We attended a great event yesterday and met a great guy called Joel Roberts. Joel has work in the media in the US for a number of years and he specialises helping businesses use the principles of the media world to grab and keep our attention into how they communicate their business message.

What was interesting and why we’re writing this post was that Joel referred to a book called the “The World is Flat” by Thomas L. Friedman. The book is about globalisation and impact on the landscape for business.

Friedman got the idea for the book after he visited the CEO of Infosys in Bangalore – the Silicon Valley of India. Upon arriving he was taken to a huge room with great big screens that had live video streaming from London, New York, Jedda, Cape Town, LA to name but a few. What he had walked into was global conference being hosted from India in real time. The story goes that the CEO turned and with a smile said “The playing field has been levelled hasn’t it?”

So why is of relevance to you?

Well, as a result of this ‘levelling of the playing field’ your competitors are now not just on your local High Street. They are not even just in your Town or City, most probably not even in the same Country. Your fiercest competitor could now be sat any where in the world. Technology advances mean that the whole world is now connected.

Secondly, whilst technology has exported to the far reaches of the globe so has the attention span of the Western world. People’s attention spans are shorter now than ever before – we think in 30 second chunks!

So here’s the challenge for your businesses. You have to get your message to stand out from the thousands of competitors and capture the dwindling attention of the cyber generation.

Now that’s a challenge.

One of the first things you can do is to start thinking in terms of problems. There are 2 kinds of problems  - the ones you have and the ones you don’t. You are in the business of either solving the problems your customers have or help them see that they have the problem you want them to have..as Joel would say “You are in the problem distribution business”

To begin to clarify your message, ask yourself “What problem’s do your customers lay awake at night thinking about and how does what you have solve them?”

Yesterday I was at a networking meeting where a friend shared the results of an interesting study about the impact of mental conditioning on life expectancy. Before I tell you about that, I want to give you a little background.

He began talking about his recent trip to Australia’s Steve Irwin Zoo and how he witnessed a miracle in the tiger enclosure. He saw a young trainer swimming about in the man made pool with not just one but several tigers playing with her in the water.

I am assuming you have seen and appreciate how big tigers are. You really don’t want to be messing about with them!

So amazed was he that he asked one the other trainers how this was possible. “It’s all about attitude” he was told. “You have to have positive mental attitude because these amazing cats can smell fear.” He was told that the training team approach the tigers with love each morning and play with them and at night before they sleep the same happens. He was also told that if on any day any member of the team was not feeling 100% they were not allowed to interact with the tigers.

So what has all this go to do with business?

Well, isn’t it true that at times we feel like the people out there we do business with are like tigers on the prowl? Now, if you were to approach these people whether they are sales prospects, suppliers, debtors or partners with an mental attitude which was even just a little negative, what do you think happens?

Human’s can ‘smell’ that fear too. We can see when someone is not 100% confident. We get a gut instinct that tells us that something is not right. don’t we?

So a key to our success is adopting the a positive mental attitude. We have to think and act like a champion. I say act as well because just thinking it is not enough.

What happens when you try and sell when you’re not feeling 100% in your mind? What happens when you try and have those difficult conversation and don’t believe 100% in what you are doing? How much time do you spend giving yourself “love” or do you spend all day beating yourself up?

Mohammed Ali always told himself “I am the greatest” win, lose or draw. AND he acted like the greatest. He trained like the greatest, he spoke like the greatest, he walked like the greatest, he thought like the greatest, what did he become?

The Mayo clinic in the US did study that showed that optimists are healthier, recover fester and live long then their pessimist counterparts. It was calculated that on average some one who is an optimist will out live pessimist by 16 years!

Just by adopting a more positive attitude in life can increase your life expectancy, all you have to do is think about it!

Martin, Joseph & Vinay at NLP Meets the Secret in London

What a great night we had yesterday in London with one of our inspirations Joseph McClendon III.

Joseph has been in the personal development business for over 20 years and has been working with Tony Robbins for much of that. He is a great speaker, presenter and coach and if you haven’t seen him speak you really should check him out!

At the seminar last night, Joseph was talking about creating a successful life and he focused very much on one of our key principles and teachings which is all about understanding with absolute clarity what it is that you really want.

When he asked the audience of 700 people how many knew exactly what they wanted, only about 20 arms went up. Isn’t that amazing?

You see, knowing what you really want with specificity and clarity is the first step to living the life you want. We talk about the difference between destination and direction in the FREE e-book on our website (you can sign up for it by completing the box on the left!) and how just having direction is not enough for true fulfilment and success, you need to know the exact co-ordinates. When you focus on what you want, guess what? You have a greater chance of getting it!

The crazy thing is that most people spend most of their time focusing on what they don’t want. They don’t want debt, they don’t want to be over weight, they don’t want another failed relationship.

So do yourself some good. Get some pen and paper and start to write down ALL of the things you WANT.  Don’t just settle for what you think you can have but what is it that you REALLY want, exactly want in your life!

If it’s money, how much? A new car, which one? A house? What will it look like? A better body, what will you look like?

Be specific create your self a vivid picture in your mind’s eye and the let the journey begin!

Team Five Alive – Three Peaks Challenge 2009

My brother and his friends recently completed the Three Peaks Challenge which involves climbing the the three highest mountains in the UK over 24hr period. It’s no mean feat!

The boys did great, they completed the task and raised over £5000 for the Anthony Nolan Trust which I sure you will agree is a fantastic achievement.

I agreed to pick them up from Mount Snowdon after the last decent, though i didn’t bank on driving a mini bus full of very excited wives and girls friends – but that’s another story.

The luxury of today’s mod cons meant that we got regular updates and as we got close we learned that two of the lads had suffered set backs as they’re knees gave in after completing the second climb. They rest had gone on.

Here is the crazy thing, even though they had completed two of the highest peaks in the UK – over 6,500 ft – they still felt liked they’d failed.

Go figure that? Most people wouldn’t climb 1000 ft let alone 6500ft!

Isn’t it interesting that even after a such an achievement the focus goes on failure?

The group that went on to complete the third peak included my youngest brother. When he finally made it back, he talked about how he almost gave up after seeing the impact on his friends on the second mountain. So I asked him what kept him going and he told me that it was all about mental state. Even through his body was saying “no more” his mind and mental strength focusing on ‘why’ he was doing this carried him and the rest of the team through.

As one of my great teachers Steve Siebold says in his book ‘177 Mental Toughness secrets of the world class’

“When a performer begins to experience physical or emotional pain in the heat of the battle, the brain, whose primary role is self preservation, asks the question: “why must I suffer?”. The champion will answer the questions with the vision they have carefully constructed , and will continue to fight….”

I’m not sure if you’ve seen this guy before but he is nuts – He is like “Steve Irwin” for grown ups!

In this episode he was making his way through the dense growth of the Amazon when he narrowly avoids a huge falling branch which crushes the camp he had set up a few metres away. Austin explains that more people are killed by falling branches in the Amazon each year than by snake bites.

He then went onto explain that this falling of trees and branches was a natural process and that actually it was about creating life. You could stand there and be sad that a 100 year old tree had collapsed and caused enormous damaged to the surrounding area as it fell, but the gap that has been created allows the light to shine through so that the smaller saplings and vegetation can continue to grow stronger.

It got me thinking about two things that relates to life in general.

Firstly, you would think that snakes pose a bigger threat than huge branches. Sometime I guess we are that focused on the obvious dangers that we fail to keep our awareness open enough to notice what else is happening around us.

Second, in the journey of life we will suffer loss of some kind -  maybe financial loss, emotional loss or even loss of things we own. It’s part of the system. Like the trees is the Amazon which fall to create space so the light can get in, our loss creates windows for the light to reach parts of us that have lived in the shade for too long and allow them to grow.

When my mother died tragically a few years ago, it tore my world apart. The sense of loss was unbearable but over time the light started to shine through and reach the parts of me that had been hidden for so long – the true passion that I felt about life began to grow. It was then that I decided to do what I do now, had she still be alive perhaps that passion would not have been ignited.

Beyond all the glitz and glamour, hype and sensationalism, and cliched headlines, what the world will be witnessing is the achievement of a goal. Whatever President Obama and his team have achieved it could not have been done without the creation of a clearly defined, well formed goal. Without that key ingredient it wouldn’t have mattered what resources they had, how much financial strength they could amass, or how good a speaker President Obama was, they would not have won that election…at least not in the manner in which they did.

Having set your goals, what happens next?

All the greatest plans in the world are worthless unless you actually do something about them. We’ve all heard the phrase “actions speak louder than words” right? You need to take immediate action to get where you want to be. You don’t just set your Sat Nav destination and sit there do you? No, you have to fire up your engine and start driving! Far too many people write their goals down and then sit back waiting for them to happen all by themselves. Trust me, this will not work… (I know this from personal experience)

How do you take action? Simple. Do one thing differently NOW that will get you closer to your goal.

This is where so many people fail. They look at what they want to achieve, where they are now, and then do one of two things: a) they go at it hard and try to make all the changes at once or b) they look at all the things they need to do and are so overwhelmed they think “forget it, it’s too hard”.

I agree with Tony Robbins when he says “Most people over estimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in a life time” Think about it. Every year in January fitness centres see hundreds of new people keen to lose weight. These people are excited and committed but within a couple of months the 4 times a week routine turns into a 4 times a quarter routine! If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone I’ve been one of them!

Trying to do too much in one go can be just as damaging as doing nothing. So pick the one thing you can do NOW that will get you closer to your goal and do it consistently for the next 4 weeks. It doesn’t matter how big or small it is, the key is that it must be different to what you are doing now.

So, how was 2008 for you? Being the kind of person you are, I’m guessing you will have had some goals or targets set out for the year. Did you achieve all you set out to?

I don’t know what your answer will be but I do know that most people I talk to don’t actually achieve what they set out to. Many end up in the vicinity but few actually land on “X” that marks the spot.

So, what’s the difference between those that hit the bull’s eye and those that land on the outside of the board you might ask? Well, there is no one definitive answer but there are some key points which contribute to the difference. One of them is the way in which successful people structure theirs goals.

Now, I’m pretty confident that you already know something about setting goals and about how much more likely you are to achieve them if you write them down versus carrying them around in your head. (over 50% more likely for the record.)

However it’s not just about writing them down. Many people who set goals fail to achieve them in the way they wanted because the directions they give themselves were not “tight” enough. Let me give you an example – “I want to make more money” – that’s a fairly generic statement. It’s kind of like getting in your car and programming your Sat Nav to take you North.

There is a specific proven structure to setting out goals which all but guarantees your success.

Here are some key questions to ask yourself when structuring your goals for 2009 which I believe will get you closer to that “X” on your map : -

Make sure you state your goal in the positive – What specifically do you want?
It never ceases to amaze me that when I ask people what they want, the first 10 things they tell me are what they don’t want!
Be sure to write what you actually want. It should be something you are moving towards as opposed to something you are moving away from. For example when working with people who are overweight they often come along with a goal of “losing weight”. This is still a negative statement. “Losing” is moving away from something as opposed to “ I want to achieve my ideal weight of 75lbs” which is a positive moving towards statement.

Where you are starting from.
In order for you to begin to plan your journey you need to know where you are starting from. Be clear about where you are now. For example continuing on from the weight example above “I am 15 stone and 7 pounds with a body fat ratio of 27%. My waist is 36 inches and and I have a 17 inch collar. I can jog up to 5 minutes without stopping and have never lifted any weights. I skip breakfast everyday and drink 5 cups of coffee with 4 sugars in each.”

What will it be like when you achieve this?
In as much detail as possible begin to create a picture of it will be like when you achieve your goal. What will you see around you? What will the colours be like? Who else is in the picture?
What about the sounds? What will you be saying to yourself? What will others say about you? What else can you hear? Is there any music?
How will you feel having achieved you goal? Describe the sensations as much as you can. Where in your body will they be? Are the hot or cold? Are they still or moving? What’s the intensity like?

What’s your evidence for success?
Just as you look for signs that you’ve reached your destination, you need to ask yourself how you will know when you have achieved your goal.
What will be present? What will be missing? For example “ I’ll know I have achieved my goal when I am able to run for 10 miles without stopping and can fit comfortably into my favorite pair of Levis jeans”

Is this what you really want?
Ask yourself is this what YOU really want? Is this goal about you or about what you think others want you to do? If you are not fully congruent with it the chances are you will nit keep up the action required. Think about what achieving this goal will enable you to do or what it will get for you?

Is this goal only for you?
It’s important that the goal is self maintained and is for you only. Often people set goals that involve other people changing what they do. For example “I’ll start my training plan once my boss stops asking me to work late.”

When you rely on someone or something else to change in order for you to achieve your goal you are effectively giving up your responsibility and personal power. What happens if they never do what you need them to do? What ownership will you take?

What’s the context for this goal?
It’s important to remember that achieving a goal in one context doesn’t automatically make it appropriate in another. You should be clear about where and when you want to achieve this goal. For example if you had a goal of “Being more loving and affectionate with your partner” it would be inappropriate for this to be achieved in a work environment.

What resources do you need to achieve this?
In order for you to achieve your goal what resources do you already have that you can use?  We often forget what we already have, so it’s important to search deep and look at what resources are already present in your life that will enable you to start your journey. For example continuing on from the weight loss scenario, you may state that “you have some training clothes, some running shoes, a skipping rope and park nearby to run in.”

Have you ever done this before? Again, people often forget what they have done in their past. If you look back at your past you’ll be amazed at what you have already done in your life. For example, you may look back as far a school and gym/P.E. classes in terms of looking at when you may have exercised before.

Do you know anyone else who as done this? We live in a highly networked world now, so the chances are that you will know someone who knows someone that may have done what you are looking to do. Tapping into that resource can help you understand what other resources you may need.

Is this ecological?
The process of setting up goals and targets can be very self focused. It’s important to check in with yourself as to how you achieving this goal will affect the people around you including loved ones, and how the environment is impacted. To help you uncover some of the impacts asks yourself:

For what purpose you want this?
What would you gain or lose by having this goal?
What will happen if you get it?
What won’t happen if you get it?
What will happen if you don’t get it?
What won’t happen if you don’t get it?

By following these steps and asking yourself there questions I’m confident that you can constructed a well formed goal and have a great chance of achieving what you want.

So get started, have some fun and craft out your successes for 2009!

The latest example of this is the claim that Woolworth’s demise is down to the credit crunch. Far from it. 

The Woolworths story is yet another example of what happens when you fail to respond to your operating enviroment and make changes. Whilst organisations such as Kodak adapt to the changes companies like Woolworths and MFI continue to do what they always done. OK, so they may have revamped their stores and decor but beyond that what have they done to change the way in which they operate?

Kodak saw the changes in the photography market. They saw the rise of digital photography and instead of continuing to produce negatives they began to produce paper, printers, software and other accessories which would embrace the changes and keep customer close.

Woolworths on the other hand did not change the way the operated. They have sold they same stuff in the same way for last decade. Whilst the world has gone digital, they have stayed analogue.

This is not limited to business, we as humans are also guilty of the same unawareness that could result in our demise so to speak. When was the last time you looked at what you do and the results you get with a view to changing the way you do things?

Are you a Woolworths or a Kodak?

In human performance there is a great emphasis placed on one’s “state” , that is our emotional and physical condition at anyone moment in time. The greatest performers on the planet are not always those with the most talent but those who are able to manage their state most effectively. I mean just think of how many talented footballers there have been over there years who have a flash of brilliance and then disappear while the most consistent stick around.

Ask Tiger Wood’s about golf and he will tell you that it’s 90% mental ability.

There are lots of tools for managing “state”, but here is a really simple one.

Check out this video as a demonstration of how a easily you can change your state instantly!

I dare you to try this for just a week!

The greatest part about this success story for us is that Alexandra competed in this competition 3 years ago and did not make it, which reminds us of one of the key presuppositions of NLP which is “there is no failure, only feedback”

So what does this mean?

Many people look at temporary set backs in their lives as failures and consequently give up their fight to achieve their goals. Had Alexandra Burke done that when she didn’t make it 3 years ago, she may not have even bothered to enter the competition again. But she had a dream of winning the competition so big that she was not put off by the temporary setback.

The presupposition “there is no failure, only feedback” is very powerful in that, no matter what result you get, if you look at it as a learning experience and therefore give your self the necessary feedback you need to be able to do things differently next time, it is always a better option than saying that you have failed.

Take a look at the things you have done in your life in the past where you may have wrongly labelled them as failures and re-evaluate them using this presupposition “there is no failure, only feedback” How can you learn from the results you got back them and apply the learnings in order to get different results next time round?

Remember, it took Thomas Edison over 9,999 attempts to create the electric light bulb and on every time he didn’t achieve his desired results; he didn’t look at them as failures, but looked at how he could learn from it. He said that “I didn’t fail 9,999 times, I found over 9,999 ways how NOT to create the electric light bulb.

Try this presupposition on for size over the next 30 days and see how different you think about situations. When you realize that this works in so many aspects in you life it will change the way you think for ever.

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