And the winner is Optimism!

Tis’ the season for awards after all. 

Okay, before you reach for the bucket this isn’t just happy, jolly January, ‘go for it’ speak, so bear with me for a moment.

There is compelling research out there that states;

-       Optimists typically make 30% more sales

-       Optimists generally bounce back faster after adversity

-       Optimists use a different, more positive explanatory style

-       Optimists try harder

-       Optimists succeed

And because of all this they are generally healthier, wealthier, have greater life expectancy, better relationships and success.   

Well, if that’s not a reason to find one’s inner optimist I don’t know what is?

As many of you know, I’m an inner biker (the outer one falls off a lot) and fan of Charley Boorman. He must be one of the most optimistic people out there.  Charley Boorman’s South African Adventure is currently showing on Channel 5 and in last week's episode he successfully navigated the Sani Pass in appalling weather. Unsurprisingly, this journey, leading a path through the mountains in Lesotho commenced on two wheels but sheet ice forced the intrepid biker to jump into a 4X4 when progress came to a halt. When the mechanical mountain goat started to slide uncontrollably toward the edge, the film crew leapt to safety, Charley didn’t, and was rewarded with one of the most stunning views on the planet, amongst other things. It made fabulous viewing for us all at home too; http://bit.ly/VlQNjy

The point is optimism takes us further. It widens our repertoire and resources to deal with whatever it is that life has put along our path and therefore we generally benefit along the way.  Be it in business or personally.

The simplest way to start that shift towards an optimistic outlook and way of life is to be grateful and express gratitude for what we have ,rather than what we don’t.   

Think of three things that you’re grateful for, truly grateful for, otherwise it won’t work!

It might be a relationship, a friend, kids, your job, your boss, a holiday, a book, chocolate, the snow  - doesn’t matter what it is, so long as it is yours and you mean it.  

How did that make you feel?

Then repeat it, daily if possible.

For the cynics out there and I know you’re there, a healthy dose of defensive pessimism isn’t a bad place to start, the end goal being strategic optimism. I.e. instead of the very optimistic ‘’I can do this’’ the toned down, more tactical and strategic optimism of  “what will it take to achieve this’. 

If you’re having a struggle finding your inner optimist, you know where we are and we’d be delighted to help.

Wishing you an optimistic and successful 2013. 

Further reading: Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness and Positive Psychology.  http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/

2013 begins at the end of your comfort zone

As Walt Disney magically said’ If you can dream it, you can do it”. 

I’ve recently been fortunate to meet three very inspiring people, Rob Jonas, Business Leader (and extreme sports competitor), Liz Dimmock who is cycling around the world next year not only to beat a record but also to raise a £1m for charity (Worldride2013.com), and Leah Dunthorne, an Olympic coach.  All inspiring in very different ways, though with the utter, unshakeable belief in what they CAN do.

Many of us however, might feel that the self-belief required to achieve whatever others do or even more importantly what we want to do for ourselves, is unpredictable at best. Self-belief, with-out wishing to ‘personalise’ it, sometimes appears to have the power to depart at the critical moment.

All is not lost, the message from these individuals is also that you can always find some-one to help you out and get you started.  Pick whatever it is and find a willing helper to assist  you and your self-belief along the way. There are passionate people everywhere. 

What are you dreaming about that actually, you can do and who will help you get started?

Might 2013 be the year that you turned the dream to reality, there’s a movie there somewhere…….

Have a fabulous New Year, look forward to hearing about your plans for this year, sometime soon.

Flat over brow

Last week I was most fortunate to meet many extraordinary people and a few of the conversations stood out:

Speaking with legendary racing driver Barrie “Whizzo” Williams who rallied at the highest level in the 60s and is now known for his expertise at the wheel of historic and classic racing cars.

Discussing Cyber Security Challenge UK with Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Harrison, MBE, decorated for his part in the liberation of Kuwait during the first Gulf War. 

Also a lively discussion with Tanya Rennick, the energetic force behind The Oyster Club, London’s Premier Networking Club.  

Watch this space….

So, flat over brow, not a term I was familiar with.  Those of you who know a little (or a lot) about rallying will be aware that it means flat out, over the blind brow of a hill, requiring complete trust in your navigator or co-driver.  What transpired in discussion with Whizzo was not so much the "flat over brow" but the "right hand turn 50ft" immediately afterwards, in thick fog!  

"Flat over brow" seems to me to epitomize trust, that well-worn word that is talked about such a lot, but maybe not as truly practiced as it might be.  Not so in my discussions above, these truly inspiring individuals expressed candidly that if it hadn’t been for the trust in team or indeed trust in self, they wouldn’t be where they are today. 

As Ernest Hemingway eruditely put it "the best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them”. 

Will you? 

A little bit scared......

‘Do one thing everyday that scares you’ Eleanor Roosevelt famously quoted. 

Easily said and quoted, a little less easy to do. Of course when we do something that scares us slightly  (or a lot) we learn, grow and develop even if we don’t feel that way at the time. 

   It is oft noted that people perform rather well when scared too. 

This week I’ve been very fortunate to meet three incredibly inspiring individuals who have each done things that many of us would consider a little bit, if not downright scary; Toby Younger who finished one of the toughest races on the planet, The Dakar, on a motorbike earlier this year, his first attempt.

Rene Carayol, an inspiring leader who regularly speaks out and asks the difficult and challenging questions irrespective of who may or may not like it.  He is formidable in his beliefs and wonderfully provocative.

And Paul Gurney, an adventurer who in a twelve month period is tackling both the 5 week extreme race to the magnetic North Pole and the Marathon des Sables. 

Watch this space.....

Fear is a curious emotion, that I’ve yet to completely comprehend. However, what I do know from the course of my work and general observation is that the majority of us spend our lives not only living in fear, but allowing it to dictate the terms of what we call life.

Whilst fear for sure has the potential to hold us back, being scared isn’t always quite as bad as it first appears.  Being scared generally means opportunities for growth and a step towards what’s outside that comfort zone and as those of you who know me will know, I’m all for that.

If we face our fears rather than run from them, our perspective on what we can and can’t deal with, will change (and usually for the better).

And of course, when we look back over the years, those things that we were fearful or scared of, don’t phase us anymore. 

Obviously, we all wish to be safe and tend to design the world around us to be just that, though deep down many of us a crave a little bit more ‘scary’ in our lives. 

Not all ‘scary’ is created equal.  Fear and feeling scared is universal, though some see fear and use it as fuel to create the life they desire.

I happen to think a little bit of scared is a good thing, so long as it doesn’t stop you in your tracks?  

What will you do today that scares you?

(PS. I’ve signed up for a challenge next year  - not immediately scary from where I’m sitting, tea in hand, but thinking about it surprisingly so).