WHAT ARE your values?

Many people talk about 'values' these days. Our experience is that most people don't know exactly what their values are. We ask questions that help people to articulate exactly what they most value in their life...what matters most. When you know what's really important to you, you can make better decisions about your money and how you spend your time.

What's important about life, to you?

BE A STUDENT of inevitability

Ask yourself often, "In all honesty, if I keep up my current daily practices, where will they lead me in 10 years?"

I work with people who perhaps want to learn a different set of practices so they arrive at a well designed future rather than an un-designed future.

If you're sat in a rowing boat without a motor and no oars 200 feet from the drop on Niagra Falls, we would call that inevitable. My role is to spot people drifting well upstream so they can make alternate choices while options are still available.

Ask, "What or who's plan am I following? Is it mine or the one someone else gave me? Is it working? Do I need a better plan? What do I need to work on that is not working now? Do I have a good plan, but need to take action on it?"

DEFINITELY NOT a good walk spoiled!

Siesta

Opening hours today: 8.30am - 1.30pm and 5pm - 9pm.

On a fabulous sunny day like today I decided that trying a Siesta was a good idea - I wonder if these mediterranean folks have something...so I started work early and then at 1.30pm I lit a very rudementary barbeque of charcol in tin foil, balanced it precariously on a stone wall, and cooked organic free range chicken breast marinated in a lemon, olive oil, garlic, fresh marjoram, rosemary and thyme marinade (which I prepared earlier in my very heavy duty granite pestle and mortar! My favourite kitchen tool:)) I prepared a lemon juice and olive oil dressing for it and the salad and Vanessa boiled some fantastic jersey royals, lightly coated with olive oil and fresh mint. An Italian Pinot Grigio made for a near heavenly experience:)

So now off for a leisurley walk to to the post office taking in the views of the valley and Blagdon lake, and I think a quick nap before focused work time :)

More on siesta's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siesta

Good intentions

This is a picture of Vanessa's reasonabley rare orchid which has just come into flower for the first time in seven years! It's called Napalm Flame and came from Madeira. It's a bit of a fussy plant: normally orchids are in flower all year round in our house but this is one of two that is a bit 'special' it seems, flowering infrequently and less prolifically. The relevance of this to Good Intentions? None that I can think of, but it's an amazing thing and lends colour to this blog item.

So, I read an article by Fiona Bevan on LinkedIn today about good intentions and following through on them to achieve what you want in 2010. In essence, the importance of goal setting, planning and then implementing. Afterall, results come from implementation in the real world.

I could not agree more and I'll repeat what I wrote on the discussion board: don't start your day until you have it finished; don't start your week until you have it finished; don't start your month until you have it finished. Goal Setting and Planning are 2 of the 7 high pay-off activities which I have been taught to allocate to major time.

Which leads me on to another point: do major things in major time and minor things in minor time. Avoid getting these mixed up. And remember, its on a daily basis that we succeed or not: a few simple discliplines repeated every day = success and a few, subtle and small errors in judgement repeated every day = failure.

Finally a word of caution to wrap around all this: be happy with what you have while pursuing what you want. Thanks to the late Jim Rohn for your inspiration.

You can find out more about Fiona Bevan at her Chartered Management Accountant site here: http://www.fionabevanfinancialmanagement.co.uk/ and also her Bright Dimension site here: http://www.brightdimension.co.uk/ Her LinkedIn profile is http://uk.linkedin.com/in/fionaatbrightdimension

There are only 168 hours in a week...

I have been taught that the success of whatever it is that you are currently doing is built upon the foundation that immediately preceded it.

With that in mind, for each of these quality of life areas - physical health, relationship health, career health, financial health and inner health - address the following questions:

• What results are you getting? Are they what you want?
• What are the foundations upon which those results are built that immediately preceeded them? What do they look like and what should they look like?
• Can you delegate this task in this area of your life? (Yes or No)
• How many additional hours a week would you like to spend on these areas?
• What 2 or 3 activites will you do in the extra time which will improve that area of your life?
• What is the impact of improving this area of your life?

All this is more important than money, DIY financial plans, washing the car, cleaning the pool and other 'delegatable' stuff. Who can do those things you can delegate so you can focus on those you cannot with the gift of the extra time that delegation creates?
You only have 168 hours in a week - what are you doing with those hours you have left after sleep and work?

A small journey to a new direction...

Sometimes when we want to achieve things which are important to us or our families, or make important changes, the destination may seem very far off. It may seem like a giant leap.

However, it's a very small journey to a new direction. That's all it takes - a decision to change your direction and you're on your way. Take small strides, daily, one day at a time and you'll get there. Time will win out.

Resolve to follow this formula, today and thereafter:

A small journey to a new direction + a few simple disciplines practiced every day = success

And avoid this one:

Following the same path + a few, subtle errors in judgement repeated every day = failure

(Thank you, Jim Rohn)

Time management?

Not sure if we can manage time as such; we each have 168 hours in a week - no more and no less and it ticks on by at a constant rate.

I found it was more helpful for me to believe that I need to manage myself within the time I have, rather than the time itself. As I say that, I appreciate that this it what most people mean when we talk of managing time, of course. However, I think it is more useful to be more precise.

I have found that the prerequisite for determining what we do in the time we have is to be crystal clear on all our goals and have them written down for every category of our lives. We can then easily see whether or not all the stuff and information that crosses our paths is relevant or not.

Then we need to do less. We also need to learn less and study more. Go narrower and deeper rather than broad and shallow. Internalise what we learn and pursue Mastery rather than dabble.

"There's no such thing as can't"

Last Wednesday, the question came up on the Community Soul group on Linked In about who was the most influential person in our lives. Well, I mentioned Jesus Christ, of course, although while being 100% Man, Christians accept him also as 100% God. So, I also added John Laing the builder. His biography is fantastic; he's a man very high on integrity and his life and how he lived it is inspiring.

Closer to home, and by no means least, the other people are my parents - high on integrity; always did what they said they would do and I realise always put the whole family i.e. me, my brother and them as a whole, above their interests. They gave us time. There may not have been a lot of money about, but they sacrificed to take an interest in us, give us time and we did things as a family when we were growing up. In that respect, we were very fortunate indeed.

Then also my grandad...he was a Royal Marine during WW2; joined up at the start in 1939 and managed to get shot up with a large calibre machine gun which also blew up a mine in front of him just 2 weeks before the war was over in 1945. As a result, he lost one and a half lungs and a leg while he spent the next 48 hours alone behind enemy lines in Holland applying his own morphine and tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Although he suffered badly from his wounds throughout the rest of his 52 years after the war, he always said that he was more fortunate than many of his mates; he just ploughed on and got on with it stubbornly refusing to let it stop him being active. Whenever I said I could not do something he always said, "No such thing as can't". That exhortation is very simple and it has always stuck with me.

A much needed walk and why wasps sting!

Blagdon Lake in the distance

I was complaining recently that I felt pretty exhausted, headaches, tired etc and my friend Nicky Wilkins (Armada Finance in Bristol) asked me, "Do you excercise?" I had to admit that I did not any longer, having foolishly thought that I could keep up with teenagers (and a very fit 60+ year old) playing a full game of football two weeks ago, I injured my knees, which put paid to the running...not that I was actively running...perhaps I should say, put paid to my planned re-attempt to re-start running! Well, when Nicky is not acting, juggling, swinging from a circus trapeze and lending money, he's also a fitness expert having coached gymnastics professionally...so I thought I'd be wise to take his advice and start to at least walk for 15 minutes a day with a bottle of water in hand. As he so rightly pointed out, living in Blagdon, I have beautiful countryside to walk in (the pictures above were actually taken in October - today was just like that, very warm, very sunny). So that's what I did this morning: we walked to the lake and back which is about 5,000 steps. On the way back, we bumped into John Smythe who is well known in Blagdon for keeping bees. I mentioned Terry Andrews who's also a renowned beekeeper in the Mendips (John says hello, Terry). We talked to him about wasps and their purpose apart from to sting you...he gave us an education on wasps, their purpose and why they're a nuisance in the later part of the summer. Thanks, John. And thanks Nicky...I'll do this every morning...and who knows, may start to train for that marathon again!

A Life Changing Question

Dan Sullivan of The Strategic Coach taught me this question:

"If we were sat here today, three years from now, looking back over that three year period, back to today, what would have to happen for you to be happy with your progress?"

Take 30 minutes and pose that question to yourself. You may begin to feel 'unstuck'. There is a follow-up excercise to this. I'll be posting it soon. If you want to have the follow-up emailed sooner, please email me by going to Contact Us on my website http://www.integrity-financial.co.uk/

Day 2 - Walking

Another cold day. Went to the Mall to buy suitcases, heart rate watch and other bits and pieces. Did 20 minutes brisk intensive walk plus sporadic instensive walks for 2 hours between shops! Feeling good about this venture. Will also use the Cross Trainer. Legs are aching a bit - and ankles and tendons in the heal. Running is a good lesson in patience because everything must be taken slowly and gradually. That said, if in 8 weeks I can run for 30 minutes non-stop comfortabley then that is rapid progression from where I am. Then I can train for my first race - a 3.1 mile race. This gives a lot of purpose. I am already feeling the better for the excercise so far. Very intrigued at what shape I'll be in a year from now.

I have decided to cut down on:

1. Cheese (no cheese lumps between meals)
2. Beer (no beers with meals, just one maybe in the evening occasionally)
3. No chocolates
4. No puddings or cakes
5. No eating between meals
6. No Mayo
7. No butter
8. Less full english breakfasts - 1 per month max

Replace with:

1. Humous
2. Fruit
3. Dried Fruit e.g. raisens
4. Rice bars, Cereal Bars - energy bars
5. Cereal
6. Porridge
7. Boiled Eggs, Poached Eggs
8. Olive Oil spread

Need to look at my Marathon book again to stock up on the right foods.

Day 1 - getting started to run a marathon

Me and Frank (and maybe Andrew and Andy - they need to confirm) are doing the London marathon in 16 months' time from a standing start i.e. I can't even run to the mail box! We'd like to do it provided we can be successful in the ballot (there are alternatives). As a half way mark, I'd like to be ready for the Bristol Half which is Sunday 6th Sept. 2009 - 252 day's time.

I currently weigh 12 st 10lbs; waist is 40" and 43" around stomach! That was a surprise! Trousers are 36" - I must have got used to them being tight and ill-fitting. I wonder what I'll be in a year's time? Starting my training today: first, I need to be able to run for 30 minutes without too much trouble so that I am then ready to start the beginners marathon training with an 8 week lead in. I am starting an 8 weeks program to be able to run 2 miles (30 minutes comfortabley) Day 1: 1 min run, then a 2 min walk x 10. Weather today is cold max 3C, dry, sunny inetrvals.