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Interviews with Successful People: Richard Powell Conquers Kilimanjaro!

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KilimanjaroIn October 2013, Richard Powell, an IT Manager based at Cardiff University, set off on a challenge he’d been preparing for for a year – to climb to the peak of Kilimanjaro.  Although he tells me that his initial motivations were more selfish than altruistic, it’s a credit to his determination and motivation that along with reaching the peak, he’s also raised more than £5,000 in sponsorship and other fund raising activities for his chosen charity, Tenovus (a cancer care and treatment charity).

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to interview Richard about his experiences.

You’ve recently successfully climbed to the peak of Kilimanjaro, can you tell us about the experience?

We prepared for the climb for about a year before the actual event, but in all honesty nothing really prepares you!  I think the first realisation of the enormity of the challenge hit me when we flew into Africa and instead of flying over Kilimanjaro, we flew around it and were looking out of the windows and upwards towards the summit! [Read more…] about Interviews with Successful People: Richard Powell Conquers Kilimanjaro!

Lessons in Failure

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FAILIf at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

I have no idea where this adage comes from, but the great thing about this and many other sayings, is that they are usually true!

Unfortunately though, we are taught, either formally or mostly informally that failure is a bad thing, and yet in the view of successful people this just isn’t the case.  You only need look to Thomas Edison’s famous quote:

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

for a healthy reminder of the need to try various options regardless of the failure rate, and yet, we persist in holding back on our dreams, for the most part due to the fear of failure.

Wonderful though it is to have a reminder that when we’re knocked back by failure, it is most likely in our interests to get back up and try again, what this saying doesn’t address is the need to be prepared to take action in the first place.  For many people there is much difficulty in making a start on something new without any guarantee of a successful outcome.  But fundamentally, failure to start is the biggest failure:

‘You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try’.   Beverly Sills [Read more…] about Lessons in Failure

That’s Just Too Bad!

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As some of you may know, I post a daily status update on my Facebook page which is aimed at being inspirational, encouraging and a call to action.  I was interested to see this week that one status update in particular was viewed more often than others, and so I’ve decided to expand upon it in today’s blog.

Here’s the update:

SU21

Or you can click through to it on Facebook here.

There are a few themes running through this update, so let’s take a look of them in turn.  I’ve also included a link to earlier blog posts for each area which you can click for an alternative view or wider discussion. [Read more…] about That’s Just Too Bad!

Your Plan Won’t Work If You Don’t!

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mindmapSo, you’ve spent some time assessing your life and your plans for the future and you’ve come up with some goals worthy of your aspirations.

Now what?

This is the time we need to prepare and plan.  The adage that we should ‘Plan the work and work the plan’ is very appropriate for this next stage of our future development.  However, we should not become so hung up on the planning process that we become paralysed with the need to know every last detail of the things we need to do to achieve our goals.

Napoleon Hill reminds us to “create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you’re ready or not to put this plan into action”.

Beginning at once is important because at this stage of the process we will be experiencing a high degree of enthusiasm to get going and taking advantage of this momentum will be beneficial.  It’s also a reminder to avoid over-planning in the early stages. [Read more…] about Your Plan Won’t Work If You Don’t!

Of Ladders and Rocks!

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Of Ladders and Rocks!

Does life sometimes feel like a perpetual merry-go-round?  Either we can’t get on or we can’t get off!  There’s always far too much to do than there is time available to do it and even when we manage to catch a passing chair and get cracking with our to do list, it’s a race to fit in as much stuff as possible before we fall off again!  Sometimes it feels like it’s never-ending!

To add insult to injury, while we’re trying to control our day-to-day activities, we never really seem to get ahead with the things that really matter to us, or the things that will really make a difference to our long-term future, and so we keep catching the ride, and then watch ourselves merrily go around in circles!

Does that sound familiar?  I must admit that my life can descend into this kind of merry-go-round chaos on occasion.  It’s characterised by times when I’ve taken on too much either because the project sounded so interesting I just couldn’t walk away or because I was just too embarrassed to offend and didn’t say no when I knew that I should have. [Read more…] about Of Ladders and Rocks!

The Quote Series: 5 Quotes to Live By

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stopnotToday I’m taking a little delve into my quotes book and have picked out five quotes which I personally find inspiring.  I hope you like them too!

Accept responsibility for your life.  Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.  Les Brown.

How often do we take personal responsibility for what happens to us?  Not just in the sense of wanting to be successful, but in the broader sense of looking at our immediate or wider circumstances?  If we’re facing a problem, do we look at it and wonder to ourselves what part have I played in this?  How could I have contributed to the circumstances that have created this experience that I am now living?

Take some time with this concept, because the more we ponder, absorb and accept its true meaning, the more freedom we will experience. [Read more…] about The Quote Series: 5 Quotes to Live By