Well, that was unexpected Reader! Up until a week ago, I would say that May has been the most successful and enjoyable month of my self-employed business journey: Two fabulous events (speaking and exhibiting) Dozens of magical new humans exploring the world of the Four Fears® Unbelievable book sales ...and more... Bloody plot twists Often, when I have guested on various podcasts, I have talked about my dad being my hero. When we're little, we get asked what we want to be when we grow up. I...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Spin, spin, spin the wheel Reader! I love a good step-by-step process. "Do this, then that... and it will all work out". Wouldn't it be great if life was that linear? No curve balls or plot twists... a simple guarantee to move forwards with every action. Of course there are curve balls, but there is beauty in each of them. They are the surprises that might catch you out, but that open doors to new and sometimes overlooked chapters in your unwritten story. Mindset is one of those playgrounds...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
What operating system are you currently running Reader? I'm not talking about your phone or laptop, I'm reflecting on your own internal software upgrade. At the Professional Speaking Association Spring Conference earlier this month I heard the brilliant Andrew Bryant suggest that he was running V5.1 of his own software; 5.1 being a riff on his own age (51). The premise is that every year you get to upgrade your viewpoint on life, business, and you. When did you last upgrade? It's a novel...
3 months ago • 2 min read
You've the same 24hrs in the day as everyone else Reader! How yeuuch! is THAT particular motivational nonsense? Later this week I'm running a workshop on the "Toxic Positivity of Time Management" – the moral of the session being that; whilst it is entirely true that you do have the same amount of time as everyone else (and that no one can give you extra), what you do with it has much more to do with why you want to do the thing than how long doing the thing will take. Spoiler alert... it's...
3 months ago • 2 min read
That's a big question to start the week Reader, It's also quite presumptive of me – to suggest something in your business is broken. How (very) dare I? And yet... is something a bit askew? Tell me where you're at right now. On a scale of one-ten (ten being "everything is rosey thanks Mr Nosey"), how's business? How's business (on a scale of one-ten)? 9-10 – Perfect! Couldn't be better! 7-8 – Room for improvement but still pretty good 5-6 – It's not lighting me up right now 3-4 – At least the...
4 months ago • 2 min read
I feel like a fraud Reader, All this time I have been telling you about the Four Fears® and I've been keeping their evil twin brother a secret... Or have I? If you are wondering whether there are more than just four key and common hesitations, then I am about to allay your curiosity. No, there isn't a fifth fear. And here's how I can prove it. The science of colour If you are creative and enjoy playing with design programmes such as Canva or Creative Cloud, your mind (much like mine) may...
4 months ago • 2 min read
I'll be honest Reader, I'm about to skirt dangerously close to an established form of science and philosophy that is relatively new to me. Stick with me though as I'm introducing a simple take on a solid principle and, as such, it should hold up: Mean, mode, median Do you remember these three math terms from school? If not, allow me to jog your memory. If you have a set of values (numbers), the definition of each of these would be as follows: Mean: What we consider to be the average of the...
4 months ago • 2 min read
It is a real thing Reader, I don't know how many other authors also suffer from this difficult condition but, at 5am this morning, I discovered that Amazon had got a little over-excited and published my book 48hrs early. The book is now available to buy "How to Embrace The Four Fears® of Business Ownership" is now for sale on ALL Amazon sites, internationally, for Just £12.99. Grab your copy from Amazon (UK) Enjoy, scribble on, devour... Be it a physical copy that I put in your hand myself...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Hi there Reader, The successes we dream of in our business often sit just the other side of hesitation. Something has made us pause rather than act. Our 'Mind Monkeys' have whispered in our ear "Not yet. You're not ready. You're not good enough. Come back to it when you have the time, otherwise you will fail". Those Mind Monkeys are wrong! You are way more capable than you think. And I'd like to explain how I know this to be true: Fear is a choice Failure is a matter of opinion These are your...
5 months ago • 1 min read