About a year ago I was going through Youtube to try and find some inspiration for ways to help the people I was working with, trying and focus on the positives. This strange period we are all experiencing is about remaining as positive minded as we can be. So in my quest, I came across a 'Do Lecture' by Ian Sanders a Business Consultant. I listened intently to his great lecture titled 'Finding your Story, your Purpose and your Compass,' and picked out some key points he made. One of the best tools he spoke of was ' The Good Times List'.

This exercise is perfect for right now. Those of us self isolating, who have long days of trying to keep ourselves busy and active. The Good Times List encourages us to keep a log or daily journal of all the good things that make you happy. You might well be in the middle of a box set marathon overload for the next few months, or getting creative or planning opportunities for the future. Doing some DIY, entertaining the kids, exercising or working from home. Whatever we are all up to, the idea is too record all the happy parts of the hour, the day, or week.

If you have a moment when you feel a little down then refer to the Good Times List you've created and this will immediately change your state of mind. This whole exercise is about staying positive, as the more we let any negativity creep in, the harder it will be to shake off. If you use instagram, take photos of the fun stuff your doing to keep busy, and when this period is over you'll have a visual record of a time that we have never known before, get it printed as a reminder to how you coped in a time of real change. If you like to illustrate, sketch, write or doodle, then you'll enjoy this exercise and it will be a great memory to look back on.

So that's the exercise and something you can do with your children too, as a family.

Create a real fun, colourful and creative 'Good Times Diary' in words images or film.

Let me know how you get on.

Lockdown does not mean we can't carry on keeping fit. Lockdown does not mean that just because you can't get to the gym, you can't keep training. In fact many people will be feeling totally lost without their usual fitness escape.  Lockdown is an opportunity to change our habits. Whether it exercise, dieting, planning, or generally putting off the things we could do at home right now. 

Here's a little story about excuses. I once worked with an veteran who had served ten years in the Royal Artillery and then after his service had done some private security work. As his story went he was just waiting for an opportunity to get back to doing what he loved, military stuff. But he blamed his circumstances from even getting a job. He had put on weight, become unemployed and was struggling in life, as many veterans sadly do after their service and on return to Civvy Street.

This persons barrier to change was not his circumstances, it was his excuses. He had convinced himself that for whatever self justified reasons he came up with, these were the reason he could not move forward. So we worked on those excuses and then hit back with his qualities. You see, when you look at your qualities, your excuses for not achieving can become 'null and void'.

One of his excuses was Time. He could not complete application forms to find a job, any job, because he had no time. His excuse for no time was that he had to walk the dog. Another was he was overweight, and who would want a private security person who's overweight, and as he had no time to get fit he could not lose weight. He had convinced and this then became his limiting beliefs, in other words that phrase we all use "I can't.......". Yet walking the dog was keeping him active but he din't see this.

We then looked at his qualities and they matched his military past. Determination, Commitment, Loyalty, and Strength. His qualities were outstanding, but he was not seeing the contradiction from his excuses to his qualities. He was blinded by his limiting beliefs. We then wrote it down, plain and simple so he could visually see what was staring him in the face. When I asked him if someone called tomorrow offering him his dream job, what would he do?.....he suddenly got it, the penny dropped.  He looked at his excuses and said...I need to change my ways I think!! Yes you do was my reply.  He did get a job, not his dream job, but working with a tree surgeon, outside, physical and enjoyable.

At this point in time, I'm fully aware that many key workers are flat out doing all the hours possible to keep us safe and thank you so much, I'm sure they would love to be out cycling or walking or even have an hour in the day to get outside. I truly believe that despite the terrible loss of life, this virus is a wake up call for many many people and a catalyst for change. But this exercise is not just for us, those that are locked down, self isolating or with possibly no means to get out the house, its for everybody.  I am the worlds best procrastinator, the king of putting things off, unless it suits my selfish need to ride bikes or surf, but lately I find myself making excuses in relation to those too. But today I started planning some major change. This virus is making me write more, be a little creative, learn new skills but today I started with a list of excuses and my qualities. Yes, my changes are based around riding bikes more and surfing loads, but more that just what it sounds and for now, its all in the planning.

So what are your excuses?

Here's your simple exercise....

1. Think of something you are always making excuses for....like exercise, diet, changing job etc!!
2. On one side of the page list 5 of your top excuses.
3. On the other list your top 5 qualities, strengths or attributes. This is the hardest bit, your excuses are easy.
4. Compare the two lists
5. Ask yourself honestly 'what needs to change?'
6. Write under your excuses...TIME TO CHANGE!!
7. Pin it on your wall as a reminder
8. Every time you make that excuse...refer to note on wall and remind yourself of your qualities.


This exercise is a great way to realise that what you could be achieving. Please give it a go and let me know how you get on.

Yesterday I posted an exercise about Inspirational characters. A positive activity to keep you focused on how we feel. The idea is to reflect on these characters and the positive impact they have had on you. Below are mine, I'll keep it brief.

Chris Hines MBE (Surfers Against Sewage). I met Chris many years ago and as a surfer was always aware of his legendary campaign photos for Surfers Against Sewage, like sitting on the toilet on Brighton Beach, or a huge inflatable turd, simply three surfers wearing gas masks outside parliament. You see, if it wasn't for Chris Hines we might all be still surfing and swimming in raw sewage. He helped change that for us all.  when I was working with Veterans using surfing as a means to manage PTSD and mental illness, Chris became a Director working with us. But personally he became a mentor to me. If you look on the bottom of Chris's surfboards he has the M.A.D of which he is slightly, but in the funniest and mildly eccentric way, but these letters mean MAKE A DIFFERENCE. 

I've never forgotten how Chris helped me make simple decisions to relieve a huge amount of stress. He'd email me a 9pm at night just to see if I'd reply; when I did, he'd bollock me for replying to emails after work hours. After that I never did. He taught me to switch off, he made a difference in my health, he taught me to have work boundaries and that at 5pm, work ends and family begins. What did I learn from him? To believe in myself and have the confidence to Make a Difference myself. I might not have done it on the scale of Chris, but in my own way I believe I do and have done. Part of coaching is making a difference in others, and working with some of the athletes in the past and present, keeps that value alive. How does he make me feel? Like I can make a difference, in my way. Who am I when I'm around him? A surfer, someone who respects the wise and most of all myself. Thank you Chris Hines.

Freddy Warwick (Former Royal Marine) I  first met Freddy about 20 years ago in Sennen Beach. I was down on holiday in Sennen parked in the car park and he was on leave from the Royal Marines. He was the size of Desperate Dan, square jawed and a beast of a bloke. That day the ocean looked flat, but Freddy saw the possibility of a wave coming through. I thought if he can catch a wave out there, I'm in their too. Well I watched as a small wave came through and Freddy took off. As I saw him surfing this long peeling left hander all the way to the beach, I raced down the beach and surfed with Freddy all morning. We'd bump into each other now and again at the beach and then when Freddy retired for Military Service after 22 years, we surfed together more. Freddy also became a Director of the charity as he totally understood what we were trying to achieve as he'd seen numerous tours of Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The thing is with Freddy he has so many funny stories or Dits as they call them in the military. He has battle field tales that had me in hysterics, training mishaps, or tales of misbehaviour whilst serving. Freddy is as sarcastic and dry beyond belief, and that's what is so funny about him. So what did Freddy teach me? Don't be so gullible!! He always catches me out and I love him for that in a manly man hug way.  What have I learnt from Freddy is to just crack on, don't take life too seriously. How does he make me feel? Gullible but in a funny way, like a 'FFS Freddy, I fell for it again,' kind of way. Who am I when I'm with him, and bear in mind I don't see him hardly at all these days, like a mate simple. Always stoked to see him and chat about stuff. Freddy is just a top bloke that has been there for me in the past when I needed it. Thanks Freddy.

My Dad who passed in 2018 and  he lived a whole life until he passed aged 94. Dad served in the RAF Air Sea Rescue during WW2, he then joined the Police, and finished his working life as Berthing Master at Brighton Marina up until he was 77 years Old. Dad seemed to love adventure volunteering for all manner of exploits during his life. He was a quiet man, a passive man that spoke up,  and reacted only when necessary. His motto was "its a good life until you weaken" and right now he could not be more right. Dad taught me resilience, to show respect to my elders and be humble, but most of all I learnt to love the outdoors, the ocean and adventure. I was his son, so he wound me up, he told me off and annoyed me, but I miss him everyday for who he was. I'm not going to talk too much about my Dad, as that's another blog!

Lastly, and I know it was supposed to be three character, but in First Reserve is my My Mum because she's just frickin' amazing and that is without a doubt another blog post.

I hope you enjoyed this exercise and found some great answers. Keep me posted on how you got on.
Stay Safe.

Many of us are lucky to be time rich at the moment and isolated at home. Some are working to save the lives of so many. These are strange times when we all need to remain positive. Positive Thinking Positive Outcome. So, with that in mind have a go at this exercise below.

Inspirational Characters....

Who Inspires you? Who makes you feel like you'd like to achieve more in your life? Who encourages you to succeed, and don't forget success can be from keeping your goldfish alive to career goals, competition results or not burning the cake you've made for the first time?
Who are your Inspiring Characters?

A few years back I trained with a therapist called Martin Webster, an ex-army with many combat tours under his belt. As a sufferer of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), he'd turned his life around to help others. Martin had become a master practitioner in Spectrum Therapy, Neuro Linguistic Programming and Relaxation. He trained us to be able to work with others and the techniques we were show, I still use today with sports people. I'm no Sports Psychologist but the techniques have transferred well to help others succeed in sport from BMX Racing, Motocross, Gymnastics, Boxing and Surfing.

Anyway, this little exercise is such a valuable tool to help you understand a little more about who and what makes you a better person. So while everyone is at home with their families, give it a go. But here's the key....Be Honest. Be honest with yourself and be honest with your answers.

Think of your Top 3 Inspirational Characters  (note: you do not have to know them or have ever met them). These are people that have come into your life, part of your live, past or present, those Inspiring characters who have some form of positive impact, and if Marvel Super Heroes come into your head, that's OK. But why do they inspire you?

Ask yourself and answer these questions....

1. What did or do they teach you?  For example the honest answer here is not Football, darts or a particular activity. Think values, ideals etc. So ask yourself again, What did they teach you?

2. What did or do you learn from them?  Again, not dribbling a ball, tennis swing or tying your shoelaces? Did you learn  specifically. e.g Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your going to get next!

3. How did or do they make you feel when your with them? You can answer that one but remember you don't have to met them, they just inspire you.

4. Who are you when your with them (or see them or read about them)?  Remember be honest...Who are You when your with them? Again, this might be a TV personality you watch on a regular basis but Who are You when your with them?

Once you have answered these questions written them down, reflect on your answers. Then ask this last question of yourself.

Start by asking yourself these questions? Imagine yourself as an inspirational character, how would you like to be remembered? How would you like people to feel after they have met you?

Here's my three and I'll post the reasons why tomorrow!

Chris Hines (Surfers Against Sewage)
Freddy Warwick (Former Royal Marine)
My Dad who passed in 2018.
(Ist Reserve..... My Mum because she's just frickin amazing and explain why?

I hope you like this, please give it a go and let me know in the comments how you get on.

So here we are, on 'Stay at Home' orders from Mr Johnson, and most have known its coming. We've seen irresponsible group behaviour and things seemingly carrying on as normal. One of the strangest things I read was that Snowdonia saw their largest amount of visitors this past Sunday, and yet where were all these people before? Why have people not been enjoying the outdoors in such large numbers before this Social Isolation? Maybe its the fear that we might have it taken away very soon.

So the weekend previous, I was sat on the rocks atop Chapel Carn Brea here in West Cornwall and I began to really think about  this new phenomena of social distancing, and the appreciation of being outdoors whilst it lasts, and I really hope it does. Listening to the media, work place chatter, social media and general rumblings, last weekend was my last serious ride for sometime, especially the type of trail riding that pushes my boundaries a little, and I hope like many, our normal riding or activity is on hold out of respect, if anything should happen, for the emergency services. For many countries, as we already know, Lockdown is in place, friends abroad are not able to ride bikes or surf; imagine that, but that reality might not be too far away for us too.

Anyway, as I sat on the hill I became quite mindful; wanting to really take in everything that surrounded me at this beautiful place I come to so often; and breathe in the sights and sounds, knowing that I never taken this place, or the ability to ride and walk here for granted, and yet a few years ago I might have.

In July 2016, only six months after breaking my foot racing BMX,  I went down with serious dose double pneumonia and plurosey. At 8.30am I was at the physio having my shoulder worked on, by 9.15am I was shivering with flu like symptoms in my car, by 2.30pm I was coughing up blood, and by 3pm strapped in an ambulance with medical tubes coming out of me, blues and twos going, and racing to hospital.  I was hospitalised for 10 days, of which six were in the High Dependency Ward at Treliske in Truro. I was on overnight watch, my vitals were critical and in the words of my Doctor, "it was a close call". An experience that has had a lasting impact on my outlook to where and how I presently live my life, and now four years later, helped me develop a very different mindset.

This isn't about whether I feel vulnerable to this Virus, I think we all do. This is not about being financially anxious, yes we are; and this is about not wasting time. This is about waking up to the fact that very easily, and very quickly, life can change. It can transform for the worst if you let it, or become an overwhelming opportunity and catalyst for positive change. But this is up to you.

In 2016, when I walked out of hospital, I could think of nothing else but my family and getting my health back on track. I began to walk, ride and surf more. I changed my job to eleviate the wasteful amount of time I was stressed, and the impact this was having on my family life, again. Since 2016, my life has become rich in so many ways, thanks to the right choices, and especially the Great Outdoors. Put it simply, If appreciation for where we live had a monetary value, then I am a billionaire, seriously, I am that grateful for where we live.  To gain my health and fitness back from serious illness was hard work, but the process was exciting. To learn how to manage my heart rate, my breathing and set goals that I only was accountable for; this gave me such a boost of positivity and sense of achievement. Cycling became a massive part of my life, probably more so than Surfing and to this day riding my road bike or mountain bike gives me just as much pleasure as sliding down a glassy wave and compliment each so well. I even returned to BMX racing to complete the late season and did OK, but the fear factor of racing had set in, so Gravel , Road and MTB riding really took over. I'd always loved being outdoors but now something felt very different. 

Today, I am happy to spend time walking the dog on the hill, or doing bushcraft with my son and friends in the woodlands, and in light of the Corona Virus almost seem like another wise choice.  To wander through woodland in awe of how beautiful the tress are, in a part of the county where trees are sparse, is a gift. To sit with friends and cook up Bannock Cakes on a camping stove, build a shelter or whittle a spoon is a perfect day.

But how many people take life and being outdoors for granted? So to add a positive outcome to these strange times....Will this virus be the same catalyst for change for others? I truly hope. Will people take the great outdoors for exactly what is is...Great. The Great Outdoors is the best medicine for life, it's the best healer for stress, the combination for physical and mental health, a knock out punch and heavyweight champion of all round well being. Look at the park Run phenomena, the global rise in people running 5k, once a week, in country parks or urban streets, watching and waiting for their results and setting new goals for the next week. Park Runs are so good, I have done two this year already and the sense of community is alive and well at 9am Saturday morning or where ever your nearest one is held. There are more people of all ages cycling, and touring: living in West Cornwall, bike packing is alive and booming. Mountain Bike parks are booming, and trail centres are thriving. Micro-adventures are the new escape, just check out Alistair Humphreys. If anyone feels they have not got the confidence to get out there and try stuff, the world is changing, coaches and guides are trained to be super inclusive so dig deep and find that little bit of self belief to get outside when all this is over.

Personally, we are lucky to live in a rural and coastal destination here in the Wild West of Cornwall,  and right now, at this moment, as a family, we are so thankful for this. But I wonder after we get through this strange time, and it is a strange time, will others realise how much they take for granted. We should never take for granted our freedom to roam, (within reason and boundries of land), to just put on some shoes and walk out the door, and go to our favourite place, to walk the dog, to play in a park, to ride a bike, surf a wave, climb a hill or even a tree. Maybe tree climbing, and the joy it brings to kids is not such a bad thing. A past time that seems to have held a taboo for years thanks to a 'where there blame there's a claim' culture. This should be a fun  activity that should not be feared, and if a child falls out, don't look immediately who's to blame and sue the park or forestry commissions, encourage them to get back up and try again before the fear of trees and adventure sets in.

I would be amazing and a huge benefit to our health service if this virus also has the power to change the mentality of those who haven't quite realised that their inactive lives are killing them. In fact, my froiend just posted on social media how all of a sudden, everyones a runner or cyclist. When Boris Johnson tells a nation to get outside once a day and exercise it seemed everyone has taken his advise. But why not before this virus ripped through the world.  But as I write that, I'm concious of how insensitive that sounds, and I do not mean those incapable of activity through illness both physical and mental, but I sincerely hope that this virus is a wake up call for many who are simply watching life pass them by, young and old. I wonder if this period could be the kickstarter for a future plan based on sustained health and fitness, and I really wish this will be a right hook that slams in some respect for our freedom and the Great Outdoors and how very precious it is. Again, whilst I say all this from my non-scientific rambling, I have the deepest sympathies for to those who have lost loved ones.

So If you know of anyone who might need this change, lets use this time to encourage them to plan for healthy futures, lets encourage others we know to get outside, to enjoy, and respect what surrounds us and how lucky we are to have access to these amazing resources. Lets inspire change in others by boosting positive messages, by staying connected to the great outdoors. Its already happening too with online exercises, people encouraging isolation based. This is a time to look to the future whilst taking care of the present.

Getting back to me sitting on a rock last weekend.....I made a mental list of everything I saw and heard as an exercise to focus my mind on the absolute present. After observing what I saw, I then closed my eyes, deepened my breathing and just used my hearing. The following list was what I could remember from this experience. I wrote these as soon as I returned from my ride and  thought I would share the List in no particular order. I suppose this is just an exercise to share with people where ever they may be living. If its just sitting outside in an urban area, a garden, a park or riverbank; try this and just record all the things you can hear and see.
Again, we are very lucky where we live right now so before anyone says 'its alright for you!' ....we know.

Sound of birds e.g. buzzards, crows, seagulls and smaller birds that nest in the gauze.

The Short Eared Owls hunting over the fields of Bartinney Hill a nature reserve which is just a gem of a place.

I watched the distant swell lines marching in from a deep atlantic storm and then hearing the swell crashing two miles away along the coast from Sennen to Cape Cornwall..

The Longships Lighthouse breaking the swell lines on its reef below.

The beautiful late afternoon sunlight, something we often take for granted, so I've decided to savor each one I have the opportunity to witness.

Wild ponies just peacefully grazing, but actually managing the growth on this amazing hill.

The swell driven mist over the ocean.

Green fields for miles and the shapes of each boundry, the stone hedges and the beauty of the land.

A runner on a fitness mission on the trail below, I momentarily wonder her purpose or reasons, but whatever, she is outside.

Cattle grazing peacefully in a number of fields from the bottom of the hill to Boscarven Hill below St Just.

The sound of a donkey making that Eore noise, a sound I hear this most evenings when I visit this hill.

The Brisons Rock formation standing tall off the coastline of Cape Cornwall. Battered by the swell but remaining stubborn and steadfast.

I heard the voices of distant walkers, chattering away as they enjoy their walk.

I witness, the bird watchers lined up along the roadside.

But most of all I observed and listened to the beauty of what surrounded me on this Hill, a space I hold very dear to my heart. Its a place where this Chunky Brother can gather my thoughts, walk the dog, have fun riding my bike and imagine that I'm much faster going downhill than I really am!


Stay safe everyone. Please drop me a comment and let me know your thoughts. be great to hear from anyone!!