Time Stand Still - Rush

To catch my breath, before I start off again…

I could have chosen a couple of ‘Time’ songs for today’s blog - but this 1987 Rush Anthem has all the lyrics I require to illustrate my thoughts on ‘Complacency’. A wonderful word meaning ‘a feeling of calm satisfaction with one’s own abilities or situation that prevents one from trying harder’… A hot topic in my world - and one where there are many examples in business and in sport where people have been so confident in their continued success, that they take their foot off the gas and have been overtaken by their competitors, lost market share or have plainly started to lose instead of winning all the time. 

Here are three such stand outs for me…

M&S – A classic retail self-combustor (I could have chosen from many). By continuing with their tired high-street presence and not developing their on-line – it’s cost them dearly. At the beginning of January 2018, it was revealed that the retailer was the biggest faller on the FTSE 100. Amazon’s click and deliver will be the end of many such retailers as people buy more and more from their armchairs. No doubt there will be an ‘Amazon-Destroyer’ in the future, so watch this space, but right now, the vultures are already circling our high streets – The House of Fraser and Mike Astley? Who’d have thought that one a few years back?

Driven on without a moment to spend,

I’d like to pause, no matter what I pretend…

BMW – Whoosh, just when did AUDI overtake BMW? I reckon it was in the early 2000s. B’mers became very samey as I remember. One 3 Series looked very much like another and the smart money bought an AUDI. Cheaper, easier to maintain and far better-looking IMO it was a no-contest. Okay, they might have re-overtaken since but for a time you couldn’t beat an AUDI – especially with the ‘S’ and the superfast ‘RS’ beating the pants off a very tired M3 and M5. I believe BMW have been saved by the MINI with its ability to be totally ‘Personalised’. It’s transformed how cars are built, with ‘just in time’ working in overdrive making only cars that are desired and pre-ordered. Hopefully this means far less Pink, Lime Green and Yellow ones on the road and on the forecourt. The Personal Contract Purchase or ‘PCP’ will alter the market even more as folk will simply buy what they can afford to pay monthly rather than use up their cash or HP. People are buying more expensive cars with their PCP and maybe, the small cars days are numbered. The ‘Top Gear’ days of motoring certainly are as Clarkson et Al fell into the ‘Complacency-Trip’ big time.

Manchester United - Oh Jose - Now there’s a team that has to perform. Sitting back, expecting to win at least one major trophy a year was a prerequisite of the Fergie years and after a shaky start - Fergie delivered. Taking over from such a successful dynasty proved too much for David Moyles and will soon be too much for Jose too. It’s not his fault, the Owners have simply not invested in the right person. The players are just as good as any other Premier League Club - if not better. They just can’t play under Jose and are now losing out to their fellow Manchester club who have invested, played and paid their way to success.

Do they know? Do they care?

I wonder if M&S are really bothered if we shop there or not? Whether BMW are happy with their MINI revival and whether Man U will start winning and finish in the Top 6 to match the fans desire for success? Will Jose see the season out?

  

I wonder if there’s time to pause in such busy circumstances – rolling from one bad quarter, bad sales figures or poor results – it must be soul-destroying? Yet in each case they could easily be Top-Dogs of their Market Sector by 2020. We’ve all seen it, one bright spark comes in, brings in some fresh ideas and suddenly everything changes for the better. Apple for instance now have to consolidate on their incredible iPhone success but now we all have one. Keeping their market share and folk ‘Apple-Addicted’ will really take a lot of time and development during whilst their competitors will be desperately trying to invent the next chapter of keeping the world, that’s you and I, connected. 

Jose? Well like all football managers, is a few lost matches from a P45 and won’t be anywhere near Manchester in the New Year or even November at the team’s current form.

In all three cases, it’s like it doesn’t matter enough.

Like some pilgrim who learns to transcend,

Learns to live as if each step was the end…

Keeping the focus and thirst for success over an extended period of time and being able to combine it with the flexibility needed to manage the fluctuations that just creep up on you when you are least looking, is one of the key factors to prolonged success.

Freeze this moment a little bit longer,

Make each sensation a little bit stronger…

If only you could freeze the moment as nothing stays the same – not even for very long in real terms and fashions and trends come and go before you know it. In the world of marathons and ultra-marathons I’ve witnessed many races and events come and go- - be the go-to can’t get into event that fills in minutes on-line to be surpassed by it’s competitors or simply by choice. The Marathon des Sables needs to take stock as its in recession, still believing that there are 1200 adventure hungry folk out there desperate to pay £4000 to take part in the ‘World’s Toughest Footrace’ feels myopic to me especially when there are plenty more out there to choose from - it means that for the MdS, it’s going backwards.

Close my eyes, let my defences down, 

All those wounds, that I can’t get unwound…

Being oblivious to change is so unbelievably dangerous and when complacency sets in, it’s corrosion eats away at your very soul and before you know it – everything you ever had turns to dust.

Just one ‘off the record’ comment can create the moment where everything suddenly turns on its head. Using a football analogy ask Ron Atkinson or Andy Gray if they’re happy with what they said or Jamie Carragher what he did. Careers in tatters, in a matter of a very careless seconds.

I let my past go too fast, no time to pause

If I could slow it all down, like some captain, whose ship runs aground….

Slowing everything down? Well that’s tricky nowadays in our busy lives but a simple ‘Time-Out’ every day, just half-an-hour, can make all the difference and offers time for deep and considered thought. One where you can stake stock, plan and go onto make things happen.

Make each impression, a little bit stronger

Freeze this motion, a little bit longer…

I believe taking stock as you go along really helps and constant evaluation and realigning stops the ‘Complacency Corrosion’ taking hold. Altering course shouldn’t be an issue and avoiding pitfalls and finding quicker routes is imperative for continued success.

Summer’s going fast, nights growing colder

Children growing up, old friends growing older…

And there’s the rub – nothing stands still. Father time catches up with everything and everyone eventually. For my Granddad who would have been 100 years old today, it did forty years too soon. A life never fully lived and one that missed out on a world of pleasure I feel he would have enjoyed no end.

Time stand still, I’m not looking back…

Because life is only ever going to speed-up. Maybe it’s time we all took a complacency test and check how much we take anything and everything for granted and question our futures and ask ourselves what would happen ‘What if?’…

How ‘Complacent’ are you right now? What do you control? And how much do outside factors, control you?

1,025 Marathons, 248 ULTRAs, 9 Marathon des Sables & 15 Marathon des Sables

Are you a Do’er or a Don’ter?

Maybe 'Yes' next time?

It’s a question I asked myself on getting up at 3.30am on a Saturday Morning to catch the first train out of Cardiff to London to speak at this year’s Marathon des Sables EXPO. Stepping out into a dark and wet October morning, so early, one does question one’s sanity but then I’m a Do’er and not a Don’ter. 

A proper 100% Do’er I’d like to think too…

Whether you’d call it ‘Going the Extra Mile’, ‘Being the Eternal Optimist’ or plainly ‘Being far too Over-the-Top’ - it’s an attitude that’s delivered more than hindered my progress I believe.

I’m off to the Expo, to speak to next year’s intake of competitors’ preparing for the ‘Desert-Life-Adventure’ that’s only six months away and ticking! For them the prospect of surviving the Sahara will be a pretty daunting goal but for my race in 2017, it was a goal in a different sense as I used the race as my focus for my GBS recovery.

I thought I’d see where I was at Christmas 2016 with just four months training to go. Luckily, I wrote about it at the time and looking back, it wasn’t all a bed of roses…

Coming off the prednisolone had taken its toll and by Christmas 2016 and I was knackered. However, I’d got through the ‘Steroid-Detox’. The key point for me is that no doctor I met had experienced GBS for themselves and how it felt to be completely wiped out. So, I became my own expert – as I was the one who was ‘living’ with GBS and had to find a way out. I was the one breathing the condition and by then, all my medical ‘crutches’ and physical ‘crutches’ were gone – I was on my own.

Every year at Christmastime, we go to Jenny’s parents. They live in a picturesque part of Cardiff on the side of Caerphilly Mountain in a large house, which our kids love to run around in. Her father Mike is an amazing host and cooks a Christmas dinner to die for – it’s become a ‘Festive Tradition’. After, I always go for a run to try and burn some of it off – I did that year but found myself, running at over 20-minute miles, being overtaken by people out for post-Christmas Dinner Stroll themselves. 

My performance was just pitiful... 

Trying not to be too disheartened, for the next few days, I'd run to the bottom of the mountain, feel broken and then head back… The level of de-motivation some became extreme. I thought, I could walk faster than I was running. Why was I even bothering? I was running so slowly that I looked like I was running in slow-motion. People were looking at me, thinking, ‘What the hell is that guy doing?’ Back at the house, I just sat there, completely wiped out.

Jenny saw how bad it was and said, ‘You need to realise how far you've come. You were only in hospital three months ago’. It woke me up out of my nightmare. She was right. I had come a long way. My expectations were way too high, and it was distorting the truth in my own mind.

In my pursuit of being ready for the MDS and cracking the 1000 marathons mark, I’d lost the plot. I was thinking way too far ahead and not ‘in-the-now’. Not being able to run back up that hill was a reality check. It was life's way of telling me: this is going to be a long journey - you're a novice runner again. 

Accept it, and in fact celebrate the idea that you're even able to walk up a 271-metre high mountain today. When you put it into context like that, it all became a much healthier perspective. It became a growth mind-set instead of a defeatist one.

It had taken me some time to realise my new perspective and I had a great run the next day. How bloody typical was that?

That mountain became MY mountain…

I wanted to get that mountain conquered no matter how slowly it took it me because in a hundred days’ time I was going to run the MDS again. Running at 20-minute miles in the UK, I knew I’d be timed out at the MDS and that would spell ‘D I S A S T E R’. I'm a proud starter-finisher and to be pulled out of a race would be everything I'm against. I NEVER give in, I NEVER give up – and I don't get pulled out of races for being incompetent so that was playing on my mind.

I ran it every day…

On January 5^th, everything clicked into place, I felt in a moment like a runner again. It felt brilliant. From there on, the constant switching between feelings of feeling great and then feeling knackered became more the former and the bad days lessened.

The 10-minute miles returned, my parkrun time subbed 30 minutes. My progress quantum leaped, but still I wondered whether my body would be able to complete the MDS because of my fatigue but then I knew the race inside out and all I had to do was finish...

Well, the rest is history of course, well twice over since then but it’s really easy to see how fragile a situation is in hindsight and how easy it would have been at the time to stay at home rather than be a ‘Do’er’.

Okay, there are extreme circumstances and goals in my case but I’m sure there are occasions where you wished you’d said ‘Yes’ rather than ‘No’ – I believe it’s far better to regret having done something rather than not to have done it at all, so when you find yourself in a similar situation, why not give being a ‘Do-er’ a chance?

1,025 Marathons, 248 ULTRAs, 9 Marathon des Sables & 15 Marathon des Sables

There's no 'I' in Team...

I know I've recently blogged on the subject of ‘Teams’ and ‘Team-ship’, but I felt the subject-matter needed another visit. You see, in my experience of ULTRA-marathon and Marathon Running, (solitary pursuits you might believe), I realise that none of my achievements would have happened without the help of a great ‘Team’ working with me.

And if you’ve been in the Gym with me on a Fitness Assessment, you’ll know I use ‘Formula 1’ analogy to describe how best to get the most out of everything you have, from choice of trainer to mental strategy. In an 'F1 Team’ the man putting on the wheel-nut is just as important as the Driver – The 60-75 people needed to work as one is simply mind-boggling and one to really admire. How lucky Lewis Hamilton must be in having all of that support and accountability, helping him around the track to success.

Then again, just how many people are there in YOUR team? How many people does it take to make things happen for you, and what you are trying to achieve right now?

When you think about it, your family are bigtime support. Even the little ones, as well as parents and siblings so for me that’s ten plus Add some  close friends and a good helping of Facebook and there could be an easily a couple hundred more to add if you look at peak Facebook ‘Messages’ and ‘Likes’ surrounding Birthdays and events like the Marathon des Sables – A massive support network. I mean, where would we be without the internet for information gathering and connecting, planning and broadcasting. Google is an ULTRArunners best friend.

Physically, well there’s your GP, National Health Service, Local Hospital and for me, Dial-a-Doctor-Brother to get the ‘Express treatment’ I need to keep running and coaching.

I could go on adding to the list but by now you’re hopefully getting my point that although we believe we can operate as a ‘One-Man-Band’ – We don't and we can’t. Sure, be picky, piss a few people off along the way if they don’t play as hard, as well or for as long as we do - so pick your 'Team' wisely.

And what I've discovered?

Well, I’ve always thought that I’m not a ‘Team-Player’ as I’m not interested in playing ‘Team Sports’ but on further investigation I’m actually part of hundreds of teams and love every minute of being part of them, who'd have thought that eh? – Are you part of a ’Team’ and how’s your 'Team-ship' playing today?

It's worth a thought.

1,025 Marathons, 248 ULTRAs, 9 Marathon des Sables & 15 Marathon des Sables

Who’s to Blame…

‘I blame you for the moonlit sky and the dream that died with the Eagle's flight’ – Archer

In truth, we like to ‘Blame’ everyone but ourselves. It’s down to something I’m told called ‘Psychological Projection’, which is a theory in psychology in which the human ego defends itself against unconscious impulses or qualities (both positive and negative) by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others.

Yikes, that’s deep and no wonder Tasmin Archer was so upset back in 1992.

Anyway, if you’ve ever watched ‘The Apprentice’ – I love the part of the show where the Candidates are trying to save themselves by ‘Blaming’ everyone else in the Boardroom for their team’s failure. The scene is a perfect example of ‘Psychological Projection’. The way they latch onto the minutest detail to try and convince Lord Sugar that even though they’ve messed up themselves, someone else has messed up more and they need to be fired. Luckily Sugar’s BS meter usually catches them out, which not only makes great viewing but underlines that we all love to point the finger at the weakest link or in some of the programmes I’ve watched, the greatest competition.

You see, I believe we’ve been hard-wired into ‘Blame Culture’ over recent decades – as they say ‘Where there’s ‘Blame’, there’s a claim’. Nowadays, banks are reeling from PPI Claims and Personal Injury Lawyers are advertising on TV during Jeremy Kyle commercial breaks, trawling for new business from folk looking for easy cash.

Yes, there’s money in ‘Blame’.

For some folk I meet and for some I’ve worked with in the past – they deserve ‘Blame’ but somehow are Teflon-Coated. The ‘Blame’ just runs off them, like water off a duck’s back - nothing sticks. They always have the perfect excuse and it’s never their fault. Try and pin some ‘Blame’ on them and it’s like trying to nail jelly to a wall – it just ain’t gonna happen!

So, why do they come across that way? 

It could be that they have narrow bandwidth of opinion. Maybe, they are 50:50 folks not looking to rock the boat. They exude a of ‘Middle of the Road’ attitude that’s agreeable to everyone enough so not to be abrasive enough to ruffle other folks feathers. And as they’ve never had any confrontation, confrontation doesn’t find them.

‘Sticking your neck out’ or having a ‘Strong Opinion’ – well you may as well say ‘Blame Me’ as folk no doubt will. It’s human nature to hand it out to those that stand out.

Are you ever wrong?

You never make mistakes? - well I don’t believe you. No one’s perfect. Sure, if you are right or if your sound and experienced opinion is being contested – fight. If you’re not, why not be honest and just own up and move on. If you are wrong and cover it up and then get found out – well that’s a proper sin. The ‘Reply-All’ email was designed for such occasions I believe.

You know the ones where a colleague emails you to tell you that you’ve messed up, made a mistake or have been duplicitous – and sends it to ALL your colleagues and bosses as well, highlighting just how awful you’ve performed. As if it wasn’t bad enough to make a mistake, they tell the world about it too – don’t you just hate them?

And even though it’s ‘Tomorrow’s Chip Papers’ – it’s bloody annoying and one of ‘Blames Cultures’ more sinister aspects I think. Broadcasting ‘Blame’ on others in order to deflect attention from one’s own mistakes, especially at work – well that really sucks.

No, I believe it’s much better to be more introspective about ‘Blame’. ‘Blame’ starts within by taking responsibility for our actions and standards. It’s just that ‘Blame’ can’t be measured. We simply know it exists and use it to describe how things have gone wrong for us in the past.

Here are some translations:-

Folk ‘Blame’ their education – maybe, they weren’t open to being taught. School is all about finding out what sparks your imagination and rarely folk end up doing what they went to Uni for. 

Folk ‘Blame’ their parents – we’re not children very long and we make our own life-choices. I understand that not every childhood is a bed of roses, but adulthood brings choice and a world of opportunity. Where that road takes us is up to ourselves and no-one else.

Folk ‘Blame’ their partner – with a ‘Divorce Rate’ of 50% in the UK, it’s not surprising that there’s ‘Blame’ attributed to one or both of the parties in any partnership in crisis. Stating the ‘Blame’ of the collapse of a marriage is part of the court proceedings to see if it’s worthy of a divorce. A simple ‘It’s my fault, let’s move on’ would be a far cheaper option rather than the usual court ‘Blame Battle’. The only ones who win, are the Lawyers.

Folk really will ‘Blame’ anyone but themselves.

Trying not to be a ‘Blame Victim’ when things are going wrong can be super-tough. I know. During my GBS illness it would have been far too easy to say that it had ruined my life and to have lived out the rest of my years feeling very bitter and twisted about how it’s physically and mentally changed me.

And naturally, when you find yourself in such a situation, you look at who to ‘Blame’. Was it a disease? Who gave it to me? Was it something I ate? 

Well no, it could have been self-generated. A payback of years, pushing my body beyond its limits and the stretch of my immune system. Who knows. I’m always proud to say that during 25 years of running, I’ve never been injured – I haven’t, but in the case of GBS, maybe - I have.

It’s ok though and I don’t ‘Blame’ myself – I’m happy with what I’ve achieved and where I am. You see, I’m someone that doesn’t have the ‘Blame Gene’.

Being honest about yourself, what you do, what you project and how you live life will stop you ‘Blaming’ the world around you for your predicament and today could be the day to take the ‘B’ word out of your vocabulary – You never know - Amen.

1025 Marathons - 248 Ultras - 9 Guinness World Records and 24 Years' Dry
Checkout my New Website - www.ColemanCoaching.co.uk

Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie

Many of people I meet say they are ‘Stressed Out’ or ‘Feeling Under Pressure’ for most of their waking hours. So I thought I’d do some research into ‘Stress’, the effects it can have and some of the ways to combat one of the silent conditions that’s slowly killing the nation.

It sounds serious but it is - especially for those that are having their lives ruined by their natural reaction being permanently on ‘Red-Alert’.

You see ‘Stress’ is your way of responding to demanding situations or threats. Us humans are ‘Hard-wired’ to sense danger - whether real or imagined - and under attack, our defences kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the ‘Fight-or-Flight’ reflex known as the ‘Stress Response.’

The ‘Stress Response’ is there to protect you and when working properly, it maintains focus, spikes energy levels and in general keeps you alert. In emergency situations, ‘Stress’ is actually a life-saver - giving you extra strength to defend yourself.

‘Stress’ can also help you rise to meet challenges. It’s what keeps you on your toes at work, sharpens concentration when playing sport, or drives you on in a marathon when you might want to DNF. However, beyond a certain level, stress causes major health issues - affecting your mood, productivity, relationships and quality of life.

Now you can see, why ‘Stress’ is a ‘Silent Killer’.

It can also be a ‘Silent’ emotion. I’m quite convinced or rather, I’ve convinced myself that I don’t suffer from ‘Stress’ too much. It might just be that subconsciously, I’ve found a way of handling ‘Stress’ that nullified my ‘Stress Reaction’. I do fell calm most of the time and very patient.

A kind-of-natural ‘State of Prozac’. The drug Prozac is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). The drug works by blocking the absorption of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. BY regulating the amount of serotonin that helps our brain cells transmit messages to each other it results in a better and more stable mood - a state in my case of feeling ‘Less Stressed’ - Who knows? It sounds like a good theory though doesn’t it. 

My personality type says I should be stressed or fatigued due to an overload of sensory or emotional input - and I understand that I should be a more stressed person considering my lifestyle and job - however I’m just not. Don’t get me wrong, I can be just as adrenalised as the next person only not all the time and certainly not ‘Stressed’ by inheritance from anyone else’s predicament either.

I do believe my ‘Stress Response’ was supressed in my teenage years and that possibly surviving an all boys’ school taught me to compartmentalise different situations and tasks which I’ve simply carried on and used in adult-life. Life is processed like a production line one task at a time.

Anyway, it could be a system that you could use, especially if you are feeling ‘Stressed Out’ right now.

That’s if you are ‘Stressed Out’ or in fact just ‘Under Pressure’ from a number of personal issues or situations that are lining up like the planets creating a major cataclysmic life-problem coming over the horizon.

Everyone is under the cosh and driving the five miles across Cardiff this morning, made even my blood start to boil and for those doing this every day of their working life - well I can understand why it might take a couple of hours and a few coffees to clear the grey storm clouds that can gather in that nose-to-tail-traffic-jams.

Yet it could be avoided by people going to work earlier of later to avoid the situation -working from home or simply cycling/walking instead. For those that tell me that work really stresses them out, I always say, ‘Well, find another job’… Or speak to the powers that be as they want you to happy and productive in your work just as much as you do - try speaking to them when they’re not ‘Stressed Out’ too perhaps.

Now, rather than just go on and on about ‘Stress’ and ‘Stress you out’ further, I’ll offer you a solution. A form of ‘Stress Management’ - or rather ‘Stress Awareness’ so then you can fell ‘Stress Liberated’.

My task to you then, is to look at your levels of ‘Stress’ during the day. 0 being so laid back you are horizontal and 10 meaning you are on the edge ready to jump. Taking a reading three times a day gives a simple out of 30 score where we can see the peaks and troughs through the day and where the ‘Days of Stress’ occur in the week.

For a lot of folk, it’s just after work and just as they get home that the ‘Stress Factor’ will be hitting 10 - fatigued, hungry and emotionally drained - that’s the danger point where booze and food are used to lift the mood. We do know by regulating the amount of serotonin that brain cells use to transmit messages to each other - it results in a better and more stable mood and perhaps if better understood, we wouldn’t go on a journey of self-destruction in front of the fridge or head off to the off-licence.

Running, cycling, walking, making goals, being creative, listening to music, yoga - just being active can make your ‘Stress Response’ trip out and let reality return. 

Yes, putting it simply all you need to do to ‘De-Stress’ is to get active. If you haven’t tried, give it a go. Also ask yourself what’s really causing your ‘Stress’ - Wife/Husband, Kids, Money, Job, Lifestyle, Alcohol, Drugs, Addiction, whatever and just start being honest about what could be a ‘Life-Changer’ if left unchallenged.

I’m going to think on about what I can do to keep my ‘Stress-Reaction’ confined to when I’m under attack and can let my ‘Fight-or-Flight’ reflex kick in and save me.

I hope it will ‘Save’ you too - Amen

1,025 Marathons - 248 Ultras - 15 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records

The Eight Stages of Addiction Escape…

Breaking the ADDICTION Spell...

Addiction is always a hot topic and escape from its claws can be a lifelong trial for some if not most. Being somewhat of a former 'Addict' myself, I didn’t know that these stages existed at the time. I just did what most folk do when they are in ‘Addiction Peril’ - namely pack it up, mess it up and try again - only to fail.

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 for them to take on board, which takes me nicely onto Stage One.

1. Denia...l

We all know folk that are in ‘Denial’. Yes, acquaintances that have no idea that they are out of control or endangering themselves and or the lives of others. Their once a month occasional blow-out, has spiralled into 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 continuing my self-destructive behaviour. Putting it simply, some folk are quite happy killing themselves - it's such a waste.

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 becomes 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 after work. When I speak to daily one-bottlers about 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 as it's far too easy to down another bottle whilst being drunk on the first.

3. Not Today...

You knowing it's time to change, 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 in reality. 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 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 pack - how much worse off they are too. I remember being at Stage Three for some time before plucking up the courage for Stage 4 as that - well it takes 'Balls'.

4. Next Week...

Yes 'Balls', 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 would be another matter, so I spent a fair bit of time in the ‘Next Week’ stage and if you've been there, you'll know 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. Adrenalin pumping with 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. Now don’t get me wrong, some folk grab Addiction' freedom at the first opportunity. One short, sharp shock is all that’s needed to reverse the 'Addiction' tailspin in a single dose. 

If only it happened like that for everyone - as without help, it rarely does.

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 with just one drink. 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 5, well Stage 3 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. It sucks if you ask me. 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 innermost thoughts. Thinking about successfully completing the next 24hrs in your quest to become the ‘Real’ you is all that matters. 

8. Termination...

And when you are FREE, you’ll look back and wonder why you ever got so addicted. 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 a day, a month and then a year. In truth my obsession to do something has become an obsession not to do it ever again - I never thought I'd say that. 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 6 Failure. These thoughts now encourage me to help those who find themselves in a similar predicament - you know who you are.

But of you are 'Addicted', let the battle begin. 'Addiction' or 'Compulsive Behaviour' of any kind eats away at the soul. Each morning, getting up with the best of intentions until things go wrong or having a shitty day at work. Well, staying strong in these moments, that’s the key to success as it’s easier to live life 'Addiction' free when things are going well. That's what makes you Strong, Resilient and a 'WINNER'.

And if any of the above rings true, well it’s time for 'Change'. Time to be free of the ‘Burden of Addiction’. Time to be AWESOME - Amen.

1,025 Marathons - 248 Ultras - 15 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records

Stairs - INXS

10 Shades of Grey

'Take one step, out the door'...

Martin Luther King, Jr. said 'Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase' - it’s a wonderful quote. One I often hear is ‘taking the first step is the hardest’ - no wonder Neil Armstrong called his, 'A giant leap for mankind'. 

I love a good quote and faith plays a great part in anything we do, as does commitment which I believe we can measure – I do this with my ‘Ten Levels of Commitment’.

Look around, for a whole lot more…

Let’s face it, more and more of us are out there looking around for the magical life-ingredient that will make our life simply perfect for ourselves and those around us. Our modern, ‘Trip-Adviser-World’ rates everything from a Holiday to a Toaster as a rating out of 10 so I’ve made my levels match with a reasoning to why I believe folk fail or succeed in their approach towards their goal.

We make decisions all day, every day. A simple series of ‘zeroes and ones’. We get an idea. Become obsessed and set off to varying degrees of success – So why is this?

0 – ‘Over my Dead Body’…

Hmm, no wonder it’s a BIG fat ZERO. To me it means there is no way on God’s Earth you could ever make or even encourage me to do something. Triathlons, eating Tuna and listening Barry Manilow immediately come to my mind but then as you know, I’m an all or nothing kinda guy and the ‘Zero’ for ‘Over my Dead Body’ reflects the whitest, snow-white, white you could ever imagine. On my shades of GREY – 0 is my WHITE (Grey being a mix of Black and White. White being 100% White 0% Black and Black vice versa if you get my drift).

1 – ‘I just can’t see myself doing that’…

Well if you can’t – no one else will. Having a clear picture of yourself undertaking a feat or crossing the finish line of a race is sometimes all the belief you’ll ever need to achieve the success you desire. But let’s face it, if you don’t believe you have what it takes, it’s very hard for anyone to ‘Project’ that feeling onto you. It’s nearly always only a marginal success that’s achieved when it happens and using a ‘Neil Armstrong’ analogy, he’d never have set off for the moon, let alone walked on it.

2 – ‘There’s nothing you could do to make me do that’…

Now to me that means that you could do whatever is tasked of you, but you simply don’t want to do it. It’s more of a kind of protest statement. And whenever I’ve heard it said, I’ve shut up shop and lowered my expectations of the 2/10 situation as let’s face it, making that kind of mindset remotely positive is extremely unlikely and will never reach the ‘Level of Commitment’ needed to achieve the success I’d be looking for.

3 – ‘My Partner, Husband/Wife doesn’t want me doing that’…

Now, that always sounds like an excuse to me or a case of avoiding a difficult conversation with the other half. In levels 9 & 10 this wouldn’t be an option but ‘Giving in’, is a simple way of undermining your own self-confidence by not wanting to ‘Rock-the-Boat’ and leads to frustration and a feeling of ‘Minority Mediocrity’. I believe everyone has a desire, even a need to achieve. Making a mark on the world and a leaving a personal legacy has always been something that I’ve had foremost in my mind and I now see this in a lot of the folk I meet and coach.

4 – Really?

That’s the answer I get a lot when I’m looking at people’s fitness stats and ability. An ‘Ability Disbelief’ we’ll call it. A simple case of someone not knowing what they are capable of. I love the Malcom Gladwell principle that says 10,000 hours of ‘deliberate practice’ are needed to become world-class in any field. When psychologists talk about deliberate practice, they mean practicing in a way that pushes your skill set as much as possible. I mean, are people that are superb musicians or artists, the best naturally or have they simple done the time? It’s an interesting and well-argued concept but it does highlight that we tend to concentrate on things we like or enjoy to become our obsession or lifestyle. I’m sure there are plenty more capable musicians, artists and athletes in this world - it’s just that these attributes have never been discovered perhaps. Really? Yes, Really.

5 – Maybe? Maybe Not…

50:50 is never a safe bet is it? A simple coin-toss. Heads or Tails? I’m never convinced folk have got what it takes when I hear such an ambivalent comment, it’s almost a double-negative in my book. A ‘Mid-Tone Grey’, dreary shade suggesting a state of complete indecisiveness of true commitment. It marks the point I find most frustrating in folk but maybe most folk also find it just as annoying in themselves – you be the judge.

6 – I’m on it…

Or are you? Okay we’ve reached that 60% ‘Level of Commitment’ but it’s still a long way from anything being signed, sealed and delivered. The ‘I’m on it’ comment speaks volumes to me. It usually means that the intention is there but the enthusiasm is lacking – along with any action on making it happen. I believe ‘I’m on it’ doesn’t mean happening in the present – it’s more of a future tense happening. A kind of ‘thanks for reminding me as I know I haven’t done anything about it yet’. I remember some School Summer Holiday homework having the ‘I’m on it’ appeal – don’t you?

7 – I’m giving it everything I’ve got…

Only you’re not. Even though you are attaining what I would call a high ‘Pass Mark’. And yes, your degree might say ‘First Class Honours’, it’s still a long way from being truly exceptional. I don’t think anyone would be happy buying a 7/10 rated TV or HiFi when there are 8, 9 or even 10/10 performers to choose from. I’d say 7/10 is ‘Good’ but not ‘Good Enough’ if you look at a 70% Grey – it’s still VERY Grey and not very Black. That says it all to me.

8 – There’s not a lot more I can do…

If there isn’t, well maybe you’ve misjudged your Level 10. I’m not sure anything is ever perfect and even when I thought I’d given things everything I’d ever got, there was always a niggling thought that I could have done more. Anyone that has ever done a VO2 Max test on a Treadmill, where it goes quicker and quicker and the gradient increases will have had the thought that they could have done a few more steps before hitting the emergency stop button. It tells me that there’s always something more you can do to get the most out of your inner-self.

9 – Nothing can stop me…

I love it! Nothing will stop you, if you’ve gone the extra mile – given it everything you’ve got and been ‘on it’ right from the start. 9/10 is pretty dark – a dark charcoal grey – a near black and for some it’s the ceiling of their ability and an extremely satisfying position to find yourself in. If you’re a gambler – it’s a ‘Dead Cert’ – a winning Lottery ticket. For those that follow one of my 12-Week Training Plans or ULTRAdiet, well you are going to succeed as it’s ‘Green Lights’ all the way. Nothing will stop you when you hit the ‘Nothing can stop me’ phase.

 10 – Whatever the Cost…

How Black is your Black? Just how dark can you make it? Is your Eclipse Full or only partial? As a young boy (Aged 7) I knew I’d see the Solar Eclipse at Land’s End in 1999 (Aged 37) – ‘Whatever the Cost’, and I did. It was Black too (but sadly cloudy boo-hoo) but I lived out a 30 year dream. A pledge made as a boy that if I was still alive when I was an old man, I kept. A most satisfying moment in my lifetime along with many, many more situations and achievements that have come my way.

They haven’t come from being anything less than an eight perhaps and I can think of many things that have had to suffer so that the ‘Nines and Tens’ have happened. Sure there are things I’ve given my all to and they’ve failed but I’m honest enough to own up to my own failings and ‘Levels of Commitment’. Maybe they weren’t all as high as I’d thought.

For you, take some time to see how you measure up and maybe reaffirm your ‘Level of Commitment’ to whatever is driving you on to succeed right now.

Are you a 5, 8, 9 or even 10 – I’d love to know?

1,024 Marathons - 248 Ultras - 15 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records