing through a completed journal, numbering the pages, creating an index and adding your completed journal to your growing library of treasured material.

Until my next post……………..Toodleoo!

A Good Time to Review and Plan


My Dear Reader,

It’s that time of the year when we all look forward to the next twelve months and review the last twelve. Please have a look at this five minute video which encapsulates how Diana and I bring a structured review of the last year and start to make plans for the next. I hope that you enjoy this short vidieo and perhaps you would be so kind to let me know? To view the vidieo just click on the link below.

Our New Year Message

Until my next post………Toodleoo!

157.64/155


Many of my Facebook friends have been increasingly baffled by the posts that I have been making since the beginning of January 2012. The posts have taken the form of a xxx/155 where x is a number. The theories have all been amusing and some of them highly inventive. However, a few of my friends have guessed correctly the meaning of these digits and if you’re one of the few then well done you! So, now is the time to reveal this baffling conundrum. 155 is the goal and that is the number of miles that I have run since January 1 this year!

Why? I hear you ask. Why get out of bed a little earlier and get outside and pound the pavement? Well it didn’t happen overnight. I decided on December 12 2011 that I was overweight, unfit and had been living “The Good Life” a little too much. So, I started to consider my options, and listed my ideas and thoughts in my journal. Some of the initial ideas were a little extreme but from the original notes, my plans and goals started to become clear and at that time running was not part of the plan!

The initial plan, made on December 14 2011 was to eat a little healthier, cut down on the fats, red meat and alcohol. I decided that on January 2 2012 that I would give alcohol up altogether but between December 14 2011 and January 2 2012 I had Christmas and New Year to enjoy! Starting my regime on the December 14 with a brisk 30 minute walk I continued until January 4 2012 when I stepped up a gear.

I had been discussing my regime with my son Matthew and he stated in no uncertain terms that I should start running. I explained to Matt that this would be impossible as before he was born (rather a long time ago now) I had fallen badly on my right knee while playing tennis and when I ran this knee would hurt. Straight away Matt told me, in no uncertain terms, that my running technique was wrong and I was wearing the wrong type of shoe. Now, I had to listen because Matt in his spare time has been known to run the odd marathon or two and therefore runs more than anyone I know.

I now had the right gear and had some instruction and had even read an instructional book I started. My first run was for an enormous sixty seconds! It was part of the plan. I started using intervals. So, I would run for sixty seconds and walk for five minutes. This was the time that I nearly gave up. Those first sixty seconds were really tough. Why didn’t I give up? That would have been very difficult for me to do as I had already described my goal in my journal and I was aware that the pain of discipline weighs ounces but the pain of regret weighs tons and in this case could bring about an early fatality! I kept my time, distance, heart rate and route on a Nike sport watch. Keeping the statistics for me was very important as I could measure my progress and how hard I was working. Gradually I started to alter the intervals and as I became fitter I extended the time that I was exercising. I was advised (Matthew again) not to be in a hurry to alter my intervals and once I was up to it to try and be as consistent as possible. This brings me to the present day. My aim is to run 5 kilometers/day (about 3.11 miles/day) most days and I seem to do this about 5 days out of seven. Currently my interval times are that I run for 2 minutes and 45 seconds and walk for 3 minutes and 15 seconds. I’m currently comfortable with the distance and my aim now is to gradually increase the running time and decrease the walking time and end up running a full 5 kilometers and I’m now scoping out my next big health goal. So, what’s next after 155/155. Well, I’ve already started and the new figures are 157.64/620!

The benefits have been fantastic already. I have lost 38 pounds up to now but more importantly my blood pressure medication has been reduced three times and is now stable at 120/70. I am much healthier and my stamina levels and general well being have vastly improved.

It is my belief that the power of setting a well defined written goal in a journal and keeping track of your progress ultimately leads you to where you wish to be. There was just a handful of things that have made this journey a success and they are as follows:

1). A well defined clearly written well researched goal.
2). Consistent, persistent action.
3). Monitoring the progress.

I believe that these three simple things are the essence of achievement and can be applied to all the areas in your life. If you are already setting goals that’s great but if you’re not how will you get to where you wish to be? In closing I have a challenge for you. Set some goals (if you already have some, review them and set some new ones). What are your goals? Your wealth goals? Your health goals? Your relationship goals?

Care to share? Then just post a comment on this blog. I wish you well in your continued journey of success!

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