Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ category

The Personal Motivation Industry is a Mystical Scam

February 14th, 2012

The Personal Motivation IndustryNothing beats a good rah-rah meeting, does it? The handsome success-guru commands the stage from on high, delivering measured doses of his or her own person success narcotic. Each dose is delivered with more enthusiasm than the last and the crowd is whipped into a frenzy of unthinking excitement.

It’s an interesting phenomenon to experience first-hand, because it feels as if something profound is happening. The experience of it is amazing.

Of course the feeling doesn’t last. How can it? We are a curious mixture of the emotional and the rational. In the short term, the emotional wins over the rational every time. But emotion doesn’t pay the bills, unless you’re a personal motivation guru of course.

This gets to the heart of the issue I have with the personal motivation industry. It’s neither possible nor healthy to maintain an emotional high 24/7. Life is full of ups and downs, and ignoring the downs isn’t ultimately helpful. For example, going through the process of grief is extremely important for one’s emotional well-being.

I think the leading proponents of the personal motivation industry know full well that most people will never achieve the levels of success they use to entice in the next batch of punters. Yet each of these self-appointed motivational gurus continues to peddle his or her particular formula for success.

During the meeting each guru delivers the appropriate emotional high and tells his/her audience they’re experienced transformation and can now be successful. Yet from a biochemical perspective – the experience is no different to that of an exciting football game. Or skydiving. Or even being very afraid.

In other words, an emotional high is not evidence of transformation. Or in fact anything useful in terms of achieving personal success. That’s why I believe these large meetings where thousands flock to see and hear the likes of Tony Robins are completely worthless in terms of genuine achievement.

There is only one way to be successful. A person must set a goal and achieve it.

It’s not necessary to whip yourself up into an incoherant freezy, buy crystals, tap your palms, get hypnoticed or mumble some ridiculous mantra like a bronze-age mystic.

You and I live in the 21st Century. A world built entirely by Science (the single best invention in history).

I urge anybody caught up in a world of mystical nonsense (spouted by the likes of money-grabbing charlatan Deepak Chopra) to forget all about it. There is no cheese to be had at the end of that tunnel. Well, there is for Deepak and his cronies of course. They’re doing very well out of otherwise sensible people who should know better.

It’s time to grow up and leave such childish notions behind. You and I have one life, and it works according to a well-known set of physical principles. There is no room for mysticism, which doesn’t work at all.

Forget about following gurus, politicians and mystics. They’re only after your money. Instead, embrace the thrilling truth. Because if you’re lucky enough to live in a Western Country, you live in a golden age where it’s possible to control your own destiny. A world in which you can do this…

  • Set a goal and then achieve it
  • Start small and get more ambitious
  • Make goal achievement your habitual way of being

That’s how to be successful. No thousand-person meetings or emotional frenzies required.


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You can’t be Successful without this…

October 2nd, 2011

Personal Trainer LondonHow would your finances hold up if you had to stop working for 5 months? Most people would struggle, yet that’s exactly what I had to do. Here’s why…

I overlooked an essential ingredient to success – health. A combination of long hours, poor diet, a specific vitamin deficiency, middle age and my liver all conspired to leave me without the energy to work more than an hour or two per day.

This state of affairs continued for a bank-account depleting five full months!

It wasn’t much fun, and it took my Gastroenterologist over 3 months to get to the heart of the matter. Like other people too stupid to look after themselves, I ended up having a certain type of conversation with my Gastroenterologist that went something like this…

  • You’re overweight even though you don’t look it. Your body hides it well
  • There is fat you can’t see surrounding your liver and this sometimes stops if from functioning correctly
  • If things continue you’re likely to develop serious health issues later in life
  • You need to make some changes. In particular…
  • Avoid sugar and sugary drinks – including fruit juice
  • Eat less fruit (but not no fruit) and more veges
  • Avoid anything the body easily turns to sugar such as white flour and alcoholic beverages
  • Start exercising regularly
  • Take a vitamin D supplement every day
    I want to be clear about this – I have a deficiency that shows up in blood tests. This has nothing to do with the current (incorrect) woo-belief that everybody should take a vitamin D supplement (they shouldn’t). Neither do I believe the assertion that the RDA for vitamin D wildly understates the actual amount needed per day (it doesn’t)
  • Get out into the sunshine for 15 minutes whenever it’s sunny (i.e. to make as much of my own vitamin D as I can)

It’s quite a challenge to run a business when you can’t work more than a few hours a day. The idea that I could add regular exercise to my daily routine just seemed impossible to me because I got tired sitting at a computer for a couple of hours!

Fortunately I met two brilliant personal trainers at just the right time. The first is Rob Brennan of Fitness Universal. Rob did 5 things that were crucial for someone in my position (i.e. overweight, ill and middle aged)…

  1. He had me work out at my level of fitness so I didn’t overdo things. I’m the sort of person who gets too keen and ends up injuring themselves – rendering further exercise impossible (i.e. undoes all that good work)
  2. He made the workouts a lot more fun than they normally are. A personal trainer has many ways to make an exercise session more fun
  3. He got me motivated to get fit. And I don’t just mean overall. When I’m on my 15th rep of a kettlebell exercise Rob provides a much needed burst of motivation to complete the final 5. And it’s those final 5 that deliver the most benefit
  4. He focussed on my technique. This ensures the right muscles are exercised and helps to prevent injury
  5. He put me on a diet that avoided foods my Gastroenterologist told me to avoid, and provides the energy necessary to train 3 days a week

I can’t speak highly enough of personal training in general, and Rob specifically. If you need to exercise and can get to West Hampstead (London UK), get in touch with Rob.

Rob just happens to be a keen Rugby Union fan, so he’s in New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup. Leading up to his 6 week departure he referred me to another brilliant personal trainer – Ilaria Petrucci in Wembley.

Ilaria is likewise an excellent motivator and has an encyclopedic knowledge of fitness training. For example, when my wrist was too sore to perform a particular exercise Ilaria instantly switched to another that gets the same result but avoids placing stress on the wrist. When it comes to exercise, Ilaria is a walking talking Wikipedia!

As you can tell, I’m now a big fan of personal trainers. I don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of exercise, which muscles they work on and so on. Neither can I monitor my own form during an exercise and correct poor technique. A good personal trainer can and will.

Even better – your personal trainer will customise each and every workout. Your session is designed specifically for your needs at that time.

Each session takes into account niggling injuries you might have, and aims to advance your current level of fitness in spite of the day-to-day circumstances. A personal trainer gets you through the ‘I don’t wannas’ that might otherwise scupper a workout if left to one’s own devices.

As a result of Rob and Ilaria’s dedication over the last 3 months I look thinner, more toned and have more energy than I’ve had in years. I don’t believe I’d be where I am right now without their input.

If you woke up this morning and found yourself overweight, middle aged and lacking in energy – go get yourself a personal trainer.

EDIT: See the comments below for handy tips on choosing a personal trainer and how to pay for sessions if you’re strapped for cash.


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Dare to Dream

February 20th, 2010

Note: The author of this article is unknown.

When we were young, we had dreams and expectations. We imagined things. We kept thinking about what we wanted to be. What we wanted to do with our lives. And what made us happy.

We grew up, and life got in the way of our dreams. We accepted our successes or failures, and we learned to move on. The rapid changes, the need to do the some things urgently, the pressures and the failures of life, and the need for money all killed off a part of our vision.

Yes, things have changed. We are not young and carefree anymore. But life can’t take away our dreams. We still dream. We still visualize our desires, our wants, our vision for the future – even when we’re considered too old for such things.

Colonel Sanders started Kentucky Friend Chicken (KFC) when he was sixty. The main thing is not our age. It doesn’t matter whether others think us too old, or too young. What matters is our desire to dream, and the courage to realize those dreams.

Vivid visualization, taking it to sleep, thinking constantly about it, talking about it, planning it, adding spice to our dream. These things will brings us a little closer to the realization of our dream.

Entrepreneurship starts with a dream. It may be a simple wish for a small restaurant operation. It could be a huge real-estate development business. It might be a modest training center for English education. It could be anything!

The ability to dream is one of our finest qualities. So dream on. Put a deadline to your dream. Make it a giant dream, a tiny one, an old everlasting one, a newfound one, a hobby related one, a change of life one, a religious one, a stupid one, a stroke-of-genius one, or whatever. Just as long as you continue to dream. Then, just go out and do It!


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Go ahead – jump in

December 28th, 2009

The best thing about being human is that we’re all blessed with a large brain. Compared to almost every other species on earth, our brain is massive relative to our body size.

The worst thing about being human is that we’re all cursed with a large brain. Compared to almost every other species on earth, we spend an inordinate amount of time worrying.

And for the most part, we waste our time worrying about things that never happen.

What’s stopping you?

Starting your own Internet business is a fantastic thing to do. You’ll love it! So what’s stopping you?

If you’re like me, then it will probably boil down to a fear of the unknown. Will your business fail? Will anybody want to buy your product? What don’t you know that you need to know?

Will your friends laugh at you?

The strange this is, when I really looked at what was stopping me, it came down to that last one. Will my friends laugh at me if it doesn’t work?

I remember sharing with one friend that I wanted to start an Internet business. He gave me a scornful look, and told me it was a stupid idea, because ‘nobody makes any real money off the Internet.’

That was 10 years ago. I quit my job within 6 months of starting my business, and am now working full time in business on the Internet. What’s more, I’ve traveled the world with this business. The entire operation is run out of a laptop, and I can literally pick up my business and go.

It’s a wonderful experience, and made possible only because I decided to jump in.

Looking good

Of course, it’s easy to look back now and see what a great idea it was to start my own Internet business. But back then, when I was just getting started, I was terrified.

Back in 1999, I remember sharing my fears and dreams with a more supportive friend. She suggested I take a good hard look at myself and find out what I was scared of. She hinted that I might find out it was something unexpected that was stopping me.

I took up her challenge, and yes, I really was surprised. When it came down to it, my fears about losing money and failing at business were completely overshadowed by a fear of how other people might think of me if I failed.

I realized that my fear came down to fear of how others would view me. I wanted to look good in their eyes, and was scared that I wouldn’t.

This was a fantastic discovery to make about myself, and I’ve since come to realize that I’m not the only one who is stopped by this fear.

Just do it

Maybe you’re also afraid to start your own business, in case you fall flat on your face in front of other people?

The best advice I can give you, is to stop thinking about it and jump in. One of my favorite sayings is ‘leap, and the net will appear.’

This is certainly backed up by my experiences. My first two attempts at business were miserable failures. My third was moderately successful, and allowed me to launch the fourth. It was the fourth idea that finally took off, and allowed me to quit my job.

Each of these ‘failures’ may have lead others to snicker behind my back. Frankly, I was too busy to notice. And by the time I quit my job, nobody was laughing any more.

The point is, don’t spend too much time thinking before you get started. I believe you’ll learn much more by jumping in, and learning as you go. Nothing beats experience when it comes to fine-tuning your business skills.

And you can’t get this kind of experience any other way.


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How to get your creative juices flowing

December 26th, 2009

Stuck in a rut? Need to come up with new ideas, but can’t? Maybe you simply need a break? Perhaps you need to introduce your mind to new things?

Whatever the cause of your rut, here are nine things you can do to get your creative juices flowing…

  1. Take a break
  2. Do something different
  3. Sleep on it
  4. Go for a walk (take a notebook)
  5. Read a random article on Wikipedia
  6. Tell a friend all about it
  7. Play the Creativity Challenge game
  8. Random word process
  9. Get a coffee and listen to Bach

Take a break

Sometimes I find I get more done in the 20 minutes following a break, than I achieved in the previous hour while hard at work.

Maybe your next creative block can be solved simply by taking a break?

Do something different

More serious creative blocks can be broken by introducing new things to your environment.

Do you always come home the same way? Then find a different route home. Do you always have the same thing for lunch? Try something different. And by different, I mean something you’ve never had before.

Introducing something new to your life not only boosts your creativity, it adds a little spice too.

Sleep on it

Your subconscious can be a powerful ally when it comes to creative breakthroughs. It’s not uncommon to go to bed completely flummoxed by a problem, only to wake up with the solution.

If you’ve been struggling with a new idea (or even the solution to a problem), put it aside and tell yourself you’ll have the solution by tomorrow.

You may wake up with the answer.

Go for a walk (take a notebook)

Take yourself right out of your workplace, and head outside for a nice long work. Assuming you’re healthy enough, plan to be away for at least 45 minutes.

Walk at your own pace, and have no particular agenda in mind. Let your mind wander where it will.

Oh yes, and take a notebook. It’s amazing how often an idea will pop into my mind while I’m out and about. And when it does, I immediately jot it down in a notebook, because I’ll have forgotten all about it by the time I get back to the office.

It’s useful to walk down streets you’ve never seen before, and to really explore your neighborhood. Naturally, you should stick to places (and times of day) where you feel safe.

Read a random article in Wikipedia

Are you stuck for ideas? Are you ready for a challenge? Then head over to Wikipedia and click the random article link.

No matter what the article it comes up with is about, set yourself the challenge of applying what you learn to your current problem. It doesn’t matter how silly the resulting ideas are. What matters is that you’re forcing your brain to think laterally.

Give yourself at least 15 minutes at this challenge, and then marvel at just how creative you are.

Even if you don’t come up with anything usable, your subconscious may well stumble onto something later in the day. The point is, you’re exercising your mind. You’re teaching it to step outside of it’s normal boundaries.

Tell a friend all about it

Stuck on something? Looking for an idea out of left-field, but find your brain is unwilling to help? Then maybe the answer lies in somebody else’s head.

But please take note. There are some people who, when you tell them you’re looking for ideas and can’t seem to come up with anything, will start empathizing with you. You’re not looking for emotional support here! You’re looking to tap into the creative power of their mind (two heads being better than one).

If the person you’re talking to is empathizing, rather than helping, let them know you admire their abilities in this area, and would appreciate their help to find a solution.

Then shut up (something I find difficult), and let them talk. Give only positive feedback. If you don’t like an idea, tell them you’re really interested in it. And ask them to elaborate on it. The more you hate the idea, the more important it is that you do this.

This technique is especially useful, because it forces you to open your mind. Remember, you’re the one who is stuck for ideas here! That means you should regard yourself as unfit to judge an idea (yes, I know…easier said than done because you and I are the only people who have good ideas).

But if you do master the art of accepting any idea as valid, and show interest even in ideas you think are silly, it lets your friend know it’s safe to get really creative.

The other possibility is that your friend’s idea only seems ‘silly’ because you don’t fully understand it. That’s why paying special attention to ‘bad’ ideas is such a good idea! You might uncover pure gold if you ask your friend to elaborate.

I can almost guarantee that in those situations where you simply can’t come up with an idea, the answer will lie in an area that you personally don’t like on first hearing about it.

Instead of shutting down this avenue of exploration, give your friend permission to explore it fully and see what happens.

Play the Creativity Challenge game

The Creativity Challenge website offers hundreds of different challenges designed to expand your creative ability.

Use it.

Random word process

Are you stuck for an idea? Do you have a dictionary? Then you have a potential solution.

Close your eyes, open the dictionary, and place your finger on a word at random.

Give yourself 15 minutes, and find different ways to apply the word to the situation. Don’t judge any idea or solution you come up with. Simply let your mind go free, and explore.

Get a coffee and listen to Bach

Maybe you do simply need a break, but aren’t willing to admit it.

In that case, make yourself a cup of coffee and listen to Bach. Or Mozart.

Music by either of these composers is thought to help improve creativity. And even if they don’t, you give your mind a welcome break and feed it some inspiring music.

If you don’t normally listen to classical music, then you should do this (introducing new things improves creativity). If you can’t stand classical music, then you should definitely do this.

Remember, the key to creativity is introducing your mind to new things.


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