Rain - The Cult

Can you believe the weather? Just how long is it going to keep on raining cats and dogs every day? Only a few weeks ago, there we were enjoying a drought. Lamenting that the local park had turned into a dust bowl and that the local Co-Op had become THE place to go post run to cool down by standing in the chilled aisle.

Oh how things have changed...

But then things do don’t they? And change in a moment just like the weather. Now, I know I spend a lot of time time writing about ‘time’ and ‘change’ - but just like the weather, I believe we are right in the middle of a time of transformation - well I know I am anyway.

Just like in a long hot summer, when everything is going just perfect without a cloud in the sky - with things falling into place effortlessly… until for some unknown, Godforsaken moment it rains on your parade.

And if you are a non-rainy kinda person like me - hopefully you are out there summoning the sunshine and trying to create a brighter future. It’s not easy, especially as it was pissing down today in Wales and rained hard on days my day's expectations for sure.

However, I used the time to consider some plans to make my time ahead a whole light brighter so if anything I’m going to benefit from this current cloud and welcome a new silver cloud direction.

Or that’s the hope anyway - is it raining where you are?

1,167 Marathons - 273 Ultras - 16 Marathon des Sables - 1 Life - No Rain

Second Chance - Shinedown

I’d like to think that everyone deserves a second chance. A 'one-strike-and-you-are-out-policy' always feels harsh to me and if you’ve ever played board games with your children, no doubt you’ve endured many a second, third and many more chances more after that. 

I mean, if you make a mistake and you’ve acknowledged it, and learned from it, then what’s not to like? 

People always seem to give and receive second chances for their mistakes.

It’s part of human nature. However, the second chances I’m interested in are the ones that ‘Second-Lifers’ get as I call them. Being a ‘Second-Lifer’ myself I understand fully the notion of getting a ‘second chance’. 

A second chance of living life. 

In my world of coaching, I meet many ‘Second-Lifers’. Folk post serious illness, addiction or post traumatic incident even. They’re easy to spot as they are the ones making the most of their second opportunity. They are the people that known as being 'Inspirational' and 'Motivational'. I'm sure we all know people that constantly amaze us with their triumph over adversity stories. 

Now, you might well not be one of the above kinda people BUT you might well be missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime, wasting your time on things that in the long run simply won't be worth it. You probably already know what they are but are too worried, ashamed or frightened to change.

Just take it from me that you don't need a life-threatening illness to make you rethink your future. Maybe you can give yourself a 'Second Chance' today?

1,161 Marathons - 273 Ultras - 16 Marathon des Sables - 1 Life - 2nd Chancer

Reward - Teardrop Explodes

'I love to express my reward'...

Coaching can be a super-rewarding career, reflected in the message above that I received from a client yesterday.

My own to path to this vocation came originally from running mega-distance marathons and ultramarathons and then personal training. I’ve used the mindset and knowledge accrued from these exploits to help people with extreme weight-loss and addiction. I’ve found that I can project this mindset to those wanting to make a personal difference.

However, where the real difference has developed since originally helping people to train for the Marathon des Sables back in 2006 which of course I still do, is that whatever anyone’s goal maybe, it’s actually coaching the whole person where the best results happen.

Health, Finance, Career, Relationship and Family are just a few of the topics that are discussed, deconstructed and reconstructed over the weeks and months.

Being accountable is the key to success. Being there for people in crisis 24/7 a must.

The above client came to me to lose weight. The nine kilogram weight-loss ticked the box - the confidence gained from our work together changed the world.

The client-satisfaction speaks for itself. My satisfaction as a Coach is  overwhelming.

Today l’ll have more one-to-ones and have the privilege of being allowed into many more lives. Where we will go together and what they will deliver, well who knows? But then that’s the joy of the job…

Where are you going - we could go together?

1,161 Marathons - 273 Ultras - 16 MDS - 1 Life - 1 Great Job

99 Red Balloons - Nena

'Floating in the summer sky'

Just because one of your balloons bursts, it doesn’t mean that the other ninety-nine have to follow suit. One of my ex-bosses stock sayings was ‘One Swallow doesn’t make a Summer’. Well I believe the opposite is true  - that one disappointment doesn’t mean everything else will go wrong.

It’s amazing how many peoples‘ worlds crumble over the simplest and minor thing not quite going to their plan.

As we all know from experience - shit usually happens. Things don’t go the way we want them to and rather than having a Plan B or the ability to adapt - folk simply give up.

And that's a big 'No-No' in my book...

If things are going wrong, take stock, work out the ‘whys’ and try again.

Giving up never works in the long run and remember you've always got ninety-nine more balloons to use.

1,161 Marathons - 273 Ultras - 16 MDS - 1 Life - 99 Red Balloons

Photograph - Def Leppard

'Gotta photograph, picture of'...

I was looking at a selection of photos that I’d used for my blogs over the past few years and wondered if I could use just six of them to define my life - with only one rule that they can’t contain people. To narrow it down to just six proved nearly impossible of course and the ones I’ve chosen here are pictures that seemed to stand out to me today.

The OS Map shows where I was born, very near to a sewage farm I noticed, and next to a Bridle Way, which I've been back and ran many times. 

Battersea Power station is pictured from the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album ‘Animals’ - the track Sheep accompanying many of my miles and thoughts since way back when.

 

The Moon Landings represented the future - a future that’s long past now as the digital age it spawned has accelerated time way beyond the Apollo 15 photo shown here. The Electric Moon Buggy was a mere $38m at the time btw.

 

Back down on Earth the cornfields are still a joy to me.  Emerging as a lush green and they soon all too soon become a straw yellow as Mother Nature’s clock turns the seasons of the year faster and faster it feels. A natural wonder.

 

A wonder of the modern world,  Al-Khazneh - the most elaborate temple in the ancient city of Petra carved out of the rock face in 1AD that I’ve been fortunate to visit five times in my desert escapades. A place I thought I’d never see in my earlier existence. 

 

An existence that was schooled in a half-timbered building recognised the world over as Shakespeare’s Schoolroom, that even now I feel privileged to have attended yet found hard to understand at the time. It did however shape the future person so I'm happy about that. 

 

To capture your world and your life and what’s important to you in six pictures is food for thought. Tomorrow I might change my mind and choose six very different pictures, which I might well do with a completely different rationale. I mean, it’s my world and my pictures.

I’d be interested in seeing how you see your world in your pictures. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have and please use PowerPoint to arrange them for you as I did here, it's really simple to do.

 

Have fun...

1,161 Marathons - 273 Ultras - 16 Marathon des Sables - 1 Life in 6 Pictures

Pump up the Volume - MAARS

It's one louder...

Pump UP the volume? Turn DOWN the volume more like! There’s far too much white noise in life I believe - what with interest rates soaring, activists upsetting folks daily routines and our wonderful politicians and celebrities being chased down and caught out over their indiscretions.

The most unlikely of these online so-called celebrity people have the loudest of voices over a wide spectrum of topics that they will never resolve - I just don’t listen.

Turning down the volume in general means you can actually hear your own thoughts and make you own decisions about what you want to do and what you are trying to achieve.

Sure, the world will keep on turning no matter what - however having some time in silence often helps clear and redirect your thoughts. Fighting other peoples' wars just isn't my style.

When was the last time you experienced total silence and heard yourself for once?

Maybe it’s time to Pump DOWN the volume?

1,161 Marathons  - 273 Ultras - 16 Marathon des Sables - 1 Life

Life's what you make it - Talk Talk

The internet is full of ways of maximising one’s potential. The usual topics are:-

‘Time’ – (one of my favourite sermons) as everyone imho can spare at least an hour from their busy schedules to invest in their future. If you can't do that, you are seriously undervaluing yourself I believe. Living life to the full is the goal here and time as we all know is limited.

 

'Goals' - well who isn't goal driven eh? It's drilled into us at an early age and there's nothing better than planning, doing and analysing our progress. Measuring our own success, only breeds success I've found.

 

'Self-Care' - I spoke again today about my Heavy Drinker, Heavy Smoker, Heavy Person not reaching 80 theory to someone that just can't kick the dreaded nicotine. Giving up smoking is a real game changer and consistency is key here. 90-days of self-care can reverse a lot of the damage of an unhealthy smoking lifestyle. 

 

'A New Pastime' - It's good to go and try lots of new activities and seek out fresh friendship groups. There's something out there for everyone of any ability - the Coleman Coaching What's App is testament to this. You never know, you might come to enjoy it and even become really good at whatever you've chosen to spend your free time doing. I've witnessed many transformations. People saying they'd never do something only to go and make it THE most important part of their week.

 

'Reflection' - A time of personal honesty perhaps, where the real truth is considered and then acted upon. My 'Ambition' to 'Ability' model works a treat when one really wants to know if they are working towards their goal and a much brighter future.

 

Maybe the above topics are just there to try and get maximum value for money from whatever level of personal drive folk possess and invest. 

 

However, I want more than this. I want to make the most out of life for as long as I possibly can - sure I'll consider all of the above but I'll also think hard about the opportunities I've missed or messed up and learn from my mistakes as I want to wring the last drop out of my life, living the dream.

 

Are you maximising your potential?

 

1,161 Marathons - 273 ULTRAs - 16 Marathon des Sables - 1 Life