The Eight Stages of Addiction Escape…

Addiction is always a hot topic and escape from its claws can be a lifelong trial for some. Being somewhat of an addict myself, I didn’t know that these stages really existed. I just did what most folk do when they are in ‘Addiction Peril’ - namely pack up, mess up and try again.

Now, I’ve seen some very promising and talented individuals end up becoming all consumed by their dependence on a complete spectrum of booze, drugs and behavioural traits. Even the acknowledgement of their situation is too much to take on board, which takes me nicely onto stage one.

1. Denial

We all know folk that are in ‘Denial’. Yes, acquaintances that have no idea that they are out of control or endangering themselves and the lives of others. Their once a month occasional blow-out, has spiralled into a daily need. It’s a process that happens all to quickly and It’s amazing that ‘a-once-in-every-28-days-kinda-thing’ can become an all-consuming ‘28-in-28’ necessity. I’ve been there myself, fingers in my ears, blocking out the observations of my nearest and dearest as I continued my self-destructive behaviour. Put simply, some folk are quite happy killing themselves.

2. Acknowledgment

Becoming aware of an Addiction takes time. It feels like the Addiction has slowly crept up on you - sort of when you weren’t looking. The glass of wine after work to unwind has become two, three, a bottle - two bottles, every day. Every morning has become a bit of a battle to get out of bed and the first few fuzzy hours are hastily coffee-filled as the day finally clears around lunchtime to start the whole process again. When I speak to daily one-bottlers about seeing three and four bottlers I always find it amusing how they say, ‘I’m not that bad’, but they are - they just haven’t ‘acknowledged their precarious position, yet. 

3. Not Today

When they have, well that’s when the ‘Dithering’ starts. Do you know an ‘Addiction Ditherer’? Yes they’ve ‘fessed up. Come clean. Acknowledged their situation but are really nowhere nearer sorting it out. This stage can last the longest and I’m sure we all know serial cigarette smokers for instance that say ‘I’d love to give up’ yet really you know they never will as they love smoking too much or feel like they’ve smoked for so long that there wouldn’t be any health benefits to be gained. How wrong they are and at over £10 a packet - how much poorer they are too. I remember being at stage three for some time before plucking up the courage for Stage Four as that, takes balls.

4. Next Week

Yes, picking YOUR day, the day that can change your life forever. I remember mine most clearly - the 5th January 1994. It took a huge amount of strength and personal realisation that I needed to change. Realising my ‘Self-failure’ and ‘Weakness of Character’ was a bitter pill to swallow. Admitting to myself was one thing, admitting it to someone else - well that was another matter, so I spent a fair bit of time in the ‘Next Week’ stage as there’s nothing more frightening than standing on the edge of a new future minus your best friend - Addiction.

5. Action

But then you take a deep breath and jump, it’s exhilarating. It’s fun to be free. Full of Adrenalin and positive thoughts. Well for a few days anyway, until the cracks start to appear and the hunger pangs of addiction start eating away like worms into your brain - consuming your inner resolve and goodwill. And don’t get me wrong, some folk grab freedom at the first opportunity. One short, sharp shock being all that’s needed to reverse the addiction tailspin in a single dose. If only it happened like that for everyone.

6. Failure

On average, it takes four times through the ‘Action-Failure-Cycle’ - an average. The ‘F’ word of Addiction is so condemning. For those looking for eternal abstention we’ll say from booze - the day count is there as an incentive as well as a final condemnation of defeat as the clock resets to zero and the whole process starts over. Food Addiction? Well, that’s more of a ‘Grey Area’ as even the mighty weightloss success stories I’ve helped to create will admit to a few sins along the way. Some folk take failure as a given when setting out on achieving their goal - I’ve always been mindful that any hint of failure must be put out of mind for success to happen and the ‘F’ word to happily ‘F’ off. 

7. Action

And back it’s back to Stage Five, well Stage three really if you really need a run up to tackle your obsession once again. I get the ‘Learning from Failure’ analogy and as a nation we love someone winning against the odds - succeeding after a making a complete balls-up the first time round. Only too often, this becomes the norm and folk become Yo-Yo Slimmers, Drinkers and worst of all Negative-Thinkers. My advice is always to look ahead with a blue-sky attitude - where the possibilities of life far outweigh the Kryptonite that’s attacking your inner resolve. Only thinking about successfully completing the next 24hrs in your quest to become the ‘Real’ you. The one that isn’t distracted, behaviour obsessed - one that feels calm and liberated. 

8. Termination

And when you are free, you’ll look back and wonder why you ever got so addicted in the first place. Why Booze, Drugs or Food became such an emotional crutch and such a problem. You might not even know you are a ‘Terminator’ - I didn’t. I set off on my journey just seeing if I could complete just one day, then a month and then a year. My obsession to do something has become an obsession not to do the same thing. A positive outcome from a dark time that’s now hidden in the vaults right at the back of my mind that’s now covered in a layer of positivity and achievements that mask any notion of a Stage Six Failure and continue to encourage me to help those who find themselves in a similar predicament.

So, let the battle begin. Addiction or Compulsive Behaviour of any kind eats away at the soul. Each morning, we get up with the best of intentions accidents happen, things go wrong, don’t go to plan or we plainly have a shitty day. Staying strong in these moments, well that’s the key to success as it’s easier to live life clean when things are going well.

9. Call me...

And if any of the above rings true, well it’s time for a change. Time to be free of the ‘Burden of Addiction’ and time to be AWESOME. 

So contact me and I'll help you start living a cleaner, happier, longer life - Amen.

1,059 Marathons - 255 Ultras - 9 Guinness World Records - 15 Marathon des Sables

Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve

A Great Watch...

‘Trying to make ends meet, you're a slave to the money then you die’…

It seems a long time since the late 90’s and the brilliant Bittersweet Symphony. Whenever I hear it, I’m immediately transported back to 1998 where I’m listening to the track in the middle of the night on my 24-hour Treadmill Guinness World Record. It cropped up on my playlist yesterday mid-run and gave me a much-needed boost…

Anyway, after my run, I watched the video, sure it’s dated (as have I), but Ashcroft’s vitriolic lyrics are still just as relevant now as they were back then and even more-so as we head into the 20’s in just a few weeks’ time.

You see for me at the turn of the century, I wasn’t really sure what the next two decades would have in store but what I can say with hindsight was that at that time, I was ‘Empire Building’ - You know, totally blinkered, severely career-focussed and definitely a slave to the money and the kudos of becoming and being a Company MD. 

My oh my, Mr. Ashcroft was spot on and said it just the way it was.

In the pre-digital age, we lived in a different world - with different aspirations at a different pace but somehow in 2019 life’s no different – it’s just faster. And the faster it goes, the harder it gets keeping up. Most of the folk I meet admit to feeling being ‘Out of Control’.

Let’s face it, the treadmill of the 20’s is already running ‘Out of Control’ for everyone. And it makes me wonder where we will all be by the end of 2029. Will we be living life in an all-electric, carbon-neutral, plastic-free world where Brexit was a distant nightmare and someone has had the common sense to unite the great minds that exist to create a safer, greener and less threatening environment so we can enjoy a Sweeter Symphony on this amazing planet of ours.

It does make you wonder…

1,049 Marathons - 255 Ultras - 9 Guinness World Records - 15 Marathon des Sables

Sanctify Yourself - Simple Minds

'If you take one step closer, it'll lead to another' - Kerr

Just how determined are you? 

It’s a simple question with a very complex answer as it’s possible to cover all aspects of one's life in a simple YES/NO Tick Box, or list of adjectives or as a score ‘Out of Ten’. The dictionary definition of ’Determination‘ is ‘The quality of being determined; firmness of purpose’, with an interesting illustration of how to use, ‘Those who succeed because of sheer grit and determination’.

Interesting that Succeed and Determination are used together along with a good old dollop of 'Grit'.

I always ask Clients’ how much they want to achieve their goal - usually using the ‘Out of Ten’ method. I receive some 8s, lots of 9’s and a few 10’s but funnily seldom an 11. In reality I see their bandwidth more of a 3 to 9 as some can only provide lip service to their effort and the investment needed to achieve. The 10's are easy to spot. Over the years I’ve gained a sixth sense to other people’s level of determination.

Determination doesn’t mean that you have to succeed at all costs. But being driven, determined and focussed is actually a pretty sexy attribute. Let’s face it, we are more attracted to people we find exciting, different and determined.

It might be worth considering how you checkout on the ‘Determined Scale’ today, especially if you are in a period of self-change. How high are you scoring today?

Shall we try using the 'Out of 10 Method'?...

1,045 Marathons, 254 Ultra-Marathon, 15 Marathon des Sables, 12/10 Determination

Different - Pendulum

It’s a great track and well worth a listen. I always feel pumped when I listen to Pendulum and this hit my iPod mid-run, mid-rain today. And it got me thinking…

Don't hide baby, let them see your true colours…

What is it that makes you different from all the rest? It’s a question I asked in this mornings in my ‘Quotebox’ too. I mean, just what is it, that sets you apart from everyone else on the planet. You see we are all unique - even twins have different fingerprints, yet we are programmed even at an early age to fit in with the crowd.

Don't mind the camera, let them see your black heart tonight… 

Personally, I’ve always been happy to stand out from the crowd and be different. It hasn’t made me any more likeable, in fact quite the opposite, but it does mean that I have my own opinion and I’m able to make up my own mind without feeling the need to please anyone else. I have complete freewill on that.

Don't hide baby, show them just how deep it goes…

And yes, I don’t feel I have to hide about who I am or what I do. Not many can say that. How deep it goes, well that’s to the bone and it always will be. If you’ve ever had a life threatening illness then you’ll know just how the world changes and how much your thoughts change towards situations or people that are simply wasting your time.

Don't mind the cameras, let them see your black heart baby…

Black Heart? Warm Heart I’d say. Well warm if you know me as what you see is what you get. Being different means that you can be more honest about yourself and more honest to other people - it cuts out a lot of the Professional BS that we are surrounded by every day of our lives. 

Time to toughen up perhaps, stick out from the crowd and say what you mean this week - what do you think?

1,045 Marathons, 254 Ultras, 9 Guinness World Records, 15 Marathon des Sables

1 Very Different Person

Future's Bright - Richard Ashcroft

If you haven't seen the film Adjustment Bureau, then you've missed a 'Cinematic Classic IMHO. Matt Damon plays a brilliant Matt Damon with the beautiful Emily Blunt in tow. The film's soundtrack features the music of Thomas Newman and especially today's featured track 'Future's Bright' - co-written with Richard Ashcroft of 'The Verve' fame. 

Everywhere I look, I can see the faith...

Now, I've never been the biggest Ashcroft fan but the lyrics when read in full make amazing reading - real modern day poetry if that exists? They paint a wonderful bright outlook on life and the future. They also feel very personal somehow. I mean I can see and do see the 'Faith' in folk - every day. You see 'Faith' equals 'Hope' in my book and I see hope all around me, in everyone I meet. I mean we are all hoping aren't we? - we all have 'Faith'. It's just hidden away right deep down yet it's right in front of our eyes.

Reflecting back at me, and now I'm in this fate...

Although we can believe in 'Fate', or put things that happen to us down to 'Fate' - I believe we're able shape our own 'Future's' to a certain degree and feel that 'Fate' is more controllable that you imagine. When you look in the mirror and see your reflection looking back you, you don't only see yourself but you also see your surroundings. Where you are in that one moment, where your life-journey has taken you with your life to date etched into your features and reflected in line's around your eyes.

I'm shaking all the hands, I'm doing all the plan...

So try this...How about this weekend trying to let some light into your darkness. Draw some of the last of the Summer-Sun's rays deep inside and feel the 'Brightness' lighten up your world. There's nothing better than feeling good. After all, that's what we all yearn for isn't it? I also love the 'shaking hands reference'? Shaking someone's hand's a warm sign of welcome isn't it. A sign that says I'm not a threat. A sign that says I won't hurt you. It's kinda reassuring and as for the plan - well make one and follow it and that will also ignite your future. 

I guess I'm in control, and look how high it goes...

I feel I'm in control a lot of the time but are we ever fully in control? I seem to get tripped up by some unforeseen mishap when things are going well or trip myself up by being over-enthusiastic or misread. My current mission is to keep trying to reduce such occurrences and keep believing that the 'Future's Bright' - so bright that we'll need more than shades.

Amen

1,045 Marathons, 254 Ultras, 9 Guinness World Records & 15 Marathon des Sables

Choose Life - Underworld

Life is a matter of degrees. You see whenever I speak to a new client that is looking for an abstinence from alcohol, I always say that I’ve worked with folk that drink as much as four bottles of wine a day and are now living a life of sobriety. The reply is always, ‘Well I’m not that bad, it’s only drink one bottle!’ It’s the same for my dieters – as their being 100kgs is just as bad as 125kgs in my book.

I mean – just how bad is bad? Where is the point of no return - that person ‘Failsafe’ where nothing, and I mean nothing can save you from yourself.

We have a strange eating and drinking culture in the UK where 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath will make you a drunk driver but 34 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath means you are ‘technically’ sober. Only you’re not – you are simply 1 microgram less drunk. Food is seen as a leisure pursuit, a reward or even as TV entertainment (do you know how much I hate ‘Bake Off’). Anyway food - along with drinking it’s so much time wasted IMO that’s reflected by the size of your waistline.

There are so many other things that you can do that are far more rewarding, if you give them the time you currently choose not to give them.

What are you wasting your time on today?

1045 Marathons, 254 Ultras, 9 Guinness World Records & 15 Marathon des Sables

Vera - The Pink Floyd

‘Where the hell are you Simon?’

It’s a line that features right at the start of the 1979 Pink Floyd track ‘Vera’ but in fact comes from the 1969 film ‘The Battle of Britain’ – One of the truly great British War Films IMO. Anyway, it’s a lyric that always gets me thinking - especially when times are tough or if I’m feeling a bit out of sorts like I have been lately.

You see, part of my recent dilemma has been whether fatigue is good old-fashioned wear and tear, old age or remnants of the Guillain-Barre Syndrome that makes some of my days grind to a dead halt. It’s crazy as some days it feels like I’m flying and back to the old Rory days, pre-body anaesthesia. And if I’m honest, yes it does cheese me off, but how much I can blame that feeling on to my ‘outside influences’ is debateable and actually irrelevant as I can only now work with what I’ve got and I accepted that, if with somewhat gritted teeth.

I reached my ‘acceptance’ in 2016.

Can’t say it’s been easy but looking back I’ve had to accept many things over the years. At an early age I ‘accepted’ I’d never be a professional footballer, a brain-surgeon or a cross-channel swimmer. My mother said she’d found my old school reports that made poor reading. Shucks eh? But in my favour, I have one big advantage - I know what I’m good at, what I really like doing and give things 100%. 

  

What has become of you?

And that’s been my ‘Modus Operandi’. It’s not always a good thing as it means that sometimes it’s hard to find the brakes when things are proceeding headlong in the wrong direction, but on the whole, it’s brought me a more than satisfying level of success. I can hardly look back and say I haven’t had value for money, can I? And from what I have done, I can easily say that I know exactly where and who I am.

The fascinating thing is that many people I meet haven’t got the same level of location or proprioception. They are lost. Maybe the Global Positioning System could crack people’s psychological predicament as well as their location – what an invention but imagine that, being told how you feel – I mean, how would you feel about that?

And yet, where are you today? Drowning in data, unsure of what to do for the best? Scared of making the wrong decision. Scared of making the right decision. It’s a complete minefield. Knowing what to ‘like’, ‘unlike’, ‘friend’, ‘unfriend’, ‘trust’ a lottery one you feel you can never win.

But you already have the winning ticket, if you find ‘acceptance’. It’s an instant win – 90% complete with just 10% needed to conquer anything you put your mind to. 

I do hope you understand where I’m coming from today. As even if today’s rubbish, it doesn’t matter as tomorrow will be slightly better and the day after hopefully better still – just give it a go and build on whatever solid foundation you can find however rocky it might feel as that’s what I’m doing… ’Does anybody else here feel the way I do?’

1,045 Marathons - 254 Ultras - 9 Guinness World Records - 15 Marathon des Sables

Change your Mind - The Horrors

'Mindset' is a concept that's been around since the early 1900's, according to Wiki. It's a word that's become part of my daily vocabulary when speaking with clients and I thought I'd investigate the philosophy behind the terms 'Fixed' and 'Growth' Mindsets, as I try and evaluate my own 'Mindset' traits.

However, I'm a bit confused to which 'Mindset' set I belong to. You see, I believe I'm in the intersecting part of a 'Venn Diagram of ‘Fixed’ and Growth Mindset' where the two circles intersect, if that makes sense.

To help clarify things, I looked to the expert in the 'Mindset' field - Professor Carol Dweck. Her primary research is in motivation, personality and development and speaks volumes - if I had the right 'Growth' Mindset, I could read all about it in her 2006 book 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success' but as a ‘Fixed’ Mindset non-reader, I was a bit at a loss but luckily Wiki helped again...

Dweck states that there are two categories (Growth Mindset versus Fixed Mindset) that can group individuals based on their behaviour, specifically their reaction to failure. Those with a 'Fixed Mindset' believe that abilities are mostly innate and interpret failure as the lack of necessary basic abilities, while those with a ‘Growth Mindset’ believe that they can acquire any given ability provided they invest effort or study. Dweck argues that the ‘Growth Mindset’ will allow a person to live a less stressful and more successful life'.

Now, as soon as I see 'Failure', I immediately identify with the ‘Fixed Mindset” character trait as the 'F' word (Failure not ****) is like Kryptonite to my inner soul. Yet my ‘Mindset’ isn’t so myopic that I don’t believe that investing effort and study won’t bring results – well apart from swimming or triathlon as my mindset has been ‘Fixed’ by having the same buoyancy qualities as a house-brick. But then again, I’m pretty much stress-free and have had enjoyed many successes over the years which swings me back into the ‘Growth Mindset’ group.

So you can see why I’m confused. Or perhaps it’s how we like to label people nowadays and maybe I’m just someone that you can’t label. Or group, or even want to group. And maybe you are the same? No-one needs to be anything really – you just need to know who you are, where you are going and what’s needed to get you there.

And that’s all that matters…

1,044 Marathons, 244 Ultras, 9 Guinness World Records & 15 Marathon des Sables

For what it’s worth - Buffalo Springfield

It looked a bit like this...

I’m glad I came up with the following ‘Quotebox’ earlier today, ‘Success comes at a price - Failure is free’… as it got me speaking with my old friend Andy McMenemy. He’s a pretty cool and inspirational guy and apart from the usual banter, we’ve decided that we ought to podcast ourselves out to the masses. Who will breathe-in first or name-drop the most - well, we’ll have to find out, but it is interesting speaking with someone else, whom is super-motivated and paying the price for their own success?

Let’s face it, nothing’s free - even life’s basics Air and Water for the car are £1 at the local filling station and no doubt somewhere sunlight comes at a ‘Cost’.

Anyway, 3-2-1 and back in the room and the point of today’s blog is all about ‘Value’ as that’s a whole lot different to how much things ‘Cost’.  How much something ‘Costs’ is what someone else is prepared to pay for it. ‘Value’ well that’s a completely different subject. I remember being shown one of the most valuable vintage Porsche cars ever built, one with a £1M+ price tag. I must say it did nothing for me. The average Top Gear addict would probably be salivating just to be next to it, but for me it had no ‘Value’. It was both ‘Priceless’ and ‘Price-less’ as it wasn’t worth anything in my world.

You certainly wouldn’t fit a family of four, armed with car seats, double buggy and half a ton of luggage in that posh ‘People’s Car’. My boys’ sticky fingers on the paintwork and leather upholstery would give the owner a mild heart attack for sure. The same goes for David Gilmour’s guitars that were recently auctioned for $21.5M. For that you get the guitar but sadly not the man - so again nice, but of no ‘Value’ to me. The ‘Value’ towards global warming - well hopefully more.

So - ‘Why we put such a high price on things but not ourselves?’. ‘Why do we think we are worthless?’. Why is a car or a guitar worth so much yet, we won’t invest in ourselves or our own future?’

Great questions I believe, and I still have to fathom out why, people just don’t understand their own ‘Value’. Everyone’s worth something, right? Anything you believe in is worth the investment? As it’s not about money.

It’s about paying the price for success, something that Andy and I both understand all too well.

1,040 Marathons, 252 Ultras, 9 Guinness World Records & 25 Years' Alcohol-Free

Overnight Success - The Pointer Sisters

Success really doesn’t come in pill form. 

One of my clients (We’ll call him John Evers) suggested that I should join a few weight-loss Facebook Groups and surreptitiously spread the gospel of ULTRAdiet to the dieting masses. On being accepted into one such group with 844,000 members (Promising I thought) I was instantly informed that posts promoting my services or products would instantly be removed and blocked but to my amazement, most of the posts were just that - even though they were ‘approved’ first by the group admin advertised weight-loss pills and guava leave products that could not only help with weight-loss but could cure any ailment from diarrhoea to bowel cancer were all over it.

Other posts were mainly from women looking for fast ways of losing weight, for an upcoming event, or the simple desire for a flatter stomach. None I saw mentioned how they actually ‘felt’ about being overweight and how they were mentally going to change. Sure, there were folk showing amazing weight-loss transformations but in reality, these most were attempts ‘under the radar’ to promote instant weight-loss and more guava products. There were very few 'Lifestyle Makeovers' like the ones I help create.

Sure there were a few tougher ‘Coleman’ type messages saying, ‘Eat less and exercise more’ but these were less prominent against those demanding ‘Instant Fixes’. 

Before leaving the group, I did post some encouraging words that would hopefully help people see a brighter future rather than just another quick fix and left wiser but sadly no richer.

If only I could bottle ULTRAdiet John, and sell it in pill form...

1,039 Marathons - 25 Years' of Sobriety - 3 Years post Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Undertow...

How many times a day are we told to ‘Live it like it was our last’? Now, I’m not knocking such well-intended messages - I’m probably one of the biggest broadcasters of such posts on social-media and the like, but let’s face it, in reality most people don’t believe they are anywhere near living-out their final day. 

Most folk believe they have a long and healthy life ahead of them, which is a great attitude, (possibly a little naïve) as we all know all good things come to an end but chose to ignore them. On listening to ‘Undertow’ from the 1978 Genesis Album, ‘And then there were three’ some of the Tony Banks lyrics struck a chord. And Okay, they are a bit cheesy but he’s right when he questions it being that last day…

Tell me, what do you think you would do then?

I mean, just what do YOU do? Look back and have regrets? Say a few if only’s or sift through the ups and downs of life and be satisfied that you'd made the most of it and had experienced and achieved all the things that really mattered – not those that you could have bought. Let's face it, there's not a lot of looking forward - Banks continues…

Let me live again, let life come find me wanting...

A bucket of hindsight goes a long way and I believe folk would do half of the things they did second time around, twice as well, if they could. Without the distraction, consider just how different your life could have been. 

In ten years time, imagine what you’ll be saying about the 3,652 days that lie ahead of you. What will you be saying then as these days turn into years and, still no tomorrow appears?

Change today and start living as we never know when it's our last but we do know tomorrow never comes...

1,039 Marathons - 25 Years' of Sobriety - 3 Years post Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Marathon Man runs to RunFestRun

Press Release - 29th May 2019

RunFestRun is the nation’s newest and biggest running party, hosted by Chris Evans and Vassos Alexander at Wiltshire’s beautiful Bowood House and Gardens. When Marathon Man, Rory Coleman, was asked to take part, he knew there was only one thing to do… run there!

Having completed over 1,000 marathons and 250 ULTRA-marathons, Rory is well-known amongst the running community for his extreme running exploits. He will be one of the inspirational speakers taking part at the event alongside Paula Radcliffe, Steve Cram and Jo Pavey. 

He aims to inspire people new to running and healthier living and show them what’s possible by putting on a pair of trainers and going for a run.Back in 1994, Rory did just that and has never looked back having used running as a therapy and a framework for life. Over the last 25 years, he’s experienced some amazing adventures and coached many celebrities to do the same. He now uses that knowledge and experience to help others enjoy and achieve their goals and dreams through running and fitness.

Rather than driving to the festival, Rory will be running the 100km (62.1 miles) from his home in Cardiff to the RunFestRun venue where he plans to inspire a new generation of runners. This is a particularly impressive feat given the fact that Rory was paralysed from the neck down only three years ago following the contraction of Guillian-Barre Syndrome (‘GBS’), a rare and debilitating neurological disorder that affects 600 people/year in the UK.

‘I’m really looking forward to my run to RunFestRun,’ said Rory, ‘it’s something I could only have dreamed about three years ago when I was recovering from GBS and I hope my run will inspire lots of people to get into running and come to the Festival’.

Tickets can still be purchased online and Rory is speaking at 3pm on Saturday 1^stJune in the Inspiration Tent.

Call Rory Coleman for comment on 07866 477051 or email rory@rorycoleman.co.uk

Ends.

1,037 Marathons - 250 Marathons - 9 Guinness World Records - 15 Marathon des Sables

Move Mountains - Jesus Jones

Or in this case ‘Move Mountains’ inspired by the amazing Jesus Jones and the first track from their 1989 debut album, ‘Liquidizer’. Yes, it really was 30 years ago, and yes it does feel like only yesterday - but it wasn’t was it, it’s a mere dot in the rear-view mirror of life. Things feel like they’ve moved at warp-speed since those analogue-pre-internet-google-filled-electromagnetic-spectrum days but maybe we haven’t.

Following a week of ‘Mental Health Awareness’, during which many people (especially Men) have discovered that it’s good to talk about their issues (without embarrassment), and that the recipe for happiness isn’t or status, possessions or wealth - I feel personally very happy about how the many folk I’ve helped reached a new level of happiness in their worlds.

A happiness that lies out there for you in one form or another. And all you need to do is reach out…

1,037 Marathons, 250 Ultras, 9 Guinness World Records and 15 Marathon des Sables

One Small Day - Ultravox

'And live a life the way it's meant to be' - URE

Things will change when you change. Sounds kinda corny doesn’t it? But it’s true. You see, I believe folk expect the world around them to magically change for the better of its own doing - like some kind of magical lottery win where suddenly everything is perfect, all the planets are lined up and the hurty-pain of life disappears and forever.

‘Dream on’, I say as it will never happen - especially if YOU are not prepared to change.

How do YOU go about making the changes that will ease the pressure and lighten your load? Well that’s not so easy - and if it was, life would already be rosy wouldn’t it? If you are in a dark place right now and think that the world is against you, why not take a more pragmatic view of where you find yourself and how you are perceived as it’s easy to say that it’s not your fault and that you are a mere victim of circumstances. Are you blinkered like that?

Let’s break it into three parts. Honesty, De-Cluttering and Direction.

I mean, are you really being honest to yourself? Being self-critical at a time when others are criticizing you might be the last thing you want to take on-board but do the people you’ve surrounded yourself have a point when they highlight your failings. Do you still feel as driven in the career you once loved, since a fresh hierarchy has invaded your work-domain and dented your pride - maybe they have a point? They are probably being Honest. Everyone will say they want ‘Feedback’ but in reality, we all prefer ‘Praise’. I know it’s hard, been there - taken ‘Feedback’ on the chin – softened my message and got the T-Shirt. Take a long hard look, what do you really see?

Clutter. 

That’s what I see in other peoples’ worlds - and I see more worlds than most I believe. So much clutter in fact that it suffocates all the good that lies beneath. You see, we are a nation of hoarders both mental and physical. For instance, I’m just as bad as the next man as I’m not sure if I’ll ever wear my school cap I had when I was 11 again. It lives on in my wardrobe having escaped a trip to the tip on numerous occasions most recently when we moved.  It’s been there for shelf for 45 years’ hoping for an outing but in truth never will - it’s just baggage. Why do we hold onto so many things that are simply useless? Why do we hold onto so many thoughts that are just as useless? Take a trip to the tip - the Memory Tip. Get rid of things that just don’t matter anymore. Move on.

And only when you’ve been honest and de-cluttered, real changes - the changes you are so desperate to make, will start to happen. Success isn’t measured by possessions or wealth; it’s measured by happiness - becoming and being the person that you know is within you, surrounded by the people you really want to be with.

In my own experience, the journey was possibly the most enjoyable part of my life-change. De-cluttering the present and mapping out a fresh and brighter future is amazingly empowering. I felt euphoric and finally back in control of my own destiny. How are you on  Honesty, De-Cluttering and Direction right now? 

1,036 Marathons, 250 ULTRAS, 9 Guinness World Records, 15 Marathon des Sables