Teach Yourself How to Run: Part Seven [Dream a little]

Is there a good time to work, and a good time to play so that you get the most out of the effort that you put in? I thought there was.

I consider myself very lucky. I have been able to identify time and time again what it is that drives me to do certain things... and therefore repeat or decide not to repeat as necessary. Failure is an integral part of that equation, and as I have stated before, physically failing is not your only route to failure here. You can learn from others mistakes too.

THIS REALISATION WILL NOT MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU TO ADAPT. It makes for an interesting internal dialogue though.

Out running this morning, I found the going tough. I don't like mornings. Even whilst doing something I love.

Recently a friend of mine said she had read that having high or low energy levels during certain times of the day are a myth. It was suggested that we are capable of being mindful and changing our habits at will.

So I am testing this theory with my running. I like to run in the late afternoon. Morning is poison to me. Therefore I initiated a change which will hopefully prove or disprove the theory.

Like I said, today was tough. So tough that I wanted to cut the run short. I didn't, but it was internally considered with extreme prejudice. As it turns out I ran incredibly slow and laboured lots. I was confused and upset that my will wasn't strong enough to snap me out of the funk. I dug deep and considered that I wasn't as strong as I thought I was. This was not doing my confidence any good...

As my mind continually broke the experience down further, a particular music track began to play on my MP3 player.... and my legs became lighter. I ran around a corner to be faced with a powerful symbol of why running has meant so much to me over the years. The reason why I do what I do. It was there hung in the sky, orangey blue.

The view of the sun was magnificent. It just edged over a silhouetted house. My body and legs were energised and the music kept me trotting along nicely.

OK, the sun was only a symbol. The real reason for the energy boost was that I am visual and rhythm orientated. Running has been great way to view awesome sunsets and sunrises with my favourite tunes playing in my ears. It occurred to me that maybe we are all pretty similar. Visual learners.

The ability to visualise our challenges and think our way past them is very powerful indeed. To learn a lesson in high definition must also be a great advantage to students too.

To that end I will share with you a secret of mine.

I visualise my path ahead in unison with the music which is played in my ears during a run. I draw lines of comparison to the beats I hear and connect them with the life trials I face. This helps me see patterns and plan a strategy to move forward. Remotely.

The closest 'popular' example of this which I can think of is imagining that YOU are James Bond when you have just seen one of his feature films. For a short time after the cinema experience, you are James Bond. Every car you see drive by contains a spy who wants to learn your secrets... It takes all your willpower just to stop yourself from hiding round corners with a hand shaped Walther PPK. I'm pretty sure that these kinds of thoughts occur to most of us. But we do little with them.

What I was hoping to do for you today was to perhaps inspire a little change in you. Whether it is simply pulling on a pair of running shoes, going for a run and drinking up your creativity with an awesome self stylised soundtrack beating in your ears. Or making you realise that there are many hidden benefits to simply having dreams, and making them happen.

Learning lessons is of no use to anyone unless you can decipher their essence and relay it to others who also need the support.


Engine[er]

Teach Yourself How To Run: Part Five

I understand that if you have been following my ad-hock running lessons, that you may have already realised that finding time for training is very hard work. Recap - Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4.

You are going to find that life will generally crop up from time to time and divert your attention from grabbing your weekly fix of jogging. It happens. If you are sensing some sarcasm in my writing tone then...bingo - you got me!! I'm not one to harass people, so I'll be brief. You need to begin your lessons again - please refer to the previous posts above. Done.

OK! For those of you who have managed to stay with me to date and given my lessons a go... let's give you another one of my observations to practice.

I had noticed a few years back that during my runs, when I am struggling and in the back of my mind I feel slow... I tend to run close, very close to the edge of the path or trail, virtually hugging a hedge, wall or tree line. It makes me feel like I am running faster - when I am not. So, if you are just starting out and want to feel like you are running quick (for fun), try running real close to a fence. Alternatively, if you want to test your resolve - run away from the edge and physically pick up you pace for a little.

We want to be together!

Huge reminder: try not to time your runs for now. You have years of running against a clock ahead of you... let's not spoil the fun for now because your mind can play games on you ;-)

That's all I can offer you for Lesson 5, so please post up your comments and let me know how you are going!


Engine[er]

When did you decide to go it alone?

Hi I would like to speak to about my thoughts and experiences in the hope that you might find some of them useful. If you do - then please drop me a message and let me know.

Last October, I decided to leave my promising job in Oxfordshire (just as it was getting interesting) to persue a personal goal of helping to run a small engineering business alongside the owners. The deal sold to me was that I would spend 3-5 years learning how to run thier consultancy, manage staff, training staff, build a network... all the good stuff. Eventually they would retire and leave me to it. As it turns out, the details were not fully worked through and an agreed plan was absent.

I didn't know about the challenges which I was about to face during the next 4 months. All I was focussed on was gaining business knowlede and doing it fast! To learn what it is to be both a manager and a prospective business owner takes you on a journey, one which some say never ends. You never fully 'make it', you just learn new ways of doing the same thing. You can set goals and fulfil them, but there are always more goals and plans to be carried out - a person with drive will have a never ending list if things to do.

If you have chosen to gently ease your way into business ownership via the route which I prospected last October then please take notes, the following list of points may interest you.

1. Firstly, I would like to pass on to you the gist of a conversation which I had with one of my friends a few months ago. I was confused and a little bit angry - I just wanted a sounding-board, someone to help me put my thoughts into perspective. So I called him to get his point of view. He helped me realise that no business owner will happily hand over to you their business. That's NO BUSINESS OWNER who has loved and built up their business will simply let you take their baby and do with it what you will... for me this was an important realisation. This means that all the clients, all the employees, all the past promises made, are to be upheld by you - even if you own more than 50% of the total investment. To me this is not business ownership - this is business caretakership.
2. Create a contractual agreement from the start - listing responsibilities and hirearchy. It will be evident that from the point of view of the business owners - that their time is very important. They do not want to waste time on training,  integrating and grooming an employee to eventually run their business, to find out years down the line that they have picked the wrong person. On the flip side, your time is very important too! You do not want to spend 3-5 years burning yourself out to find that you were never going to get the opportunity due to something out of your control and even worse, was known at the outset. You have a responsibility to everyone (employees, owners and yourself) to have all discussions minuted and signed off. You have to do your homework and train yourself too; keywords here are - management buy-out, business exit strategy, semi-retirement, business planning, profit shares, profitability (of all areas of the business) and responsibilities.
3. Don't ignore the warning signs. Should a particular aspect of your job/responsibility continually gnaw at you, then tackle it head on with your potential business partners. Speak up! These warning signs are your experience and consciousness telling you that something is not quite right - you either don't understand the concept and need help, or it flys in the face of how you wish to do business. Both of which deserves major air-time with those who are looking after your future within the business you have chosen. Trust me - this attitude will help speed up your growth and hasten the end of any business relationship which may just have turned out to be a complete waste of time for every party involved.

I eventually decided that a future partnering in that particular business was not right for me - or indeed for them. I got on my 'bike' and changed my direction. I suggest that if you are newly considering your future plans due to a boost in confidence, or earning a of a qualification or perhaps because of redundancy, then think fast and make decisions count.

Engine[er]