Holy sh*t! It's been so long since I did my last blog! Sorry! J

I am always asked during my coaching sessions how I start my day, so I thought I’d share with you my 7 days a week morning ritual (nope, i never take a day off, not even when I’m on holiday).

• At 5.40am my iPhone alert goes off. I immediately put a big smile on my face and jump out of bed!
• I take-in several large breaths to oxygenate my system as I put on my work-out clothes
• Then it's downstairs into the kitchen where I drink down a pint of water to get my body hydrated
• I put on my iPad and play an inspirational audio book or video clip usually by one of the world’s top high performance coaches
• Next it's on with the kettle and I’ll put 5 spoonfuls of mild roast coffee into a cup along with some water and one teaspoon of pure virgin coconut oil
• Then i go to my gym, grab my Swiss-ball and return to the kitchen where I’ll sit bouncing on the ball OR jog on the spot until the kettle boils. This gets my heart rate up and gets the blood flowing
• Once the kettle boils, I’ll sit on the Swiss ball and quickly drink down my cup of coffee. It's caffeine overload at its best, but it's great to kick start the system and get the fat burning process going
• Then i get two ten pound dumbbells , sit back on my Swiss ball and for 6-7 minutes bang-out various movements. First off it's 80 Twisting sit ups, then it's curl and presses, twisting shoulder presses, bent over rows and laterals and two handed curls where i alternate raising my left and right foot off the floor for each rep.
• After 6-7 minutes, i will down a whey protein shake (1.5 scoops) in water which gives me 30 grams of protein.
• Next i grab a pad and pen, sit back on the ball and write out my goals
• Straight after that it's another 5 or so minutes of various dumbell movements done on the Swiss ball
• Next it's into my gym where I’ll bang out 6-7 reps of close-grip chin-ups followed immediately after with 6-7 reps of incline bench press with 160lbs. Now i am ready to rock and roll!
• Then it's on with my trainers and I’m out the house for 15-20 minutes doing a combination of walking and running whilst utilising a very specific breath pattern where i inhale four times then exhale four times. It's during this time i do my mind programming ritual which is a combination of powerful affirmations/incantations. Then i think of all the things I am grateful for, followed by all the great things i want to happen in my life. This type of mind programming helps to set me up to have a great day-every day
• Once i'm back home, I make my son his breakfast, then I’m back into the gym for 25-30 minutes of heavy weight training, finishing with a few maximum sprints on the exercise bike at its highest resistance.
• To end the ritual, i go back outside for a 10-15 minute walk where i once again practice my four-four breathing pattern while doing incantations.
• Once i’m back home it’s time to get ready for work

Knowing the above, is it any surprise i'm such a freak?

Most people you know or meet, appear extremely overwhelmed with their lives, why is this? I strongly believe that 95% of people get suckered into all the crap and misery that the media reports 24/7 365 a year. This leaves them feeling totally out of control, distressed and believing the future's not a very nice thing.

Let me tell you this and it's coming from my own personal experience, if you seriously want to get back into control of your life and stop being an uptight grumpy serious bastard, you must must must ditch the 'news' completely. No more radio news, no more newspapers and certainly no more tv or internet news.

99% of the news reported daily has absolutely no bearing on your life and is truly detrimental to your future. I gave up the news 2 years ago after watching a Darren Hardy YouTube clip and i've never been more healthier wealthier or happier than i am now.

Please please, ditch the mindset that the news keeps you informed, it doesn't that's pure bullshit.

The news is there to scare and control you, to put fear in your heart and soul Every day the news channels search for the most nasty gory miserable stories possible and blurt them out every few seconds.

Ask yourself this: Would you allow someone to sit in your lounge and talk to your kids about murders, shootings, rapes, killings, terrorist attacks, paedophiles, drugs and sexual abuse cases? Of course not! So why why why, do you allow yourself to absorb this stuff and poison your mind?

Start today on a mental cleanse, ditch the media for a week, yes a whole 7 days and just see how much more free you feel. Your pulse rate and blood pressure with go down and soon you'll feel so in control of your life like never before.

I so believe that the secret to living is giving and adding value to other people's lives.

We live in a culture where people have been brainwashed into the concept of 'just enough', but this is so wrong. Always always always do more than is exptected of you and you'll be making an investment in making things that much better. 

Do things that challenge you but benefit the lives of those that need it. If you see someone needing love, give it to them, don't wait for them to ask.

Life is about being and doing, so make sure every day you're being a good person and doing great things for the greater good. What you give wil come back tenfold, therefore the more you give the more you get, which means the more you'll have to give. The cycle continues.......

For some strange reason so many people insist on laying in bed for hours-on-end over the weekends, telling themselves 'I deserve a few extra hours in bed'.

I find this mindset and action (or lack of action) extremely weird, as it adds no benefit to your life whatsoever.

Human beings sleep way-too much anyway, as they've been brainwashed to believe we need at least 8 hours sleep per night. Sleep studies clearly prove this to be utter nonsense, in fact the more sleep a person gets, the less awake they feel when they eventually get-up.  

Having prolonged lay-ins actually has a very negative effect on your psychological state too, as you qucikly realise you've not enough hours left in the day to do all those chores, this puts many people in a mild state of panic.

While i'm not saying ditch the lay-ins completely (you don't need to go cold turkey, so don't worry), what I am saying is moderate it to 45-60 minutes maximum.

Life is for living not lying in bed! 

I was recently listening Darren Hardy's Compound Effect CD in my car, when he used a great line that really struck a cord in me as a better way to say something.

Most managers/interviewers use the phrase 'what are your strengths and what are your weaknesses?'. Now, the word 'weaknesses' conjures up negative thoughts within and sows a seed of uncertainty and lack of competance. Therefore a better phrase to use would be 'what are your strengths and what do you need to improve?'

Just by taking out a negative word and replacing it with something more 'thought provoking' works wonders when trying to get a great answer, as opposed a knee-jerk reaction based on protecting ones self esteem. 

Pick your words wisely and I guarantee you'll get greater results in all areas of your life.

I'm delighted to announce that Action for Living are one of the 'Dark Lane Dynamos Under 11 Reds' sponsors for the 2013/14 season.

I'd like to wish all the lads (which includes my son Oliver) a great season.

I'm sure you'll play as great as you look in the new strip boys! 

I'm sure many people have considered using a Life Coach, but have concerns/reservations regarding the cost. Action for Living is happy to discuss 'flexible payment terms' as we fully appreciate 'coaching costs' are something you've probably never factored into your life.

It's always been my focus to help others, and if by having AFL's fee's broken down into more manageable installments, I get the chance to coach you, then it's a 'double whammy' situation.

If you are interested in having some coaching, then please give me a call and we can discuss what/how/when/why. 

Regards

Howard Sellick

So many people take their thoughts for granted, but we must realise 'thoughts are things'.

Your thoughts determine your feelings, your feelings determine what action you take in life, and from your actions you produce results.

Think like a winner, think with no limits, think as though you were a kid at Christmas doing your list for Father Christmas. 

Think about what it is you want out of life and write it down with a timeline on, and everyday first-thing read your 'wants list' and soon your wishes will be realised.

Think BIG, live HUGE!!!

Every day you must make sure you feed the mind with information that improves your life. Listening to self improvement CD's or watching youtube clips from peak performance coaches is a great way to learn while your doing other things. I work-out for around an hour a a half everyday and I'm constantly listening to Tony Robbins, Darren Hardy, Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy and Jim Rohn as I train. I also listen to self-improvement CD's whenever I'm driving in my car, and I make sure I listen to at least an hour of something inspirational at bedtime, eventually drifting off to sleep while the messages continue to feed my subconcious mind. 

Hi!

For anyone suffering from back, shoulder or neck pain, I'm happy to recommend Gary Pepper of Hadleigh Osteopathy. Check out the company website: www.hadleigh-osteopathy.co.uk

A qualified Osteopath, Gary is open, friendly and extremely knowledgeable about his trade. He'll get you 'back' to feeling your best!