I rose like a lark at about 5. 30 this morning. I then dressed in my gym clothes gathered a further change of clothes required for business later and set off up the M6 to LA Fitness in Sale, Manchester.
Had a great workout doing aerobics and weights then headed off for a well earmed shower. Watching the time as I needed to be leaving the gym at 7.50 a.m. I glanced at the TV whilst pulling my bag from my locker.
Started my usual routine of clothes shuffling when disaster struck. I discovered I had two different shoes in my bag. Both black and very similar but still different shoes. I may have even tried to wing it but for one small point; they were both left feet.
The moral of this storey is; check twice pack once.
Warmest regards
A late for business Len
Monday, 2 March 2009
Sunday, 22 February 2009
When the boom comes people will have long memories
Is it me or is everyone being “let go” at the drop of a hat?
It is my experience that companies that shed staff in hard times will see some key members leave when times get better. This is because those staff will be convinced that if there is another down turn they won't survive again and they will remember the lack of loyalty shown to their colleagues.
Think of this; a top football team goes on a bad run and supporters begin to drop off. Does the club (A) reduce the squad to its bear minimum and stop all training and coaching or (B) try to improve its coaching and training and look for players that will enhance the squad and start the winning streak again? Not all clubs sign £50,000,000 players however they do generally adopt plan B rather than plan A which is in stark contrast to many companies and organisation’s.
Some companies may be forced to let people go however it should not be the first thing they do. With a little thought they could form plan B up front e.g. what happens if x market is no longer bearing fruit - is there another market that we could target that out teams skills would be compatible with or could we train them in new skills so that we could make a quick switch if necessary and retain the workforce during a recession.
"Here's to your New Horizons may success await you there"
Len
It is my experience that companies that shed staff in hard times will see some key members leave when times get better. This is because those staff will be convinced that if there is another down turn they won't survive again and they will remember the lack of loyalty shown to their colleagues.
Think of this; a top football team goes on a bad run and supporters begin to drop off. Does the club (A) reduce the squad to its bear minimum and stop all training and coaching or (B) try to improve its coaching and training and look for players that will enhance the squad and start the winning streak again? Not all clubs sign £50,000,000 players however they do generally adopt plan B rather than plan A which is in stark contrast to many companies and organisation’s.
Some companies may be forced to let people go however it should not be the first thing they do. With a little thought they could form plan B up front e.g. what happens if x market is no longer bearing fruit - is there another market that we could target that out teams skills would be compatible with or could we train them in new skills so that we could make a quick switch if necessary and retain the workforce during a recession.
"Here's to your New Horizons may success await you there"
Len
Friday, 9 May 2008
"Do what you do best"
A couple of days ago I had an open evening at a large fitness centre. I had made all the arrangements, done the marketing posters and leaflets which had gone out to all new starters in a welcome pack. I positioned myself in the main reception area at a table with banners either side and met people who wanted to find out more about the incredible benefits of coaching and having a coach.
While this was great and extremely rewarding there was something missing. I soon realized that the missing element was energy. There is little energy in sitting at a table, that’s how book signings are done (hope to be doing one soon). What I needed to do was to get up, move around, talk to people and tell them exactly what I do, how it will benefit them and how it has benefited so many others in the past.
Now, you may say I was a bit naïve in my approach to this event however, I’m not a dancing girls, and bells and whistles kind of coach. I suppose my American friends would say “you’re not Vegas” and I wouldn’t disagree. What I am is, the guy you want in your corner, the guy on your side, the guy that you know if you ask “what do you think” will tell you, warts and all.
Someone once said to me “your natural coaching material” and I'd like to think they are right. I tend to think of me as friendly, interesting, funny but intense. Anyway what I do know is that as soon as I ditched the seat and walked the beat things immediately came alive. I was talking to great people, having great conversations.
I talked to a big guy who was starting back weight training that evening. He was being a bit down on himself as he said “I’m starting back tonight, I don’t know why but I’ve really let myself go recently.” I said “do me a favor, next time you have that thought stop and phrase it as “I’m really glad to be back as I haven’t been able to train as much as I’d like recently.” He thought then said “yea, that does sound better, more positive. We shook hands an away he went.
So, my lesson learned is this. I am a people person I interact with them really well and I can listen even better than I can talk and, as an added bonus I can help empower them to solve their problems and create wonderful joyous lives.
I think Tony Robbins said “if I learn something from anything it’s not a failure.” Tony, as we say in the UK “spot on.”
A couple of days ago I had an open evening at a large fitness centre. I had made all the arrangements, done the marketing posters and leaflets which had gone out to all new starters in a welcome pack. I positioned myself in the main reception area at a table with banners either side and met people who wanted to find out more about the incredible benefits of coaching and having a coach.
While this was great and extremely rewarding there was something missing. I soon realized that the missing element was energy. There is little energy in sitting at a table, that’s how book signings are done (hope to be doing one soon). What I needed to do was to get up, move around, talk to people and tell them exactly what I do, how it will benefit them and how it has benefited so many others in the past.
Now, you may say I was a bit naïve in my approach to this event however, I’m not a dancing girls, and bells and whistles kind of coach. I suppose my American friends would say “you’re not Vegas” and I wouldn’t disagree. What I am is, the guy you want in your corner, the guy on your side, the guy that you know if you ask “what do you think” will tell you, warts and all.
Someone once said to me “your natural coaching material” and I'd like to think they are right. I tend to think of me as friendly, interesting, funny but intense. Anyway what I do know is that as soon as I ditched the seat and walked the beat things immediately came alive. I was talking to great people, having great conversations.
I talked to a big guy who was starting back weight training that evening. He was being a bit down on himself as he said “I’m starting back tonight, I don’t know why but I’ve really let myself go recently.” I said “do me a favor, next time you have that thought stop and phrase it as “I’m really glad to be back as I haven’t been able to train as much as I’d like recently.” He thought then said “yea, that does sound better, more positive. We shook hands an away he went.
So, my lesson learned is this. I am a people person I interact with them really well and I can listen even better than I can talk and, as an added bonus I can help empower them to solve their problems and create wonderful joyous lives.
I think Tony Robbins said “if I learn something from anything it’s not a failure.” Tony, as we say in the UK “spot on.”
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Take 100% Rsponsibility For Your Life
One of the biggest mistakes made in our culture is to think we are entitled to a great life - that someone, somewhere (definitely not us) is responsible for mapping out a life filled with great career opportunities with wonderful salaries, unlimited happines a family life others can only dream of and personal relationships that are unsurpassed.
The reality of this myth is that there is only one person responsible for your quality of life and thats you.
It is the easiest thing in the world to lay blame on any and everything because you haven't got the job you or the relationship you want. It's also easy to justify your non action in going out and getting the things you want e.g "they would never pick me for that job anyway so whats the point of trying", or "it's obvious she would turn me down if I asked her out so why bother".
We have become almost conditioned to blame others for the things we dont have parents (it's in my genes), family, friends, spouse, weather, star sign - just about anyone but us.
If you want to create the life of your dreams you have to be prepared to give up all excuses, all thoughts of laying blame with others, all the ways of justifying why you do nothing to help yourself. These kind of thoughts and feelings must be banished forever.
You may as well realise it now, you have always had the power to make a difference in your life. There is not one problem or hard luck storey you have that someone somewhere else has not had and overcome it to produce a positive result.
Who knows why you have not succeeded in the past? It may have been fear of trying, lack of knowledge or awareness, ignorance of a situation, whatever it was thats in the past, you cant change it and it wont take you forward if you keep living there.
The main thing now is to choose to be the solution to everything in your life. That means you choose to act as if you are responsible for everything that does or does not happen in your life. No one else just you! From now on you are the master of your own destiny.
There is a great formula that describes how 100% responsibility works. It is this E + R = O (Event + Response = Outcome). The idea is that any event that has happened in your life that has resulted in success or failure (outcome is directly related to your response at the time.
You can blame any event for your poor outcome. You can blame your boss, the car, the weather your tools your golf clubs, race, lack of education, just about anything you can think of. On the other hand you could simply change your responce (R) to the event (E) until you get the outcome (O) you desire.
If everyone gave up because they did not get the outcome they wanted first time around we would not have the myriad of products that resulted from inventions that endured numerous failures before eventually being successful.
You decide how much and what you eat, how much TV you watch, how much or little time you spend on educating yourself, what you read, who you socialize with and how you use your time. If you are prepared to act as if you are responsible for everything in your life then you will soon realise that you can determine your own path to the things you really want, the job, the relationship etc.
If what you are currently doing was going to get you what you really wanted it would have arrived by now. The fact it has'nt means you need to do something else (different response) to get the outcome (O) you desire. Be wary of hanging around with moaners, blamers and people who generally have a cup half ful mentality as it will rub off on you.
You will never have success while you continue to blame someone else for your lack of it. After all you are more than happy to recognise when a decision you made came off or turned out better than expected so take responsibility for the ones that did'nt.
Replace negative with positive, can't with can, wont with will, probably with definitely. The moment you accept that you are responsible for what you are going to get out of life it removes all the chance, the doubt the what if's and maybe's because now its in your control.
Take a good look at your life write down all the areas that you would like to make changes in e.g Health, Emotional, Spiritual, Money, Family/Social, Vocation, Self Development, Partner. When you have done this write down what you would really like in the ones you have chosen then consider what you would need to do to achieve the result (outcome) you desire. What does your (response) need to be?
Try it, you will feel so much better for taking positive action and in a short while you will see that it becomes the only way you want to live your life. You will gradually become an action taker (remember theres nothing like action for getting things done) and wonder why you spent so many years waiting for things to just materialize when with a bit of effort you could have made them happen yourself.
If you need any help with or any questions about this article please visit www.new-horizonscoaching.com and go to the contact us page and I'll be only too pleased to respond.
Success awaits
Len Foster
The reality of this myth is that there is only one person responsible for your quality of life and thats you.
It is the easiest thing in the world to lay blame on any and everything because you haven't got the job you or the relationship you want. It's also easy to justify your non action in going out and getting the things you want e.g "they would never pick me for that job anyway so whats the point of trying", or "it's obvious she would turn me down if I asked her out so why bother".
We have become almost conditioned to blame others for the things we dont have parents (it's in my genes), family, friends, spouse, weather, star sign - just about anyone but us.
If you want to create the life of your dreams you have to be prepared to give up all excuses, all thoughts of laying blame with others, all the ways of justifying why you do nothing to help yourself. These kind of thoughts and feelings must be banished forever.
You may as well realise it now, you have always had the power to make a difference in your life. There is not one problem or hard luck storey you have that someone somewhere else has not had and overcome it to produce a positive result.
Who knows why you have not succeeded in the past? It may have been fear of trying, lack of knowledge or awareness, ignorance of a situation, whatever it was thats in the past, you cant change it and it wont take you forward if you keep living there.
The main thing now is to choose to be the solution to everything in your life. That means you choose to act as if you are responsible for everything that does or does not happen in your life. No one else just you! From now on you are the master of your own destiny.
There is a great formula that describes how 100% responsibility works. It is this E + R = O (Event + Response = Outcome). The idea is that any event that has happened in your life that has resulted in success or failure (outcome is directly related to your response at the time.
You can blame any event for your poor outcome. You can blame your boss, the car, the weather your tools your golf clubs, race, lack of education, just about anything you can think of. On the other hand you could simply change your responce (R) to the event (E) until you get the outcome (O) you desire.
If everyone gave up because they did not get the outcome they wanted first time around we would not have the myriad of products that resulted from inventions that endured numerous failures before eventually being successful.
You decide how much and what you eat, how much TV you watch, how much or little time you spend on educating yourself, what you read, who you socialize with and how you use your time. If you are prepared to act as if you are responsible for everything in your life then you will soon realise that you can determine your own path to the things you really want, the job, the relationship etc.
If what you are currently doing was going to get you what you really wanted it would have arrived by now. The fact it has'nt means you need to do something else (different response) to get the outcome (O) you desire. Be wary of hanging around with moaners, blamers and people who generally have a cup half ful mentality as it will rub off on you.
You will never have success while you continue to blame someone else for your lack of it. After all you are more than happy to recognise when a decision you made came off or turned out better than expected so take responsibility for the ones that did'nt.
Replace negative with positive, can't with can, wont with will, probably with definitely. The moment you accept that you are responsible for what you are going to get out of life it removes all the chance, the doubt the what if's and maybe's because now its in your control.
Take a good look at your life write down all the areas that you would like to make changes in e.g Health, Emotional, Spiritual, Money, Family/Social, Vocation, Self Development, Partner. When you have done this write down what you would really like in the ones you have chosen then consider what you would need to do to achieve the result (outcome) you desire. What does your (response) need to be?
Try it, you will feel so much better for taking positive action and in a short while you will see that it becomes the only way you want to live your life. You will gradually become an action taker (remember theres nothing like action for getting things done) and wonder why you spent so many years waiting for things to just materialize when with a bit of effort you could have made them happen yourself.
If you need any help with or any questions about this article please visit www.new-horizonscoaching.com and go to the contact us page and I'll be only too pleased to respond.
Success awaits
Len Foster
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