Monthly Archives: December 2008

Sam is like most people.

Sam might remind you of YOU?

It’s new year’s eve 2007 in the most beautifully strong country on Earth … Scotland. The time; 11:47pm. Only a few hours ago Sam had revealed his ‘resolve’ or resolutions for the coming new year. Out with the old ways, in with the new.

While Sam revealed his new resolve for 2008 he looked sounded and appeared determined he would reach his aspirations, hope and dreams. After all it was a new year!

One by one, Sam and his 9 friends all shared what their new year would look like and what they wanted to become.

10, 9, 8, 7, … 3, 2, 1… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Fireworks served to fuel the passion and dreams. This was an exciting night for Sam.

After a very late night Sam woke up around 1:15pm on New Years Day. He was supposed to be at his parents but he can’t make it, Sam has a terrible hangover. He stays in bed. Here comes another year thinks Sam as he lies there almost helpless with brain-pain!

7 days pass. Then 14 days go by. Then 21 days. Before Sam realizes he is preparing for summer. 5 short months had flown by.

Sam meets his friends again, the first time since new years eve.

One friend asks the group …

“c’mon then … who stuck to their New Years Resolutions then?”

As they went around the table when one at a time, each revealing his/her failed resolutions.

Something was taking place in Sam as each spoke. Suddenly like a bolt of reality -injection Sam realized he would never reach his resolutions. Like all of them Sam had high hopes. Now more than ever Sam felt doomed to failure unless …

… he had a… continue reading

I have this photograph of me as a kid on Christmas morning.

It’s around 5am on December 25th. I am kneeling down opening gifts from my mum and dad by the side of our tree.

The photo is interesting. It’s the 1970′s, mum and dad’s house is all orange and brown swirly wallpaper with a white space age dining table.

You can only see me in the photo wearing orange underpants only even though I remember the house being freezing.

My face speaks for itself. EXCITING!

I am only about 10 years old. In those days I used to do lots of fishing. In one hand I have a new reel and with my other arm I am leaning against my new fishing basket.

Magic times!

Back to 2008 then.

Yesterday I went into Manchester with my wee darling daughter, Lily. She is gorgeous and dresses very edgy with a great, happy, positive interesting attitude to life.

As we walked from the car we passed a young guy sat on the cold wet uninviting stone floor of the street!

He was a mess, a real mess.

His clothes were totally filthy. Honestly … he looked disgusting. His fingers were the dirtiest I have probably ever seen. One shoe was open at the front, his toes were exposed. His hair was matted, his skin had aged hom 30 years!

His eyes, face and manner were down, low, disheartened and had given up on life.

Lily looked at him with the innocence of a child and asked me who he was.

I told Lily …

"he is one of the invisible people, no one can see him"

Lily said…

"what do you mean dad?"

I replied … "darling lets stop and watch for a second". We… continue reading

Isn’t weird how the brain works?

You see what we think about continually in our brain usually sets our standards or levels in life. I really believe that, do you?

Let me illustrate.

Peter was a guy that work for me some years ago in one of my hair and beauty salons.

Peter was a really nice guy, great designer and good personality. He worked hard and put in long hours to make sure he got great wages.

Peter was a little addicted to buying new cars. It was his only real vice but he continually changed his car. When I say changed his car for me it was every 3 years or so. For Peter… I’d say twice a year.

The cars he bought we ok, just ok, no more, no less but the amount of cash he spent on them was massive.

I said to him one day …

“why don’t you get a BMW?”

Peter replied …

“I can’t afford a car like that and if I bought one of those things people around here would think I am a real snob”

How interesting!

I knew for a fact Peter’s repayments on his ever changing cars were getting higher and higher. I also knew if he went a bought a brand new low priced BMW it would work out lower than what he was paying to drive his other cars.

However Peter was struggling from one thing.

Peter was a … ‘Minimum Mentalist’

What is that?

It’s when we subconsciously preset our levels of anything.

We set them high, low in the middle and rarely unless we really want to will they change.

Peter’s minimum really was the minimum. Here’s a guy on very good wages yet he never believed he could like in a detached home.… continue reading

Who said money is the root of all evil?

Lies!!!

You see there was a  guy named David.

David had everything any man could want.

He was around 6 foot in height, dark olive skin, black wavy hair, deep green eyes and had the personality to go with it.

David also had cash, plenty of it.

He could pay for a car. Pay for clothes. Pay his bills. Pay off his credit cards. Pay for holidays. In fact David was in a position where he could literally pay for everything or anything he wanted.

One day when David was in his summer retreat he got an email from his bank. In fact it was his bank manager which that in itself was pretty unusual.

The manager was asking David to ring him. It was very, very urgent.

He rang him.

David was broke and didn’t even know it… absolutely B.R.O.K.E!

Davids first question was "HOW?"

His bank manager slowly tried to explain that the investment bank he had so heavily relied on had gone into administration. His investments had been lost, more than likely… forever!

Suddenly David’s whole world collapsed. He just didn’t see it coming.

In fact he had been living such a good life on the back of his invested cash he was spending like crazy and solely relying on his investment to keep him going into his last days!

After sometime and attempting to clear up his mess David was forced to go back and live with his mother. From living in his Swiss retreat of 7 bedrooms with a mountain view to a single bedroom with his remaining belongings in a box at the foot of his bed.

Now can I ask you a question…

Do you think David would prefer to… continue reading

You need to know, it could affect your future.

I love Louis Theroux.

His style of the ‘anti’ interview always has me compelled to watch and listen and hang on to almost every single word.

His latest documentary was based on the streets of west Philadelphia. Just out of interest before I go on did you know the word Philadelphia means city of brotherly love?

Wow … what a real shame. West Philadelphia looks more like a city of hate and death.

Anyway the point I wanted to share with you was this.

Louis was working and filming the hardened police as they went about their business of cleaning up death, shootings and drugs.

They stopped this guy and pinned him against the wall.

On one set of fingers it read the word ‘BORN’

On his other hand you could read the word ‘THUG’

So … BORN THUG!

When louis asked him why he said … " because that’s what I am, this is my life, this is how it is around here"

Although astonished at his reply I wasn’t surprised. Here’s a guy around 30 years old or more and had been brought up surrounded in fact engulfed in violence, drugs and death.

He has seen strangers shot dead walking down the street just for being a stranger.

He had no prospects, no future, no nothing as he saw things.

But can imagine the power those two words had on him?

When he wakes up he reads the words BORN THUG.

When he shaved he would read BORN THUG.

When he ate he would read BORN THUG.

When he held his baby he would read BORN THUG.

When he sat in church holding his Bible he would… continue reading