What can we learn from the Athletics World Cup?

Don’t you think it’s a special privilege observing someone pushing themselves to their limits to achieve a goal – big or small, and to share in the elation and excitement of their achievement? I certainly do. I’m a bit of an achievement junkie and get huge vicarious pleasure in observing the achievements of others.

So it was fantastic to sporadically hook into the TV over the weekend to watch the massive achievements of so many athletes at the Athletics World Cup championships in Beijing. Despite athletics being in chaos due to ongoing doping scandals, the ‘clean’ athletes were awe-inspiring in their achievements.

The highlights for me were:

• The marvellous Mo Farah winning the 10,000m race.
• The multi-talented Jessica Ennis-Hill winning the Heptathlon world title.
• The legendary Usain Bolt retaining his 100m world title – by a whisker!

They struggle too

The thing is, while Mo, Jessica and Usain are known to many of us as magnificent athletes with phenomenal achievements behind them, often we don’t know their back stories, the struggles they’ve had to get to the level they’re at now.

While Usain Bolt is the undisputed fastest man in the world, by all accounts, he’s had a very unpredictable year this year. Injuries, average performances on the track, the swirl of drugs allegations affecting his sport (there is no suggestion he’s a drug cheat) have all taken their toll on him. Usain stumbled during his heats race too… and risked not being in the final. He certainly wasn’t the favourite to win this 100m final. Twice convicted drugs cheat Justin Gatlin was, so that added to the pressure.

Jessica Ennis-Hill took a couple of years away from her sport after the London 2012 Olympic Games to have a baby. She’s only recently returned and wasn’t sure until a couple of weeks ago whether her performances in the lead up to Beijing were good enough for this event. As she says, she’s a mother first and an athlete second. These world champs are the first time she’s had to be away from her young son, and her heart has ached as a result.

Mo Farah’s coach is under investigation for supplying a number of athletes with performance enhancing drugs. Mo is not implicated in this scam, but the accusations against the man who has been a major influence in his life and athletics career have certainly taken their toll on Mo.

What can we learn?

Quite simply, to never give up on the dream! Regardless of how hard it gets on the journey, if the dream, the vision, the goal is important enough to us, we can find a way! We will find a way. If we believe we can achieve it, we will.

Focus and determination in the face of challenge and difficulty is key to success – for everyone – not just elite athletes or ‘other’ people. Steely focus on the goal is critical.

Going the distance (excuse the running pun) by doing the work is fundamental to achieving the success we want. Yes, there are times when we’ll be on the wrong path and we’ll have to turn back or turn left or right to get back on track… that’s just another way of going the distance.

I love Shakespeare’s quote: ‘Nothing comes from doing nothing.’ We need to continually take action. Movement propels us forward. While it may take a while, if we want it enough, if we are determined, we will achieve our goal.

Our own gold medal

What’s on offer when we get through the challenge, the twists and turns, the struggle? What’s on the other side of pushing through our own lack of belief that at times will attempt to limit and control us?

Our own success! Our own gold medal! Our own jubilation, joy and satisfaction at a job well done! Now, that’s something to behold. That’s something to keep striving for.

“A dream! A belief! An action! That’s all it takes to create the life you want.” – Adèle McLay

ACTION: I’d love to know if you’ve been inspired by the very many sporting heroes who are competing around the world at present. What inspires you the most about their journey, successes, failures and achievements? How about letting us know in the comments below?

Could some guidance from me be helpful to you? If so, please arrange a free 30 mins Skype strategy meeting with me. Here’s my calendar to book a meeting. I’d love to support you in some way to gain ‘seductive clarity’ in any aspect of your business or life.

Eureka! I’ve got it!

“Our worst days are actually our best days in disguise. If we are willing, that is where the learning and growth is for a beautiful tomorrow.” – Adèle McLay

Have you been in situations where things aren’t going well and you just can’t put your finger on what the problem is?

Not happy in your job. Business isn’t booming as you’d hoped. Relationships are struggling. Stress levels are worrying. Life seems a constant struggle.

Well, I’ve been in similar situations lots of times throughout my life and I’ve come to realise that what seem like the worst moments, for me, are actually the most significant, the most growth filled times, so long as I’ve been prepared to embrace the discomfort.

I’ve had another of those times recently where things weren’t working out in one of my businesses. I established the business several years ago, and thought I had the vision and business plan correct. Then life intervened and things didn’t flow. Not much was working as I’d planned. For an achievement junkie like me, that is sooo annoying. So I parked that business for a bit!

Life and opportunity intervenes when we least expect it

But just recently the universe has been sent me a pile of messages (and more frustration).

Plus that annoying ‘Niggle’ came back. For me, the Niggle is that little voice in the back of my mind that brings things from left (or right) field onto my mental horizon. It throws more curve balls my way. It tells me that more learning and growth is on its way….so long as I go the distance with the struggle I’m having. I can tell you that it’s really not at all comfortable in those moments.

But, getting pretty used to the Niggle, this time I felt really excited… what might happen next? What’s about to change?

I started thinking more deeply about parts of my life and businesses.

I started putting myself into situations that are not normal for me, but felt right in the moment.
I also spent time refocusing on me. My purpose in life. My vision for my life. And perhaps most importantly, my personal values.

I had little planning sessions with myself – checked in with ‘me’ again – something I hadn’t done in a while.

And the answers came ….with a hiss and a roar (well, actually it was a quiet revelation)

Even while I was loathing the weekend seminar I was attending (I didn’t resonate with the style of the presenter, so it was REALLY hard going!), I persisted… and persisted… right to the end.
And then the final piece of the jigsaw fell into place. The light bulb moment happened as a quiet revelation at the end of the second day while I was nursing a massive headache after the tortuous event….. Yes, it’s weird when growth happens!

Eureka! The future is bright

I got it!! The business that I set up two years ago was heading in the wrong direction. It wasn’t fitting my values, and the things I personally love to do in business. I was pushing myself as the ‘square peg’ into ‘the round hole’ of the business plan I’d established. It was never going to work!! I just didn’t see that at the time I created the business.

So, with renewed energy and total focus, I’m in the process of re-inventing that business.

To say I’m excited is an understatement. I can’t wait to bring this renewed vision into reality… (more on that at a later time).

What about you? Is your problem a gift?

We all hit hiatuses in life. We all have really difficult times. We all smash into obstacles and it hurts. Some of us have really ugly times, times we think we won’t recover from.

It sounds silly, I know, but problems in life and business are gifts. They have the potential to support us to create a new and better tomorrow. A beautiful tomorrow.

It will only happen if we are prepared to sit with the discomfort, the pain. Now. Acknowledge it. Think about it. Learn from it. Analyse it with truth and commitment to our passions, values and heart – our love and respect for ourselves and all others whom we treasure in our lives. Then we must take massive action to create the change we want to see in our lives.

You see, if we don’t push through what we loathe most in life, what we fear most in life, what we don’t want in life, if we remain living in struggle, or settle for a life of simmering, we’ll never ever have what we most want in our lives.

I know that as a fact from deep and very personal experience over the whole of my life.

My wish for you is a lifetime of E-U-R-E-K-A moments too. Life changing moments that lead to more love, joy, passion, excitement, adventure and success – as you define it.

ACTION: I’d love to hear about your Eureka moments in life. Moments that led to massive and beneficial change. Let’s get a conversation going and inspire others to travel through their pain towards Eureka.

Business Success and Cookie Dough

You’ve hit a wall. Old and often bad habits have kicked in. Negative thinking is in overdrive. Confidence and motivation are low. Sleeping patterns are erratic. Nothing is going right in business or at home or in relationships (or each of those areas). And to top it all off, you’re not quite sure why any of this is happening, although you’re likely to be thinking that it’s the stress of work ‘getting to you’.

Ever had that experience?

Many of my clients come to be coached by me when they are in those circumstances.
I’ll ask pertinent questions… and out tumbles lots of ‘stuff’ loosely connected to the questions asked. The questions trigger something…

Just recently I had this very experience myself. Everything was going along brilliantly in most areas of life and business, and then unexpectedly, one of my old and dangerous (for me) habits kicked in – I lost control of my sugar addiction. I couldn’t get enough sweet food for about two weeks – not great when you are on 90 Day Achievement Challenge to remove 8kg of weight… eeekkk!

The taste of ice cream, desserts, chocolate, sweets and cookie dough was so more-ish during that time! I made chocolate cookies one weekend – sadly my family didn’t get to eat many cookies, but I did introduce my daughter to the delights of eating raw and frozen cookie dough – she’s now a convert! 🙂 It’s divine!!

Anyway, I could feel the ‘niggle’ in the back of my mind. My conscious mind was saying everything was fine, but the ‘niggle’ was telling me that my subconscious mind had lessons and learnings coming up for me.

And so it did. I let myself move through the ‘sugar thing’ without being too grumpy at myself. I also spent time talking to people who unexpectedly came into my world. We had the most amazing and enlightening conversations, which then gave me the courage to talk to people close to me about what I was thinking, and why the ‘niggle’ and my subconscious mind was tearing at me.

During my ‘sugar thing’, I arranged meetings with my coaches and mentors, and together we worked through the learnings and experience.

While a challenge at the time, in hindsight, the experience was phenomenal! I now understand what my subconscious wanted me to learn and think about. I feel amazing, energetic and invincible as I continue coaching my wonderful clients, developing new businesses and writing books. And the great thing is, there was a real reason for the timing of the ‘sugar thing’.

By listening to the niggle and my subconscious, I’ve opened up a whole lot of new business ideas and avenues, and I’ve evolved my thinking about the focus of two of the books I’m working on that will be published in 2016. So, I‘m very happy!

What’s all this got to do with you and your business success?

A lot! Everything even!

You see, I bet you’ve got your own ‘sugar thing’ happening at times. It might not be sugar, but what about alcohol, excessive smoking, overeating etc…? You know how it goes.

I’m certain there are times when something is holding you back and you can’t explain it, but life is underwhelming and your business isn’t fully charging.

In all seriousness and with huge amounts of love, I encourage you to listen to your inner voice, your subconscious, and ask what it wants to tell you. In the stillness of those moments, listen to what it is saying. Listen intently and often. Let your subconscious mind open up and unfold its lessons and learnings for you. It’s highly likely that you’re about to go on a journey of self discovery. It may be painful for a time as you turn and face your niggle, come to understand it, heal it or respond to it.

But I promise you, once you’ve done that, you’ll feel renewed, full of life and focused on all that’s important to you in business and life. You too will feel invincible and everything you’re working towards in your business will seem within touching distance. And even more business success will unfold!

I know this for a fact as I see it time and again with my clients and the shifts they make in their lives and of course, their increased business success when they’ve passed through the storm that brought them to me in the first instance. I wish the same for you and your life and business.

ACTION: You may be thinking… ‘I sooo understand what you’re saying, Adèle’ or ‘What a lot of codswallop’. Either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please leave a message below, and how about passing my blog onto someone who is ‘out of sorts’ right now? You may be doing them a big favour.

Other articles on What Makes Successful Entrepreneurs:

Seven Secrets of Super Successful Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship vs The Meaning of Life
Entrepreneurial Success Without Fulfilment: Who Wants That?
All Work + Little Play = Boring!
Mega Entrepreneur Defined!
Supercharge Your Profitable Business!
Leadership Qualities
NZ Entrepreneurship Success
Millionaire Mindset
7 Secrets of Business Success
Sir Richard Branson Asks…
Ordinary vs Game Changing
Thriving within the Juggling Act
What Ice Cream Flavour is Your Business?
What Makes Great Entrepreneurial Leaders?

Inspirational Success Stories : Meet George

George
101 years (Feb 2015) and a wonderful man

I hope you enjoyed my earlier blog about George, a relative of mine who turned 101 years on 12 February 2015. Here’s the link to the blog if you missed it.

George is a delight. Life has not been easy for him – it isn’t for anyone. He has certainly had his fair share of challenges, yet to listen to him speak and hearing his stories, you would never guess it.

At 101 years, George remains a vital, interested and interesting gentleman. I adore talking to him, and just love it when, on a whim, he telephones me for a chat. We can spend hours talking about life, family, friends and politics – a topic he has always loved, and continues to have strong opinions on.

At his stage in life, many of George’s loved ones and friends have long since departed. But as George so loves to engage with people, he tries really hard to keep up with the ‘young of today’. For instance, while he has never owned a computer, he is really interested in how email and the internet works, albeit it is anathema to him.

I hope you enjoy listening to the interview I did with to George, and hearing a little of his life story.

I plan to be at least 101 years too, and I am going to be vibrant, fit, healthy and more . 🙂 What about you? How is your life going to be when you hit your ‘advanced years?’ I’d love to know.

You can listen to the original Interview with George here:

Adèle hosts an interview series entitled:

• Successful Entrepreneurs’ Stories : Adèle McLay Interviews…..
• Business Success Tips : Adèle McLay Interviews …..

…where she interviews successful entrepreneurs from around the world, asking them to share their entrepreneurial stories, and other business ‘subject matter experts’ who share business success tips. If you would like to be art of Adèle’s success community and receive the interviews and much more directly to your inbox, please click here.

Other Inspirational Success Stories

A Long and Happy Life – the Secrets?
Let’s Change Our World!
‘Luck of the Irish’ – Do You Have Have It?
Life & Success: What’s It All About?

A Long and Happy Life – the Secrets?

Meet George. He is a relative of mine (by marriage – his wife and my grandmother were cousins), and he is 101 years this week – 12 February 2015 to be exact.

He is my hero; my role model for living a healthy, adventurous and engaged life. A long and happy life; a successful life! I plan to enjoy sizzling health, vitality, relevance and wellbeing at +101 years too. Do you?

So what are the secrets to a long and happy life? What are the secrets to a successful life? Interestingly in many respects, George’s life mirrors the seven elements of my Mega/High Performance Coaching Framework (for life and business)… for a magical happening life.

1. Soulful Vitality
George oozes energy and enthusiasm for life at every moment. George has always taken care of his health, wellness and fitness. Even at 101 years he still exercises every day; he has always been a very keen power walker and sportsman – playing outdoor bowls until well into his 90s. George also eats healthily, maintains a good weight, and alcohol is not something that he partakes of in any major way – although he does like a wee dram from time to time. George has learnt the art of introspection over the years – something we could all benefit from. George is also a spiritual man, and he nurtures this aspect of his life. George is a giver in all aspects of life; he is a generous man. He also lives in a constant state of gratitude for all that he is and has. He counts his blessings every day. He sees the joy in life, constantly.

2. Seductive Clarity
George and his wife, Anne, had interlinked clarity on how they wanted their life to be. They had a wonderful life – they were the centre of each other’s worlds, and they knew what was important for them in their lives. Together and with their children, they travelled the world; they explored. George has always believed that travel is an important component of one’s ongoing education. Sadly, Anne passed away almost 30 years ago. In later life, George has found friendship with Mary, and together they have a wonderful, loving and adventurous life.

3. Sensational Mindset
George has always understood the importance of mindset and belief patterns. Like everyone else he has had many challenges and issues in life – relationships, death, business, money, health and more – but he has always bounced back; he’s always regained perspective and a zest for life – his life. I can’t remember a time in my life with George when he wasn’t the positive man that he remains today.

4. Steadfast Focus
George has been witness to many world and life changing events over his lifetime. He knows how life can change in a heartbeat, and he knows the importance of working hard to get ahead in life. He has always taken ownership of his life, and even today, he still does. He fully pays his way in life. George has worked for all he has gotten and achieved in life, as did Anne. They never gave up in business and in life, even when it was very tough. George now lives in what he calls ‘genteel poverty’. He has the financial resources to enjoy the lifestyle he wants for the rest of his life.

5. Skilful Excellence
George and Anne were business owners at various times in their working life, and they always aimed to be the very best they could be. George has always been a lover of lifetime learning, and continues to be widely read and knowledgeable about the world around him. He loves politics and to this day, has lots of opinions on the topic. George has always embraced the changing world in which he lives, and while at times he hasn’t always understood it, he has gone with the times, and therefore, remains alert, relevant, in touch and engaging.

6. Sincere Relationships
People have always been important in George’s world. He adores extended family, including my own. Even to my mother’s dying days, George was in regular contact with her, as they loved and respected each other, and had a wonderful relationship notwithstanding the distances (he in Scotland and she in New Zealand).

George loves to recount early and lifelong friendships with the many people he has met around the world as a result of both living overseas and travelling widely. George loves nothing more than stopping and chatting to people in the street, at a party or tea dance, and getting them talking. As a widower travelling alone, George often preferred to stay in hostels rather than hotels, as that meant he could meet loads of new people, often young people, something he has always enjoyed. Even now he continues to take an active interest in the young people in his life, and my family in particular.

Given his age, sadly many of George’s friends are no longer with us; they have passed on, but George still recounts wonderful times with those people, taking the beauty and sadness of life in his stride.

7. Self Expression
Self expression in life is critical to one’s wellbeing, and what that means is different for everyone. Self expression can be creative; it can be sporting; it can be verbal; it can be in writing. It is whatever a person needs to feel whole; to feel alive. George is a beacon of light and joy in this regard. He holds an engaged audience when talking; he travels the world; he has played sport; he has done most if not all the things that he wants to in his life. He got his 100 year birthday card from the Queen last year too. George is a contented man with a life of memories lovingly stored in his mind and soul.

So that’s a quick summary of what a long and happy life; a successful life; a magical happening life, is – according to George and in relation to my Mega/High Performance Coaching Framework.

My hat’s off to George, achieving a remarkable 101 years of age. Happy birthday dearest George, and I hope there are many more to come.

Other Inspirational Success Stories

Let’s Change Our World!
‘Luck of the Irish’ – Do You Have Have It?
Life & Success: What’s It All About?
Meet George