RICHARD BRANSON'S HABITUAL PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOUR

I can't remember who said that we are our habits, but whoever it was got it pretty much spot on. As a coach I'm interested in getting people into better habits and that of course includes myself. I read this article about Richard Branson a few weeks ago and thought you'd be interested in it too. I can't credit the original source as I've seen it in several different places on the web. I believe it has been compiled from both his autobiography and various interviews. I think it's a fascinating insight into the mental habits of one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs and businessmen.

Branson lists these as his most important mental habits, the attitudes and ways of being that have got him where he is today:

• Stepping outside your comfort zone
• Facing problems head-on
• Being open to change
• Making every second count
• Hunting for new opportunities
• Asking questions
• Challenging yourself
• Enjoying life to the fullest
• Having fun
• Meeting new people
• Trying new things
• Enjoying working
• Always carrying a notepad
• Surrounding yourself with great people
• Taking calculated risks
• Taking time to read and learn
• Taking time to catnap and daydream
• Taking time to think

I love these. I find them stimulating and thought provoking. These are what works for him, they're not rules but how much better could things be for us if we adopted some or all of these ideas into our own lives? We likely do many of these things already but I think the difference is in doing them consciously. Why not choose a couple that really appeal to you and make a real effort to do them today? Actually ask yourself for example in what way are you stepping outside of your comfort zone today or in what way are you making an effort to meet new people. The answers you get will lead you into a whole new set of highly productive habits. What have you got to lose?

SYNCHRONICITIES

Have you ever thought about someone you haven't heard from in ages and then immediately afterwards got a phone call from them? Or maybe you've been thinking about going on a course when an email about the perfect one lands in your inbox? I'm sure you've had similar experiences or synchronicities. Maybe the Universe is trying to tell us something?

As regular readers will know, I have recently changed direction and am no longer working with my business partner to deliver NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) training. Instead I am concentrating on individual coaching and am absolutely loving it. It feels more authentic and real for me. I'm able to do it in my own way and tailor it to the needs of the individual doctors I coach. It's flexible, personal and enormously enjoyable. So what has this to do with synchronicity you may be wondering? Well in the last few days I've read two articles by coaches I admire, about them moving away from formal teaching NLP too. I'm thinking of Jamie Smart - now more involved with teaching the Three Principles (Mind, Consciousness and Thought). Jamie is a great coach, really generous with his time and with his content. Check out his website here. I also read a fascinating interview with Chris Morris yesterday in which he talked about making a similar move. Chris is now closing down NLPconnections which has been one of the biggest free NLP resources on the internet. I was introduced to the work of both of these coaches by Michael Neill who regular readers will know I greatly admire. These guys are big players.

I guess what I'm saying is that in some way, reading their interviews came at exactly the right time for me. It reinforced the fact that I have made exactly the right decision. Friends have been very supportive although some expressed surprise as the NLP training was in fact going very well. I have to say though that my favourite comment came from my most emotionally intelligent friend. Whilst out to dinner a couple of weeks ago she said "change is good; we all need to keep changing to keep growing." You know what - as a coach I couldn't have put it better. Think I might pinch that line for myself!

BEING GRATEFUL IS AT THE ROOT OF EVERYTHING

When was the last time you stopped at looked at your life; I mean really looked at it? Too often nowadays  it's easy to get caught up in the flow of busyness without even knowing what we are busy doing, let alone how it's going to benefit anyone. Sometimes we need to take a step off the treadmill and just look at ourselves, just appreciate our lives and realise how fortunate we are.

Let's see - I'm sitting outside writing this on my laptop, it's an Apple MacBook and I've got my BlackBerry Torch by my side. It's a beautiful day and I'm in very good health. I'm sitting looking out at our house and garden and can see our chickens and our dog basking in the morning sun. I'm privileged to have two great careers - medicine and coaching. I love the challenges of General Practice and still learn something new from it every day. I earn reasonable money and am free from debt. I've got a wonderful partner and two great kids. I have a lovely family and some great friends and colleagues. I'm lucky enough to live in England and so enjoy free speech, free healthcare, clean water, sanitation and all the many other priviliges of life in a developed country. I could go on for ages and so could you I'm sure but the point is, we don't need to. How long did it take for me to mentally list those things? Thirty seconds, maybe a minute? How great did it make me feel to think about them though? Absolutely wonderful!

For me, the root of all achievement is being grateful for what you already have. It's realising that you already have so much to be grateful for that gets you into the mindset to achieve even more. Not only that but it ensures that you appreciate those things when you achieve them. I'm sure that you have friends, as I have, who live their lives at breakneck speed, collecting "stuff" and seemingly never allowing themselves the time to enjoy it.

Why not slow down and step back, just briefly, to mentally run through what's great about your life. Do it first thing in the morning, maybe whilst you brush your teeth? If you ask yourself each morning what's really great about your life then you deliberately create such a powerfully positive state in yourself that believe me, you're ready for anything by the time you get out of that door! Of course you're not restricted to that time, it's never to early to start being grateful - so why not start right now?

FOCUS YOUR EFFORTS

I was sitting in the sun at the weekend, enjoying the fabulous weather. I was reading a book and trying to ignore the dog who wants to be played with 24/7. She was repeatedly dropping her tennis ball on my foot, trying to get me to throw it for her. I gave in after a bit and we played fetch for 15 minutes or so until she collapsed in a panting heap under a tree ...... don't worry, she was fine and the whole cycle was to be repeated several times more that day!

Whilst she was resting, I started to throw some bread onto the lawn for our chickens and the way that they behaved inspired today's blog. We've got two chickens, both very independent souls. They have distinct personalities in many ways but they both did exactly the same thing with the bread and that's what interested me. I tore it into small pieces before throwing it and as I did so they dashed to wherever it landed and started pecking away greedily. However, as soon as I threw a new piece down, they instantly abandoned what they were eating and rushed over to the new bit. They did this repeatedly, never able to stick with what they had, even though they were evidently enjoying it, always tempted by the promise of something new in the hope that it might somehow be even better.

How often do we find ourselves doing a similar thing? How much more could we achieve if we stuck at something instead of always expecting the grass to be greener elsewhere? Think about it. Maybe you started learning a language and then gave up when the going got a bit tough? Perhaps it was a new sport in which you made rapid progress at first and then stopped when you seemed to reach a plateau?

Success involves both focus and determination. If you set a goal and keep taking steps towards it every day then you are going to get there, even if the steps are small, providing you keep moving in the right direction. This means not changing your mind and moving onto a different course at the first hint of trouble. If you keep doing this you'll waste so much energy but if focus your efforts there's no limit to what you can achieve.

THE POWER OF LAUGHTER

              "Laughter is the sound of the soul dancing"  Jarod Kintz

One of the biggest compliments I have ever been paid as a GP was by one of my former partners who said that they could always hear so much laughing coming from my consulting room. I loved this and I've always remembered it.

Of course laughter isn't always appropriate, but those occasions are relatively few and far between. As a GP I strongly feel that my job is to make people feel better and that's about so much more than writing them a prescription. I love it when patients tell me they feel better just for having seen me, that really makes my day. Victor Borge once said that "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people" and that is so true. Kids are great of course and are usually so easy to make laugh. Their laughter is so free, so spontaneous, so uncensored. They're not self-conscious, they don't worry about what other people will think about them - if it's funny, they just laugh.

So many adults have lost this ability. Too many times adults get bogged down with worry and don't make time to laugh. It's been scientifically proven that laughing actually makes you feel better. Just like smiling, it's not so much that you do it when you feel good it's that doing it makes you feel good. Knowing this makes it even easier to laugh and to smile because not only are you doing yourself a favour, you're cheering up everyone around you too.

Think back to yesterday, how many times did you laugh? Resolve to increase that number today. Look for the humour in everyday situations, see the fun that's all around you. Seek it out by watching or listening to things that you find funny. Do whatever it takes to get your soul dancing today!

OLYMPIC FLAME

How do you feel about the Olympics? Are you excited about them or are you one of the naysayers who reckon we should have saved the money and all had 37p extra in our pockets? Obviously I'm in the former camp. Regular readers will know that I love sport and I absolutely love the Olympics. To me they represent everything that is wonderful about sport, not just in the sense of athletes reaching peak performance in front of millions but in the way that people from all over the world come together in the spirit of peace and unity.

It was therefore with a massive sense of pride that I have followed the story of the Olympic torch relay. I watched The One Show and saw it arrive on British soil and I'm not afraid to admit I had a lump in my throat. What an amazing honour for those selected to run with it, something that they will remember for the rest of their lives. I will certainly be going to see it come to my town in early July. We haven't had the games here for 64 years and unless it comes round more quickly next time, I won't see it again in my lifetime. It really will be history in the making.

Personally I was delighted to see Will.i.am carrying the flame in Taunton.

I know this caused controversy in some quarters but regular readers will know I've blogged about him before and about his extraordinary achievements. The games are all about celebrating achievement. Let's get behind them, let's show the world what Britain is all about. I'm lucky enough to live in what I consider to be the best country in the world and I'm hugely proud to be British. I'm urging you to join me. Support the Olympics in any way that you can. Stand up and be counted. Make these the greatest games ever and make 2012 a year the world will remember forever.

LIVE YOUR EXTRAORDINARY LIFE

When I was a kid I loved Jacques Cousteau, the french oceanographer, explorer and co-developer of the Aqua-Lung. His TV programmes about the underwater world were just amazing. I developed an interest in life under the sea and went on to keep marine fish, truly beautiful creatures. Well that was back in the 70's and those fish have long since departed to the great coral reef in the sky but Jacques has remained as one of those important figures who taught me about life and it's incredible diversity.

It was with great pleasure then that I came across this quote from him recently whilst reading The Breakthrough Experience by Dr John Demartini.

"When a man, for whatever reason, has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself."


I love this quote. I love the enormity of it. I see it not just as a massive inspiration but as a call to action. Whilst we have breath in our body we have that opportunity. We all have things we can do, things we are good at, hidden talents. This calls for us to let them out and let them shine!

Have you ever felt that you are special in some way? Don't be afraid to answer yes to this question. Playing small doesn't serve anyone, least of all yourself. It's time to acknowledge that and do what you need to do to unleash the extraordinary you!