Warrior Coaching

Sometimes things happen and they are just beyond coincidence.  These occurrences happen all the time though they often slip under the radar and just take on the cloak of everyday life and pure chance.  Today I know I was given a sign that I’ve been asking for to confirm the road I’m on is heading the right way.  And I heard it loud and clear!

Earlier in the week I was working with an 18 year old who has been taken care of by Social Services as a child.  Now he has turned the corner into adulthood he has the added responsibility of taking care of himself and sourcing his own income/ benefits.  In the past he has been involved in crime and has never worried about where the next pound is coming from.  However as with all people in his situation the law finally caught up with him and treated him to a forced vacation at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.  Now to his credit he is giving going straight a fair crack and exploring a new way of living.  But it isn’t easy.  After all, he knows how to make a grand in a heartbeat yet here he is filling in forms, being talked down to by the jobsworth in the job centre (yes, it’s awful how they talk to these young adults!), jumping through hoops and waiting weeks and weeks to find out if he can get JSA while he hunts for more meaningful work.  Well I say meaningful, it means working 40 hours a week for a month to claim less money than he is used to getting hold of in a couple of hours.  No wonder he thinks the system is laughing at him when he is doing all that he can to tow the line.  So he turns round to me and says…..

‘Show me the Money!!’

Money talks in their world and they are being deprived of it.  Imagine how hard my job is keeping them motivated to take the lawful route?  Like convincing a 5 year old they really don’t need sweets anymore.  Yes, try that one sometime and see how far you get.  But don’t worry if the Warrior Coach can’t do the job then no one can so it’s a good job I’m on it.

Ever since that episode with the child I’ve had the Jerry Maguire film spinning around and around in my head.  ‘Show me the Money!!’  I haven’t seen that film in ages but all of a sudden I was impulsed to watch it.  And I had no idea why?

This morning I attended a 4N Networking breakfast in Bushey, Watford and I listened to a guy with a strong aura talk about his Buddhist faith.  He shared some wisdom and also shared a prayer which I wasn’t expecting and had certainly never experienced before.  He then informed us all that the prayer and the ‘chang’ would help us access our subconscious.  Well I don’t know if it did that but I knew I had to connect with this guy and arrange an opportunity to chat one to one.  As it was clear his spiritual journey overlapped with some of my ‘Warrior Coaching’ philosophies about how to live a full life.  Was this coincidence or irrelevant to the story?  Who knows?

Lunchtime today I visited town with my fiancé Sara and the
young girl she is a Nanny for.  It entered my head that I should look for a copy of the film but we were heading away from the DVD shops and back to the car.  Sara asked me if I wanted to turn back and I declined.  I only wanted to look on the off chance and even then I did not want to pay more than £4 so it wasn’t worth a special change of direction to hunt for a copy.  After all, I still had no idea why I needed to watch it? 

We made it back to the car park in St Albans and were just fishing for change for the parking ticket when Sara noticed there was a Wilkinson next to the parking ticket payment machine.  Suddenly realising she needed some make-up she dragged us in to the bargain shop.  I have to admit make-up isn’t my scene so I decided to head to the Stationary section as I needed some supplies myself and being an opportunist in a good value shop I thought now was as good a time as any to get some bits.

Now you’re probably wondering where this thread is heading aren’t you?  Yes, I know I’ll get to the point.

Well lo and behold as I turned down the aisle containing paper and pens I found a tiny stand with a few CD’s and DVD’s on it.  A minimal collection of drop bottom priced items.  I don’t know how I knew, but I just did.  I knew with certainty that the film ‘Jerry Maguire’ was on that rack and I also knew it was less than £4.  (It actually turned out to be £3.97!).  And I also know with certainty that I am supposed to watch this film for an important reason though as I write this I haven’t even removed the cellophane yet.

How freaky is that?!

So what is the lesson and why was I guided to this film through a course of events that could easily be dismissed as coincidental?  And why when it did happen did I instantly receive the knowledge that it was absolutely NO coincidence and I knew it was for a reason??  Heck, my Ecademy status even said this morning that I had a strange urge to watch the film and I had no reason why?  That was hours before this course of events guided me straight to a copy?

Well like I say, I still don’t know what the lesson is yet but you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be sticking the flick on tonight and enjoying finding out.  Maybe it will confirm that fighting with your heart and retaining integrity does pay in the finish?  Even if in the short term it is one hell of a bumpy ride?  Or maybe I just need to reconnect with my ‘Quan’? 

We’ll see.  Either way I know one thing with certainty.  I’ve been handed a sign and I’ve registered it.  And as crazy as it sounds it has given me a huge lift and re-affirmed many things to me which I am grateful for.  What a wonderful gift.

As the summer finally emerges it we all start thinking about making the most of those sunny days and making sure we are all in shape.  And with the amount of sports events that are on the TV inspiring us at the moment, it is no wonder that more of us are heading outside to enjoy the weather.  Which is great to see.

In this newsletter I wanted to begin writing about what Warrior Coaching means to me as I’m often asked what it is.  I guess when you know the answer sometimes you forget that it isn’t obvious to everyone so I’m going to begin here by breaking down the different aspects of Warrior Coaching by turning Warrior into an acrostic word.

Today I will focus on the ‘W’ which stands for Winning Mentality. 

It sounds obvious but in order to be successful we must be able to develop a Winning Mentality.  And it is surprising how many people find this very hard to get an understanding of.  Now a Winning Mentality is important to succeed in many areas of our lives from Business to Personal and from Academic to Athletic.  The Winning Mentality is about knowing how to state an objective as an intention and align your mindset to achieving that path.  Ultimately we are judged on what we do and Warrior Coaching is all about generating positive action.  However it starts in the mind.  Our actions are a product of our beliefs and if the Winning Mentality is missing then the action required normally falls short.  Doubt causes hesitation and to stall is lost opportunity.  With the Winning Mentality we can shift any wasted energy from doubt and fear into positive action which accelerates us towards our goals.

Warrior Coaching places a very high value on developing the Winning Mentality in individuals and providing them with the skills to manage this mentality. 

After all to believe in yourself costs nothing but not to believe in you costs everything!  And the good news is it really isn’t that hard to develop once you become aware of some really basic principles.  But more on that another time.

In the next newsletter I’ll tell you what the ‘A’ stands for.

Keep up the Intensity

Dean

Watching England play against Germany yesterday got me thinking all about Team Building.  The England side clearly were not operating as a team, lacked understanding between them and were unclear about their roles.  Hard to believe I know when you consider that the management team has had them for over a month to work with?

So here is a few short tips of how to Build Teams

1. Common Goals

Naturally the team needs to share common goals.  In theory these goals are often considered so obvious that they don’t need to be said.  But they do.  Take England for example.  It appears obvious that their collective goal would be to win the world cup.  And I’m pretty sure this was discussed.  However by watching their actions and observing individual efforts oppose to a team effort I would surmise that the common goals were not clear enough or understood by all.  For this reason every single team member must clearly understand how the team coming first benefits them individually.  This certainly was not communicated effectively yesterday as too many players looked like all they were trying to do was bump up their transfer fees without realising that not playing as a team made virtually EVERY player in the team drop in value.  So common goals must be discussed and you must get ‘buy in’ from the team members with some level of confirmed commitment.  Merely dictating the goals does not qualify as getting ‘buy in’ from the team members.

1. Clear Roles

Every member must be totally aware of their specified roles within the team.   Again it was painfully clear that this had not been effectively communicated in the game yesterday, hence the lack of direction.  On top of that the manager must be so in tune with the staff that they know their strengths and weaknesses.  By knowing this they can place the members of the team in the appropriate key areas.  After all not only must the staff have clear roles but they must have full training and adequate skills to fulfil the role.  It is not appropriate to try and smash a square peg into a round hole just because that’s the system that looks the best on the whiteboard.  It has to suit the personnel on the ground.  Also each member must be aware of the importance of their individual role as the team can not function without every one performing in their key areas.

1. Give it adequate Time

No matter what the new system is that you put in place it must have adequate time to gel.  Whether it is a new sports team formation, a sales team, a new personnel hierarchy, office management or whatever, it doesn’t make a difference.  It has to be given enough time to work effectively.  Naturally the more preparation you put in at the start ensuring the individuals are competent for their roles then the quicker it should come together.  However, sadly for Capello in the role of England Football Coach he entered a World Cup still not knowing his best team and how they should play.  This kind of lack of preparation costs people their jobs and in business could cost millions.  There is no excuse for not planning ahead and allowing enough time to weed out the teething errors which are likely to occur at the beginning of building a new team structure.

1. Manage Motivation Levels

My first sales position I was taught that sales is 99% attitude and 1% ability and to be honest that is true with many things.  Once the team is in place, the members know their roles and everyone is working toward the same common goals then the next step is to manage the emotions and personalities of the team.  After all a team shows its mettle when facing adversity not coasting through the good times.  So be prepared and have processes in place to manage the expectations of the team members and how they are mentally prepared.  If the team starts to lose confidence, belief and desire as a unit then it’s difficult to point the finger at individuals.  The management has to be accountable and take some responsibility for not managing the motivation of their team members.  And like Zig Ziglar says:

‘They say motivation doesn’t last, well neither does bathing that’s why we recommend it daily’

Managing motivation levels has to be part of the initial plan and not something that gets thrown together later to resolve a crisis.

1. Accountability

Finally their needs to be accountability within the team though this also needs to totally balanced with a reward structure.  You can not chastise if on the other end of the scale there is no reward and vice versa.  Also you can only claim accountability of team members once you have got their ‘buy in’ to the cause and they fully understand what they will get from fulfilling their side of the bargain.  Paying someone an hourly rate is not enough to assume they will just do what they are told.  This only works if the manager is constantly chasing them with a stick and traditionally this is a huge expense of resources for minimal return.  The real art is to empower the individuals so they can be self motivated to further themselves and reap the rewards.  That doesn’t mean that management is not required but it does mean that managers can focus on more pivotal projects than just chasing around the shop floor with a long stick.

So there you go 5 quick tips!  Enjoy

Fabio Capello has had an amazing career as a Football Manager so credit where credit is due he deserves to be respected as a manager.  However, sadly his ability and experience is not coming together how he would like for the England Team right now in South Africa. 

One thing that is very different from club management to International management is the time that you get with the players and the time you have to get the team to gel.  Even if you walk into a new club you know the team have already gelled to an extent.  Whereas England have not had that cohesion for a very long time.  But don’t worry help is available and all he needs to do is call the Warrior Coach and I’ll be there!

So what would I be saying if I got his ear?

Preparation

Games are rarely won on the pitch but in the preparation and build up that precedes it.  Currently the squad are kept in the dark on team selection until the final hour and none of the players have the opportunity to mentally focus on the task at hand because they don’t know what part they will play.  So if the team selection is this up in the air how can they be able to carry out tactical orders that are not fully rehearsed?  Confidence comes from preparation and the team don’t have a full opportunity to bring it all together before the big day.  You can see in the player’s body language that this confidence is missing.  This was shown by Wayne Rooney as he expressed the pain of being booed by his own fans.  The players are so low that they need every scrap of support they can muster to rebuild their own belief.  Abuse from the fans will signal another nail in the coffin.

Tactics

Fabio Capello has World Class stars at his disposal however they are only World Class in certain areas of their game.  If these areas of their game are not maximised then even the best player in the World can look very average.  One of the phrases that keeps coming up is ‘square pegs in round holes’ and I fear that is exactly what Fabio is doing.  He is taking World Class players and operating them in a system where they can not show their full capabilities.  To make matters worse not only are the players struggling and losing belief, but the media slam their individual performances which pushes the players even further down.  If confidence comes from preparation then taking a player out of his comfort zone and asking him to perform how he has never performed before will certainly create doubt in their minds.  If I was with Capello I would rapidly be running through a SWOT analysis of each player and highlighting where the weak areas of their games are as well as their strengths.  This way we can neutralise their weaknesses and play only to the positives.  Also if you insist on a stubborn set of tactics then you have to admit at some point that sometimes your star player will not feature in them.  As despite their obvious talent their abilities don’t fit the tactics.  This is how surprising stars are made in big tournaments and also how surprisingly big stars fade in tournaments.  Look at Sir Alf Ramsey when he chose not to play Jimmie Greaves in the final against West Germany in 1966.  Greaves was in many ways a much better footballer than Geoff Hurst, but despite that he wasn’t the right man for the job.  It is key decisions like this that earn managers their money.

Motivation

As the players run out of the tunnel you want to see the fire burning in their eyes.  You want to see the hunger spilling over as they can’t wait to get on the pitch and show the world what they were born to do.  The World Cup is the pinnacle of a Footballers career so if you can’t motivate them for this then what can you motivate them for?  The truth appears to be that Capello is mismanaging the pressure and offloading it on to the players.  The players are playing like they have the world on their shoulders and to be fair they have.  The level of expectation now is so high that the squad are getting concerned they don’t have what it takes to deal with it.  This is what Managers get paid for.  Managers who offload stress and pressure to those below them have no right being in that profession.  Players have to be responsible and accountable for fulfilling the roles that the manager asked them to deliver.  But the buck ALWAYS stops with the manager.  If it didn’t get done it’s because the strategy was wrong or the personnel ordered to carry out the task was wrong.  Both were selected and dictated by the manager.  This has to be made clear to the players that their responsibility is to do that task to the best they can and they then have to be empowered with all the tools required to carry out that task.  At the moment the England players appear like it is their responsibility to win in spite of their manager and that the pressure is on them to work out how it is going to be done.  Removing this pressure and blockage and playing the players in formations and roles that they are fully prepared for will allow them to play without fear.  And we need to see England play without fear against Slovenia.  A full answer to motivation should have started a long time ago with a full understanding of the values of the individual players and a common guideline of shared values adopted by the squad.  The players need to know how they personally fit into the team and be reassured that they are an integral part of that team.  At the moment I fear that every player is treading on eggshells and many don’t feel integral at all.

Belief

It costs nothing to believe in yourself and everything not to.  The players have had a rough ride so far and there is no doubt that without the appropriate measures in place it will have affected their mindset and their opinion on their chances.  The management team need to work hard at making sure each player is fully aware of their potential and instil the belief that the only ones that can stop them are themselves.  England are still in control of their own destiny here and an emphatic win in Slovenia is likely to see them progress.  It’s ugly but it doesn’t matter its results that matter.  And if they progress they have the same chance as anyone to lift the cup.  Creating the belief shouldn’t be difficult as virtually every player in the squad has experience of playing in Finals in the domestic league and even winning championships.  Most have played in the Champions League which in many ways is a much higher quality of football due to the time the teams get to prepare together.  England CAN win the World Cup and whether they do or not is simply a choice.  Do they choose to win the World Cup?  Sounds like an easy decision however they do have to be empowered to make that decision by the management in place.  And I know what you’re thinking.  What if all the teams make that choice?  Then it comes down to the team that is not just paying lip service but genuinely believe it the most.  Not as individuals but as a team.  From the guys who don’t get to play to the star of the tournament.  And even down the staff all the way to the physio and the kit manager.  Belief has to be instilled at every level and it has to be backed up by the preparation to win and the actions that show that you came to win.  No good saying that you are intent on winning the lottery someday but never buying a ticket.  Actions always outweigh the words and its what you do that speaks volumes about your belief.  The manager has a responsibility to demonstrate actions that scream the level of belief he requires from his players.  Dropping Green was one of those decisions that weakened the squad’s belief as it distinctly showed lack of belief.

I could write for another week about what I’d love to discuss with Fabio but today is not the day.  Maybe when I meet him I can go through it properly

Yes it’s true the country is Football crazy for the next few weeks as all eyes look toward the national Football team to make us proud.

 
Some love football, some hate the game but no matter where you stand there are some fantastic lessons to be taken from observing the games and thinking how we can apply those lessons to other aspects of our lives.  Watching the England v USA game got me thinking about Man Management.

Now there are many people up and down the country right now discussing their choice of line up to play Algeria on Friday and what tactics they would propose if they were in charge for a day.  Though only one man actually gets the honour of that task and that is Fabio Capello.  He’ll be mulling over the performances and considering his options for the next throw of the dice.  As an armchair fan it appears that maybe his choice of Man Management so far is flawed. 

When selecting personnel for a task it is important to fully understand their strengths and weaknesses and position them in such a fashion that you stand the best possible chance of succeeding as a team.  Then you must decide on how you will go about implementing the plan with your line up in place.  And sometimes it is advisable to tweak the plan to accommodate the limitations of your staff.

So what does this have to do with Fabio, England and Man Management? 

Well from the performances so far it appears that Fabio is hell bent on forcing square pegs into round holes and there is a lesson to be learnt.  Fabio has been very open about the fact that he likes his team to play with width; he looks for wingers to run down the flanks and cross the ball in to his target men to attack the goal.  It was this preference that cost Theo Walcott his place in the squad because time and again Theo didn’t do as he was told and played too narrow for Fabio’s liking.  Now the good news is Fabio has a plan, but the bad news is there is a flaw.  The tactic he has chosen does not fit the strengths and abilities of his staff.  And instead of revising the plan he is more interested in forcing square pegs into round holes.  You see, without Beckham England’s wide players have shown they are not that good at crossing the ball.  And to make matters worse England’s talisman Wayne Rooney actually has been removed as a threat to the opposition by Fabio’s tactics as Ferguson will tell you Wayne Rooney is very competent in the air but his World Class ability only becomes apparent when the ball is at his feet.  If we had Shearer, Drogba or a centre forward of the style of Les Ferdinand in the squad then I could understand the tactic.  But we haven’t?  Yet the tactic remains.

So what are the alternative options?  Well you only have to look at the style of play of Argentina.  They have a player called Messi who many dub as one of the biggest talents at the World Cup and in many ways he is similar to our Rooney.  He is short, tenacious, fast and World Class coming from deep with the ball at his feet.  Both play almost like midfielders upfront and can finish as good as any player that has ever graced the game.  Yet Messi is allowed to play in a system which allows him to shine and Rooney is left to get so frustrated he is in danger of getting himself red carded as for 90 minutes he watches the ball constantly flying over the top of his head.  And if he does lose his mind and get himself sent off then as much as Rooney has to be responsible for his actions you also have to look at the guy who put him in that position.  You have to question the Man Management.

Man Utd and Barcelona have developed a free flowing style where Rooney can get involved in attacks with the ball at his feet.  The ball is played on the deck and often never rises above waist height as it is threaded through the opposition’s formation.  This is the environment where these players have flourished and if you don’t provide them the conditions they are accustomed to then you can not expect the results they are used to achieving.

So what can we learn from this?

Well next time you are in a meeting considering a strategy for the next phase of the plan spare a thought for the personnel you have and ensure you really do understand their strengths and weaknesses.  As much as it is good to stretch people and develop them it is not always effective to re-invent them into something they are currently not.  It is possible, yes, but why would you do it when you don’t need to?  It takes huge resources and they won’t be as effective as they are in their preferred style.  Simply be prepared to compromise on the plan so that you get the best possible output from the workforce that you have and refrain from trying to hammer square pegs into round holes.

 Like the saying that trainers have in sports:

‘You can make a fast man faster, but you can’t make a slow man fast’

And teams in other environments can share the principles in their own agenda’s.  Don’t be fooled into believing that there is only one way to sell, one way to pitch or one way to implement a plan.  That is not the case.  There are many ways to realise an idea and to do it the right way you have to maximise the strengths of the individuals involved and create and environment that caters for the weaknesses ensuring they are minimised. 

That is the art of Man Management.

Confidence is one of those words that gets thrown around and we are all made aware that we won't get far until we have it in abundance. But still not many of us actually know where it comes from and how to cultivate more. In fact many use the whole 'fake it till you make it' technique to try and pretend to have it, and I'm going to share why I'm not a fan of this approach. Also I'll tell you how to start generating more confidence today. For REAL.

Confidence in my eyes is made up of 2 parts. Security and Preparation.

Security

One of the first things that affects Confidence is lack of Security. When you feel you have too much to lose or you haven't got your needs covered then you're Security is vulnerable. In this state your Confidence is severely damaged. Time and again we see the underdog claim victory because frankly they had nothing to lose so they were totally 'Secure' and could compete in 'Confidence'. Steps to building and addressing Security issues in depth are unique in everyone and it is often worth working closely with a Coach if this is an area you struggle with. However, a great place you can always begin on your own is to create a plan. 'Knowledge dispels Fear' so writing everything down into a plan immediately alleviates many issues and brings some 'Confidence' straight away about your future and its 'Security'.

Preparation

Ultimately 'Confidence' comes from 'Preparation'. If you walk into a boardroom to deliver a speech that you have never practiced then frankly you deserve to be unconfident. 'Repitition is the Mother of Skill' and only the most prepared can boast they are more confident than anyone else. All top sports stars including the likes of Jonny Wilkinson and David Beckham attribute their skill to the amount of quality time put into developing it. If you want a confident pitch then simply say it over and over again. If you want to feel confident, then practice feeling confident at ANY opportunity. Even if no one is there. Only 'Preparation' and the knowledge that you have done your homework can give you that genuine confidence that you are programmed to WIN.

And where was I with the whole 'Fake it till you Make it'? Well this stuff has a place (kind of, I'd never use it) as it is aimed really at your Beliefs. If you don't believe you are strong then fake it so to speak. Beliefs are very powerful and should not be played around with. Trying to programme your brain in this way will not benefit you in the long run. You shouldn't try and force yourself to believe something that you are not making the effort to fully embody. It will cause disharmony between the brain and body and affect your relationship with your own mind. And if you haven't prepared and just try to trick yourself that you are great at it then don't be surprised if that doesn't result in genuine confidence.

Maybe I'll share some more about beliefs another time....

Bigger Stronger Faster – The Truth about Steroids

I have finished watching Christopher Bell’s Movie “Bigger Stronger Faster” today and I have to say just how refreshing it is to see this movie making an effort to share the reality of performance enhancing drugs in Sport.  He tells the story from the viewpoint of his own personal experience as one of 3 brothers with Steroid abuse in the family.

We live in a world where it pays to be a Winner.  Where failure isn’t acceptable, and being second is like you were never even there.  This philosophy is not just present in Sports, but in nearly every industry that we have.  This film exposes the bare naked truth about drug use in Sport though what movie will show the reality of Business, or Media, or even Education?

Despite the world being such an aggressive environment where only Winners are acknowledged we are constantly fed the same old stuff.  Work hard and you will succeed.  Believe in yourself and you will get there.  Cheaters never prosper.  Nothing can stop you reaching your Dreams.

Well I’ve got news for you.  Glass ceilings DO exist.  Am I saying this because I believe it is futile to try and overcome them?  No Way!  I’m saying this because to overcome these barriers we must tackle our goals with our eyes open!

Anything is possible, to that I have no doubt.  However, there will always be that group that don’t play fair and sadly this group DO regularly prosper.  Mind you, with all things otherwise being equal of course these people prosper.  Not playing fair makes them virtually unplayable to the ‘Average Joe’.

Now maybe my approach is a bit aggressive but then striving to be the best I can be is part of my genetic make-up so I have total understanding with those that push too hard to reach their goals.  It’s not a mind set that everyone understands as often to push that hard it is assumed that you must be suffering from some mental condition or a lack of acceptance when you were a child.  That’s why I focus on the ‘masculine energy’ in my studies so much because I do understand that energy and how it drives people to do ANYTHING to succeed. 

After the film Christoper Bell’s brother who was a big steroid user was found dead after finally taking his life.  Of course steroids got the blame and the fact that he was mixing them with many other dangerous narcotics.  In my opinion ‘Mad Dawg’ as he is known did not die because of drugs.  He died because of the heartache he suffered sacrificing EVERYTHING to be the best he could be and just not being good enough.  The burnout of working that hard and never getting noticed sent him over the edge into a place that he could not return from.  So don’t tell me that everyone who works hard enough will make it.  Some hit glass ceilings along the way and often its because they don’t understand the system well enough or know the rules that the Winners play by.  Mad Dawg is a sad casualty of a system that his innocence and naivety allowed him to get caught up in.  At the end of the day he was an American guy who just wanted to achieve his Dreams.  And it was sold to him that they were his to claim.

 
Incase you are wondering I can categorically say that I have never been involved in performance enhancing drugs however I can see both sides of the coin.  I believe this activity is wrong however when people are faced with this path or a life of obscurity and mediocrity, I understand why some make that sacrifice.

 

Sport depends on those that are prepared to make that sacrifice and lets face it, the rewards are almost unquantifiable!

As the Chancellor of the Exchequer prepared his budgets today the country was waiting to hear the verdict for the year ahead.  And it makes you think doesn’t it, how the country has to do an annual budget, businesses have to do annual budgets and all the local authorities are governed by budgets.

But how many of us at home know what our budgets are?

We generally find that parents are the most responsible when it comes to making a forward plan as for some reason we don’t always think ahead until we have someone depending on us.  However, in reality each of us is operating a business no matter how we choose to gain our income.  Every penny that comes in can be put in the revenue column or gross profit, and everything that goes out becomes an expense.  When we start to think this way even modest income can create HUGE wealth.

After all it’s not what you earn it’s what you keep that counts!

So take some time this week to make sure you have a carefully laid out budget and know exactly where your money goes.  We often get caught in the trap of thinking that we need to earn more to have more cash when in fact we just need to be cleverer about what we have. 

I always recommend splitting the budget into 3 areas.  The ‘Essentials’ which will include household bills such as mortgage, utilities, TV licence etc.  Your ‘Assets’ which will be the money that you can comfortably afford to put aside to invest into places that will yield even more money for that inevitable rainy day.  And your ‘Liabilities’ which will cover the amount of money you are prepared to spend without expecting a return.  Aim to really focus on your ‘Assets’ as much as possible though if you are in debt then these bills will be incorporated here as the interest charges saved can dramatically increase your Net Worth.

So give it a go and let me know how you get on.  If you get stuck at any point then give me a call!  Or if you find yourself in a real pickle then I’ll happily do a Financial Game Plan with you which in many cases are FREE to complete.

Now make sure getting Rich is in the Plan!

Keep up the Intensity


Dean

As a Coach and Sports fanatic I love Winning! Or should I say I love playing to WIN!

In truth I am happy to take second place when I've been soundly beaten by a stronger candidate, but only if I know in my heart I did EVERYTHING possible to stake my claim to the number one spot. Vince Lombardi says it best in the quote:

'Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is!'

So naturally I am always looking for the great techniques, models and formulas that ignite individuals to really want to WIN and WIN BIG! I can't help it as its just in my blood. Yet when ever I search for more answers or interview more experts I just get all the fluff of 'align them with their values', 'assist them to believe', 'inspire them through leadership' etc etc. Don't get me wrong Values and Beliefs are 'Bread and Butter' for us coaches but sometimes it just doesn't create enough true value, and it doesn't get down to the grit of WINNING! Now I do understand that some peoples values may be happier with acheivement over success which could answer why WINNING isn't high on their agenda. That could make sense. But I'm not ready to just buy it yet as I want to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

So I'm asking you what you think. Is the will to WIN genetic? Is it something that could be proportional to an individuals Biochemistry? Could it be attributed to testosterone? Or is it simply something that is unleashed when we fully understand our values?

Sometimes it feels like saying I WANT TO WIN! is a bad thing, and that I should be happier with the journey. But in my heart I know I'll only enjoy the journey if I did all I could along the way to be the very best that I could be. Otherwise what kind of a journey would it have been?

So do we create WINNERS? Or do we simply pick the WINNERS?

Looking forward to your thoughts

We all get told on a daily basis that we can do anything that we want in life and the truth is that we really can.  However, when you look around it appears that the whole premise of that statement is just words and small talk.

So if we really can do anything that we want then whats the problem?  Or should I say what's the catch?

Well there is one small catch.  In order to be able to achieve what you really want you need to know what it is.  And to be truthful there is a very small percentage of the population that actually know what they want.  Those that don't cling to the same old throw away goals such as 'to be a millionare' or 'to own an Aston Martin' or better still 'to win the lottery!'

Mostly goals like those are fabricated because they don't know the actual goal.  So take some time to have a think about what you really want and don't be surprised if it takes a bit of effort and longer than you think.  Stick with it as this is something that is really worth taking the time to work out.

After all the quality of life is dictated by the quality of questions we ask.  So if you haven't found the answer yet then ask a better question.

And if you find you really can't get to the bottom of what you really want then maybe you could use a helping hand.  If so, don't be shy and drop me a message.  It's what I'm here for ;)