Tag Archives: lifestyle

A Negativity-Free Day – Control Your Thoughts

Here’s a Brain Training Exercise take away for you this week : –

We all know that sound of the little voice in our head that has endless chatter going on about the world around us. Thoughts and reminders of the Past, Present & Future that bounce around all day long when there is a lack of focus or feeling of procrastination. They enter our head like little gremlins running around like wild coyotes. Like ego drones we soak it up and are unconsciously captured & mesmerised to the negative side of news, views of others and water cooler chit chat going about our everyday chores & fall almost into a dream like state. I think you know what I mean having mentioned it in a previous post.

Well help is at hand..

A very transformative exercise I use to activate a clear mind is to go an entire day without saying anything negative to anyone …….

On your negativity-free day you should avoid stating anything negative about :
*Circumstances in your life
*Other People
*Observations you make about the world around you
*Yourself
….

A basic method I use for controlling what goes into one’s head is by nullifying your mind. – By what I call “No-Minding”. You achieve this by composing yourself and empty your head completely of any thoughts for a short period of time; for instance start at 30 seconds and build up slowly to 5 minutes …then 15 minutes then 30 minutes thinking about absolutely nothing. Like a crystal clear pond of water. Try and control this process by blocking out any conscious feed or stimulus. eg – that car just drove past, fly on the wall, I must do my expenses, I’m hungry, what’s the time, why did he say that last night etc etc ..I think you get the gist!

Find a quiet place to do this where you will not be disturbed., I find early in the morning is best before anybody else has woken up. It gives you enough time to be on your own. It’s almost like a semi meditation. You may find it difficult to start ..this is normal. But persevere..as eventually you will find that by doing this your brain naturally tunes into all the good stuff going on around you and you have more control over the thoughts that benefit you.

One simple summary step is say to yourself — Does this thought help me towards my goals & desires or hinder me….observe them but don’t judge them …then change your focus ..disrupt the thought … observe nature … stay calm, hold positive thoughts and create no-mind..go back to thinking about nothing.

You’ll be surprised at the results and the source of clarity your mind enjoys.

After sometime I have found that I can control all thoughts for 60 minutes or more.

Give it a go & Try it !

To your successful mind.

Steve

Jeans That Fit – At Last

Retail is going through a radical transformation and online purchasing has seen incredible exponential growth over the last 5 years as our lifestyle becomes more mobile online. Many start ups have started to experiment with how the market will play out next – but the most fundamental area that needs addressing are “returns” and that 15 lost minutes( in the dressing room) when sizing becomes a real problem on hitting your bottom line on customer refunds. A smart US start up “LikeAGlove” hopes to close that gap & to demystify online clothing shopping using a smart fabric. Its sensor-equipped, conductive fiber-woven leggings discreetly measure a woman’s figure and create an accurate digital representation of her figure. Shoppers can then instantly browse clothing of their choice in the exact sizes that will fit them.

This is a very important step up as a game changer ; Because of the large variance in women’s sizes between designers, it’s difficult to find a good selection of right-sized clothing online. LikeAGlove’s sensor-packed leggings make measurement accurate, private and, fundamentally easier. I see this company moving forward and partnering with other online retail disrupters out there ( maybe even me) with new ideas that get away from traditional bricks ‘n’ mortar shopping.

The company is hopeful that they’ll be able to expand the technology to include other types of clothing, like tops, dresses, and more.

If you’re in search of some seriously high-tech leggings that will simplify your search for your perfectly fitting pair of jeans, search no longer. Just grab a pair of LikeAGlove leggings.

I’ll be watching this company closer as I have a few ideas of my own that compliment the whole social shopping experience.

Hope the size works for you.

To your success

Steve

Are you a “Disruptive Talent” – How to Challenge the Norm

During my long career in the commercial world ..I’ve always felt a bit of a square peg in a round hole. And may have come across to me colleagues as a bit of a maverick that doesn’t toe the party line & play corporate politics. Maybe that’s why I experienced a few redundancies along the way as I was deemed too dangerous for the business. Maybe I was born in the wrong era or just joined the wrong companies as doing things differently just was’nt the done thing! . …I succeeded anyhow!

But now there seems to be many square pegs that have bucked the system and have succeeded in their quest to “do things differently ” But not only that, the system ( ie the so called commercial world ) has come to respect and embrace these game changers as HR departments encourage the flow of talent as part of the employee mix.

“The term disruptive talent is an interesting rebranding of people with an identifiable character, people who we have all been working with for many years to try to help them better understand the impact they have on others,” says Mr Duff, who is a partner at UK business psychology consultancy Pearn Kandola.

“We do a lot of coaching people like this, people who are very bright in a particular role, very inventive and creative, but who have no chance of fitting into the wider culture of the business. How ironic!

“As a result, other people in the organisation cannot cope with the amount of antagonism and disruption they bring with them. That is why people who you can classify as disruptive talent tend to instead start their own businesses.”

Sir Richard Branson, who has an estimated net worth of £3bn ($4.5bn) has certainly thrived running his own businesses and is a classic example of a disruptive talent that has broken through red tape & politics.

He says: “I think anyone who sets up a business is to an extent a disruptive individual, because starting a business is simply someone thinking ‘I can do it better than anybody else, and I know how to do it’.

“For that idea to succeed you have to be doing it in a disruptive way, otherwise you’re just doing the same as everyone else and you are going to fail.

“When I came up with the idea of starting my airline and space company, people gave me every reason why I shouldn’t do it. In the end you have to be a leader, you have to give it a go.”

This belief in your own idea and that burning desire in your gut that tells you that you need to do this ; is one example of being disruptive; challenging the norm & ignoring the naysayers.

Carving out your own path completely blinkered to others criticism and ignorance is part of the challenge we all face in life. But its the hard part that makes it good. Being a maverick is cool and looking for new answers to do things better is what builds your character and allows you stand out from the crowd. Too many times, when leaders think deeply about a problem or challenge, they are merely doing what they have been socialized( ie fitting in) to believe is the right way to think about a problem or process, and it is very difficult to break this habit. All great business innovations and inventions in history have come from people who have not bought into this logic. Consider Steve Jobs. Who would have thought that a computer could have color? Or graphics? Or be a piece of furniture or art? We need to be conscious of our surrounding culture and be able to step out of it so we can produce original thinking.

Another great example is take a look at the success of Amazon. They fundamentally deconstructed the traditional relationship between a reader and an author, but kept its essence in place; the author writes a book and the reader buys the book. What was fundamentally restructured was how these two events occurred. Gone was the bricks n mortar bookstore to be replaced by an electronic one; traditional stock was replaced by one of the most efficient just-in-time supply chains imaginable. Then they followed that by restructuring the traditional physical book into an electronic platform that cut down on the weight and exponentially increased the number of books that could be purchased and carried efficiently by a reader. This sort of fundamental deconstruction and reconstruction is possible in every business sector; it simply takes a different way of thinking.

Share this post with your friends, especially if they are interested in any of the areas outlined above as this is the stuff I want to discuss.

To your success

Steve

Marty Mcfly would be proud ——— HoverBoard comes to life

We’ve all seen the trilogy of Back to The Future …we’ll those crafty scientists at Lexus tech have finally come up with a design that may just bring a dream to reality. The race has been on to develop a hoverboard by many companies over the years with a few falling short of production and application. But now in 2015 seems the year that hurdles have been overcome.

This Hoverboard is called Slide by Lexus and has been teased in a viral video released on you tube to millions of fans. Apparently more videos will be released during the summer.

The Hoverboard “uses magnetic levitation to achieve amazing frictionless movement.” with the added benefit of “liquid nitrogen cooled superconductors and permanent magnets combine to allow Lexus to create the impossible.”

The ‘Hoverboard’ by Lexus has of course got tech geeks excited all over and if you’re a ‘Back to The Future’ fan, you are likely one of those who got excited by the teaser video. I know my 7 year old son was who is a keen skateboarder.

Because Lexus has opted for a superconductor, this creates a different kind of magnetic field, one that does not die away …….. more on the physics of this in a latter post.

Magnets aside, the Lexus video does not really tell us much about if and when the ‘Slide’ hoverboard will really hit the market. Lexus has clarified that it isn’t looking to build a widely available hoverboard just yet.

Lexus spokesperson Maurice Dumand said “Back to the Future messed my whole generation up. The world so desperately wants someone to mass produce a hoverboard. Let’s be frank, it’s not novel. There are other hoverboards. To a degree, we weren’t expecting [the reaction].”

In short, BTTF fans should calm down. While the Lexus hoverboard is ‘real’, it’s not hitting the stores anytime soon. Like with many exponential ideas they have a purpose to fulfil design improvements in current tech and this may only be an experimental process that Lexus is going through to bolster their market position.

On the other hand there is the Hendo Hoverboard>>>…

http://hendohover.com

The technology that allows this to happen is called Magnetic Field Architecture( MFA). This involves electromagnets attached to the base of the board that repel any non-ferrous (i.e. does not contain a significant amount of iron) conductive surface.

Greg and Jill Henderson, who are behind the Hendo Hover project, believe that the hoverboard is just the first of many innovations this technology allows. “It enables a new generation of lift and motion technology that will change the way we view transportation,” the Hendersons explained. “Additional applications for MFA technology are virtually limitless – from business, to industry, to healthcare, and beyond.”

The company is hopeful that a model will be on sale in 2015 – coincidentally, the year in which Marty McFly rode around on his own hoverboard.

Christmas comes early for teenagers the world over 🙂 The application of this tech is definately one to watch and is a cue for a future Q & A on those of you wanting to join in the discussion.

Comments welcome in the chat box below.

Enjoy

Steve

Allow Yourself to be Great

You have been put on this planet to manifest your greatness…period…no question. To fulfill your ultimate potential

But during these perceived difficult times it can be hard to elevate yourself out of the mire. I understand that.. What with the constant barrage of bad news reported and chatter through differing social demographic groups its tough to get away from the sea of negativity.

The problem is that who you are – your authentic non-physical self – is already great but you don’t know that yet if you are experiencing
struggle & the constant feeling of just spinning your wheels.

Another way to look at this is imagine the seed of the oak tree. Everything that defines the oak tree is already in the acorn.
Unlike us, the acorn does not live under the illusion that it needs to be something else or needs to strive towards an
accomplishment that is not in its nature.

Your greatness is in your soul, your fibre . Your “self”, stripped of all the conditioning, excuses & contingencies that have created what you believe to be your current limited self.

My observation is that most of us don’t allow ourselves to live our greatness. Instead, we are too quick to place huge limits on what we
can do before we have even begun to do it. Don’t prejudge what your new horizons & discoveries could be and how they will turn out. Just live that quest for life in the moment as you know it to be without over analysing every situation.

The only limits you have are the ones you are placing on yourself.
Listen…. Push them to the side for now. You can always go back to them later if you want to, but I promise you this, you won’t need
them any longer if you practice living in the “flow” and living in”alignment”. Remember, we are as great as we allow ourselves to be.
Allow yourself to be great for the next few months and see what happens.

I hope today will bring you a new awareness, a lesson or a manifestation that you can make progress – If you choose to look for it. No matter how large or small, take out a notepad and record whatever comes to mind. You’ll be surprised of the traction you can achieve.

We are as great as we allow ourselves to be.

To your success

Steve

What’s time?

“Time is More Valuable than Money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time. ” – Jim Rohn

Going back to my why …why am I doing this blog. I’ve been thinking…
I want this to be a mission to help ordinary people build their dreams and passions.
I reckon I’ve got another good 30-40 years in me and like a lot of us out there I’m not done yet.
That’s 30 springs, 30 summers, 30 autumns, 30 winters (30 Christmas Days). When you look at life like that …it kind of puts things into perspective… and raises your focus. What are you going to do with yours? Times ticking and we’re not getting any younger
I pulled out some astonishing facts the other day.
Based on certain lifestyle statistics the typical American/ European watches on average 4-6 hours of TV a day. That’s a minimum of 124 hours a month or 2 months a year or to put it mildly 12 years of your life spent watching a screen in the corner of your living room. If you increase this by a few percentage points based on age/ demographic the figures are staggering.
What a waste of time. If you were to now roll the years forward and look back…what would you have preferred to have done with that 12 years? What better use could you have made of your time?
You’ve been put on this earth to fulfill your potential and live a great life.
Think of all those things that could be achieved, all those ideas, all those glorious moments.
Have I grabbed your attention?
I hope so
Time is precious..It’s time to Live in the moment

Until the next

Steve

A Sky Pioneer….my proud moment in tech history

This is my first post as part of a personal challenge …its Day 4 and I’ve been scratching my head ..like a lot of people … imagining this is all part of the self discovery process. “Getting stuff & ideas out of your head and into the real world”. Gets me thinking about life’s path and what impact my experience can help others achieve their own goals, glory days & that light bulb moment.
The topic for today is “Accomplishments “

Well here goes…..
The year was 1989 & up until then I had already had a successful stint in media sales at the Financial Times, Daily Express & a spell in Australia on tabloids under my belt. (But that’s another story yet to be told ) My taste for media at the coal face had begun and I had already cut my teeth on some well respected newspapers, plying my trade of salesmanship to blue-chip clients and their respected agencies.
But I yearned for more & new horizons…..
One of my most proud achievements was joining the “scratch “launch team of Sky Television.
I’ll spare you all the corporate detail & boring stuff but Rupert Murdoch’s new start up & the initial shake up of the broadcast industry was received on stony ground & deaf ears to say the least.
Cable TV had already carved the path in USA & critics like Ted Turner spouted the usual negativity that it would never work. So we apparently had a large mountain to climb to convince stakeholders to invest in our “little satellite venture”.
This was all characteristic of an industry that was staid, overly controlled and far too traditional in its thinking. At the time Sky Channel was doing tiny ratings in Europe broadcasting to a few hundred thousand viewers using fledgling repeat programming (like “I Love Lucy”, “Rawhide”, “Bonanza” & “The Flintstones” to name a few) and the odd movie or two from an old shared satellite system with a meagre footprint.
But times were changing and a new Astra Satellite launch was imminent with new technology that would revolutionise the way we watch TV….and RM had already had a taste of the USA multi channel TV networks and saw a major opportunity in Western Europe and beyond.
There were only a handful of us (5 to be precise)who had left secure posts from other print media and agencies and were now working out of a tiny office in Ogle St West London. But we all shared a common belief that we were on the verge of a fantastic new frontier. It was exciting, ground breaking, we were challenging the norm; & our job was to convince the clients, Ad Agencies & naysayers that a whole new world of ‘Direct to Home’ broadcasting was beckoning.
And I was a major part of initiating that change.
There I was running around town with my complimentary satellite dish in toe & slide projector explaining to groups of eager ears the benefits of DTH ( direct to home ) satellite broadcasting. The virtues of a new breed of channel with exclusive sporting events and the latest movies all pumped into your living room from outer space. I was on fire, charged with enthusiasm, high on adrenaline, smoking red hot & passionate about extolling the virtues of our new business (which has now become a part of the nations everyday life & existence ) .It started off in small groups first ..but then I was standing in front of 500+ audiences as momentum gathered pace fielding questions and selling the concepts. It was a great time in my life that stretched me out of my comfort zone and helped me explore areas of my personality that I didn’t know existed.
I can always remember seeing that first Fosters Lager commercial I placed in the middle of an exclusive televised boxing event Tyson Vs Bruno from Las Vegas. We stayed up late that night due to the time difference; a bunch of a dozen friends huddled round my TV at 4 am, it was snowing outside, Chips N dips, Beers at the ready for the sound of the first bell. Mike Tyson won as usual and our Frank Bruno came home bruised and battered.
But seeing that ad I placed for the first time aired during the commercial break on screen from a concept that I was only just talking about a few months previous . ..got me thinking that the technological future is here already and we can’t get in the way of it . I was there at the crossroads of progress …at the forefront of the merger of TV, Telecommunications & IT; the very lifestyle that we are all enjoying today. It was great to be a part of that groundbreaking influence.
If you can take anything away from this short snippet …It’s this…..
No matter where you find yourself in life there will always be challenges & obstacles that seem immoveable….even though at the time daunting .. finding ways to overcome those hurdles turns out to be the most proudest precious moments to be savoured.
Selling ideas ..finding your Dream team ..Challenging conventional wisdom … Breaking down barriers
Embracing new ideas …is what Life is all about …

Until the next time …Wishing you health wealth & success in all your goals.

Steve