Swamped!

god life is wonderful and mad, I've been so busy I've hardly had time to catch my breath the last few days, and it's going to continue. Have realised how much I dislike getting caught in traffic, just seems like a waste of time. A guy got shot dead in my town yesterday, broad daylight, we're not used to this sort of thing and yet what bothered most people (including me) was that the traffic was backed up for hours.

this whole drug / fued thing is miles beyond my understanding, I am fortunate but realise that what makes me most fortunate is the existance of hope, most of the young people who are caught up in this stuff simply have no hope in thier lives, and a life without hope becomes a very cheap life indeed, one you would be wiling to take astonishing risks with, I have always had this inkling to work with young people who see thier hope slipping down the tubes, perhaps it's something I need to pay more attention too.

after i get a little less swamped i suppose

Ever since I went on my first real sales course I have always wanted to be the person at the top of the room, not because I love the attention (ok then, maybe just a little) but because I could hardly believe that you could have such a wonderful job and get paid for it. Looking at my diary for the next three weeks shows me that I am making a success of what I set out to do.... I am sooo busy it's mad Ted! I am presenting for several companies including some that were a little resistance at the start (or was that just me) and it's amazing that others can see the value in what I do for them.

I am looking forward to the whole challenge, one of the biggest will be to continue to generate new business for the 3 weeks when I am almost constantly presenting, 2 options come to mind, keep making the contacts outside of the presentation time, or try to generate more work within the people I am working with, something tells me a mixture of both will reap the most dividends.

It,s so lovely to be able to do what I love doing, helping people to see and fulfill thier own potential and generate income to do all the things that I love doing (including keeping the bills paid)

Here's to onwards and upwards

The power of belief

The thing about belief is?

My weekend was great, full of time with the girls, doing stuff in the community (collecting money, lining pitches, coaching kids, organising a clean up) and playing and watching games. The lowlight of the weekend was having some of my ribs re-located in the game on saturday night. Ribs are a bit like electricity, you only realise they are important when there's a problem, you can do very little without pain when you have cracked ribs, no matter how enjoyable it might look.

On sunday morning I watched Celtic beat Rangers to probably clinch the league flag, the thing that amazes me about these games is the genuine belief of both sides that thier "cause" is the right one. Once we get a belief, whether from our parents (risk is bad) or schools (risk is bad) or our friends (risk is fun) then we go out of our way to collect evidence to back up the belief. In this sense every Celtic fan is wonderful and a brother - not true - and every Rangers fan is a violent lnatic who would stab you as quick as look at you - not true either -

This type of thinking leaves us very little scope to have an open mind, an open mind requires a willingness to take on the evidence of both sides and make an objective decision, and most of us have a great difficulty in doing that, there is definately a concerted effort by Government, the Media and the Religious establishment to prevent people from having "open minds", those who have questioned the "status quo" have traditionally been made to suffer by all 3 establishments and this will continue.

As people who attempt to sell or influence others, we need to understand the power of this belief equation, to understand that people will make thier minds up about you in double quick time, and that further they will then proceed to filter everything you say to justify thier belief that you are right, wrong, important or irrelevant. you have a very very short window of opportunity to appeal to the "open mind" after that you will only be listened to in order to justify thier original opinion.

Try getting a Celtic fan to see things from a Rangers fans point of view, or vice versa and you will discover that once we've made or minds up ...... that's it honey!

Hail Hail

Eddie O'Sullivan - Irish Rugby Coach.

Went to a dinner that had Eddie O'Sullivan as the guest speaker last night, it's great to have speakers of this profile in Sligo rather than having to go to Dublin or beyond to hear them. Eddie was practical, practical to a fault, there is no doubt that his analytical tools are right up to date, but there was no mention whatsoever last night of creativity, motivation was taken as a given (which it most certainly is not, even at top level sport) and I got the distinct impression that the real deal was in the stuff Eddie was not telling us at all. Of course I don't blame the man for that, he had a business audience who wanted to see and hear practical management principles, goal setting, strategic planning, key performance indicators, performance analysis and appraisals. I was more interested in what he thinks it will take to move Irish Rugby on to the next level, where the edge is, and how he intends to get there. Nick Faldo once said that no one is that good that they can't get better, but it's hard to perform if all you ever do is focus on your weaknesses, the Irish rugby squad has some wonderful strengths, Brian O'Driscolls genius, Geordan Murphys creativity, Shane Byrnes mullet, but under this system there seems to be more emphasis on damage limitation than exposure of brilliance, perhaps this is Eddie's strategy, get the basic patterns right and then let it flow, I'm looking forward to seeing the "flowing" bit if and when Eddie or someone else lets it out.

It's a bit of a quiet day today for me, what with being up late last night, and having had such a brilliant week at work, I'm kinda easing into the weekend. Thanks to all the people at CIPD north west for a great night -

I'd like to see a bit more PASSION.

Cheers

Brand new day

A new day, a new pope, a new job............I know nothing about your man Joseph Rattzinger but I wsh him well, the same way I'd wish anyone starting of in a new job. I have a new client starting this morning, I'm well prepared and looking forward to it, there's only 3 people coming and they are testing my stuff so i have to be on top form but I've been up since just before 7 so I should be sharp.

Starting new things are always a bit interesting, I remember my first day at school, my first day at secondary school, my first day on several jobs, my first date with Maggie. Starting new things always brings me that buzzy mix of nervousness and excitement. I'd really hate a life where i didn't get to experience new people, places and experiences fairly regularly. Today i feel really grateful for the decisions I've made and the job I get to do, it might be a bit mad sometimes, it might be stressful and uncertain occassionally but lord it's never ever boring - I'm sure your man Rattzinger will find the same thing

to see my name in print.

The magazine launch last night was great, not only did I get to see my article in a superbly produced magazine, but I also got invited to pitch to two new companies. I really want to thank Mike Hannon for the opportunity. I really love the work I'm doing now. I have a great group in Letterkenny tonight and tomorrow I have a new group of senior managers from a big (old) established company. I'm a wee bit nervous about that one, but am looking forward to it just the same.

On the way to work today I heard Christy Kenneally on the radio promoting his new novel, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Christy at a dinner in Cork years ago and I loved his company. He was brilliant today, talking about trying to teach listening skills to people who had not listened to anything in 40 years, a truly fascinating man he spoke about being 56 now and finally realising that he did not have to be in "good form" all the time and he did not have to be the "entertainer" for everybody. I thought he was talking directly to me.

it's time to stop rambling there's work to be done.

Paula Radcliffe at one of her lowest moments, she was wonderful again in London last Sunday

What we can learn from Paula.

Paula Radcliffe is one of my favourite sports people, she became the first English athlete that Irish people genuinely cheered for, first because we loved how Sonia O'Sullivan used to always pass her on the final lap, but then because of her astonishing bravery and persistance through so many fourth places and near misses.

She was magnificent again in London last Sunday, now the finest female athlete to ever run the marathon. Her book "Paula" is well worth a read for anyone who has ever felt the pain of underachievement, it's a great example of how belief and persistance can overcome adversity, she has battled through the pain of many fourth places, the pain of olympic failure in athens, the pain of regularly missing out just when the gold is in sight, and she has come through on the other side, again and again.

I'm not that pushed about whether Ireland wins many medals in the Bejing games in 2008, in fairness if our sailing team won a medal now they'd have to check for a hidden engine! but i know one thing, when it comes to the marathon I'll be up all night, cheering Paula and hopefully Sonia around the course. And if they are together entering the stadium, I'll be willing them both across the line.

This is my favourite scene from any movie ever, when Andy rises from the stream to freedom after crawling through 500 yards of shit. I feel like that sometimes, but I've never felt like that without haveing to work really hard at something or crawl through the shit

hello there, this is me, I'll put this on the profile whenever I figure the bloody thing out

getting there

this business is getting more and more interesting, the best thing about coaching from my perspective is that i get to be scared shitless at least twice a week cos i have to take on something or someone that i have never had to take on before, it's like living in alton towers and having to test the new rides all the time.

Tonight I go to a magazine launch, the magazine will have my first "real"published magazine article on customer service coaching. I have to say i'm excited, I've been on the radio over the last month too, and your man asked me back again. The benefit of keeping on doing new things for me is that i'm getting braver. Not that psyched kind of braver, just braver, a bit more sure of myself around new things, having said that i have 4 senior managers from my latest clients in on wednesday and i'm crapping myself at the thought, but i'm looking forward to it as well.

i'm getting more and more to understand the value of fear, and pain and all that stuff. I always thought that a successful life would be one where you never had to deal with fear or pain, but now am coming to realise that I can't live without them, that i never want my life to be a beige, bland, boring empty trip.....no i want it to be fun, to have big challenges, and either to jump them or to break my neck trying. Am definately getting braver... cheers.