Determination

LIKE A DOG WITH A BONE

Determination can be a good thing. It can help us prevail against the odds to reach a goal. It can also motivate us to action and keep us going when others cannot go on. Focussed on the rights tasks, this positive character trait/emotion can be rewarding and bring about success outcomes.

My key characteristics from a child are; High energy, low fear, adventurous and determined. This remains true of my personality characteristics today. These qualities have helped me to rise above certain challenging situations but have also got me into and kept me in tricky situations for longer than should be experienced. I'm currently suffering low energy as a result of my strong determination which has arguably been channelled through other emotions like anger.

A key focus for next year will be on maintaining my strong determination, but will only directed on the tasks that are beneficial to me and all those around me. I've mostly had my energy tied up in having ongoing battles with large corporations and governing bodies this year. These 'battles; have taken a toll on my health and altered my mindset like ingesting a daily dose of poison would likely do to someone.

I have the energy, determination and will to succeed in something good and that's where the drive to achieve should be invested. It's time to let go of these heavy, tough bones, bury them for good and find something worth ploughing my energies into.

Teetotal

ALL OR NOTHING

A year ago today, I'd just returned from an all inclusive holiday to Lanzarote. Life had become particularly stressful around this time and I had overindulged one too many times on holiday with my partner and I peeling ourselves off the couch, bed or from wherever we'd ended up in the morning, still in our clothes.

I made a decision this day a year ago, that I'd give up alcohol from January the 1st. I curbed the Christmas drinking - avoiding as many 'Christmas Drinks' as possible, and stuck to enjoying just the odd tipple with family over the Christmas holidays.

I'd never intended to give up drinking for good, but managed pretty much the first 6 weeks of the year, then another couple of periods abstaining until the Easter holidays. It was a lovely, ordered, reflective period in my life year when I can say I was fully in charge of myself, my actions and much more able to deal with some heavy situations that needed clarity of thought.

My partner and I have just come through a heavy few months since summer where the alcohol has increasingly taken over the weekends and some of the week. It's come to a point again where it's getting out of hand again.

Alcohol is not good for us in many ways, but much of the problem is how dependent we become on it's use for social interaction and as a filler for possibly empty lives. There is so much more to living than getting drunk with friends and yet, that's what we tend to live for. Countless weekends have been spent getting drunk or recovering from getting drunk and the weeks lost in a haze.

The cost of drinking on health and the bank balance is one thing, but the loss of focus, drive and discipline means the demons of self loathing and shame that visit us the day after, can put us on a spin of depression that takes us down a harmful spiral where drinking really does become a problem.

The culture of drinking in the UK, means we are a nation of borderline functioning alcoholics, but there seems to be a new trend where more youngsters are drinking less or nothing alcoholic at all. It's hard to start on a non-alcoholic drive, but after a week of abstinence, it does get easier. So next year I will aim for a longer period of staying away from drinking. My goal of being a teetotaller for longer should help gain an advantage over my life and where I want it to go.

Practice

PRACTICE SLOWLY - PROGRESS QUICKLY

While listening to a podcast today on music and perfect pitch, I'm fondly reminded of my piano teacher. 

It's my 10 year old niece's birthday next week and we're buying her a Casio digital keyboard. Learning to play a musical instrument is something we should all try in our lifetime. Playing a piano has been one of the greatest things I've achieved for connecting the body and mind. As well as playing jazz/blues, I've also learned classical music and this has been one of my greatest endeavours.

To learn the notes that have been produced by the musical masters like Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin, is truly to be connected with genius itself. This skill wouldn't come immediately, as there'd be a lot of work put in to accomplish this feat with much practice. It would be difficult at first. To learn how to read the musical notes, takes much patience and time, just as we would need time learning a foreign language. And to then play this music, written by these great composers, will also require lots of slow, careful practice and a highly focussed commitment to do this over a period of time. Eventually, with these very deliberate efforts, the notes will flow faster until the song could be performed well enough in front of an audience where the appreciation of the mastery can be fully appreciated.

I can clearly remember the many hours of practice on our piano at home and I believe this focus has helped with my creativity, dexterity plus appreciation of music and the arts as well as boosting confidence and ability to perform well under pressure with such close scrutiny.

Holding Attention

STAYING FOCUSSED

It's tough keeping to one thing at a time. Again, Geoff Thompson has come through at a time when I really needed to focus on a task.

It's a difficult task that in itself needs more attention from me and can benefit with improving so many of my other important tasks. I need focus.

It's going to take a lot of focussed attention to accomplish all the fixed plans on time with some moments allowed for switching between different money making work, chores, daily progressive learnings and also factoring in quality study time for an exam coming up a week Saturday. This will be a very tricky period to get everything in order and it's going to need a lot of discipline to get all the right results, on time and without getting stressed out.

Staying focussed is hard, even for a short duration. This video from Geoff is a reminder for what can be achieved. See if you too can give just 10 minutes of your full undivided attention to see it all the way through.

Power Hour

AN HOUR OF FOCUS

With the advancement of technology, there's so many more on-hand distractions in life that it can be easy to pass up on what's important and flick between FB updates, answer/delete emails switch or surf the internet instead.

If we want to really make any advances in life - we have to focus and commit to the task in hand. One way is to get up early in the morning before the day kicks in, turn off from any distractions and focus for one hour on doing something important like learning a language, instrument or writing a blog.

This time can be some of the most rewarding and beneficial in our lives, where anything can be achieved if we just stick to the rule of giving our full attention to just that one important thing for one hour per day.

Alpe D'Huez Megavalanche

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE

The mountains hold something special for me and many others that flock to these magnificent peaks for clean air, views, walks and adrenalin-fuelled sports. 

Downhill mountain biking

It's pretty crazy what some people will do for their kicks - like hurtling down a mountain on a bike. Yet, there is something so invigorating about speeding over rocks and through twisting, dusty, bumpy bends with serious injury or death just inches/moments away. Some of the kids today make it look very easy...

Resetting the brain

Concentrating hard on which line to take and focussing intently on the terrain, we leave our bodies to work at the best of it's ability - we enter the flow state. It's like a kind of meditation. All other thoughts leave the mind and stay out of our thoughts for many hours and sometimes days after the ride. And if there's been any negativity or depressing thoughts before the ride - they are banished and the mind becomes reset for a time, certainly until the inevitable return from the sanctuary that is The Alps. 

Say What You Do - Do What You Say

BIG TALK

How many times in our lives have we said we're going to do something and failed to deliver on it? Many times for sure - because talk is cheap. We often talk on autopilot and a lot of the time we don't even realise we're doing this. So, to deliver on what we're saying, we really need to be more mindful of what we are saying and what we can stick to. 

Focussing On The Moment

The worst time to have a conversation is when the mind is occupied with another task. If one attempts to engage in a conversation at the same time as performing another task, the mind disengages from comprehension and retention of information, In a compromised state, the person multi-tasking will likely agree to anything that's put to them - often to a disadvantage. Many have gotten wise to this fact and why distraction is often used as a tool for ensuring consent to desired plans.

It's easy to respond to questions without thinking through what it is we really want to say first. It's also really easy to talk 'twaddle' - mindless small talk. Sometimes it can feel like the part of the brain responsible for talking, is acting completely on it's own accord. One may get told by partners that they have said something - with no recollection of saying it. This mindfulness problem will get multi-tasker in a lot of trouble! I've personally caught myself mid-stream agreeing to a task, when I knew full well I was not going to be able to commit to it. 

Some falsely believe they can multitask. The reality is, that tasks can be taken on simultaneously, but all will be compromised. We all really need to focus on what we're doing, including having a meaningful conversation. This means completely averting energies on other tasks, making eye contact, and then thoughtfully considering exactly what is being discussed before agreeing to something that needs to be carried through with mutual agreement. 

The Morning Schedule

A good example of where the focus on communication has started to work, comes with one's commitment to the morning schedule. A group of us called the 5am club has been committing to an exercise routine for some time now. Qi Gong, planks, press-ups and physio exercises every day before breakfast. Sometimes, however, a late night with friends, a few too many drinks and not enough food, means the early start and physical exertion becomes more of a challenge - a good excuse you'd think, for changing plans. Not any more. Previously, one of us would decide that they wanted to stay in bed longer or skip the exercises. This was becoming a difficult situation because we'd take turns to break the rules so much that there was no routine and the group was beginning to disintegrate.

The solution was to have a meaningful conversation the night before and mutually agree on a plan for the following day. If there was a good enough reason for a time change - then fine, we'd make the adjustment, but under no circumstances was the chain going to be broken by not sticking to the routine. 

Seinfeld's 'Chain' Strategy

There's been a few people laying claim to this simple but effective technique, which is essentially just making a plan and sticking to it - like writing something in a blog every day or doing 3x 2 minute planks and 50 continuous press-ups - even with a hangover. 

Integrity Rules

Each time we make 'pacts' within groups, with family, friends, partners and with ourselves, we need to be aware that breaking this contract, also damages our integrity. If this continues, the ability to stick to plans, and firm up beliefs and ability to stay on the path of truth, becomes weakened. Our moral compass lowers. 

Staying true to our word and starting from plans made the evening before, with actions taken the following morning – will aid us in creating healthy habits and positive lifestyle changes.

Mind Over Matter

BLOCKING PAIN

After revisiting this great series called Mind Body & Kick Ass Moves, and Miracles, I've been looking at various methods for dealing with discomfort and physical pain for better endurance while training. There's some improvements to be found through regular practice of yoga, Qi Gong and through breath focus, but I'm learning that miracles don't happen over night. However, there's many other so called miracles to be found out there - like drinking snake gall bladder Saki and being rubbed with magic breast milk that may bring some relief.

Mindful Movements
What I've realised is that if you focus on the micro movements - as in isolate the muscles you're using for the exercise, and relax/tense them so they are being activated effectively, the pain is dulled. Another technique is to bring everything back to the breath. Focussing on the intake through the nose and creating a slight pressure on the out breath through the mouth harnesses extra power in the body.

This is particularly effective when doing planks. We can feel the burn after just a few seconds, but it's how we contract certain muscles in the back, glutes and simultaneously relax the shoulders, abdomen and thighs, that we can endure more time in the plank position. Over compensating in our training can cause muscle strain and fatigue. Therefore, it's important to be mindful when we do any form of physical activity, to ensure we're not putting too much strain on any of the muscles.

Focussing on the breath will not only ensure we are getting enough oxygen to the muscles but also helps still the mind - allowing us to progress in our training to overcome negative thoughts holding us back from achieving our goals.

Good Practice

REPITITION

Practice makes perfect so the saying goes. So it figures, that in order to get good at something, we need to repeat the process over and over until we know it off by heart. Intuitively. Practice needs focus to make perfection and this is where the repetition over time will get us desired results. 

In Pursuit Of Perfection

Japanese sushi master Jiro Ono - knew about the quest for perfection in making the best sushi. This film shows how even washing rice can take many years to get right. Another of James clear 's blogs also teaches us about self mastery and how focussed attention is what is required.

Boredom

The difference between a good athlete and a gold medal winning one is down to focussed practice plus an iron resolve to continue those hours of repetition - pushing through when most of us have become bored with the task in hand. I thought about this with my last swim - 60 lengths at pace is not easy to do day after day and unlike, say, running through the park, the repetition of ploughing up and down the same lane of the pool, with just the tiles at the bottom to look at, can be boring. However, it's in this time that I became really switched on. True focus can be found in the pool. Free from distractions, each stroke, each kick and each breath becomes a focus for repeated practice. Checking the reach, pull and exit of every stroke - assessing the body position in the water and timing the kicks became so laser-focussed that I barely noticed counting the laps. The swim, at only 30 minutes long, was completed without being bored at all - in fact, I look forward to the next session already. 

Peak Time Performance

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THE RIGHT TIME TO PERFORM

We're on day 23 - just over 3 weeks into the new focus regime for 2015. The discipline has been applied consistently. It's been a steady march on the chosen path. Friday's are always time to reflect on the week, so it's time to evaluate and see if there's been any marked improvements.

Health:

I've been following a fairly low impact exercise routine that includes yoga, pilates and boxing. I cycle to work and back most days a week. I've also introduced a new strength training programme. I can clearly see/feel that the 3-4 times a week yoga & pilates, has improved my movement/flexibility and posture. The cycling, and gym work has helped up my general fitness, strength and stamina levels. In regards to the injuries - my neck has more mobility and my shoulders and right bicep appear to be getting better/stronger. Through diet, I've lost almost a stone in weight! (13lbs or 5.5kilos) and my definition is coming back through. My energy levels are up because I'm sleeping and eating much better and I'm able to cope with stress really well. 

Wealth:

Introducing the dry Jan rule has been an easy way to save money as there's been no money spent on alcohol. The Paleo diet means I've stuck to a very simple diet: eggs, fresh vegetables, lean meat & fish - fairly in-expensive too. Also, having a restrictive diet makes eating out a bit tricky - consequently, there's been little of that either. It's been fresh, home-cooked non-processed simple meals all round. But on the couple of times I have eaten out, the bills have been very low - especially as there's no alcohol in the mix!

I've spent some of my new free time organising my accounts, expenses and tax receipts - which has already saved on accountancy fees. I may also be saving considerably more money with a tax rebate too!

Happiness:

I've found some really great inspiration and info on the Internet - I'm actively learning, improving and creating every day. I feel and look healthier physically and mentally. Creating space for me at the most productive time in the mornings, means I have plenty of time throughout the day to accommodate others' needs. I'm more grateful of what I have and in a better mindset to appreciate the things around me that were taken for granted before. I have a positive outlook every morning and ready for what the day brings. 

Being at your best

Nobody wants to hang around with dull, depressive & negative people. But we do like being around energetic, uplifting, happy and positive people. So, which one are you today? How often are you like this? In your morning 5am comms meetings, take a bit of time to give yourself a daily check - kinda like the pilots do before flying a plane. This is how mine goes:

• How's the body feeling?
• Do I need to stretch?
• Am I rested/do I need more sleep?
• Is my mind clear/focussed?
• What's on the agenda?
• What nutrition do I need?
• Am I ready to take on the day?

According to sleep studies, you're optimum time for being the most productive is from about 7am til about 11am - then it drops to around 3pm when your energy is at it's lowest. So, If you can nap - do it at 3pm but keep it short because your energy goes up again at around 5pm (dropping off at around 9pm). If napping's not an option - this is when we tend to reach for caffeinated drinks and sugar fixes - switch for water and fruit & nuts instead. If you're going to bed earlier, you can change your internal body clock for optimum productive time to start at 5am. This gives you a few hours of quality time on your own to think and create.

I've realised making this extra time has had a massive improvement on my mental wellbeing. I'm one of the uplifting and positive people you'd wanna hang around with again. I believe everyone can benefit from doing this - and particularly introverts (see Meyers Briggs post) and the interesting book Susan Cain has written on the subject of living in a predominantly extroverted world. It can be energy sapping for an introvert if they don't get that time alone. I've found myself hiding from people at work, friends and my beloved girlfriend because I've not had the me-time during the day. If left for longer periods, this has manifested in periods with very low moods and extreme introversion whereby going deep in to my cave for recovery. While looking up the benefits of solitude, I stumbled upon Susan's insightful book which talks about introversion and coping in a predominantly extroverted world. I work in an open-plan office but as we're now able to 'hot-desk', I've managed to move away from distractions and into the designated quiet areas, which has left me in a much better place to produce good work.

I'm sure there's a lot of introverted thinkers out there who, stuck at their desk in an open environment, just don't have the luxury of being able to move to another place to work. Having everyone out in the open is a relatively new phenomenon and something that we need to look at in the workplace if we're going to have a happy, productive team.

For me, working in a creative role, keeping away from distractions and having a place of calm & order is key to ensure I'm at peak performance for longer to produce the best output.