Project 366 / 152 - Buick, photography and consistency

I've spoken before about how it is easy to write one great blog post, or take one great picture, or do one great thing from one genre but how the difficult part is doing it over and over again. I believe that this consistency is was separates the good from the great. I read recently about how something like 80% of blogs only live for 2-3 weeks, after which they lie dormant, never to be written again. It's a sad state of the level of commitment but also a reflection of the work that these things take.

I own a company that restores cars. We've completed lots of military (world war 2) American staff cars (civilian cars used by military personnel) and Harley Davidson motorbikes over the years. A few years back I suggested that we move out of the military genre and into the more lucrative classic car market. We'd learnt a lot from the military scene but I felt now the time was right to step up.

As luck would have it we found a very rare 1941 Buick Woodie, a half-metal-half-wood American beast that had been left to rot and die somewhere in El Paso, Texas USA. Probably foolishly we purchased it from some well angled photos - foolishly because we couldn't hide our shock at it's condition when it arrived in our workshop. This thing was going to need a miracle, not forgetting a lot of money, to bring back to life.

That was 3 years ago. We started the restoration in February 2014, some 25 months ago and have not stopped working on it since. To say it's been a labour of love would be an understatement but there is also a huge sense of responsibility to preserve what can only be described as an extremely rare piece of history.

We've kept its existence a secret, telling only a select few. We felt that when it was ready to unveil then we would show it in it's full glory, but not before. I believed that you only get one chance to make a first impression and I knew that we had to be patient. I think our patience will pay off.

Today we took the car for it's photoshoot. I've taken a lot of photos of cars and bikes (all for my own company admittedly) and have managed to create some reasonable shots along the way. But today was different - I felt had to deliver. I had to capture some good shots. Everyone else had done their job, the car was perfect and I'd talked the talk for months, now was the time to walk the walk.

It's all very easy to take one good photo. Consistency is the key.

Things turned out just great. There is a large batch of almost perfect photos to choose from, I'm almost spoilt for choice and I can't wait to share them with the rest of the team. But you have to remember, today for me was the accumulation of years of photographing cars and bikes. Making mistakes, trial and error, learning and falling but in the end persevering. And that's what this is all about. It's about trying, it's about failing and it's about putting in the effort. Don't be afraid to get it wrong, don't be afraid to fail because in the end that is exactly how you learn.

Project 366 / 151 - Passing of time, kids and balls

It's amazing how time has a habit of passing us by without so much of an acknowledgment. The days pass into weeks, the weeks into months, the months into seasons and then, in a heartbeat, another year has passed us by.

It's only when we visit those who don't appear in our everyday lives that time begins to show its face. Babies turn to children, children to teenagers and teenagers into grown ups. This was highlighted today when we visited my in-laws. Our children and their cousins are growing up so fast, the eldest of which has not only grown taller (obviously) but his face has taken on a maturity that I hadn't noticed before. It's not halloween scary but you know what I mean.

It's sad that people spend their entire weeks wishing it was Friday, wanting and waiting for the weekend like it's some kind of saviour. Wistfully wishing their entire lives away and for what? 100+ days of partying a year all the while missing out on 265 days of that thing we call "life".

I love my life, I love every day - Monday through to Sunday. I don't dread anything or any moment. Yes I love being with my family but I also love providing for them. I love my job and what I'm achieving probably more now than at any time in my career. We've done well but we're striving to do even better.

My old man used to say that you need a lot of balls up in the air. That might sound strange but he was talking about opportunities, about deals and about prospects. Just like a fine wine, things take time to develop and ferment so the more "balls" you have up in the air the greater the chance you have of turning some of those prospects into some form of success.

Project 366 / 150 - Apple, synching and curlies

After setting up my 2nd office at work and moving most of my "tech" from home to its new home at work I began to realise that I'd made a bit of a mistake inasmuch that I'd lost all connectivity to my home hub of photos and music. A hard drive of this kind of data is really useful only if you've got some form of hardware to actually access it, so a trip to the Apple store was in order.

Now there is something extremely gratifying with walking out of the Apple store laden with bags. Now whilst Steve Jobs really did do an excellent job in design, where he hit the nail on the head for me was the experience of buying and the experience of unpacking your new "toy". It really is exquisite, regardless of the level of purchase that you’ve made.

It's a bank holiday Sunday and the sun was shining so the store was empty. Still, I knew the purpose of my visit so the meet and greet team came in useful. "Yes you can definitely help me" was my immediate retort. And help me they did, admittedly out of a fair chunk of cash (nothing is cheap when you buy Apple products) but I was more than happy.

My only gripe is the volume of updates that are required upon starting. I know these are unavoidable but they are frustrating. Cleverly though the machine syncs with everything, knows who you are, all your passwords and logins and you're up and running in no time. Dangerous I guess but clever.

Whilst Microsoft was happy to make a very fast and fat buck being compatible with everyone, Jobs wanted the opposite. The result was slow growth but the tie in is enviably clever. Once you make the move to Apple you move to Apple. Phones, tablets, laptops, cameras, speakers, watches, TV... everything links seamlessly, everything talks to each other effortlessly. The thought of ever moving away feels like a very bad idea indeed.

Apple seem to have you by the short and curlies but in all honestly, I don't think anyone seems to mind.

Project 366 / 149 - Birds and noise pollution

I've never been a big fan of birds, the ornithological variety that is. My father in law is a twitcher or whatever you call them. On the one hand his is a big environmental campaigner, constantly preaching the damage cars, trains, planes, bikes, trucks and buses are doing to the environment, yet on the other hand happily travelling miles in the hope of catching a glimpse of a rare bird. The irony being that these birds might be rare due to environmental damage which his journey is contributing to.

No I've never had that same, or remotely similar fascination and now this situation has been made worse. Let me explain...

A couple of years ago we had solar panels fitted to our house. All was well for the first year until a family of pigeons decided that it would be a great idea to roost underneath the panels. The problem? Our bedroom is in the attic of the house, directly underneath a large section of the panels. It began at 7am and is getting earlier every passing day, the noise of roosting pigeons... It's like Chinese water torture but in a audible way.

In all honestly we're up early every day so apart from a rare weekend where we may try a lie in its not that much of an issue. But what's happened next is what's driving us over the edge.

Part of our bedroom refit a few years ago was an overhaul of our fireplace. We've now got a gas fire in the wall and it's a really nice feature for those long winter nights. But we're in the attic, the roof space of the house so we're meters from the chimney and those damn birds, those bi-winged, chirpy-chattery spawns of satan have decided to nest in the chimney. They've obviously also dragged some loud hailer up there and pointed it down the chimney just so I don't miss every single note of their dawn song.

4.15am every morning for 45 minutes.

And then the pigeons start.

I slept in our spare back bedroom last night, smugly grinning myself to sleep, happy in the knowledge that they couldn't find me, they couldn't wake me and I was to get the best nights sleep in a few weeks. I woke with a start at 4.45am to a knocking sound.

"hello?"

Nothing... Then, more knocking. As I regained my senses I worked out that the knocking was coming from the en-suite bathroom. I slowly entered. The room was empty. Empty that was with the exception of a seagull on the windowsill, using the window to clean its beak. W... T... F... !!!!

I shooed it away but it came back, this time almost defiantly staring at me in a "ner ner you can't get me" way.

I returned to bed and tried just crying myself to sleep but it didn't work. Instead I began plotting... Electric windows? Spikes on the windowsill? Hmmm, they'd just move to another section of the house. No, we'd need to cover the house in spikes and electric fences. Ha, that'd stop them. Yes the house would be surrounded by dead birds but they'd learn.

Knowing my luck though it'd cause a mutation. We'd end up with the X-Birds or Iron Bird, Hulk Bird, Captain Bird and Thor-Bird. Either that or we'd end up being a real life version of Angry Birds.

Nope, it's back to the drawing bird, I mean board...

Project 366 / 148 - Routines, creating and the groove

I'm amazed by how different we all are. How we're all wired so differently, how different things motivate each and every one of us and how one person prioritises one thing that another has no care for. My way isn't the right way just as much as your way isn't the right way. But my way may be right for me just as you way might be right for you.

What I'm trying to get at is that you have to do you. You have to live your life for you.

I watch and learn a lot of things every day. I'm always interested to understand successful people's routines and their habits. What I've learnt isn't any particular routine but a set of disciplines. Just as you'll watch a famous sportsperson perform a strange pre-race/pre-match routine to get themselves into the correct mindset, so do successful people. They set themselves up to be in the best position to succeed.

But aside from that, it's interesting to see how people are affected by their environment. Some work best alone, whilst others work best in teams. Some work best in dead silence, whilst others need the white noise. Some think first whilst others do first. There are multiple variables, I think each of which are worth experimenting with. There's no right or wrong way, there's only results.

I'm in a situation right now where I'm pushing myself to be more creative. From daily blog writing to content creation at work. It's a very enjoyable process yet frustrating as I want to be spending all my time creating, yet there are bills to pay and the buck stops with me.

I remember a number of years ago when I was writing music prolifically, I would set my alarm extra early to sit in my studio putting down tracks for an extra hour or two before work. I'd race home after work, walk the dog, make my dinner and eat in my studio laying down track after track. I wrote, recorded, edited, mixed and produced every single day for a long period of time and did little else. It was an extremely creative time. But there was a sense of urgency about it all. A feeling that if I stopped I'd struggle to start again.

Ultimately something came along which did disrupt me and it was years before I recommenced, never again finding that same creative groove.

Madonna once sang "Get into the groove" and that's what you've got to do. You've got to find it in your own way and when you're in it then ride it for as long as you can.

Project 366 / 147 - Then, now and Nan

Age is a funny thing. It does all sorts of things to you. It qualifies you for some things, gives you confidence in another and yet at the same time excludes you from some other things.

When we're young we want to be older and when we're older we want to be young. The wonderful film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" almost had it spot on, telling a story of a person who was born as an old man and ages in reverse. The only improvement I could see would to be grow old normally and then, at the end of your life age in reverse all the way back to being a baby.

My wife's Nan died this morning. Eve was 98 years old. She was born in 1917, lived through 2 World Wars, saw Roger Bannister break the 4 minute mile, watched as man first went to space, the moon landings, experienced Elvis, The Beatles, Martin Luther King, JFK, witnessed the rise and fall of Concorde and The Berlin wall, seen 23 prime ministers and 17 US presidents come and go and seen the world literally change before her eyes.

We all worry about getting old, about ageing and our bodies failing. Our youthful looks are fleeting, they'll come and go far too soon so what really matters is what is inside. Appreciate your age, for your stage in life. It's corny to say that you're the oldest you've ever been and the youngest you'll ever be but it's true. Don't wish it away, stop waiting for that perfect moment to come because if you do it'll never arrive. And then one day you'll look back with regret.

Now is that time, you have to make it that time. You'll never be 100% ready and you may not be here tomorrow, yet you could live another 50 years. Worrying won't stop the bad things from happening, it just stops you enjoying the good. It's like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere.

Project 366 / 146 - Tolerance, insomnia and learning

I'm trying to be patient. I'm trying to be tolerant. I'm trying to understand, I really am. But the wave of ignorance that I'm surrounded by sometimes makes it nye on impossible.

People are moaners. They are complainers and protagonists. They'll bitch and moan until the cows come home and then they'll complain about them too. Hell they'll even have friendships predicated on complaining, making dinner plans just to go out and have a "good old moan". Really? Seriously?

But what will they do about it all? Sweet F.A. and that's my gripe. I hear it all day, people bitching and moaning about their lives or the fact that they've got no money. But then they sit there for their hour at lunch break playing on their phones, on Facebook or some mindless unproductive activity. They'll then leave at the end of the day and crash on the sofa and watch hours of TV, or play video games until bed.

And then repeat, day after day all the while wondering why they aren't progressing, improving and moving towards their goal.

But thinking about it they probably haven't even set a goal. They're drifting aimlessly.

These are the same people who have an hour at lunch and at least 3 hours in the evening to work on something meaningful. That's 4 hours each day. That's 20 hours just Monday to Friday. Think what you could achieve with that time.

I was talking about insomnia at work the other day. I'd mentioned that I'd spent months waking up at 4am and not being able to get back off to sleep so I'd get up, have some food and use the time to research and learn some marketing skills. One of my employees asked why I thought I'd been waking up at 4am to which I replied that it was due to me having a lot on my mind from work. They then replied that they thought that when I went home I forgot all about work until the next day. They found it funny and strange that I'd be thinking about business outside the office, to the point that it would wake me up in the middle of the night. They found it even stranger that I'd then use that time to learn something for business.

The truth is that I'm learning every day. I listen to podcasts, I watch YouTube videos and I read articles every single day. I use all my time, even the 5-10 minute drive to and from work to listen and learn and I'm frustrated that I don't have more time.

Youth really is wasted on the young. My only real regret is wasting time when I was younger, even into my early 30's. I guess I was just making up for lost time as I'd spent my entire 20's with my head down, working and learning my craft. I barely went out, maybe a handful of times per year and spent my time just grafting and earning. I started my own business when I was 29 and it was relatively successful quite quickly before plateauing. I then found myself single at 32 so partied for a few years until 35 when I settled down and started a family.

Looking back I could have used those 2-3 years so much more productively. But that's hindsight.

Project 366 / 145 - Machines, VR and AI

So there I am, it's just before midnight and I'm sitting in my car at some traffic lights. There's no other cars around, no one coming from the left, no one coming from the right, nothing in front of me and no one behind me. And yet I sit there at the red light, patiently and obediently waiting for my turn and then I realise...

We're already being controlled by machines.

Judgement Day may not have been the armageddon style Man vs Machine war that we were expecting, instead it's a silent takeover that's happening right under our nose.

As it is, more and more human tasks are being delegated to a more efficient, cheaper and more reliable machine. The pending dawn of virtual reality and its inevitable spawn of artificial intelligence is just around the corner and it makes you begin to wonder; when will we lose control?

Now don't get me wrong, I love technology. It's an exciting time to be living in. The possibilities feel endless and the majority of them feel positive. But one can easily see how things could get out of control.

Napoleon Hill famously said "Whatever the brain can conceive and believe, it can achieve". Some of the greatest inventions have stemmed from science fiction. Let's hope that James Cameron et al haven't conceived our demise.

Project 366 / 144 - Mentors, advice and changing the world

If you run your own business you can't help but notice that there's a lot of so-called experts out there pedalling a whole heap of business advice. Now don't get me wrong, there's a lot of value to be had by soaking some of it up. I for one have learnt a lot over the years from listening to others but my success hasn't come from following their advice to the letter, rather by taking it in with a pinch of salt, watering it down and taking select nuggets of relevant advice instead.

You see the problem is that most of these mentors don't run small businesses. Yes they may have done at some point but I can't help but feel that they have lost touch with what it is really like down in these trenches.

The majority of people running a small business are living hand to mouth. That's just the truth. They don't have the budget nor the time to dedicate to most "must do" practices. I preach "do what you do best and outsource the rest" but you have to be able to afford that. The truth is most can't afford to and can't afford not to. It's a catch-22 situation. That's why I advise accounting for outsourcing from the off, include it in your business model and the cost of your product but then continue to do it yourself until you can afford it. That way when you can afford it then you can just make that switch without increasing the cost of your product, without suddenly becoming uncompetitive.

But I digress, What small and micro businesses really need is advice from similar sized practitioners. People who are living the same problems, making similar decisions and have made similar mistakes. It's far more real, it's far more tangible and far more believable.

From the outside world you're lucky; you run your own business - you must be loaded. Oh the irony. Personally I could earn 10x what I make now if I sold my soul and worked for the competition. But what's the fun in that? I may not be changing the world but I sure am changing my world.

Project 366 / 143 - Life, foundations and decorations

They say life is a journey, not a destination. But what do they mean by that?

It means just stop going through the motions and start living in the moment. This journey that you're on, this climb, this struggle... this is it, this is life. The destination is the end result so don't dismiss the journey to get there.

You hear so many stories from different people. Bands who have made it yet fondly reminiss about life before fame. The struggle, the journeys down the motorway with your band mates in a dodgy transit van, the rough pub gigs, the grinding, the hustle, living in a tiny flat with your mates and then sharing the micro victories on the road to success.

That is what it is all about and one day you'll look back and realise that this was the fun part. The risk and reward? In its simplest form is called adrenaline and people pay big money to stimulate it.

Many business people, company owners and entrepreneurs begin to lose their way and their drive when they begin to reach their destination. They begin to realise that making the money was far more fun than having the money. Being a small business and being the new kid on the block admittedly brings its own problems but it also provides a clean slate and an opportunity to change direction, and fast. By the time you're established you've got a reputation to uphold, you may have a history to make amends for and the pressure that comes with expectation.

As we go though life it is important to remember that nothing ever lasts forever. Nothing. So when it's good then appreciate it and when it's bad don't dwell on it. None of it will last forever. My business and personal life have been anything but smooth, I've had some really low lows, but it didn't last. Everything is good at the moment; marriage, kids, health, business and home. So I'm taking the time to appreciate everything but at the same time working hard on all of them to maintain the current status-quo.

Building and maintaining foundations are the cornerstone to stability. Focus on them first as everything else is decoration.

Project 366 / 142 - Creativity, social media and being you

The word "creative" has many connotations. When described as creative one would rather assume a painter, an artist or a creator than a business man. But the word creative has become a liberal generic term which covers a multitude of skill sets. In fact in business, companies are beginning to realise that creativity is what is required to stand apart from the competition.

It's a new world this social media world. Whilst content is king you better believe that consistency is queen. It's all very easy to write an outstanding blog piece. It's easier than it's ever been to take a great picture and shooting video is as simple as opening up your phone and hitting record. But being consistent with your content, now that's the difficult part. So many start and then stop and so many fall short. And the reason? They run out of ideas.

But what do you want to put out there? When it comes to video I for one shy away from the amateur gonzo style point and shoot. Why do that and expect to stand out. Anyone can do that. I'd much prefer to try and create something of quality. After all it's all about setting out your stall.

I came across some 2-bit company the other day claiming to create "the best videos in the world". For context they were targeting the corporate market. But their website was literally littered with spelling mistakes, it had text alignment issues and their very own promo video was just plain and simply embarrassing. And this was "the best in the world".

I wouldn't make any such claims. After all the market will decide your value. The market will decide on how good you are. Even Carlsberg don't claim to be the best, they err on the side of "probably the best".

I believe that we're all creative. Musically I believe that we've all got a song inside of us, for some it's near the surface, for others it's buried deep inside. Whilst some can tap into their creativity quite easily, others struggle. Some are great alone, whilst others work better in teams. Some are physically creative whilst others are mentally creative. The truth is we're all different.

If you're struggling then just start by doing something for you. Don't worry about popularity or going viral. If you're doing it for somebody else then just like a band with a one-hit-wonder you'll always be chasing your tail, desperately trying to regain the limelight. Just do you, for you and any accolade along the way will then just be a bonus.

Project 366 / 141 - Doing you, media and technicolor

Being yourself isn't as easy as it sounds. There's influence and peer pressure everywhere and a multitude of others providing all the wanted and unwanted advice you could ever ask for. But in a more concious way there is a choice.

You have to do you. You have to look, learn and understand who you are, after all we're all completely unique people with unique personalities. That's why we're called individuals. Play to your strengths rather than waste time trying to improve your weaknesses and don't try to copy someone else's life or someone else's routine. Yes learn from others, gleam golden nuggets from others but don't carbon copy. After all what works for one wont necessarily work as well for another.

Facebook and Instagram and the rest of them are fun but they are more like comparison websites than social networks. They are a place where most go to either brag or compare, with the latter prevailing. And those that brag; do you really think that what they are portraying is all true? It's like comparing yourself to the glossy magazine covers. Ironically you actually know that what you're seeing isn't real, they even tell you it isn't real, they even show you it isn't real but what do you do? Your mind tricks you, you feel inadequate, you compare and you drive yourself down in an unable to compete mindset.

Mainstream media has a lot to answer for. Their success is derived from those who are easily influenced, and that's the majority of us. Sadly the majority of those in a position of power will abuse their position for personal gain whilst the rest of us are looking to escape what we think is a grey tinted world for a life in technicolor.

Project 366 / 140 - Cars, cars and cars

Between 1999 and 2009 I had a succession of nice cars with each one being more expensive than the last. It started when the company policy at my, what was then employer, changed and for those of us who were entitled to a company car we could now be given an allowance to fund a personal car. Well that was all I needed to indulge in my first sports car - a speedy silver BMW Z3 convertible with a 3.2L engine. Now that felt fast.

A few years later I traded that in for a black Mercedes ML320 - one of their huge 4x4 monsters. It was amazing but I couldn't help that notice almost physically watching the fuel gauge drop whenever I went on a lengthy journey. That said, it was the envy of all my friends - chrome grill, blacked out windows, BOSE speakers and every upgrade imaginable. I actually think I spent something like £10k on just the upgrades. I was stupid but it was fun.

After a few years of casually driving around I wanted some speed so I traded the ML in for another Mercedes, this time a black CLK350 sport. In all honestly and in hindsight I'm not sure why I chose this car, after all I still had a dog so it was highly inappropriate. I think I'd recently become single and there was a deal going on it - if I'd thought about it properly I'd probably have gone for a Porsche instead.

As it was the CLK was super fast. In fact I don't remember coming up against anyone who was as quick as I was, ever. Not that that's a clever thing, but you know what I mean.

Then my ex and I got back together, got married and started a family so the low slung sports unfriendly family car went out of the window in exchange for a silver 4x4 Lexus RX400H and what a car that was. Part petrol, part hybrid, lots of toys on board and everything. I loved that car and told anyone who would listen that it was the best car I'd ever had.

Then the recession hit and things got tough. I couldn't afford luxuries such as a £45k car so that had to go. I lost the business that's I'd spent 8 years building and nearly everything else in the process. It was a tough and humbling time. As a family we went back to being a 1 car family, that car being a very basic Renault Clio.

Sometimes you have to take a step back, reassess priorities and reset yourself. You have to be humble and gracious in defeat and learn from your mistakes. You can't be too proud but you must appreciate and realise that you are only really ever competing against yourself.

We've spent the last 7 years slowly rebuilding our lives but have remained a 1 car family. I purchased a motorbike a few years ago - a really nice black Honda VT750 Spirit Shadow but more recently have just been going around in a company van.

It was with great pride that today we picked up our new family car, a brand new white 4x4 Mercedes GLE. It's been a long road back to this and it's testament to our grit and determination over the last 7 years.

Project 366 / 139 - Priorities, self awareness and staff

So as life gets busier the main focus I'm having to exercise is priorities. Unfortunately what I feel passionate and excited about isn't necessarily what I should be prioritising, and that's frustrating. I'd like to be able to give myself more time but we're all in the same boat, all having the same 24 hours per day.

There's a lot of talk about self-awareness. Knowing what you're good at, focusing on those strengths and outsourcing or delegating literally everything else. I think that's a very powerful idea and in an ideal world, it's well... ideal. But you have to be able to afford that. Or can you afford not to? If you truly excel in your strengths then logically that will afford you the ideal world scenario. But are you really as good as you think you are?

My wonderful staff can be just that - wonderful. They can take the additional workload as the company grows and can literally move mountains. I can be so proud. On the flip side you'll find from time to time that animosity creeps in, tension rises and it can become a HR nightmare. And for what? They're all paid to do a particular job yet because there's more of them it becomes a them-and-us situation with everyone feeling that the team isn't pulling in the same direction and that they aren't getting the help that they think that they should be getting.

So I then have to begin prioritising man-management. And what a futile, yet necessary, waste of my time that is. Plus I'm not really that good at it so really I should be delegating or outsourcing it, which means employing again, throwing another personality into the mix and dealing with the complications that that throws up.

Ah the joys of running a small business.

Project 366 / 138 - Increments, water and rainbows

Incremental changes, accumulated over a period of time begin to make a change. When you relate this to your life you may not feel as though you are making much, or any progress towards a goal, but just as long as you're still moving forward then you are. Think of water; over a long period of time it overcomes obstacles, erodes rock, moves mountains and shifts earth in order to reach its goal. You may not see it's progress but the results of it's efforts are all around us to see.

But how patient can you be? When I was younger I didn't really think about where my business life would be at 45, instead I just got my head down and worked, hustled and grafted. The change over the years hasn't been quick and it hasn't felt dramatic but if I visited my younger self and showed them where I'd be at this age I think I'd be pretty pleased by what I've achieved.

I was watching the Chase Jarvis interview with Mark Cuban the other day and he said that despite all his excessive success (and bear in mind he sold one of his businesses to Yahoo! back in 1999 for $5.7 billion) he still says that the hunger for reaching his goals and successes is the same now as it was before. He did admit though that whilst the climb is enjoyable, the view from the top is much better.

No matter where you are on your journey, there's always so much to do. I don't think that I'll ever make it per-se as that imaginary finishing line is like the end of the rainbow. It just doesn't exist. And besides, I'm continually making and setting new goals and plans. I think the only thing I'll ever run out of is time.

Until then...

Project 366 / 137 - Competition, blaming and complaining

So in business we're all trying to be one better than our competitors. We're trying to highlight our USP, emphasise our quality and persuade our glorious customers that we really are so much better than anyone else.

But are we? Are we really offering that unique level of service that sets us apart? If you went to your customer and asked them to choose who really was the best in your field would they really choose you? Is the truth really that you are just convenient?

It's time to engage rather than just respond. Stop just giving the answer to the question that's been asked and begin engaging with the person asking the question. There's literally a million people doing what you do, if you want to stand out from the crowd then you can't be in the crowd in the first place.

And stop blaming and complaining. Be responsible for your own actions. Stop blaming your parents, your friends, your colleagues and your associates and begin shouldering the blame for what you're doing. I believe that when we're born we're made into 3 parts. You're a third your father, a third your mother and a third your unique self. Over time parts of this mixture will dominate but all will remain. That's why some people are just like their father or mother whilst others bear little resemblance to either.

And please try and realise that the majority of people don't really listen when you complain, no one wants to hear it and no one really cares. They may say they do, but in reality they generally don't. People will gravitate to happy, positive and creative people - if you want doom and gloom then tune into any soap opera.

Project 366 / 136 - Influence, influencers and learning

Obviously what influences you ultimately makes you. It dictates the way you talk, the way you act and what you believe. Depending on your stage in life influencers can have a dramatic effect, both positively and negatively.

Staying on the positive vibe, as that's just the kind of guy that I am, I thought I'd share with you what has influenced me over the last few years.

Ok so when it comes to reading the only books that I read are biographies. I think understanding an influential person, seeing how they became the person who you came to know is such an interesting read. It's a bit like how I am constantly attracted to films made or based on a true story.

One of the first biographies I read was Paul McCartney's "Many Years From Now". It was such an interesting read, full of mind-blowing insights that I had to read it twice. It was one of those books that you never want to stop. I'm a big Beatles fan and his book was just what I needed at that time.

The next most notable influencer was Richard Branson. Just as with Paul McCartneys book I had to read Bransons book twice, if not 3 times. It had a major impact on me, mostly because at the time of reading it I had recently started my own business and was trying to make my impact on the world. The sheer tenacity, audacity and persistence of Branson was, and still is, inspiring.

More recently I have been inspired by Gary Vaynerchuk. His spiel, his passion, his energy and perhaps most importantly his ideas have really accelerated anew clarified my vision. His practical advice is phenomenal and can be hard to keep up with as it comes so thick and fast. Fortunately it's all on YouTube so I can watch it over and over again to try and absorb as much relevant information as possible.

And that brings me to today and something that I have been watching - Chase Jarvis and the "30 Days Of Genius" series. It's my favourite thing at the moment. Now for those of you who don't know who Chase Jarvis is, he is a world renowned professional photographer. He co-founded "creativeLIVE" back in 2010 to share free creative education with aspiring artists and entrepreneurs worldwide. The 30 Days Of Genius is a 30 day series of one-to-one interviews with world-class achievers, people like Richard Branson, Mark Cuban, Seth Godin, Tim Ferris and Gary Vaynerchuk. It's an amazing way to find new influencers and the style of interview really lends itself to revealing golden nuggets of advice.

Learning has never been so much fun.

Project 366 / 135 - Education, technology and change

I was a terrible student at school. From 7-13 I wasn't that bad but from 13 onwards my academic life sucked. My heart just wasn't in it, I wasn't interested in it and I failed badly. At 16 my parents pulled me out of school after only getting 3 mid to low graded 'O' levels and pushed me into re-takes which turned out even worse.

It was a bit of a low point which was badly timed as I was mid-puberty and highly emotionally strung. My parents were angry at me and I was a teenager so was angry at them. The only thing that was worse than the fact that they didn't understand me was the fact that they didn't even want to understand me. I was already the black sheep and now they were pushing me away in embarrassment.

As I grew up I began to realise that I wasn't academically thick, I just wasn't that interested in what I was studying. I noticed that when I had to learn something or gain a qualification for business or pleasure I excelled, literally being the top in the class. And this is where I find education out dated. The educational system is literally teaching our children to live in the 20th century, rather than the 21st century. They're teaching the kids how the world was rather than how the world is and I think it's irresponsible.

Yes from 7-14 it is important to learn to read and write, to do basic maths, to learn the history and geography of the world and to understand the sciences that make us up. But after that it would be a far more successful educational system if the curriculum was based on real life. Sure if you want to become a doctor, scientist or some highly technical professional then yes, your further education should reflect this. But in general it would be far more powerful to teach our children how to live in the real world.

Technology allows the vast majority of data that once we'd have to memorise be literally at our fingertips. Our time and brain capacity could and should be better spent on more practical applications. I think that one day things will change. In reality they have to, but just like with massive corporations, change takes time.

Project 366 / 134 - Accelerants, respect and Highlander

Arsonists use various materials and chemicals as accelerants. These are substances used to aid the spread and development of fire. An accelerated fire is said to have a higher "heat release rate", meaning it burns more quickly.

These materials are true when it comes to fire. But do you know what the greatest accelerant there is in life?

Time.

As we get older and our lifetime begins to feel that it is running out so we begin to accelerate, constantly trying to fit more in to every day, desperately trying to fit in more stuff to our remaining time.

I look at my children, they play, they watch TV, they learn and they grow. As a child myself I wished away time, wishing I was another year older, wishing I was more grown up. And for what? More expectation and more responsibility? Granted, it's a tough one.

When I was young I was always "too young", hence I wished away time. When I grew up I was not respected because I wasn't mature enough, hence I couldn't wait to be older. Then, all of a sudden, I'm too old. But I take it all with a pinch of salt. I now have the respect and to be honest that's all I ever wanted.

Everyone is rushing around so much now. We're cutting corners and taking unnecessary risks. Only today I saw a motorbike rider in a t-short and shorts. The convenience of this attire would be dramatically outweighed by the result of coming off. Honestly, you'd shudder to think. And for what? Being a bit hot for a few minutes or taking a few extra minutes to don the appropriate clothing?

My favourite film when I was young was Highlander. A fantasy story of immortals. And I thought for a while that I was one of them, destined to live forever. I was never ill, I never got hurt and I felt as though nothing could touch me. But as you grow older you begin to realise and appreciate your own mortality. I consider my time now as precious and I'm trying to make sure that I'm not wasting any of it.

"Ladies and Gentlemen I have something to say; it's better to burn out than to fade away".

Project 366 / 133 - Video, content and learning

So one of the creative projects that I aimed to start this year was video content. Many say not to overthink it, just power up the video function on your smartphone and shoot. But this gonzo style just ain't mine. If I'm going to do something then I want it to be as slick and well done as possible. That's probably why I haven't ventured into the snapchat, periscope or vines of this world as yet.

Don't get me wrong I've done a handful of personal family videos which I've shared with my family which were pretty cool and one Bedlam Media video for RiE-Store 3 years ago (which you can check it out here) which so far has had over 126,000 YouTube views - not bad for a first attempt!

Fast forward to today and the next stage is beginning. I've hired a full time sales and marketing guy. He got a very creative background and feels like a perfect fit to what I want to achieve. His input is invaluable yet listens and respects my vision. It's just what I need right now, especially when surrounded by unimaginative and uncreative people.

His written content has been very good so next week we're moving onto video. We've got a case study / showcase that we've proposed to a client and they've lapped it up. I mean who wouldn't? We're offering to produce high quality video content for free which can be used by both parties and will allow us to cut our teeth, so to say.

It'll be a very interesting learning curve for both of us but we're both really relishing the challenge. And that's what being creative is all about. Challenging yourself to constantly push yourself outside your comfort zone, to learn, to experiment and ultimately to conquer (or at least better understand) a format.

When this is a success we'll replicate the format for other clients, slowly building up a portfolio to market. Plus it'll be yet another string to our bow. We've then got another photo and video shoot after that for RiE-Store for the 1941 Buick Woodie which has just been finished and further works planned.

It's going to be an interestingly creative year...

Project 366 / 132 - Ideas, execution, patience and fishing

Ideas are shit. Execution is everything.

What does this mean? Well for starters an idea is just that - an idea. It might be the best idea or worst idea in the world but unless you are going to execute against it then it really is nothing and you'll never know. Then if you do execute you've then got to have patience.

A few years ago I formulated an idea for a platform of creativity. Aimed at writers and authors it was planned to be a place where a story, or a series of stories, could be written by a network of people. The idea was born from my interest in Twitter and the noise it created. In my timeline I was noticing a lot of rubbish but then the occasional interesting, clever or funny tweet. I summarised that there were hundreds of thousands of creative writers out there which , given the right platform, I could tap into to build a story.

It was an idea. But for once my Bedlam Media partner and I decided to give it a go. We wrote the business plan, built the website and then, with a little local media coverage, put it "out there". It pretty much fell on deaf ears. No one got involved, no one supported us , no one replied to our pitches and the only reaction we got was negative. So we quit.

You may ask where we went wrong. My answer would be that we didn't execute any patience. We did the hard bit and expected the world to come to us. We knocked on the door once, got no answer and so walked way.

I taught me a lot. It taught me that if you're going to execute against an idea then go the hell all in. Don't tip your toe in, don't hesitate, don't protagonise, just go all in and then have patience. The world is a very very busy place and no one is going to notice you immediately. Expect to get knocked back 1000 times before getting any traction. You don't throw your fishing line into the water and expect to get a bite straight away so don't think business is going to be any different.

But if you're not fussed about execution then ideas can be fun. I love coming up with new ideas and developing them without the pressure of expectation. My Bedlam Media business partner and I come up with lots of ideas and it's great to talk them through, develop them, spend time on them and have fun with them. It keeps the creative fluids flowing and the mind very healthy. And maybe one day, just one day we'll decide to take everything we've learnt and execute properly.

Project 366 / 131 - Being busy, growing and confidence

What is "busy" and is it a good thing?

I've read many articles of the daily routines of successful entrepreneurs. Some of them work 12-15 hour days, some work through the night, some power nap their way through the day, some start at 4am with yoga, or a run, or a workout whilst others don't rise before 10am to a vat of coffee. Personally I don't like and I wouldn't like to follow anyone's day or routine, instead preferring to follow my own body patterns (and ultimately customers demands).

Outside my office hours I'm constantly researching, learning, watching and jotting down ideas and thoughts and plans. I currently spend the vast majority of my working day not actually working per se any more but instead directing, answering questions and well, talking a lot. It's actually the natural progression of owning a business but it does feel a bit alien. 15 years of working for my business and all of a sudden, with the right staff, I'm beginning to work on it.

But I'm busy but it feels bitty being pulled around from place to place. At the moment it doesn't feel that productive but we are getting some good work done. I guess it's a culture shift that I'm going to have to adapt to, but I think I'm going to like it in time, especially if the confidence in my growing team continues.

And that's what a successful business looks like - a good solid team lead by a confident and creative leader. I may make it sound easy but believe me, unless you've been exceptionally lucky, it's one of the hardest things to actually pull off.

Project 366 / 130 - IT, updates and support

IT - don't well just love it. Well that would be a resounding "yes" all the time it is working. But put a fly in the ointment and suddenly it becomes a liability.

Yes we all have become so reliant on technology that suddenly we're not so clever without it. I mean half of us don't even know our own mobile number because I never use it, let alone many others. Yes speed dials are ok and convenient but I remember a time when I'd literally memorised the top 50 people I used to call.

And what is it with updates? When I first plugged my iMac in after I bought it I had to wait hours to use it as it required 365 million updates. And then there are all the constant app store updates, all draining memory from every corner of my hard-drive.

What is "other data" on your iPhone or iPad? You know, the bulk of the used memory. We have to resort to backing up the device, then wiping it clean of all data (factory reset) before restoring the data from the back-up just to free the device of this other data. And this takes time... lots of it.

Our computers at work are our work horses. Everything is on them and when they work they are amazing pieces of kit. But the second they go wrong - wow, we're sitting ducks. It's like we've shut the doors and gone home.

IT support are a joke too. "Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?". Wow, I never knew it was so technical. The amount of time I've heard the IT guy say "oh, I've never seen that before, let me look into it" all the while the meter is running. I gave up actually talking to our IT support a long time ago after I had to sign a time sheet.

The next time they came in they were greeted with "no talking, no toilet breaks, no coffee - just get on with it".

Project 366 / 129 - Bulking, cutting and understanding yourself

We were out with some good friends last night and as usual the subject of health, fitness and training came up. I say "as usual" because everyone on the table is an avid gym-goer and are at various stages or journeys in their quests.

One of the guys is 49 and he's decided to spend the year bulking up as much as possible before cutting down for his 50th birthday. He'll then have some professional photos taken on his 50th birthday which will mark the occasion and his physique at that milestone. I thought it was a great idea. He's about 1 month into the bulking diet and has put on 2lbs so is feeling a little bit despondent considering the volume of food that he's consuming every day. "Patience" was the resounding advice.

One of the other guys is on a see-food diet. He doesn't care for aesthetics, he just wants to be the strongest he can possibly be. He's also on a high calorie diet.

The biggest of them all has decided that his size is causing more problems than he wants. All clothes have to be tailored, with even XXL t-shirts straining to fit his massive frame. He's now cutting up, dropping fat and reducing water retention. And he's looking a lot healthier as a result and strangely bigger.

What struck me was that there literally was no one-shoe-fits-all kind of training and nutrition solution. What diet was working for one of them didn't work for another. What training routine worked for one of them didn't have the same affect as another.

As the millennials pour over the glossy magazines, desperately trying to emulate their heroes physiques by copying their routines, they would be wise to understand this. That what may work for A may not work as well for B. Your DNA, your skeletal structure, your balance of fast and slow twitch fibres, your metabolism, your body's ability to process enzymes, your lifestyle, your sleep patterns, your diets your joints, your everything - all this makes you the one-off individual that you are. You're not an off-the-shelf bulk-stock model so don't assume that there is a fool-proof menu for success.

The sooner you understand this the more time you will save and the more success you will have. I wish I understood that when I was young. If I had I wouldn't have wasted years following the wrong advice.

Project 366 / 128 - Shelley, Geoff and April

We had some friends come over today with their kids and we all had a great time playing in the garden in what felt like the first day of summer.

One of the children is Fraser and he is the boy that Gem and I fund raise for year in year out. He was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in the first year or so of his life. This is very unusual as symptoms don't begin to appear until 4 or older, but Fraser has always been that extra bit special.

I've spoken about Fraser and our fund raising efforts before so I'm not going to repeat what I've already said but what I do want to talk about is his amazing parents and beautiful sister.

Shelley was a childhood school friend of Gems. They were very good friends then and despite the distance in miles between them are very good friends now. Geoff is just the nicest bloke. I don't think he's got a bad bone in his body. They met, fell in love and got married. When they used to come and see us you couldn't keep Geoff out of the kids play area. He was a natural. So when they announced that they were pregnant we all knew that they would be fantastic all-involved hands on parents.

9 months later April was born. Life's plans, ambitions and dreams were all mapped out.

Just over 2 years later they fell pregnant again and 9 months later Fraser was born. They had the perfect family. But within the first year they began to notice that he wasn't developing as he should and after a mountain of tests were given the worst news possible - that he had Duchenne, the most severe form of muscular dystrophy.

What Shelley and Geoff have to deal with on a day-to-day basis isn't something that you'd wish on your worst enemy. Having a child with a limited life expectancy and who can't do the things that all the other kids are doing must be impossibly hard to cope with. Having a child which you will almost certainly out-live must be a living nightmare. Yes we do our bit but then we are able to close the door. That's not an option for them. Every hope, dream and plan they had has now changed and believe me, this could have happened to anyone.

April is Frasers sister. She's 5 and full of life. She loves her brother just the same as any other sister loves her brother (at that age) but obviously and gladly she doesn't comprehend the severity of the situation. One day she will and you can only hope that she has the strength of character to cope with it.

I truly believe that the majority of special needs children are only bequeathed upon the parents and families who have the ability to look after them. It's a tough, life changing experience which you would never choose or sign up for.

These families need all the support and love and understanding that you can give. Stop complaining and be grateful for your life as someone out there would give anything to be in your shoes.

Project 366 / 127 - Help, recruitment and delegation

In business we all need help. But there's a big difference between needing help, wanting help and accepting help. On paper and in theory delegation is an easy thing: Hire someone and get them to do or more of your tasks. But the reality is so different.

The truth is no one can do the job as well as you can.

Now of course you can hire an over-qualified person, pay through the nose and expect them to exceed all expectations. But in a small business world finances just won't allow it. So the alternative is to delegate the menial tasks, the basic operations and the general duties that in theory anyone can do.

But it's still hard. Expectations are high no matter which role you try and fill and it is likely that you're going to be disappointed more often than pleasantly surprised.

It's taken me 18-12 months to get it right, and that's after 15 years in business. In fact I believe that one of my weaknesses is recruitment as I've gotten it wrong so many times. I used to believe that I was a good judge of people but now I'm not so sure.

Delegation is all about confidence and so it becomes much easier once you've found a competent employee. But even after all that I still have guilt for not actually doing the volume of work that I used to do, despite the fact that I've actually given someone a job who didn't have one before.

As a business owner you have to realise one major thing. No one is going to care as much about the job and about the business as you do. And why would they? It's not their business, it's yours. I've been advised to give parts of my business away to get that level of care. Sod that, I'm not giving any part of my business away - I'm the one who has risked so much and sacrificed so much over the last 15 years. I'm not about to give any part of that away - no way Jose!

I think that you just have to accept that no-one can do the job as well as you but just to the best of their ability. Pay well, reward occasionally and praise often.

Project 366 / 126 - Constructive and destructive criticism

Criticism. Now that's not a word that people like, and quite understandably so. But it's the way in which this criticism is delivered which will dictate how it is received.

Constructive criticism can be enriching, positive and encouraging. With this kind of feedback, products, services, opinions and knowledge can be greatly improved and better understood. It brings people and teams together, empowering them to excel in their capabilities. In business I'll always ask for feedback, welcoming the negative rather than the positive. After all, we know when we're good and we know how good we are. The flip side can get lost in this heady mix of success so it's important to understand what's not so good and what we can change or tweak to improve.

When criticism is not constructive it is destructive. It can be incredibly insulting, argumentative, negative and can cause tremendous set backs. Just like the pathetic keyboard warriors, the majority of destructive criticism come from jealous people. People who wish they had the guts, the talent, the vision or patience to do what you do. These know-it-all's don't possess an original thought or have an iota of common sense or self-awareness.

We're not all as thick skinned as you. The majority of people care what others think and words can hurt. Plus sometimes it's not what you're saying but the way in which you say them that can make the difference. And I'm not trying to stifle passion, it's good to have a heated debate. But in the end, all criticism is is a difference of opinion.

Don't use your words to criticise, condemn or complain. Use your words to appreciate, inspire and empower. If you don't agree with something then either offer a constructive counter or just not agree. Online I don't have to dislike or leave a negative comment, I just don't like or leave a comment. See, simple. Translate this off-line and I think you'll notice a difference.

Project 366 / 125 - School, Ollie and running

Back in my school days I was a good all round sportsman. I was in the school teams for rugby, football and cricket. I loved the camaraderie of team sports, the banter, the elation of victory and the notoriety of being good at something.

When I went to college things changed. I was a full-time border and literally knew no-one. It was very daunting and I still remember the feelings I had when my parents dropped me off on the first night. I wouldn't see them again for 3 weeks and my head was full of horrendous stories of new boys being hung out of the windows by their feet.

I'd been a border since I was something like 7 but this was different. I was 13 and I was way out of my comfort zone at a vast college stuck in a massive dormitory full of strangers. Everyone seemed happy, confident and immediately settled - everyone except me. Of course it turned out that that was only my perception. Everyone was feeling the same as me and ironically thought that I was happy, confident and settled.

As the term went on everything settled, everyone became friends and the vastness of college soon shrunk as we gathered our bearings.

At some point some time later we'd obviously done something worth punishment and were sentenced to an early morning cross country run. We were woken at some un-Godly hour to find that it had been snowing and were told our pre-breakfast cross country course. It was horrendous.

To get the punishment over and done with as soon as possible I ran really quickly, finished the course and hit the hot showers before breakfast. Later that day, thinking that my punishment was over I was summoned to my house-masters office. My face went pale. What could I have done wrong now?

It turns out that I had run the cross country course a bit too quickly and it had been noticed. I was to report to the cross country coach the next afternoon.

Within weeks I'd been drafted into the school cross country team but in all honesty it felt a waste of time. Not only did I hate running but the other guys in the team were 2 or 3 times faster than me. It was almost embarrassing.

But they were fit and I was not. As my fitness improved so did my speed and stamina. Ollie, my best friend was the best runner in the school and we began training together. Training? I hated running. But I was with my best friend so I put up with it. Slowly I improved and slowly I began catching up with everyone else.

As a school we'd been competing in various cross country competitions over the year and doing pretty well. But our school also held an annual 3 and 5 mile cross country race. The year before I'd come something like 85th. Not great. But this was a year later and with a years worth of training under my belt.

There was actual hype around the school: Ollie v Stu. The school press were all over it, even photographing us on the top field starting line, already knee deep in mud, shaking hands.

As soon as the gun went off the top 20 runners sprinted into the lead. Within half a mile it was just the 2 of us. We ran at a shockingly fast pace all the way, up and over the South Downs back to the college. With something like 500 meters to go I sprinted past Ollie, up the steep driveway to the finish line to win, breaking the school record in the process (which I believe still stands today, some 30 years later).

From memory I didn't really run much after that. I left school at 16 and didn't really run again until I was 40 when I did the London Marathon. I swore after that I'd not run again. But I did, I ran a half marathon earlier this year again promising that that was it.

Why am I telling you all this? Only because my wife has entered us both into the Amsterdam marathon in October. So here we go again...

Project 366 / 124 - Happiness, partners, money and children

What is happiness? Is it fulfilment in what you do? Is it an understanding of why you're here, why you were born and your purpose in life? Is it success in your chosen field?

I'm guessing that it's all of the above and more.

It's vitally important to marry the right person. Everything stems from there. With the right spouse you can attack, defend and withstand anything. You can celebrate together and commiserate together, safe in the knowledge that you're always there for each other. And that's the sanctity of marriage - for better or worse, remember?

Money is nice, but you can never have enough. My lifestyle reflects my income, the more I earn the better my lifestyle appears to be. But I always want nicer - a nicer house, a nicer car... I'm constantly striving and trying to continually provide a better, more secure life for my family.

I was talking to my in-laws yesterday and they were talking about money, explaining how they had been unlucky in their life. When interest rates were 17% they had a mortgage. Now they haven't got a mortgage but do have savings the interest rates are 0.5%. I asked them that if they had twice the amount of money whether their life now would be any different, "No, no it wouldn't" was the resounding response. I think even they were surprised by their own answer.

This is why it is more important to concentrate on how you make your money, rather than how much.

Help others and give something back - whether that's doing something for charity or sponsoring someone, paying something forward, buying local, actually listening for a change or doing something for free. It doesn't matter what it is but it will give a sense of fulfilment.

Add value in your work. Don't just go through the motions, do that little bit extra, try that little bit harder. Impress, smile, be happy - be the person that the caller wants to call. Believe me, all these tiny things make a world of difference.

And finally, if you can, have children.

Love is... children.
Life is... children.
Happiness is... children.

Project 366 / 123 - PC, nostalgia and friend requests

We're living in a very politically correct new school world, where everyone has to be everything to everybody all the time. The new era of social technology is forcing us to be "on" 24/7/365, contactable and accountable for every action and reaction. It's potentially exhausting and possibly a killer.

Ok so that's all just a bit of an exaggeration but it's certainly the way the world is beginning to go. Everything has to be sugar coated vanilla, don't dare to not be your best as it will be noted and recorded and potentially accessed and dissected at a later date. If you're on the grid then there's a chance that you're living your life on line.

For prosperity and nostalgia's sake a digital record of your life does have value. After all we all love looking back at old photos and memoirs. But do you really need to up load your entire camera roll?And does all this really need to be made public? Did you used to develop your photos and then paste them all over town for everyone to see? What are you trying to prove to everyone?

A couple of years ago Greg Benson of MediocreFilms did a great short called "Real life Facebook" which he released on youtube which basically and comically highlighted the irony of accepting friend requests from people you don't really know. I know a tonne of people like that, like it's meant to be popularity contest or something. Here's the video...

Now whilst this is all very amusing it does highlight the fact that whatever you're posting is then viewed by all your "friends" and potentially their friends, and their friends friends etc... And don't go all privacy settings on me. The majority of people I know haven't even set these up properly. Any and every image you post can be instantly saved locally to end up who knows where.

I stopped posting my life on line after I caught up with a good friend of mine who I hadn't seen for a long time. I began telling him what I'd been up to but all he could say was "yeah I know, I read it on twitter". I quickly realised that these social networks were doing nothing but sapping all my real life conversation. And for what?

People love people watching and I guess Facebook et al are just a virtual alternative. Don't get me wrong though, I do love social media. For business I love the potentially endless possibilities, the open network, the vitality. It's exciting, intuitive and breeds and stimulates creativity.

Project 366 / 122 - Biceps, triceps and magic routines

In 11 weeks time my wife will step onto stage in her first (and she says last) Miss Fitness/Figure body building competition. It will be the cumulation of 2 years of hard training and 20 weeks of even harder dieting. She's already looking sensational so God only knows what another 11 weeks of dieting is going to reveal.

Yesterday she took the boys on their weekly swimming lesson. The pool in which they swim is at a private school and inside is what can only be described as a sauna. When it's cloudy outside the room is hot. When it's sunny outside the room is almost unbearably hot and humid. Yesterday it was sunny so she took off her long sleeved top and sat in a vest top.

This was the first time that the staff there had seen her muscle definition and they were very quick to notice. Her diet which is stripping away fat whilst maintaining muscle is obviously doing a very good job.

But it's the arm muscles which always seem to get the most attention. When someone shows a muscle 99% of the time they'll flex their bicep.

Walk into any gym and more often than not the leg press or squat rack will be empty, with people opting and preferring an arm workout instead. But who can blame them? After all the eye is drawn to the bicep before any other muscle group and is the iconic status symbol of strength.

I was obsessed with arm workouts when I was young. Outside the gym I'd curl chairs, boxes, suitcases, children - anything that I could use to train my arms and get a pump. Inside the gym my training partner would insist on alternating chest and arms continually. We'd even created a "magic arm routine" that even CT Fletcher would be proud of. It was a lot of fun but ultimately and with a great deal of hindsight if we'd only had the same focus to other lagging body parts we would have ended up with a far more balanced physique.