YourMondayMotivator: Hmmmmm

I'm a bit late this morning sorry. After the weekend we had a lot to do this morning and I am probably a bit deflated / tired after the amazing, hectic time I have had.

As the morning ticked on it started to get even harder to figure out what to write about and my shoulders sagged. It was then I read this quote from Charlie Brown.

Charlie Brown said, "This is my "depressed stance." When you're depressed, it makes a lot of difference how you stand. The worst thing you can do is straighten up and hold your head high because then you'll start to feel better. If you're going to get any joy out of being depressed, you've got to stand like this."

This is so true. How you stand betrays, or portrays, how you feel. If you're feeling a bit low because it's Monday take note of how you're standing.

I just have and so my shoulders are now back, my head is high and I'm cracking into the day.

Have a successful week and keep your chin up. See the old ones do actually mean something.

YourMondayMotivator: Are you committed?

How committed are you to what you do? Will you do whatever it takes to get your goals or aspirations. This week I'm making the biggest commitment of my life, I'm getting married.

Someone once said, "Marriage means commitment. Of course, so does insanity."

However, Peter F. Drucker said, "Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans."

My life has always been based on Druckers quote because I realised at a very young age, 5 1/2 years old to be exact, that if I wanted to be good at something I had to commit to it and give it my all. Until I did I wouldn't be as good as I wanted to be.

When you commit to something it is like getting married. You make plans and you have someone to help to stick to them. Many fences have been built and lights changed because of this.

So this week think about what you are committed to as a marriage. Have hopes and dreams but plan and do whatever it takes to make a success out of it.

Have a successful week.

Glenn

Today's minimotivator #24-2010: Last Chance To See

Douglas Adams said in "Last Chance to See", "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."

We look, we say "hmmm" and "ahhh", and then do exactly the same thing ourselves - in a different way.

If you haven't seen Last Chance To See its very good. The latest series with Stephen Fry makes for good viewing but still has the same message Douglas Adams gave us 20 years ago. Why do we not want to learn from the apparent mistakes of others when we could so easily do so.

Learn from the mistakes of others. Hit yourself over the head, have reminders all over the place reinforcing what you should do, do whatever it takes. Learn.

YourMondayMotivator: Screw this!

What do you you do when one of the worst things that could happen to your business or you happens?

When you can't get hold of anyone to fix it and you're basically at a standstill?

When you just feel like throwing your hands in the air and saying, "Screw this!", then throwing in the towel.

What do you do? What do you do?

I'm repeating myself because I really want you to think about this. It's a measure of your character.

I look at it like this. I'm one step away from the summit of a mountain, the wind is howling, I'm being blinded by the rain, I've run out of food and I'm starting to slid backwards. But I know one more step will take me to the summit and over the top to a gentle downhill run where a nice warm meal and a hot drink are waiting.

What do I do? I fight with every ounce of energy I have to take that step over the top because even if I stumble over the top I can roll down the slope on the other side.

Next time you feel like this take your hand off the towel and take the step. The hot drink and warm meal will be worth it.

YourMondayMotivator: Who do you compete against?

This morning I have been listening to the news reports about BMW Oracle thrashing Alinghi in the America's Cup and I started to think about competition.


It is said competition brings out the best and worst of people but it also quickly advances technology and systems because in the strive to win you have to work better, faster and find better technology than the other person or team to win.This technology and systems then becomes common knowledge and is passed on to the rest of us.


However, Colonel Potter said, "It's too big a world to be in competition with everyone. The only person who I have to be better than is myself."


I agree with the wise old Colonel. The only person I need to answer too every day (some might mention God here) is me. Competing against myself raises my game and rubs off on those around me, raising their game.

So this week, focus on competing against yourself. Raise the bar a tad every day for the week and see where you are at the end of it. Those slight increases everyday will turn into a huge increase by the end of the week and before long you will be helping raise everyone else's game.

Have a successful week.

YourMondayMotivator - Where do you see beauty?

Where do you see beauty? In a child's beaming face, a sunrise, a sunset or in your work. The last one might be surprising but there will be beauty there. How you find that beauty is in the effort you put in and the smile you have after a job well done.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."

We constantly look outside ourselves for beauty. Traveling miles and days to see amazing artifacts only to see them and say, "Oh it's smaller than I thought."

Beauty they say comes from within and they usually mean someone else. But beauty is within you and you either express it or you don't. Not expressing it makes the world ugly and a hard place to live.

So what it beauty? I think it's curiosity and looking at things like you have just seen them for the first time. Doing this, working out what makes something tick, or even write a word, makes anything beautiful. A whole lot of thought went into making even a pen but because it's now an everyday object it loses it's beauty.

Have a successful week and think about beauty. It is definitely in the eye of the beholder.

Glenn

P.S. If you like beautiful cars you might like to talk about them on Facebook here.

YourMondayMotivator - How do you face challenges?

As babies and children we were continually faced with challenges that tested us and made us learn. Learning to walk or getting the food into our mouths were huge challenges we faced head on with a smile on our face. Especially when we made even a bit of progress.

Somewhere along the way though a lot of us dropped the smile off our face when we faced challenges. Sometimes we even decided not to to face the challenges and quit. When we did that we stopped learning and missed opportunities.

Opportunities are generally disguised as insurmountable challenges. If you want to learn the lesson and grab the opportunity you have to face them once again as a child. Smile. Smile after every step forward. Laugh after every fall. We were meant to improve and grow by facing challenges head on.

Mary Engelbreit said, "If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it."

On this blustery end to the long weekend (it's Auckland Anniversary Weekend) set yourself some challenges for the week ahead. Face them with a smile and a ready laugh and you will breeze through them.

Have a successful week.

YourMondayMotivator - Are you inspired or motivated?

How do you know if you are inspired or motivated? They seem to mean the same thing and yet there is a subtle difference that makes inspiration millions of times more powerful than motivation.

Motivation is driven by the need to do something. There is a hook to make you do it. That might be bills to be paid, deadlines or goals.

Inspiration is more powerful because it is driven by your desire to do something. You breathe life into something.

A simple example is you are motivated to brush your teeth each day because you are inspired to have good teeth.

To me inspiration is the picture in your mind, motivation is the brushstrokes that finish the picture.


What inspires me will not necessarily inspire you and if you need a jump start there are pictures, quotes, music and video's all over the internet. Or if you want to be inspired by like minded people come and join in on the MondayMotivator Facebook page.

YourMondayMotivator - Have you got the right stuff?

I recently read an article about a hero of mine, Chuck Yeager. Chuck defined flight for me because he broke the sound barrier at a time when other pilots thought the sound barrier was either a brick wall in the sky or had backed off because the plane shook so violently they thought it was going to fall apart. He just gritted his teeth, kept going, and found the plane stopped shaking and the ride smoothed out once he was through.

He had the right stuff but what really comes through for me is how much he loved what he was doing. He knew the purpose of every nut and bolt on his aircraft and this gave him a huge advantage when things went wrong.

Which brings me to today's point. How much do you know about what you do? Do you think you know it all, every nut and bolt that makes up what you do?

I love email marketing and yet things are changing everyday and I have to keep up. This is almost a full time job in itself.

However, what I find is that when I get a bit sick of email marketing I always find some little bit of information that fires me up again. This week go looking for those little bits of information and learn everything about what you do. You will be quite amazed at how much inspiration this will give you to face the first few weeks back at work.

Have a successful week.

Glenn

P.S. The winner of the Facebook draw is Nicola Kiri Smith.

YourMondayMotivator - The year is a blank page.

A lot of people started back at work today. If you are one of those you probably lay in bed awake before you got out of bed. Thoughts about the traffic, colleagues, jobs to do and jobs not completed keeping you almost paralysed.

Today is an exciting day though because as Baston Bachelard said, "The blank page gives us the right to dream."

That's right, despite your thoughts and fears about today, it's a blank page. You can write on it what you want and make today, this week and this year what you want them to be.

To prove it get out a piece of blank paper now. What do you see? Nothing. Write the word you want to represent you this year. Write it really big. I wrote 'power', someone else wrote 'freedom' and someone else 'choice'.

Put that word somewhere you can see it everyday. Stick it on your bathroom mirror. Seeing that word will remind you that you are in charge of the pen that wrote on the blank page.

Have a great week and download a free motivational background here.

YourMondayMotivator - Have you got a maintenance program?

Like a lot of New Zealanders I am writing this from a beach. In fact I am sitting in exactly the same place as I was at this time last year.

I noticed the holiday hasn't really started for some because there is still maintenance left to do on things that haven't been used for a year.

Maintenance is those little jobs that keep things in tip-top shape and able to be used at short notice. Lack of maintenance in cars, boats, jet-ski's etc can end up costing you a lot of money when something major goes wrong. Doing those little jobs keeps the rust and corrosion at bay.
Seeing this I wondered if we do enough maintenance on ourselves.

John F. Kennedy said, "The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining."

The time to fix things up isn't the time you need to use them it's in the down time. This holiday have a think about what maintenance you need to do to be ready to go at any time. It might be 20 press-ups a day, or a 30 minute walk, whatever you think is the minimum, then start doing it. Don't get carried away. Just do the minimum maintenance you need to do and you will be able to keep it up.

Have a great holiday.

YourMondayMotivator - Why you should ask for feedback

Last weeks MondayMotivator got a huge response. I received hundreds of emails ranging from "Keep it up" to the time I send it out to Facebook and more.

If you are one of the people who emailed me, thank you. I will be replying to you as soon as I can.

The experience taught me these things and more:

- I should have asked for feedback ages ago
- I should ask more often
- People have ownership of the MondayMotivator
- Others have a completely different view of the MondayMotivator
- People actually read it and not just skim it
- I make a difference to at least one persons day a week.

The last one is why I write the MondayMotivator now. If I can make a small difference to someones day and put a smile on their face - COOL!

How does this all relate to you. Think about how often to ask for feedback .... Like me probably not often. We're busy and it's a bit scarey. Ask someone for feedback today. Not criticism, although you might get that, feedback. Keep an open mind and see what happens.

Have a great Christmas!

YourMondayMotivator - Is anyone reading this.

2009 is drawing to a close. Three weeks to go and our 365 days are up. I had a quick look at my list numbers this morning and thought, "What the heck is going on here?". They would have to be the lowest they have been for a long time at about 3,500.

Then of course the self doubt hit. Why do I bother, is anyone actually reading this, are they getting anything out of it, do they pass it on, why are they unsubscribing, why are they subscribing.

This year though has been a busy one for everybody. There has been a lot of negativity in the world and a lot of people scrambling, for their lives basically. 'Scrambling' always reminds me of crabs in a bucket and I have seen a lot of that this year. People willing to do whatever it takes to get by or get ahead. Reading 'another' email on Monday probably isn't a priority.

So today I need your help. I am not looking for sympathy emails, I am after constructive criticism and feedback. What can I do better to make the MondayMotivator the best and most read Monday morning email. How can I change things to make it so it's a must read every week.

I enjoy writing this every week and I made a promise never to miss a Monday. A promise that has seen me not miss a Monday for almost seven years now. Even on my deathbed I'm sure I will be able to get one out.

Are you always asking for feedback or are you afraid of what you might hear? Personally I'm a bit worried about what you're going to say. However I'm really looking forward to your feedback because I know it will help make the MondayMotivator a lot better for 2010.

YourMondayMotivator - Do you keep up a facade?

Do you keep up a facade that the rest of the world know you as? In the last few weeks a top sports star has had the facade of his life literally smashed down with a club.

There are many reasons for having a facade: protecting yourself, keeping up appearances, getting something you want. They take a lot of energy to keep up though and eventually the cracks begin to show, and grow, until the wall comes down.

Being honest about who you are can be frightening though because you are inviting others in. You are inviting them in to your inner sanctum. The place where you are you.

The part that can make this hard of course is a lot of people have no idea who they really are so they try different facades to see which one fits. This isn't a bad idea but it can be a waste of time because none of them will be the real you.

We have a great opportunity soon to have a crack at finding out who we are. Over the Christmas break all the family stuff will bring out the real you. Take a look at yourself. Make some notes about how you act and decide if there is something you want to change.

Pick one thing and work on it during 2010. But only one thing because if you pick too many you will fail after a few weeks. I'm going to work on my swearing and my goal is not to swear anymore by the end of the 2010.

Let me know what yours will be in January and until then take note of your facade. Do you really need it?

YourMondayMotivator - How did I get here?

Do you ever ask yourself, "How did I get here?", and think about actions you took, or events that happened, that meant you ended up where you are now?

Yesterday I did and it was very interesting. I could pinpoint events that totally changed the course of my life.

This was a great exercise because it became very clear to me that the choices I make and the attitude I had clearly sent me in one direction or another.

An example would be joining the Air Force and another would be leaving the Air Force. Both of these events had huge effects on my life. The first meant I left home at 18 and moved to the other end of New Zealand. The second made it easy for me to get a job because I had a range of skills, turned up on time, and worked hard.

Your decisions today do effect your life tomorrow and this exercise makes that very clear. Try it this week and maybe do it everyso often as it will keep you on track to the life you want.

Nothing is a 'quick fix'.

Everywhere I look there is a quick fix for something. The latest to hit the headlines over the weekend is using Lipo Sculpture to get rid of unwanted fat to help define your abs. Great. So no more gym for me.

Except of course there is a catch, if you don't keep going to the gym or eating well you will have the fat back on within three months. Bum, $5,000 down the tubes.

A quick fix will never work in the long term. History has proven time and time again that if you take your time, stay focused, and build upon what you have, you will keep the gains you have worked hard for. Slow and steady really does win the race.

If you want to get rich, do something everyday that helps you get rich. If you want to be successful, make the calls or have the meetings, that will help you be successful - everyday.

The idea is to do something everyday that helps you achieve your big goals and that you do it first before other stuff gets in the way. Doing it first means less stress because you don't have to worry about it for the rest of the day.

It's time to stop looking for quick fixes and think longer term. This is hard for me too but, get the important things done in the morning and hitting your goals will be easy.

Youth is a state of mind

The following is a poem by Samuel Ullman called Youth. It was made famous because General Douglas MacArthur pit a framed copy of it on his office wall in Japan. The Japanese actually know it better than Americans because of this.

I like it because I agree with its sentiment - youth is a state mind.

================

Youth

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a body of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.

=========

Have a great day and here's hoping you and I die young at 120. Thanks to @artofmaniliness for reminding me about this great poem.

Birthdays and special occasions

Today is the day of the year I lie in and think about where I was at this time the year before. Today makes it pretty easy to remember because it's my birthday.

Every year for as long as I can remember I have spent some time thinking about the last twelve months and seeing how far I either moved forward or not. I also think about where I will be in twelve months time if I keep doing the same things.

This occurred to me today; even though sometimes days seem to go by without me seemingly achieving anything at all, over twelve months anything I do adds up and up. So that by the end of twelve months the compounding nature of doing something everyday means you have done a lot by the end of the year.

Einstein is supposed to have said compounding interest is the Eighth Wonder of the World and it can work for you or against you. If you want it to work for you and have the life you wish for you have to invest one thing everyday that can then compound on what you did yesterday. Because there will be interest applied to those things and after awhile the magic of compounding interest will take over and you will zoom into the life or goal you want. It will become effortless because you have kept consistently investing.

So today and everyday do one thing that makes you happy because by the end of twelve months you will have done a lot of those things and you will be very surprised at how good the year was.

What is really important to us?

I have been thinking that no matter what we say, what is really important to Kiwi's is family, friends and good times.

New Zealanders are an interesting bunch. We are seen as hard workers by some standards and yet I have a sneaky suspicion we could do so much better.

I was at a meeting last week and we talked about Labour Weekend marking the beginning of the end of the year. The weather is getting better, work slows down and people start to think about parties.

For the last few years it has seemed to me that I can't get much out of most companies before February so if we are winding down before November that means we are really only working nine months of the year.

I believe this is a lifestyle choice. We have chosen to be more relaxed and have a more balanced life than most. Because of that we work our butts off the rest of the year so we can hang out at the beach.

So what about my suspicion we could do so much better. Well imagine if we all started winding down one week later. The added week of production what be a huge boost to our productivity.

It's just a thought but I want the best for my country and if working harder for one more week can help, I'm in. How about you?

Something a bit different: Time tested beauty tips

Today is Labour Day in New Zealand and we are all on holiday. I thought I would take the opportunity to share a poem I think has some points that really make sense when you get to have a day off.

The following poem by Sam Levenson was reportedly Audrey Hepburn's favourite. Ms Hepburn is one of the classiest and beautiful woman ever to grace the screen and from what I know of her I can see why she might have chosen this as a favourite.

Time Tested Beauty Tips.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you'll never walk alone.
We leave you a tradition with a future.
The tender loving care of human beings will never become obsolete.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed.
Never throw anybody out.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
Your 'good-ole-days' are ahead of you.
May you have many of them.

I love the line, "Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm".

Great poem. Have a fantastic day and the three winners of Mike Hutcheson's book are Norah, Matthew and Tony.

Thank you for all the entries. I am hoping to get some other great giveaways before Christmas.

Have you lost the plot?

Bit of a tough question for Monday morning I know, but just take a second to see if you have lost the plot. Are you still tracking towards your goals or are you way off course? Check now, I'll wait.

My bet is you have lost the plot because life has got in the way and another year is just about over. It continues to amaze me how another week can slip by and I'm sure I didn't get much done but something must have happened because I sent the MondayMotivator, had a few meetings, got a new client, and wrote five minimotivators.

That seems to be a typical week but I feel I have lost the plot because I haven't been tracking my goals and don't know whether I'm on course or not.

Today I'm going to spend some time checking on the really important goals for 2009 and see whether I can get back on track to achieving them.

I recommend you do the same. Mark a time in your diary each month to check your course. It will make a big difference come the 31st December when you're wondering where the year went.

Regards,

Glenn Edley

P.S. I meet Mike Hutcheson recently and he has kindly given me three of his Kickstart Your Creativity books to give away.

Mike has founded or co-founded a number of companies in New Zealand including leading advertising agencies. To go in the draw let me know what major advertising agency he was Managing Director of. I'll give you a clue, it starts with 'S'. Just hit reply to enter the draw.

From the mouths of babes.

Last week I received an email from Graeme McLennan. I've known Graeme for many years and he has come up with some great material for me during that time. Stuff that makes me really think.

He said I can share this email with you as I felt he said it best. Kids are amazing. We should listen to them more.

-----

Hey Glenn,

I wanted to share something with you which may interest your readers - I have been around the block in business and I found it earth shattering to put it bluntly. Here is the story - all true BTW.

I arrived back in Sydney yesterday morning quite early and was met at the airport by Simone and my youngest daughter Hannah and driving home we talked about our weeks activities.

Hannah informed me she just had a job interview for after-school work at Coles supermarket chain. I asked her how that went and she said really good, then she came out with some really interesting stuff.

She asked me "Dad, do you know how much the average Australian spends on food over their entire lifetime?" I answered that I had no idea.

She said to me "The average Australian spends $1,000,000 on food in their lifetime!" I said wow thats really interesting, and she said -

"Yes it is, and that means if I am discourteous to any customer to the extent they take their business to a competitor, I am costing my employer a million dollars in revenue!"

I was gob-smacked Glenn, I didn't know what to say. Here is my 17 year old daughter on her first job interview and she has grasped a basic business principle that for many of us it takes a lifetime to learn. Some businesses never learn it. We spend our time trying to be clever and innovative but overlook the lifetime value of a customers buying decisions. Courtesy costs nothing, and yet we often forget that the opposite can cost you your business.

Have a good week mate.

------

Amazingly simple principle we should be taking advantage of everyday - courtesy.

Have a great week.

Are your goals unrealistic?

Chatting about goals recently I had an 'a ha' moment that goals need to be achievable or they are just dreams.

However, I do think you need to set goals that extend yourself. That might include two more sales calls a day, extra study, more time in the gym or 10 minutes a day reading about something you are passionate about.

As a species it seems we humans are generally quite content to be, well, content. So those that push themselves do very well.

Then what seems to happen is others get jealous, tall poppy syndrome, and like the crab in the bucket story try to pull you back down.

But what are we really jealous about? I don't think we are jealous at all but pissed off with ourselves because we didn't put the extra time in and didn't extend ourselves.

Going the extra mile makes you feel good and being successful makes you feel happy.

This week take a few moments to set some achievable goals that stretch you and you will be surprised at how good you feel.

Do you put yourself on the line?

Watching John Key on Letterman I was impressed by a few things:

1. He really put himself out there to promote New Zealand to Americans.
2. His delivery and timing was pretty good - he is getting better.
3. He adlibbed and gave Letterman a few little jibes of his own.

This is a guy whose start in life was on his left foot. Now here he is running the country, ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange with his family, on Letterman and signing autographs. What an achievement.

Some have said the facts weren't quite right (boo TV3 Nightline) and that he made a fool of himself. However, I feel very strongly that here is a man who puts his butt and ego on the line for the betterment of his country.

Playing it safe might allow you to to keep the status quo, but taking the odd risk will result in far greater growth.

What could you do this week that would put yourself on the line for the betterment of your life, career or family?

Have a terrific week and let me know what you did - I'm going to make some sales calls and I know I'm going to get a lot of 'no's'.

-----

P.S. The three winners of Charles Donoghue's new book are:

Rosella (not sure where from), Sofia from Wellington and Jeff from Templestowe, Victoria.

Congratulations! Next week I will tell you about a special MondayMotivator and minimotivator deal for Charles' new book and give you details on how to order copies for yourself. It's a great book that everyone who wants to better themselves should read.

The Art of Moving Office

This morning I moved into a new office across the hall from my old one - I can still see Lauren though. Moving woke me up early this morning as I imagined a lot of different scenarios and desk set up options. As I was doing this I realised there is an art to moving office and if you do it slowly, and with a plan in mind, it's much less stressful.

Moving is stressful because it often takes people out of their comfort zone and it's the fear of the unknown. Whether it's moving away from their favourite cafe up the road or just the change in scenery, it's always stressful for different reasons.

But think of the positives. I'm typing this from my new office and it feels great. I like being in here. More space for me and the heater isn't blasting because the girls are cold.

So this week if you're moving, or change is happening in your life that is causing some stress, make a cup of tea, draw up a plan, embrace the change and look for the positives. It could be a breath of fresh air.

I'm looking forward to changing the sign on the door.

Have a terrific week.

You're a harder worker than you think.

This morning I read a blog post by an advertising hero of mine Alex Bogusky. He talked about a seminar he once attended and the one speaker, Lee Clow, that inspired him to stay in advertising.

The talk Lee Clow gave was about presenting your clients with great ideas. If they don't like them, keep going back with greater ideas instead of trying to persuade them to accept the first one.

The crux is: you don't have to ram ideas down people throats. You work really hard to come up with great ideas until the client buys one or gets sick of you and fires you. The key is hard work.

Everyday we all present ideas to people and a lot of the time they don't like what we present at first. So we listen to their feedback, find out their likes/dislikes, what their goals are and go back to them with a better idea.

What keeps you going until the client/friend/colleague/wife likes an idea? It's hard work and perseverance. You are working harder than you think. So give yourself a second to revel in how great you are ....... now back to work.

Have a terrific week.

P.S. How many inspirational books have you read this year?

Celebrating with the Fitness Industry

Friday night saw 300 fitness fanatics descend on the Hyatt Hotel in Auckland for the annual FitnessLife Magazine Fitness Awards.

Getting dressed up in a tux for the event made the evening a little bit more special and because I had to hand out an award it was a bit nerve wracking as well.

Two MP's were there, Rodney Hide and Murray McCully. Rodney has been supporting the fitness industry for some time now and was very inspirational. Politics aside, Rodney is a changed man. He has lost 50kgs of fat and put on 10kgs of muscle. He said he still has a way to go but was looking very trim and is a great cheerleader for the industry.

What inspired me about the night was how much effort the winners put in to what they do. The Personal Trainer of the year was from Kaikohe and had started an after school fitness program to get kids moving, amoung other things. She and the other winners were amazing people who are energised enough to help others change their lives.

It's a great industry and I was proud to be there and be a sponsor. Get involved in improving your health, it changes lives a lot faster than any motivational seminar and costs a heck of a lot less.

Have a terrific week.

Regards,

Glenn Edley

P.S. Next week I am starting a draw for advance copies of Charles Donoghue's new book, Mega Thinking.

After four times Olympic gold medallist Ian Ferguson read Mega Thinking, he said in a note to Charles: "Just read your book and boy, are you so right. As I read it, I could see in your words that I have done right as well as wrong.
"Fortunately self belief is my strong point. I believe I can do most things. Now I am going to change that from 'most' to 'all' things. Thanks for writing this book and I hope others will read it as you really have."

And the waiting is over.

Last week we were waiting, waiting, then on Friday the waiting was over. Well, it was a bit longer than we thought because the plane was delayed four hours. But finally Lauren walked through the big sliding doors at the airport, looked a bit confused when she couldn't see me, but when she did a HUGE smile spread over her face.

The important package I was waiting for last week was her engagement ring. I was very happy when the day all went to plan and she said YES. She even loved the ring I designed for her ... whew!

Was the waiting worth it? Far out yes! Great to have her home and be able to work together again. You might even find the MondayMotivator has better grammar from now on as Lauren was my proof reader.

So this week remember, good things come to those who wait but in the meantime do everything in your power to make it happen.

Have a terrific week.

P.S. Thanks to Wild Poppies for the awesome flowers and Independent Prestige for the awesome car. You guys made the day even more special. Thank you.

Waiting, always waiting.

This morning I'm working from home as I wait for a courier to turn up with something very important for me. While I am sitting here, waiting, it occurred to me that some people are always waiting for things to happen.

They use language like; "When I win Lotto I will ....", "The moons of Venus have to be aligned at 90 degree's to the east before I ....", "I didn't get that promotion so I can't ....", and "When Dan Carter comes back we will be ...".

Be what? Winning. That would take a miracle or hard work and focus. I hate waiting for things to happen and feel sure that my impatience has helped me a lot because I have not waited I have just gone out and worked towards what I want.

It is said good things come to those who wait and with Lauren coming home this week I could agree with that. However, that still required work because she was on the other side of the world and I wanted to make sure she came back.

This week don't wait for things to happen. Make them happen. Even if it's just a coffee with a friend. Make it happen.

Another weekend of giving.

Last Monday I wrote about the the Finn family and their project to raise money for Oxfam and then this weekend we had Telethon. Didn't that bring back memories. Bet you still knew the words to the song.

Telethon raised almost $2million for Kids Can. A great organisation I'm sure that helps kids have something we all take for granted, breakfast.

Watching it from time to time didn't give the me the feeling it used to though. It felt contrived and I missed Grand Designs.

Did you give money on the weekend or did you feel that the responsibility of raising kids has yet again been taken away by someone more passionate about raising kids than the actual parents.

I feel sure we can do more for these kids by looking over our neighbours fence from time to time, having a chat and offering help. Giving your time, love and passion is like teaching someone to fish. They will be able to eat forever not just buy fish and chips.

Everyone needs a Bass player

This weekend on Sunday I watched the piece on the Finn family and their venture to raise money for Oxfam.

One part that really struck me was when Liam Finn spoke about ringing his parents. They said they would ring back because they were jamming in their pajama's and he then mentioned that his mum had always played the Bass.

Sharon was then interviewed in her shop and I listened to how they had raised their kids. It occurred to me, from what Neil and Liam said, that Sharon was the Bass player for the family band. She kept time while Tim played lead.

A great Bass player is a very important part of a band. Without the solidness and the perfect timing the band/family/business would be out of time and playing all over the place.

You might be the lead guitarist in your family or business but remember we all need a great Bass player and whilst not in the limelight all the time they have to be credited with our success. Let the Bass player in your life know how important you think they are today.

Seriously, everything is amazing.

Today I am writing the MondayMotivator from the departure lounge at Auckland Airport. I'm sitting next to a window and right outside is a cigarette shaped object. It has flat bits sticking out with, what look like, huge fans hanging off them.

What is amazing is that very soon I am going to be sitting on a seat inside that object and it will take off into the sky, and fly. In the air.

Looking around at all the people it occurred that planes really are just buses with wings, that fly, and we take it for granted that's what will happen.

I might have written about this before but sitting here it blows my mind that in a few hours I will be somewhere a long way from Auckland. We take things for granted a lot these days and it seems that people have lost the capacity to look at things in wonder.

There are wonderful, amazing, things everywhere that are just waiting for you to look at again in a different way. Look at everything around you. Even the most mundane things you take for granted like your pen.

It wasn't that long ago we were writing with feather quills and ink.

The world is amazing. You just have to look at it like it's another planet and you will see what I mean.

Moon landings and car tuning

I wasn't going to write about the moon landings today but driving into work the moon was a thin crescent in quite a clear sky and it looked incredible.

40 years ago today Neil Armstrong took his first step onto the moon and he got there with less computing power than my iPhone. This is the part that really amazes me. They had the equivalent of a 256k computer to drive all those systems. It was simple, it worked and they got safely home.

What I really get from the Apollo program is they made things simple because they had to be able to fix them in space.Today everything seems to be quite complicated and hard to fix. For example I couldn't tune my VW because it requires a skilled technician using specialised equipment. However I could tune my families 1967 Pontiac.

Why have we made things so complicated? Technology provides us with tools. We are not a slave to them. Think about your 'tools' carefully this week. If they are making your life more complicated do you need them? A pen and notebook might be a lot simpler.

Fuzzy communication + Wine Vault TV

This morning I called Lauren on Skype, and the line was terrible, so we tried again and again. Still the same. I started to get really frustrated and then a bit irritated I couldn't hear her. She changed computers a few times and we eventually got a clear line.

It then occurred to me that it is quite incredible that I can talk to her for free and she is on the other side of the world on some little Greek island. Isn't that amazing?

The other thing I thought about was that I got frustrated by the fuzzy communication and it made me think about when I talk to people and they don't understand me.

Fuzzy communication leads to frustration and then irritation as you can't make yourself understood or you can't understand the other person. As soon as the communication becomes clear though everyone is happy because they feel understood.

How many situations occur because you have fuzzy communication and you don't get the outcome you want? Take a moment to think about this. ... If you had been more clear would you have got what you wanted? It's an interesting thing to ponder and to remember when you are interacting with others.

Have a terrific week and if you are interested I was on Wine Vault TV with Jayson Bryant on Friday. We had a great time and I learned a lot about Sauvignon and wine in general. You can watch the episode here.

Thank you + giveaway

This is the time of the year when 6 years ago I got serious about the MondayMotivator and decided not to miss a Monday whatever was going on. And if you are a long time reader you know that includes holiday's, sickness and no internet.

When I first wrote the MondayMotivator it was only read by a few people each week. I thought that was pretty cool. Knowing that it gets read by thousands each week blows my mind and I am very humbled by it.

There is not much more I can say other than, thank you.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for your support when my brother was injured. Thank you for your support and interest while Lauren is away. Thank you for your amazing, heartfelt and funny comments. Thank you for pointing out mistakes. Thank you for sending me quotes or stories you think are interesting. Thank you for continuing to read.

I appreciate the courtesy of your time and I promise not to waste it.

To show my appreciation I have brought a bunch of e-courses from Charles Donoghue and as I could only afford 100 it will be first in. However, there is a catch. Charles would really like your honest feedback about the course so he will be emailing you each week with a question. If you don't have time to answer one question please do not take up someone's place who can.

Have a great day and register for your place here.

(Note: You have to be a MondayMotivator reader to get this offer. Sign up here)

Experience counts even more today

Experience is what tells you are just about to make a mistake again and hopefully pulls you up in time before you do.

Franklin P. Jones put it like this, " Experience is that marvellous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again."

Hindsight then is a wonderful thing but not that helpful at a time when most people cannot afford to make a mistake. Your experience counts right now because you will have made mistakes, learned from them and react accordingly, and quickly, in situations that require action.

Experience means you don't have to think to do things. They just happen. Mike Hadrup from Gravitini.com calls it "Muscle memory" and coding, martial arts, driving and almost everything else, rely on it heavily.

So whatever you have experience in tell people about it. Be bold and let people know what skills you have. You never know what opportunities your experience will bring.

Space and its effect on you

This morning I had a great chat to Lauren on Skype. She is in Prague right now and we are into week four of her three month trip. We discussed her trip and our goals for when she comes home.

What I have noticed is it's the space that is making these conversations better and our goals clearer. Travel has been a big part of her plans for a long time so it has taken up a lot of real estate in her mind. Where as mine is mostly taken up with Spikemail and ideas for Spikemail clients. So now we have got the space, and time, to think about things we have got very clear about what we want.

I am not suggesting you go on an OE, like Lauren is, to get some space but I do recommend you get some space to think. I have written about this before and usually suggest just getting 10 minutes here and there will work. However, watching my friends and colleagues struggle with time issues due to children I have realised this isn't as easy as I thought.

So what to do. I don't know what will work for you. I could write a big list of things that might help but it comes down to you. You need space to think clearly. This could be an uncluttered home, getting to work 30 minutes earlier or even staying later.

Let me know what works for you and I will post it on my blog to help everyone else.

Be great to read your comments.