Play the Game - Queen

Lyrics:- 'When you're feeling down and your resistance is low' - Mercury

Song Choice:- Queen's first venture into using a synthesiser on their albums and it heralds in one of my favourite all time 'Mercury' classics. Back in the day I think I overdosed on Queen a bit too much and I must have heard this tune a thousand times over, so-much-so I now limit myself to a once a year Queen-Binge and this has been the 'Royal Week' on my headphones.

Anyway, it's the lyrics and title that I'm really interested in for today's blog. You might well be looking forward to celebrate your weeks accomplishment as a 'Captain of Industry tonight. It maybe with a couple of beers and/or a curry that will tragically eradicate all of your hard work and exercising/dieting efforts of the previous five days. What a bummer...

You see, having a 'Fat Friday' simply doesn't work, it's just a bloody good excuse to load in a weeks worth of abstinence all in one go. I'm sure if I had a weekend bender now (probably a couple of Top Deck Shandy's) I'd have to take a week off to recover! Well it's worth a thought...why live like Mother Theresa all week and Oliver Reed the weekends?

So why do we feel the need to spoil all that hard work? It's something that's really obvious to me and when I communicate that passion and drive, some folk just don't get it or  simply put up the 'Barriers of Failure'.

Sometimes though you have to shout and if it's not loud enough, shout louder. You see if you see 'Life' as a 'Game' like I do, I want to know the rules inside out so I can go on and 'Win'. For example, non-Competitive Monopoly wouldn't be much fun would it? And if you've worked hard this week, don't mess it up - rewrite your weekends' rules and 'Play the Game' properly eh?

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,577 Days' Alcohol Free - 425 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location:- Cardiff, Wales

Marathon - Rush

Lyrics:- 'It's a test of ultimate will' - Peart

Song Choice:- This is one of my all-time Rush tracks, and its lyrics have always spoken nearly as loudly as it's title to me over the years, for obvious reasons of course.

We live in our own personal 'Marathon Worlds' and everyday is a school day in the 'University of Hard-Knocks' and we all have our ups and downs. I've always said it's not how you get knocked down, it's how you get up that counts. Rolling with the punches will always get you to the finish line I've found - every time.

You see, psychologically, the last 35% of any accountable goal is always much harder than the first 65%. Marathons definitely follow that pattern with the last nine miles providing the 'Make or Break' mountain or wall to climb or break through that can shatter anyone's inner resolve in a matter of moments.

It's like that in our daily life and sometimes it's so easy to give in when someone that doesn't understand you and your needs, ignorantly attacks your personal protocols, your whole modus operandi. How many times has the wind been blown out of your sails just as you felt you were really starting getting somewhere? It's so rude...

My advice is to blow their 'Kryptonite' quickly away and surround yourself with the positive people that know and understand you, and what you stand for. Luckily these occasions are really rare but crop up when you least expect I've found.

Anyway, if you've encountered the same kind of experience, you'll know the best thing to do is to stick to your values, take a few deep breaths, get your head down and press your reset button knowing that you are happy being you, running your own race and not someone else's.

Listen and take it on board but remember you don't become a 'Winner' in this life being #Average.

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,57 Days' Alcohol Free - 425 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location:- Cardiff, Wales

Short and Sweet - David Gilmour

Lyrics:- 'Building a Vision New' - Gilmour & Harper

Song Choice:- This is one of my favourite 'Gilmour' tracks and I bought it on release back in 1978. I had the 'Promotional Poster' on my wall from WHSmith's Record Shop in Stratford-upon-Avon for years as a sign of being a 'True Fan' and nearly 40 years on, I still am.

I love the 'Short and Sweetness' of the song and what it stands for.

You see, today has been one of those 'Short and Sweet' days as we started our #Average2Awesome Programme with Stepnell Ltd - a Building and Construction company, in Rugby. The 'Short and Sweet' bit comes to mind from the time we get to spend with each of the individuals where following our introductory workshop, the candidates give us their 'Elevator Pitches' into why they should be included in the Programme.

It's amazing what we learn and what's shared in such a 'Short and often Sweet' conversation  with relative strangers. Cutting to the Chase is SO refreshing and I always come away feeling very privileged to be invited into someone else's world.

I just know they are going to be a great group to work with and I'll keep you posted on their progress.

The Lyric - 'Building a Vision New' seemed most apt today as that's what A2A is all about I believe...

Amen

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,575 Days' Alcohol Free - 424 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location:- Cardiff, Wales

These are the days of our lives - Queen

Lyrics:- 'Sometimes I get to feelin', I was back in the old days - long ago’ - Taylor

Song Choice:- I'm always saying to folk that 'These are the best days of our lives'. It's TRUE. It's just that we don't realise it right now. Take-a-look at the 'Lump in the throat’ Queen video that accompanies this track if you need to see where I’m coming from. It’s super sad… It was the last video to feature frontman Freddie Mercury as he was in the final stages of his battle with AIDS filmed on 30th May 1991, just six months before he died on 24th November 1991 - nearly 26 years ago... His last words to camera were ‘I still love you’ and I’m sure he did.

Since then, so much has happened – We’ve all lived a lot of ‘Life’ that I’m sure Freddie would also have lived to the full, with its roundabout ‘Ups and Downs’, ‘Successes and Failures’.

‘The days were endless, we were crazy - we were young. The sun was always shinin' - we just lived for fun’ – Taylor

You see, we never thought about getting old when we were young – The ‘DFS Sofa buy-now-pay-later' mentality hadn’t been invented and I for one thought that my battery life was endless rather than slowly ebbing away at 1% annually.

‘You can't turn back the clock, you can't turn back the tide - ain't that a shame?’ – Taylor

And ‘Yes’ it is a shame we can’t wind our clocks back to make amends or live life’s highs all over again but I believe it’s our duty now to make the most of what we’ve got. Not of what’s left as none of us know how long that particular piece of string is.

We’ve just got to do, what we do – BETTER… as Freddie says, ‘Cos these are the days of our lives’…

Make the most of YOUR DAYS… Please.

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,574 Days' Alcohol Free - 423 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location:- Cardiff, Wales

Through the Barricades - Spandau Ballet

Lyrics:- 'It's a terrible beauty we've made' - Gates

Song Choice:- What better track to choose to illustrate the boundaries we build around ourselves to protect us from the 'Hurty-World' that lies both outside our front door and inside our heads. 

This track was actually written by DavidGates of 'Bread' fame and re-released with a 'New Romantic Twist'. The Spandau's themselves were once 'Barricaded' off from my world back in the e '80's along with the Duran Duran Boys but were really a guilty pleasure along with disco music and the Bee Gees (Did you see Barry Gibb at Glastonbury? - He was bloody awesome)...

Anyway, I found over the years I ring-fence lots of things into my monochromatic world with very 'Hit' and 'Miss' labels, which is fine. The only thing is years later, I'm finding I've done a complete 'Opinion 360' and instead of a 'Love-Hate' - I've got a 'Hate-Love' situation.

You see you just can't predict the future - although I'm pretty sure you won't catch me being a 'Swim, Bike, Run Person in this lifetime but then you never know (Let's hope not eh?)...

But then we all change our minds at some point in time and the folk I tend to meet want to denounce their past, shape up and shape their future. It's a good thing to do too as living a life behind 'Barricades' ain't much fun.

Amen...

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,573 Days' Alcohol Free - 422 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location:- Cardiff, Wales

Burning Rope - Genesis

Lyrics:- 'You must blaze a trail of your own' - Banks

Song Choice:- Yikes, it's 39 years since I saw the mighty Genesis 'Bandwagon' at Knebworth on Midsummer's Day, way back in 1978. Huge, on-stage, mirrors reflected a row of Boeing 747 landing lights into the night and took my appreciation of the band way past 'Eleven'. From their 'And then there were three' album, the lyrics of 'Burning Rope' have always projected a vivid image of an escapologist dangling by a thread as the flames eat away at his 'lifeline'.

I'm therefore not too sure how much of a 'Dare-Devil' I really am, as it's something I would never, ever consider undertaking and yet I'm encountering more and more people who live life with the same level of 'Risk Factor' as Houdini.

Sure there's 'Risk' associated with everything we do, and being an avid 'Googler' I tried to check out how many people had died dangling from a 'Burning Rope' in the UK last year... 

Ok, it's a bit macabre but I was actually side-tracked and astonished when I saw the '% Cause of Death as men's ages increases. The stats are shocking and a real eye-opener...

It would appear that if we are lucky enough to get to your teens and early 20's then we are more likely to kill ourselves in accidents or by our own hand and failing that, in middle age all of our poor past behaviour will come back and haunt us with major cardiac problems and finish us off in our 50's-70's. Pass 80, and then you'll most likely have Alzheimer’s and won't give a shit about much anyway, which made me think even harder about making sure I get the most out of the life whilst I still have my health and my marbles.

You see, it's just as easy to be 'Awesome' than 'Average' at anything. It doesn't necessarily have to take any more time than it does already, you just have to do it better - and increase your desire for Awesomeness.

I'm lucky, I meet lots of 'Awesome People' and my task now I feel is to keep them being 'Awesome' rather than let the flames burn through their 'Rope of Averageness'...it's going to be one hell of a journey - for them AND me...

So please start the process off and have a Great Monday and give it all you've got eh? No one cares who came second you know...

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,572 Days' Alcohol Free - 421 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location:- Cardiff, Wales

The Spirit of Man - Jeff Wayne's War of the World

Lyrics:- 'There must be something worth trying for, even some things worth dying for' - Wayne & Osbourne

Song Choice:- I looked for ages for a song that enraptured my feelings at the end of a very busy week in 'Coleman-World'... I've actually had a great week, progressing my thoughts and ambitions - coming to terms with whom I am and making progress on planning the next few years of my existence on this planet.

And what a choice - and take a listen to the whole album if you can. It's amazing...

Yet, I've heard more 'Excuses' than ever for a multitude of people this week - More than I can ever remember. It's just pathetic... One person said that they thought I should be careful after I posted on a FB Group that if folk tried harder they'd get a better outcome and that I might upset them. Really?

You see, 'Failure isn't an option' it's become a 'disease' that's rotting away people's drive, resolve and determination. It's the easy option when the going gets tough... and when they do give in, the 'Failure Enablers' fan their defeat with praise. Really?

I was described yesterday by someone I really respect as being 'Resilient' and having 'Endurance'. A great accolade as far as I'm concerned, as I always see things through and when the going gets tough, find a way to still reach my goal.

Being 'Successful' and therefore 'Satisfied' is about being 'Resourceful' and not being a 'Quitter' - 'Quitting's Forever' so don't give up, give in, or ever make excuses to me...

You are wasting your breath - So instead 'Buckle Down' and 'Toughen up Buttercup' as nothing's that hard, in fact a lot of the time it's EASIER to keep going and get things done - 

And when you do, you'll be glad you did - And the folk you've surrounded yourself with, will start to respect you.

Amen...

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,570 Days' Alcohol Free - 419 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location:- Cardiff, Wales

Gold Rush - Danny Byrd (feat. Brookes Brothers)

Lyrics:- 'I knew where I was going has forced my directions' - Byrd

Song Choice:- I spent yesterday coaching my latest #Average2Awesome Group at Stepnell UK, a building and civil engineering business headquartered in Rugby. And, as the weeks unfold I'll write more about my work with them and the journey of discovery the 12 candidates will be undertaking with me. 

It’s always good for the ego of course to speak to a fresh group of people about my life adventures and achievements – for me though that’s just my history which I’ve lived a thousand times over and yes, I’m proud of my work but the fascinating part of my first A2A talk is always where I turn the focus back on the audience and start to understand the personalities in the room, their needs, the way they interact with each other and their direction.

'I just spoke my mind' - Byrd

You see, I knew where I was going on my journey when I set off headlong on 5^th January 1994 – it’s been well document and luckily, I’ve never looked back but the journey for my #A2A Stepnell People has yet to unfold. For me it feels like I’ve just been given a favourite ’Boxed Set’ to watch, with a plot that will twist and turn and a hero that will of course save the day in the final episode. It's really exciting and as in all of our previous A2A's I'm looking forward to getting to know the strangers I met this morning.

I came away feeling very buoyant and ran my old ‘Cross Country’ course in Stratford-upon-Avon on the way home in the searing heat of the day and ran only a couple of minutes slower than I did back in 1994 when I first started running when I was 31 so that made me feel quite ‘Awesome’ rather than ‘Average’. That's when I listened to the above track. It's really worth a listen if you are out there pushing yourself.

It’s really ‘forced my direction’ and my advice today is - If you are currently being diverted from the path by folk, you know the ‘Failure Enablers’ and the ‘Energy Vampires’ we all interact with on a daily basis, don’t even listen – don’t waste your time telling them to ‘b***** off’, just get your head down, keep the faith and be the ‘Awesome’ person you want to be TODAY and FIND a direction to follow as the direction isn’t going to FIND you. I can tell you that one for sure...

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 994 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,568 Days' Alcohol Free - 417 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location:- Cardiff, Wales