Busy times and quiet moments

Gosh, it's been such a busy few weeks - which right at the top of this blog I must say is absolutely wonderful.

Four 2 day workshops with The Coaching Academy, which for me means having the opportunity to work with 80-100 amazing, motivated people per event - which recently has been in London, Manchester, and Leeds; fantastic, a real buzz.

Individual coaching sessions (telephone & face-to-face) have also been sooo busy - and again it's amazing to work with such a fabulous range of people.

My new up-and-coming online course, 'Communication Skills Upgrade' is now literally days away from it's 1st June launch date. I've been with laptop tapping away last minute edits and additions, since I want this course to be my best yet.

Now the flip side, and something I never managed to factor in to my life until a few years ago; quiet time away from the busyness of the business - to relax, reconnect with myself and loved ones around me, which all goes to recharge my batteries.

I'm going to Ireland on Saturday for a few days, and I'm really looking forward to seeing Dublin for the very first time.

Will be back to London on Tuesday, so see you again then.

...and remember, no matter how busy your life can be, it's important to take some quiet moments away from the hustle and bustle ever once in a while. Where would you go to unwind and recharge?

Communication & Eurovision

As well as being pretty busy coaching with appointments on the telephone today, I'll also be working on the final edit of my new online course 'Communication Skills Upgrade', which I aim to launch next week.

This week I've had so much fun watching the Eurovision Song Contest semi finals in Moscow. Having missed the show for many years I finally caught up with it again last year, and whilst there are still the odd (?) entries - which can often be among my favourites, it's fantastic how seriously the participating countries take the contest.

Last year, as well as the obvious winner 'Believe' (the Russian entry, which was excellent) I loved the wackiness of the French & Spanish songs, one arriving on stage in a golf cart, holding a beach ball throughout (male & female backing singers sporting false beards to mimic his), and the other in full prosthetic nose, chin and huge quiff as if like a cartoon character. Both songs did well, and both scoring far more than most of the more traditional pop/ballad song.

This year all eyes are on Moscow. As last years winner it's their duty to stage this years event, and they've put together an amazing stage in their Olympic arena - and Mikey's 'top tips' for the 2009 show include Iceland, Moldova, UK, Bosnia-Hercegovina, and Finland.

The most amazing thing for me watching this show (with friends, a few bottles of wine, a nice meal and a large serving of humour) is the vastness of it all. More than 500 million people also tune in to watch this live - that's communication on a massive scale.

Whether we take Eurovision seriously or with a giggle, one thing is certain; tomorrow night a large chunk of the Euro population will be feeling patriotic, marveling at the spectacle (Russia have spent more than £30 million on this show), and simply enjoying the music - which after all is one of the best ways to communicate there is.

United Kingdom, 12 points!

Having A Dream

I just watched the clip of Susan Boyle doing her audition on TVs 'Britain's Got Talent' again for the 3rd or 4th time, and it's still an inspiration.

For anyone yet to catch the clip or see the show, her audition shows us all just how important it is to keep whatever our dream in life is alive - even if you happen to be 'nearly 48' as Susan told the judges on the show. She still believed that the only reason she hadn't made it in the music business yet was because she hadn't been spotted by the right people, which was her reason for attending that day.

Of course, there's other 'work' that needs to be done, such as preparation and developing your skill in any way you can, and clearly Susan had with the sound of her beautifully trained voice.

But how many of us simply give up on our dream before we've even begun? American motivational speaker and writer Brian Tracy believes we usually give up before we've even tried once! Whether we tell ourselves not to be so silly to believe we could have such a dream, or those around us with the best of intentions talk us out of it - to save us making a fool of ourselves.

After all, less than once means we never really tried at all.

Check out Susan's audition for yourself on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY and ask yourself, 'what's my dream?'

And begin to live it today.

Life is not a dress rehearsal, it's the real thing.

When we just have to do it

Having coached and worked with so many people, including myself, I still believe we all know just what it is we want to do, whether it's to become an airline pilot, author, professional athlete, or open a business. Some then take consistent massive action, whilst others sit back and wait for inspiration to wash in and carry them forwards on a wave of euphoria.

But what happens when the wave doesn't come, or we have a quiet day?

This is when we need a 'plan b' - a 'just do it' attitude to help us work through what we need to do anyway. The effectiveness of 'plan b' is often what separates those that do achieve success, from those who would like to.

Do you have a 'plan b'?

For example: Today I have a lot of writing to do (newsletter, ebook, and new online programme to edit). Yet when I woke up this morning it was a 'plan b' kind of day. Sure, I feel lucky, blessed and happy to be able to do what I do, including having the time to do it, yet today has not begun with that wave of inspiration. So I do it anyway.

From experience, I know the upside might possibly be 'just doing it' helps the inspiration kick in in a flurry.

'Just doing it' this morning has meant I've answered emails, made some calls and written more than a 1,000 words - so 'plan b' works when it has to, and who knows 'plan a' may very well kick in this afternoon - yippee!!

Here's wishing you a fabulous day, whether 'plan a' or 'plan b', make it happen, think big - and just do it.

When Fun Isn't Fun

Watched a couple of movies this May bank holiday weekend; 'State of Play' on Sunday night, and 'In The Loop' tonight.

Interestingly, watching these two back-to-back flicks highlighted something I'd forgotten a while; the fine line separating fun from something else that isn't.

'State of Play', a tough Washington political thriller really is a ride through the fact/fiction of what can happen when big business meets politics. Sounds heavy I know, yet this really is a brilliant, fun couple of hours.

'In The Loop', is on the face of it another political satire/comedy. Yet this one was so close to reality (run-up to Iraqi war, weapons of mass destruction, blah, blah, blah) that the over-the-top acting proved anything but funny. I found it just plain nasty. We all have an idea how politics can be a dirty business, though did I really need to see it for 2 hours dressed up as entertainment? No.

Keeping focus

Busy few days...last weekend in Manchester doing a workshop for 140 people, then another one in London this Tuesday-Wednesday for 70, plus coaching clients and keeping a couple of writing commitments.

On one level I should be feeling quite tired, though if I keep my eye on getting enough sleep, eating well, and having some fun time factored in I should be fine (and I am fine).

On a deeper level, and this is an idea I usually share with clients and workshop delegates alike, what we also do is exchange energy; with each other, with our environment, and yes with the Universe, too. If you've seen the movies 'The Secret' or 'What The Bleep Do We Know' you'll have a greater understanding of this.

In a nutshell, if everything is an exchange of energy, and the intention of that energy matters (positive or negative), then that means we have so much more control over our day and the type of day we have than we ever thought possible. With that knowledge, and responsibility, we can then ask ourselves bigger questions, such as; what is it I really want my life to be about?

Better questions result in better answers, always.

Physically, I'm feeling a little tired today after a busy week - but what a week it's been; brilliant, full of fantastic people! Hence I feel pretty energized, and this afternoon my intention is to relax a little and enjoy the Spring weather.

Keeping focus isn't always about work and targets. Sometimes focus is remembering to take care of yourself; nurturing and relaxing - all part of the energy inside.

Anyone else relaxing as well today, my energy is with you xx