Taking the necessary action.

I am proud of walking my talk in more ways than one but I am human just like everyone else and do go off the track from time to time. This is one of those times.

As things are taking off, I have been doing more and more networking and somehow this week managed to totally sabotage my development week by organising something for every day. I can rationalise some of this as there were two networking events I wanted to go to and they are all about development but I have not been as diligent as usual and have allowed other appointments to make their way into my diary.

Now it is time to redress the balance, so tomorrow I am moving a few commitments so I can have an office based day and catch up on a number of outstanding emails and phone calls as well as things on my 'to do' list that are just a bit overdue - even if only where my own deadlines are concerned. It is also the first of a new month so a review of the past month is due and this is important as it will enable me to plan for the month ahead.

Now some may argue that this is not ideal but I believe that this is part of an ongoing evaluation of where we are and how we are progressing and it is about stepping in to redress the balance. I know that taking this action will restore some calmness, take a load off my shoulders especially where things are piling up and getting the clutter out of the way will clear the decks for the way ahead. Yes, of course I would rather be able to continue to move on and not have strayed but that's life and although I am full of positivity and am always striving ahead it is tempered with reality too.

So if you find yourself in a similar situation, stop, review, don't beat yourself up and take the action needed. You will feel much better for it. Have a great day.

When the time is right.

How good do I feel today after doing what I had to do yesterday and taking the final steps to concentrate on Walkers' Coach? It's all down to that crucial element of timing and I was reminded of that today when at a networking event.

I was talking to a relatively new coach about her business and we touched on the issue of her website. She was telling me how she had written a number of versions but they were all different and she was not sure what to use or how to move on with it.

Could it be that the timing is just not right for a website yet? I think so. I believe that when the time is right she will know exactly what to do and what information to use. Just like I knew that the right time had come, after months, to tell Eric where I wanted to put all my energies. Like when the time was right to tackle family issues or to move to being the Walkers’ Coach.

So how do you know? Well that is the million dollar question and you have to look inside yourself, trust in your intuition, yes there it is again, and ask yourself some questions. If you feel resistance, explore that further to see what it might be. Ask yourself what would happen if you made the move now and what it would mean? What about if you waited? What would the outcome be then?

Don't use it as a cop out for not taking action, you'll know if you do and don't try to work all this out yourself either. If you need help talk to others or find a coach to work with. Why not use Walkers' Coach and get out of your usual environment and into the fresh air where walking and taking engages with your creativity and makes those questions easier to face.

Integrity

Do you have integrity?

Apologies for starting with what might be seen as an offensive question but this is something else that I believe passionately in and I am amazed at the number of people who just do not have it.

So what is it? Well for me it incorporates honesty, being true to yourself, operating from a place of good and being ethical. Below are some of the dictionary definitions:-
Moral or ethical strength: character, fiber, honesty, principle. See strong/weak. The quality of being honest: honesty, honor, honorableness, incorruptibility, upstandingness. See honest/dishonest. The condition of being free from defects or flaws: durability, firmness, solidity, soundness, stability, strength, wholeness. See better/worse. The state of being entirely whole: completeness, entirety, oneness, totality, wholeness. See part/whole.

Integrity Quality characterized by honesty, reliability, and fairness, developed in a relationship over time. Customers and clients have much more confidence when dealing with a business when they can rely on the representations made.

I believe that if you operate from a place of integrity that you will say the right thing and do the right thing and that it is right for you but it is not always easy.

For the past few months I have known that something I had committed to do was no longer what I wanted. The problem was telling others and I kept thinking that I was letting someone down and that they would be disappointed and angry with me. So for a while I still went along with it and did what I committed to but my heart was not in it. I was relieved when a meeting was cancelled but as time went on and I felt more strongly about the path I had to follow, I knew I had to have the conversation. I had to be true to me.

So today I did stay true to me and of course the person was not annoyed, they understood and even if they hadn't I knew I had done the right thing. Things had moved on for them too and we were able to discuss how to move on and take well considered decisions. Tonight I feel lighter and pleased.

If you are in doubt, follow your intuition, go with what you know to be right and act with integrity, it will be the correct course to take.

Visitors in my area.

I've had such a lovely weekend and it's all thanks to Pauline who had Ellie for a sleepover. As a result Alan and I found ourselves with 28 hours all to ourselves - oh goody!

I caught up with a girlfriend for a coffee and Alan got his act together as he is off to Dubai early tomorrow morning and then we chilled yesterday afternoon and watched some of the rugby. I was rather delighted to see Ireland thrash England but that sentiment was not shared by my husband whose football team had also been beaten - it's a good job we can move on and put things like that to one side.

Food and wine are two of our shared passions so a free evening nearly always includes both. I owed Al a birthday meal so her choose to head to Wapping Food on Wapping Wall. Although being based in an old hydraulic power station the place is rather hard to find in the dark when following directions from the tube but we succeeded at last and walked into a caverness space bright and welcoming with large pieces of machinery sitting around as well as large, and I do mean large, photos.

The food is Mediterranean, the wine Australian and the staff friendly and efficient. The whole evening was a wonderful experience topped off with a visit to the art gallery which given the size of the place took our breath away and then we took a trip to the roof where we could look out over Shadwell Basin and enjoy the view.

Still child free this a.m. we decided to go out for breakfast and headed off to Spitalfields Market. Unfortunately some of the old market has been demolished to allow concrete and glass development which is a shame but the juxtapositioning of the old and the new is quite interesting as is the ever growing collection of designer clothes stalls allowing young designers to show and sell their wares. It was a good job Alan was with me otherwise I may have parted with more money than I should.

As we set off home, I felt I'd been on a weekend break and this one couldn't have been more timely.

Creativity on the hoof!

Another long day yesterday which ended workwise about 9.15 p.m. but what a day!

After dealing with the urgent emails, I then attended a local tourism and leisure show which was great for sourcing information about walking. It is very interesting to note the higher profile that this leisure pursuit now has and the increased leaflets available. I came away with bagfuls of information which I will probably spend some of this weekend sorting through. Thanks to the ever efficient Susan Moore http://www.mooreva.co.uk:80/who alerted me to the event.

In the evening I attended my first Business Junction Networking event http://www.businessjunction.co.uk/and I was bowled over by the interest and enthusiasm people had for walking. People were very willing to share ideas and give me contacts and it was great to finally network on the whole Walkers' Coach concept.

It's been a busy week so it was good to get out of the office today and walk. You have no doubt heard me talk about the many benefits of walking before so I just want to remind you about the increase in creativity when you are out in the fresh air and a world away from your desk. My business partner and I schedule in monthly walking development days. We plan a walk that will take about 3-4 hours with a lovely pub or coffee shop half way round and off we go.

There is never a time when we don't come up with new ideas or manage to solve an issue that has been tossing around for a while. On many occasions we come back richer due to taking the odd call while on the hoof. It reminds me of the late Thomas Leonard who would take coaching sessions as he hiked in Yosemite.

Why not try this development process for yourself or if you feel you need a facilitator, let us know and we will send someone out with you. http://www.walkerscoach.com/

The spin offs.

My trip to Hebden Bridge was a great success although rather exhausting. I rather felt that I hadn't had a weekend and this week is just jam packed with things to do and events to attend. Look out for more news on Hebden Bridge in the Walkers' Coach newsletter on the 28th.

I spent most of Monday catching up on contacts made at the 'Walkers are Welcome' Launch as well as following up on leads Gary and I are persuing with regard to getting some branded merchandise. As my sister works in the design field she has been helping too. There are a couple of options and more to look into tomorrow.

Yesterday I did a teleclass on 'Being Fit for Business' with the emphasis on all the wonderful benefits of walking and I am now looking at how I can develop this further for other teleclasses and talks.

One of the women on the call emailed me today with a contact and a possible opportunity and I am delighted to announce that it looks as if Walkers' Coach may be featured in a national magazine in the next few weeks. I shall let you know.

We have also had a number of enquiries for people wanting to walk so I am in touch with them too. I wonder what the rest of the week has in store?

A hint of romance.

I hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day yesterday, I did. We don't make a big thing of it but do swap cards and a little token. Often the token is books and this year Alan bought me 'Wanderlust - the history of Walking' by Rebecca Solnit. It looks really interesting and I may just get a chance to start it tonight.

My gift to Alan was a 'Valentine's Package' - a bar of his favourite chocolate - Green and Black's Organic 70%, his favourite coffee - Monsoon Malabar, a copy of Conde Nast 'Traveller' magazine and a bottle of Pink Champagne which was to share and we did so last night.

We used to try and go out for dinner on February 14th but in London the evening is the perfect excuse for restaurants, even the very good ones, to up the price and often have three sittings. I am not sure about you but I do not want to be 'slotted in for 2 hours', pressured to move on and be expected to pay a fortune too. Also when you have a child, trying to get a babysitter on that evening is a nightmare too.

A number of years ago we saw an 'ad' for a Carluccios 'Take away Valentine's meal' and decided to try it. Everything comes prepared, there are full cooking instructions and the meal is a 4-5 course with wine. It allowed us to dine in the comfort of our own home, to time it when we wanted and to take as long as we wished, ah, bliss.

Last night the meal was just as wonderful as before and today a call from the manager to see if we had enjoyed it, let us see just how concerned they are to keep it going and make sure it is up to scratch. They will get our business for a number of years yet.

Interested? Well try it out for yourself next year http://www.carluccios.com/

Did not plan to miss another day.

Full intentions of blogging yesterday but my neck got in the way. What? I hear you ask.

I clearly slept crookedly on Sunday night because I woke up in pain and with a really stiff neck that I was virtually unable to move. Not the state I like to be in, in which to start the week.

It was the beginning of half term, I had a long list of work things to get through and I was due to meet up with all the Inca Trail Babes to have a meal and discuss trek info etc.

As usual I was looking for the reason as to why this had happened, so far no real insight although I did recall that February is not always my best month. I wonder if there is a trend and why? This month I was so energetic that the possibility of hitting a slump never entered my head. Is that why it hit me so hard? As you can see lots of questions to ponder.

What do you do when things don't go as you had planned or hoped? Do you just accept? Do you question? Do you look for the reason? I'd be interested to hear your take on this.

I managed a full day at work yesterday although not as efficiently as hoped, I was not in a fit state to go out so that one fell by the wayside although Gemma, Chris and Helen enjoyed themselves and have now met so success in part. I had a hot bath, applied some 'tiger balm', drank hot chocolate made for me by my lovely husband and then had an early night and a really good nights sleep. Although still there this a.m., the stiffness in my neck has now gone and the energy has returned.

I'm off to share a pizza and a video with my daughter and have a girl's night in. She got her first mobile phone today and what excitement!!!!!

Recovery underway.

I seem to get further through the day now without yawning so I know that the recharging and therefore recovery is underway. I had a good night's sleep last night after watching'LA Confidential' so that has helped. Even being woken up by cracks of thunder and flashes of lightening does not seem to have had a detrimental effect.

I planned to chill again today and in a way I did although it was not at all planned and I am sure some of you reading this may be appalled. I have spent this afternoon in the office further decluttering the files that I have been working my way through for a few months now. The thing is on a day to day basis there is no time for this and in a few hours today I could really concentrate. The big plus is that I now feel that a weight is off my shoulder and that is the benefit I always experience as a result of de-cluttering. More energy now to approach the week ahead.

The need to recharge

I fully intended to blog yesterday both on this blog and the Pointless Odyssey one but I became rather like the bunny with the less superior batteries in the Duracell bunnies ad - yes, I ran out of power!!
Ellie's school had an inset day yesterday which afforded us with the perfect opportunity to do some more county top visiting and to ensure that she was not bored we were taking her friend Beth, along with us. The rest of the weekend was also planned - dinner at Elaine’s on Friday evening, stay over and then Al and I would set off from there to bag 4 more tops while Ellie and Elaine enjoyed the rest of the weekend together. We were all looking forward to it.

However, the best laid plans....
Beth decided she'd rather go home and see her mum, understandable as she was then going skiing for a week with her dad so the girls opted to do that. Amazingly for Ellie it was a difficult decision so being out with the folks on Pointless Odyssey can't have been that bad after all?

Al and I set off and I had images of a bit of walking in mind and getting some steps in. As we got into the Chilterns the snow was deeper and there was more of it. I was rather excited at the opportunity to take photos and was thinking how much fun the girls would have had.

You can visit http:pointlessodyssey.blogspot.com for all the details but everything did not run as smoothly as planned resulting in my frustration making itself known. I have now taken on the co-ordinating role but that is another story........

What did happen was a lovely walk through a snowy wood and a delicious pub lunch, well they sort of go together don't they?

So we set off back home and that is when I started to run out of gas. I was feeling weighted down my exhaustion and my eyes were heavy - not good when you are driving. It was great to arrive at Angie’s to pick up Ellie and a pot of coffee was very welcome. 'This will perk me up' I thought. Wrong - by the time we drove home the only thing I wanted to do was go to bed, very unusual for me. I was feeling very cold and buried down under two duvets with my socks still on and I dozed for an hour or so.

At 5.30 I knew that I had to have a shower, pack and get out of the house in 30 minutes flat but I was too exhausted to move and even the temptation of a great meal at Elaine's - she is a fab cook and the opportunity to meet some great people - she also excels as a networker was not doing it for me.

It was Alan who finally told me as it was an once the decision had been made I could relax. Listening to my body is something I have got so much better at but even then the 'I am letting others down' still get's through. Alan was right Elaine totally understood.

So today, I chilled. I took time out and listened to the messages. I had a leisurely breakfast, read a book from cover to cover, had a long bath and did not much else. I acknowledged that I had 'been going like the clappers' since January so I gave in and the power is slowly returning. Thankfully I also have tomorrow because there are lots of things to be done next week.

The trees are not quite as laden as this now as the thaw is underway but this is how they looked earlier this morning.

What a lovely day I have had, since restoring calm. I kept away from my email so I could go through some notes from Gary, my partner in crime with regard to walking and what an amazing load of stuff he has sent me.

My mind is racing, the buzz is there and I am feeling so lucky to be doing exactly what I love.

An unpredicatble start.

'But it's not the alarm' - somwhere in my brain these thoughts were surfacing and then I realised it was the phone. That was my introduction to today . The call at 6.56a.m. was from the infant school head wanting to advise my husband (chair of governors) that she was intending closing the school. Alan was in Wales and I had not even looked out the window.

I did of course after the call and was welcomed by a winter wonderland, even more perfect at the back of the house where no-one had ruined the virgin snow. As you can imagine one 10 year old was very excited and hoped upon hope that her school would be closed too. That was not to be so rather resolutely she and Beth trudged off to school knowing that there was a distinct possibility that the snow may have gone by the time school came to a close.

Meanwhile in Cardiff Alan waited to see what his day would bring. At 10.00 the course was officially cancelled as only 10 of the 50 participants had made it but there are no trains running in Wales at present so Alan is stranded until further notice. I wonder will my husband return tonight or not.

As with any situation though there is good to come out of it. Ellie's parent's evening has beenn postponed and both myself and Angie are pleased that the dads will hopefully be able to make the next date. After the rather rude awakening and confused start to the day I had the opportunity to have coffee with Angie which restored calm and having done the ironing while the office warmed up, I can tackle the day.

I hope your day is working out well wherever you are. If hassled by it, take a little time out and think how you can make it work for you and reinstate some calm and flow.

Frost and snow

I wonder how the daffodils are today due to last night's heavy frost. Will my geraniums, which are still blooming in the window boxes, finally get killed off because of the cold weather? Perhaps the snow forecast for tomorrow will be their downfall.

Having heard that 6 inches of snow are forecast for tomorrow and that it will be the worst snow for ages, I looked up the forecast for London today. Well there are a few snow showers prediced but nothing too much. Alan is in Cardiff and the country's worst snow is meant to be in South Wales but not according to the forecast where 6 degrees is forecast. Guess we shall just have to wait and see when we wake up.....

This morning was a beautiful morning to walk and next to the sunshine I've decided that it is my favourite weather to walk in. Yes, it is cold but you can wrap up easily and strip off the layers depending on how much you warm up. There is a sort of an ethereal feel when it is frosty and although I could not see the sun directly for much of the walk, I could see the effects of it reflecting from buildings. Those that were white or pale were touched by a pinky/golden light - just stunning. Then finally as I turned for home and rounded a corner there was this golden ball in the sky. It looked so powerful and full of energy and totally opposite to the moon which looked pale and fragile but none the less beautiful. I just wanted to keep walking and kept lengthening my route until I really had to go back. What a great way to be.

I know that amongst all these walking benefits, one that I should add is my growing awareness of nature and its beauty and in turn the appreciation and gratitude of it. It really is magical.

Daffodils.

Clearly yesterday's blog struck a cord so thanks for the feedback.

Building on from that I want to pass on a story that a friend and colleague Zoe forwarded to me.

The Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead "I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren."Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother." "Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.

"But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."

"Carolyn," I said sternly, "Please turn around." "It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden." We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.

It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.

"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn. "Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958.

"For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world ...

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!

"My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said.

She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"

Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting.....Until your car or home is paid off. Until you get a new car or home. Until your kids leave the houseUntil you go back to school. Until you finish schoolUntil you clean the houseUntil you organize the garageUntil you clean off your desk. Until you lose 10 lbs. Until you gain 10 lbs. Until you get married. Until you get a divorce. Until you have kids. Until the kids go to school. Until you retireUntil summer. Until spring. Until winter. Until fall. Until you die...There is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money. Love like you've never been hurt, and, dance like no one's watching.

I have seen too many people miss life out due to putting things off, don't let that be you. What have you been putting off? One thing that comes to mind for me is the wish that I had written a letter to Ellie, my daughter when she was born and on every birthday. I did not do it and I think of it with sorrow every year. Now however, I am going to write that first letter tonight.

Gremlins.

Over the last couple of days I have run out of steam. Not surprising in a way given the amount I have been doing and the speed at which I have been adding things to my routine but of course I have been giving myself a hard time.

My gremlin has been telling me how useless I am etc but you know what? I am now on confront time. We all have gremlins, that little voice that makes us doubt our abilities and question the goals we have set. The natural response is to try to ignore them in the hope that they will go away but that encourages them even more. What you need to do is to turn right round and your gremlin why he/she are talking a load of rubbish.

When I slipped into 'down' mode in the past it could take ages before I came back out of it but slowly I have been improving and this time it only took a couple of days to confront my gremlin and send it running off. I tell you, do that enough and it doesn't appear quite so often.

The gremlin issue always reminds me of a lovely client called Anita who would go running when she felt down and would imagine that she was pounding her gremlin underfoot. It always worked for her.

Think about what you can do to silence your gremlin.

And finally when you hit a bad patch organise some treats, it helps. Today I spent about 5 hours with my lovely friend Marina. First she showed me round her wonderful holistic dental practice - the Lavender Barn, then we walked in Hatfield Forest in the sunshine and finally we had a relaxing and long lunch in the Lemon Tree in Bishops Stortford. Lots of talking , loads of brainstorming and just great company.

I am so grateful for this fab day and for getting back on track so quickly.