Monthly Archive for April, 2009

Be flexible: Find one hour pockets in your day

Published
by
Warwick
on April 27, 2009
in Health
. 0 Comments

I have committed myself to increasing my health and fitness levels and one key pillar is my gym work.  Although this was a struggle, I have started my program.

Of course, now I have lots of excuses like a busy schedule, the need to get out of the city, keep my businesses running, get involved in my improv club and Toastmasters.  So what can you do when you have an important goal to reach, have got off to a good start and want to keep it going?

One key tool you can use is to find “pockets” of time in your day. The trick here is not to get too rigid or fixed in your approach. For example, if you say you will get up early each day to go for a jog and you struggle for a few days to arise at 6am, then stop. Look through your schedule for this week, and identify the times of the day that you will be able to slot in an hour of exercise.  While it’s better to be up at 6am running around the park, it’s even better to complete your exercise targets at any time of the day.

I got stuck in this position for a while because I prefer to run in the morning. My local gym does not open until 10am, and I am often out late at speaking events, so the late opening hours didn’t always help.  By being a little more flexible and realising that I needed no more than one hour from door-to-door for each session, I was able to find pockets of time. Sometimes late morning, sometimes lunch and occasionally in the evening.

Be open to adapt your time to your important goals. With 16 hours a day, find one hour to dedicate to taking your dreams further to realisation. Good luck!

Take control of your life: Drop what you don’t need

Published
by
Warwick
on April 24, 2009
in Health and Skills
. Closed

For as long as I can remember, I have hated gyms. As a nature lover, they stand for all the things I don’t value. Indoor life. Stuffy. Repetitive, loud music.  I have never joined a gym and the only time I visit one is when I am traveling and I visit the hotel fitness center.

I just bought a gym card.  Interested to how why?  Why I would change my deep seated aversion to gyms? In a nutshell, it’s because this attitude wasn’t serving me anymore.

I recently moved to the suburbs of Shanghai. My preferred exercise is swimming but there are no pools nearby and although it’s outside the city center, the roads are not that great for cycling and I am still aware to avoid pollution (which brought on an asthma attack last year).  I actually have a negative mindset about running to go along with my anti-gym attitude so I rarely jog outside anyway.

I have a target of competing in a couple of triathlons this year and want to beat my personal best. My target is to finish between 2 hours 30 minutes and 2 hours 51 minutes.  When I looked at my resources, I found that with no pool, a busy work schedule and not much training, I had a perfect combination of excuses.  I enjoyed this for a few weeks after moving, but finally got irritated enough with this inertia and still wanting to pursue my goal of completing up to 5 triathlons this year, that I had to revisit my two beliefs: I don’t like (and am not good at) running and I don’t go to gyms.

Just two minutes from my apartment is a gym equipped with the latest treadmill and cycling equipment. There is even an outside pool which opens in the summer.  I challenged my previous beliefs. I set up a time to visit the facilities and - to be honest- they have some nice kit.  I decide to sign up for a membership when I realised that this was the only chance for me to pursue regular exercise - essential for a healthy triathlon finish.

In a recent trip to Beijing, I also realised the benefits of combining running with treadmills. Technology is way cool.  You can measure speed, heart rate and calories burned which are all useful to gradually increasing fitness. I want to avoid exercising too much too soon.

I worked out my maximum heart rate here. Importantly, I can also find out that as a beginner ( I have been inactive for way too long to have any base fitness) I should only exert my heart to 50-60% of its maximum. So now I have a heart rate target.  When I am on the treadmill I can set a 30 minute jog to take me no higher than the heart rate I punch in.  This helps me exercise in a very precise way that helps me bring my body up to higher levels of fitness in a sustainable way.

By opening myself up to challenge an old belief that it not serving me anymore, I realised that I could now exercise more sustainably and scientifically. Which is good because it means I can now accurately predict my times for the run section (and the cycle section when I get onto the gym bikes).

Most of all, I now have no excuse not to exercise as the gym is a couple of minutes walk away from my door. Also, a motivator for me, is that now I have paid money for the membership, I will want to make sure I can get a good return on my investment.  Already this week I have started with some gentle fast walks (I record all the measurements) and can now plan an exercise program to support my goal of competing in more triathlons. Just one week ago, I really couldn’t see what I could do. But the fog has now lifted.

What belief or habit do you have that no longer serves you?  They might be holding you back from living with abundance and achieving all your goals and dreaming.  If you need support by working with a coach, contact me.

One hard thing

Published
by
Warwick
on April 23, 2009
in Health and Skills
. 0 Comments

This week my brother will be taking his blue belt test in tae kwon do - a Korean martial art which translates to “the art of kicking and punching”. Testing requires dedication over a period of time to learning and executing combinations of kicks and punches. WIth a full time job and other commitments, it is hard work to stay with the program.

Regardless of whether you are into martial arts or not, what is one hard thing that you can do to put your commitment to improvement to work.  Early morning jog, a promise to take a walk every day, signing up and attending the gym three times a week.

Perhaps it could be a promise to spend one hour a day with your children in totally focused quality time, or to turn off all electronic devices after 9pm (Ha! this is a hard one!).

Make a pledge to yourself to do one hard thing for the next 7 days.  Track your progress.  I am currently getting back into training again for triathlons and am (badly) out of shape. I know that if I rush back into training I will be more likely to injure myself or put too much pressure on my heart.  So I have committed to start very light daily exercise.  I have also committed to join the local gym (a big step for me) so that I can measure and monitor my training progress more precisely.

By completing your one hard thing, you are pushing your tolerance level to greater heights. This will in turn give you more confidence and inner strength in other areas of your life.  Enjoy the journey!

How can you become more creative? Try Improv!

Published
by
Warwick
on April 18, 2009
in Skills
. 0 Comments

A lot of people think they are either creative or not. My own experience of art class when I was in secondary school was not good. I labeled myself “uncreative” and kept myself in that box for many many years to come.

Only when I realised that creativity is defined in more than just artistic terms, did I fulfill my own creative potential.  I was able to become abundant with my unique talents. For me, abundance is the main purpose of creativity. How can we be more abundant?  Well by sharing our talents, experience and wisdom with the people around us for one. Another is to expand, grow and stretch our abilities! This is the hard part.

I enjoy stand-up comedy and spontaneous humour.  As a professional speaker and MC, I am known as very sharp in finding the humourous side of a situation. I enjoyed shows like Who’s line is it anyway? - a UK show on improvisational comedy that ran for 10 seasons in the UK and about 10 in the US.  The show format is based on a number of improvisational theater set pieces.  Add in competitive fun which was derived by Keith Johnstone (another Englishman) in the 1970s Theatresports.

I have hosted stand-up nights and guest improv troupes (Baby Wants Candy) over the last two years,  and enjoyed the shows tremendously. After thinking about hosting an improv night in Shanghai for a long time, I finally took the plunge.  I want to create a show that mixes local and international talent and offers opportunities to learn about the essentials of improv: acceptance and creativity.

After every rehearsal and show, I feel different. I see the funnier side of life - even in the crush of Shanghai traffic. I can riff off situations and turn them into more humourous outcomes. I feel more in the flow.  Improv can really help build up some powerful soft skills:  working with a team, listening, creative and strategic thinking and  the basic performance skills of voice, body gestures and character-playing.

We all know the expression “feel the fear and do it anyway”. Recently, I have become convinced that our greatest success lies in the things we run away from. Improv is a stretch, it can be scary but it really makes me feel more creative.

To see more about Improv China. See their Facebook group. Or web site.

What to do when you are stuck in a rut

Published
by
Warwick
on April 15, 2009
in Health and Skills
. 0 Comments

Even the most successful people get stuck in a rut.  Your motivation and energy levels drop. You allow negative emotions to seep into your life. Your temper becomes shorter. You can’t see the point of life. And so on.

So what can you do to get out of your rut?

The key to making a change in your life is.. to make a change in your life. Break your routine. Take a new route to work in the morning. Travel on the subway or take a taxi if you usually drive.  Do something different. Take a walk after work instead of going to the bar. Take the family out to dinner if you usually eat at home. Buy your loved one a small gift. The purpose here is to break the routine, the monotony of your current routine which is not serving you.

Speed up or slow down.  If you are slipping into a depressed state of mind, you may notice that your energy levels drop. You watch TV more, you go to bed earlier and sleep longer. Speed things up. Take some exercise in the morning or after work. Have 15 minute bursts of activity around the house - perhaps clean up a pile of papers, sort through old magazines or clean the garage.

If you are feeling burned out, slow down. Spend 10 minutes each day in silence. Pray or meditate or simply think about your goals. Reduce your inputs. Turn your mobile phone to vibrate and turn off your computer’s email alert. Put your calls through to voice mail.  Insert these 10 minute breaks into your day until you feel calmer and more in control.

Start with your head. Dream about a wonderful place you would like to be now. Fill your mind with these beautiful images rather than negative emotions. Take out your year planner and pencil in a get-away week where you will be able to take a full break to recharge, rest and recover.  By creating this destination, you have made a roadmap for yourself and given yourself a way to get out of your current rut.

Getting stuck in a rut is only a temporary blip for a Change Catalyst.  Keep future and goal focused and progress- however small - will start to move you forward.  I am available to coach you through life’s obstacles. Contact me whenever you help out of your rut.

One simple time management tip

Published
by
Warwick
on April 11, 2009
in Skills
. 0 Comments

The first quarter of the year has gone. 25%. Still on track with your goals? Worrying too much about the economy and the bad news that everyone loves to tell you about. Well, aside from turning off your TV and getting more positive friends, what else can you do to stay even more focused on your goals this year?

Today I will share one simple time management tip.  You may already know it. Or like me - did it in the past - but stopped doing it.  I recently went to Hong Kong and attended a lunchtime talk organised by the British Chamber of Commerce. Kristin Lowe gave me a good reminder of a some simple time management tips. A refresh is as good as a change.

The tip is simple. I recommend that you use a notebook or an electronic version if that works better for you.  Everyday, write down your Top 3 results that you want to acheive that would make a difference in reaching your goals. The key words here are “reaching your goals”. It’s easy to fill up time with intensive repetitive tasks but how much closer are you to reaching your important targets?  How much time are you spending on Facebook and checking emails? Could you reduce that to - say - ten minutes a day? And allocate the saved time to your Top3.

In your notebook, write down “Top 3 Results” and make a list of the three most important actions that you could complete in one day that will make a significant impact on moving forward on your road to success this year.

Work through the first one until you complete it. Don’t move on or get distracted by interruptions or aimless checking of emails. Stay on top of it until you have taken it as far as possible.

A final check you can use to ensure you have the right goals is to ask yourself, “What actions do I need to complete today to make it a fantastically productive day?”

Stay focused today and everyday with your “Top 3 Results” list.

How a reality TV show will get you more focused on your goals

Published
by
Warwick
on April 8, 2009
in Skills
. 1 Comment

I seem to be attracting more media attention recently. After my appearance on Culture Matters to discuss all things funny, I have been profiled to appear in Shanghai Quest - although in Chinese the name means “Home in Shanghai”.

According to their web site : Shanghai Quest is a weekly 30-minute reality-style TV program, featuring expats who live in Shanghai - their gains, losses and culture shock insights. The show is fun, vivid and practical. Each episode is comprised of a ten-minute documentary depicting the difficulties and achievements encountered during their Shanghai quest; a studio discussion, who professionally provides insight and suggestions on getting by in Shanghai; and an informative section, where the host gives detailed information on the related topic, such as official websites, addresses and contacts. Audience participation is also included, with answers to e-mails about life in Shanghai - from business procedures to dining.

It’s been an interesting week in terms of adapting to having a video camera popping up in places they don’t normally! During our improv rehearsal, while setting up and delivering my book launch, in the studio, in the buildup to my key note at the 10 year anniversary of Toastmasters China and for our improv show performance.

I have a new found sense of admiration for reality-show participants. It can be really difficult not to play-up to the camera (impossible perhaps), and to get on while ignoring it’s presence. On the whole, I enjoyed it. As a performer, I tend to up my game when the deadline is coming or the spotlights are on. Having a camera and interviewer in your face is certainly a way to get focused, realising that your personal brand image depends on how you look on the final cut.

What gets your focused?

Besides having a camera following you around all the time, what else could get your attention for your most important tasks at hand? What raises your game?  If you had to play-back your day, what would you see? An action movie, a horror film or a (mundane) Truman show documentary?  Think about tomorrow as though you will be recorded the whole day. How does that make you feel?  Think about today, what would you want to add, change or subtract if you did have a camera recording your every move?

With 25% of the year behind you, now is the time to re-focus. Take out your goals and targets and pick one area to focus on for the next week. Have a wonderful week!