Month: February 2024 Page 1 of 2

“If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.” Maya Angelou.

Like many people, I was saddened and shocked to learn of the sudden and unexpected death of broadcaster Steve Wright recently at the age of just 69.

I listened to his shows for many years and laughed at many of the sketches featuring characters like Sid the Manager, Mr Angry from Purley and Elvis. Steve was creative and had a unique gift to connect with his audience. My late mother loved his BBC Radio 2 Sunday Love Songs programme. I have fond memories of visiting her and finding her singing along to some of the tracks on the show whilst she prepared her Sunday lunch.

I read many of the tributes that poured in following his death. There were touching words from family and close friends.  It appears to me that Steve was much loved and admired by his peers, colleagues and fans. There were similar themes stating that he was unique, creative, and generous.

One tribute from the broadcaster Adrian Chiles really struck a chord with me. Adrian outlined that Steve was someone who he loved as a radio presenter and liked very much on the occasions he was lucky to spend time with him. Adrian said “he was as funny, clever and kind in real life as he was on the airwaves and richly deserved all the heartfelt tributes paid.”

That said Adrian felt that Steve may have been a little embarrassed as the praise for his talents got ever more effusive. The ‘broadcasters broadcaster’, the ‘legend’, the ‘absolute master of his craft’ and so on. Adrian wouldn’t argue against any of those statements but stated that the key to Steve was his lack of ego. He doubted that Steve ever thought of himself as any of those things. He also made that the point that there are many people in the broadcasting industry who do look in the mirror every morning and tell themselves they are all those things and more!

What stood out for me in Adrian’s article was when he said:

“…to simply be funny, clever and kind, on radio or in whatever you do, is the mark of greatness whoever you are.”

It was simple wisdom but it got me thinking about how the world would be a much better place if more people displayed those qualities more often in all walks of life instead of engaging in conflict, drama and negativity.

This week, why not pause for a moment and consider how you would like people to describe you and your personality traits. Once you have that clarity on this topic you can ensure that are authentic and live your life in the way that you would like to be described.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Lao Tzu.

Whilst out and about last week, I noticed lots of daffodils coming into flower. This was a very welcome sight.  I always love this time of year when bulbs come out and provide some colour. It’s a sign that spring, summer and some warmer and hopefully sunnier weather is on its way.

It also gives me an opportunity to use a favourite story of mine about daffodils. I included it in my first book ‘Be First Class’. It’s called ‘The Daffodil Garden’ and I have included it below:

The Daffodil Garden

Every year, high in the San Bernardino mountain range of Southern California, five acres of beautiful daffodils burst into bloom. Amazingly, this special spot, known as ‘The Daffodil Garden,’ was planted by one person, Gene Bauer, one bulb at a time, beginning in 1958. This story originally appeared in Jaroldeen Edwards’ book Celebration! The story contains details of a mother being taken to see the daffodils in bloom by her daughter Julie.

Apparently, Gene Bauer’s house (which was adjacent to the field of daffodils) had a poster on it which said: –

Answers to the questions I know that you are asking: –

• 50,000 bulbs
• One at a time
• By one woman
• 2 hands, 2 feet
• And very little brain
• Began in 1958

 
Gene Bauer planted one bulb at a time to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. Still, this unknown old woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of magnificent beauty and inspiration by planting at least one bulb every day for many years until she got to 50,000 planted bulbs.

The life lessons her daffodil garden taught are:

• Learn to move towards our goals and desires one step at a time (often just one baby-step at a time)
• Ensure that we get pleasure from and love the doing
• Learn to use the accumulation of time

 
This is what the mother said to her daughter after seeing the flowers in full bloom: -.

“It makes me sad in a way,” I admitted to Julie, “What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five years ago and had worked away at it ‘one bulb at a time’ through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!”

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her direct way, “Start tomorrow, Mum,” she said, “It’s so pointless to think of the lost hours of our yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson a celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, how can I put this to use today?”

This story also reminds us that we all have it in our gift to change the part of the world and environments that we occupy with our unique contribution.

The story also teaches us that even in these challenging times we can to make progress on our visions and goals with disciplined and determined actions. I know from first-hand experience that over time small consistent actions lead to big results.

A habit that I recommend that you develop is to regularly review the progress you are making towards your personal goals. This will help you to make any adjustments to any action plans you have. Part of my formula for achieving goals is that I break them down into manageable chunks. This philosophy played a major part in helping me to write and publish two books in four years whilst working on other projects.

Life is all about margins. There’s often a tiny difference between winning and losing, perceived success and failure, hitting or missing a target. I’m sure you can think of examples from your own life experiences where the tiniest of margins determined the outcome of a situation. Thinking a goal is too large can make us feel overwhelmed, it can keep us stuck and stop us taking action to achieve it.

We all mistakenly think we need to keep taking massive action to get a result or make change happen in our life. The fact is small incremental steps accumulate into massive progress when combined with sustained disciplined action. One small action every day towards a specific goal, leads to 365 separate actions (366 in this leap year!). Achievement somehow seems bigger when you look at it like that!

This week, why not take a few moments out to reflect and consider what action step(s) you could take to make progress towards a personal task, goal or vision that you have.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” Barbara De Angelis.

In last week’s blog, I talked about how there seemed to be an increased amount of unhappiness around at present. In the previous week, I had witnessed instances of road rage, people ranting on tv news bulletins and people being rude and aggressive to retail staff. It seems to me that that the world could do with a bit more kindness right now.

Last year, I came across this piece of writing by the author Nikki Banas. She has written a couple of books. Her first book, ‘Shine from Within’ is a collection of poetry in the form of letters that touch your heart and inspire hope. The follow up book, ‘Along the Way’ is a collection of letters to inspire light throughout every journey.

Her piece of writing that I’m sharing below serves as a reminder of just how important it is for us to come from a place of kindness and understanding in our interactions with others. It’s a short and simple piece but one that I believe has a very powerful message.

Don’t wait to be kind By Nikki Banas.

You never really know the true impact you have on those around you.

You never know how much someone needed that smile that you gave them.

You never know how much your kindness turned someone’s entire life around.

You never know how much someone needed that long hug or deep talk.

So don’t wait to be kind.

Don’t wait for someone else to be kind first.

Don’t wait for better circumstances or for someone to change.

Just be kind, because you never know how much someone needs it.
 
You will be familiar with the phrase, “it’s better to give than receive”. This is backed up by much research, which suggests that there are many benefits to us being kind. It makes us healthier, happier and can improve our results. It gives us a greater sense of wellbeing, makes us more emotionally resilient and reduces our stress levels.

People have many different motivations for performing acts of kindness. These can range from the desire to give something back, to make a difference or to feel more purposeful. It can be as simple as wanting to feel good. I always think it feels great to brighten someone’s day and to give them a reason to smile.

It’s my belief that no act of kindness, however small, is ever a waste of energy. They can take many forms and range from planned activity such as volunteering our time to a worthy cause to more spontaneous acts. It doesn’t have to involve money.

I believe that we can all help the world to be a better place by committing to making kindness a part of our everyday lives. There are many simple ways we can all perform small acts of kindness and It’s never too late to start. Today could be the perfect day to begin a routine of kindness.

This week, why not take a few moments to reflect and consider what you can do to bring more kindness to the world.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk