Watcher of the Skies - Genesis

Lyric:- 'He whom life can no longer surprise' - Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett & Rutherford

Song Choice:- Well, it's becoming a bit of a Genesis week if I'm being honest and I picked 'Watcher of the Skies' partly, as it's such an iconic prog rock anthem, but also as it contains the above lyric which reflects my mood today, just perfectly.

You see, what would life be like, if there was no longer any surprise in anyone's world?

Well it'd be pretty dull wouldn't it...I'm sure you'll agree but actually will you?

How much do we actually engage with the process of change? Do you even desire change? Are you prepared to stand by your principles and demand change?

Or do you just do the same things day in, day out, year in, year out...or even decade in, decade out. I find it mystifying how much of our lives we live on automatic pilot just watching the hands on the clock turn and the seasons blend from one into another.

OMG, I sound so bloody glum in just writing this...but as human's we should demand surprise, spontaneity, passion, excellence, commitment and desire.

Without them, we are simply dust and just wasting a golden opportunity - my advice is to surprise yourself. No-one will do that for you in reality and make your mark on this planet so you will be remembered for being a something, rather than a nothing.

Rory Coleman
973 Marathons - 240 Ultra-Marathons - 9 Guinness World Records - 12 Marathon des Sables - 8121 Days' Dry

Stagnation - Genesis

Genesis in 1971

Lyric:- 'Wash away the past' - Gabriel

Song Choice:- They say if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. And that's been the depth of my 'Stagnation' for about a week or so now following seven days of a tremendous weight-loss and negativity bug surrounding a bout of infant induced gastric flu. It's a tricky condition to be in for me as I just don't do illness and am well noted for battling on through, no matter what but I was f*cking miserable I can tell you.

Hitting this particular wall, this close to MdS is a bit of a choker if I'm being honest but following a personal pistol whipping, I'm now back in the room and firing on nearly all 12 cylinders (c'mon I was never going to write 4, 6 or 8 there was I!)...

Anyway, I'm feeling more like my old self, hooray you say, and I'm back putting out fires and revving up those around me to do more with their time on this planet of ours, Gabriel sings 'Wash away the past', well he did 46 years ago anyway and it's a good mantra for today and the next 10 days as I pack and ready myself for my thirteenth Marathon des Sables Adventure...

Rory Coleman - 973 Marathons - 240 Ultras

12 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records - 8120 Days' Alcohol Free.

Location: Caerdydd

Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles

Lyric:- 'But listen to the colour of your dreams' - Lennon

Song Choice:- Well it's been a psychedelic week, so I thought I'd choose a psychedelic track to accompany it.

It's actually been a week recovering from a bug that nearly finished me off if I'm being honest and I was forced to tell myself to 'Man the F@@@ Up Coleman' on more than one occasion to get me through my extreme man-flu.

Anyway, no-one really cares and yes, there is well-place sympathy abound but you still have to deliver the goods - I'm sure running hundreds of marathons, alcohol addiction and a mother, kicked out of the Gestapo for being too tough, making me go to school with Russian Flu in 1979 has only fuelled my resilience (Ta Mum x).

But that's the thing, it was tough, in today's news I see teachers are not allowed to mark in red ink anymore, in case it's seen as being aggressive - yikes my secondary school teachers just battered you whether you were right OR wrong and it was all part of growing up. Don't even get me started on non-competitive sports days and walking children around in Hi-Vis Jackets on school trips.

I reckon we need to look back at 1966 sometimes, Relax and Float down stream a bit more often and listen to the colour of our dreams and get on with life without thinking that we are upsetting people's feelings.

Life's too short!

Rory Coleman - www.RoryColeman.co.uk

972 Marathons - 240 Ultras - 12 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records

8117 Days' Dry

Supremacy - Muse

Lyric:- 'Wake to see, Your true emancipation is a fantasy'...

Song Choice:- Taken from the latest Bond picture Spectre which probably encompasses the whole White Western Supremacy thing, that some extremist folk around the globe want to protest against, highlighted with today's catastrophic results.

It's difficult to know what to write or what to say about the bombings this morning or of any acts of terrorism for that matter. It's difficult as it doesn't affect my world, or hasn't yet, and it's not my fight and yet someone this morning is prepared to blow themselves and lots of innocent people up, going about their busy lives, into the next world.

My word the world has gone mad...wtf is going on?

Is there really that much evil in the world? I'd really like to think not. I'd really like to think there's good in everyone. I'd really like to think that a stranger would help me in the street if I was in need, just like I'd help them - as I have, lots of times, whilst other folk have just walked by.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not all goody goody, I don't want to be everyone's friend - I just want to be left to get on with things in my world knowing that it's a safe place to play as right now - it doesn't feel like it.

I'm not sure if the Supremacy that folk seem to want or hate is worth the cost of so many lives, when our world is such a wonderful place to live in.

More tomorrow...

Rory Coleman - 971 Marathons - 240 Ultras

12 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records - 8112 Days' Alcohol Free.

Location:Caerdydd

A Design for Life - Manic Street Preachers

Lyric:- 'As we are told that this is the end' - Wire

Song Choice - Well, I keep bumping into James Dean Bradfield at Cafe Castan in Pontcanna, and this track was one of my favourites way back in 1996 (yes, April 1996 in fact) just around the time of my marathon peak and my 3.24.21 pb.

It's the 'Design for Life' lyric of course that resonates with me and if life only came with your own bespoke handbook or blueprint to follow, maybe we'd make a better fist of building it. You see the thing is, I reckon a lot of the time, we follow lots of other people's ideas and instructions instead of our own.

I'd love to know, for instance, whom the 'They' are that people always seem to refer to, you know the 'They say it's going to rain' or the people whom come across as experts on subjects so people then say 'I've read that'...

Make up your own mind and what you read on websites, by so called experts, take with a pinch of salt as there's no such thing as FREE advice as there's no guarantee from those that are dishing it out.

I wonder what the Manic's really meant with their lyrics...oh yes I get the Gaudi quote on the album cover and yes he (that's Gaudi) certainly rewrote the rule book on design and architecture - so I'm going to take that on board. Not too difficult for me as I really don't like following the rules but no so easy for those that do.

What I'd say is 'Don't believe a word anyone says, especially if you are told that this is the end' - just go with your heart, f*ck what people anyone thinks and find the beginning of whatever it is that you want to do.

As everyone will point out to you where it will all end...

More tomorrow...

Rory Coleman

971 Marathons, 240 Ultras, 9 Guinness World Records, 12 Marathon des Sables

8110 Days' Dry

Adventure of a Lifetime - Coldplay

Lyric:- 'Turn your magic on’ - Martin

Song Choice:- I listened to this track as I travelled away from my Breakfast Meeting Presentation at the fdu Group to a group of their key clients. It encompasses a lot of my ideals about being ‘Elite' and belief that everyone should value their own experience and use it in the workplace to it’s maximum effect.

You see, I wonder how much people actually ‘Turn their magic on’ each day…It wasn’t an issue for the people I presented to at fdu as they were all extremely successful within their own business environment but there was an interesting moment when I asked them how ‘Elite’ they felt were, both at Work, at Home and in their Leisure Pursuits. It’s always and interesting question to ask as most people put themselves in at a more ‘average’, and certainly not an ‘Elite’ level.

Now that might a very conservatively ‘English’ way of thinking so as not to look ‘Over-Confident’ and blend into the crowd but who really wants to be ‘Average’? I certainly don’t…I want to be as ‘Elite’ as I can possibly be and since I’ve put a 'value’ on my experience and monetised it, it’s paid dividends. I believe 100% in my own value and values.

Lyric:- 'And we are legends every day’ - Martin

The interesting thing is, I believe everyone has a ‘Legend’ in them and it’s empowering them to realise that where I believe I really make a difference to how they see themselves, their colleagues, their prospects and their loved ones. There’s nothing worse than spending a large proportion of ones week in an environment where you are undervalued and then you in turn, act in an undervalued and negative way. The Average2Awesome Business Coaching Programme cross platforms the workplace. People across the business get to interact closely together as a team for twelve weeks, resulting in greater colleague understanding, company positivity and physical well-being. It’s a real win-win and I love winning!

Lyric:- 'Everything you want's a dream away' - Martin

I’m not sure I believed this before my own transformation back in 1994 but I’m more than ever convinced now as I witness this transformation in the people I coach. Having a vision, a career plan and some new values and rules to live by leads ordinary ‘Average' people on to be the ‘Awesome' people they’ve always threatened to be. As Coldplay’s Chris Martin goes on to sing ‘We are Diamonds’ which I believe we all are. Finding the right place and when to shine, that’s the key.

Lyric:- ‘If we’ve only got this life' - Martin

'Well, why not do your best you can with the time you have on this planet then'. That’s what I say, in every aspect of your life and become the person you’ve always wanted to be. 

• Ask yourself just how ‘Elite’ you feel you really are?
• Ask yourself am I giving this my best shot?
• Ask yourself do I need to raise my standards?
• Ask yourself have a got a good work/home life balance?
• Ask yourself am I Average or am I Awesome?

Of course, only you will know those answers to those questions, but just in writing them I’ve asked myself the same and will reconsider my own performance and reassess my own ‘Eliteness’.

Hopefully you will too…

Rory Coleman

969 Marathons - 240 Ultras - 12 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records

8017 - Days' Dry

Tighten Up - Electronic

Lyric:- 'I used to run away but I can't no more, 'cause I feel that I can beat it' - Marr & Sumner

Song Choice:- I bought this when it cam out in 1991 yet only recently listened to it again. It was actually a really good pairing of music and lyrics and it’s a shame I’d lost it. See for yourself here.

Anyway, on the eve of me recounting my story to the fdu Group at their Breakfast Event tomorrow morning in London, the above line seemed most apt for my blog. Also on my part and for some of my clients, running away is always feels  a much better option that just tightening up feeling that you can beat it. Whatever your 'IT' may be.

Maybe you are in the running away stage yourself right now and need to expose the GIANT ELEPHANT in the room that everyone in your situation can see but no-one dares to mention.

It's change, confrontation and fear of failure that underlies most stalemate situations, you know the ones where endless procrastination literally leads to a lifetime of mediocrity and misery.

Not overcoming those fears, makes any day-to-day living an extremely negative experience and actually inflates that elephant just that little bit more, increasing the pressure, meaning eventually, there's no room left to live in. Until then it’s head in sand time…I know, I’ve done it.

We are a funny old breed...If only we had a more courageous approach to problems, we'd save ourselves a huge amount of stress and heartache. What’s to lose as everyone can see your Elephant...

How big's your Elephant getting?

Rory Coleman - www.RoryColeman.co.uk

969 Marathons - 240 Ultras - 12 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records

8106 Days' Dry