Month: July 2026 Page 1 of 2

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” Plato.

My wife and I love going to concerts and over the years we have been very fortunate to have seen some of the biggest acts in the music industry. One of the items on my bucket list was to see The Stereophonics in concert.

I am very grateful that I got to tick this off my list when I saw them perform last December in Birmingham. They didn’t disappoint, it was a brilliant concert. The sound quality was excellent and the voice of lead singer Kelly Jones was so clear. It is now in my top 10 favourite concerts of all time.

During the performance Kelly told a lovely story about how the band started from humble beginnings. He explained that he grew up in in the Welsh village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley. One of his neighbours was Stuart Cable, who played drums, Kelly played guitar.

They formed a band and it was from this that The Stereophonics was eventually created. They used to practice twice a week at the youth club in the village. They used a trolley with squeaky wheels to transport their amplifiers, guitars and drums. On their way to the youth club, they went past a working men’s club where one of the band’s members mother was playing bingo. The squeaky wheel used to make quite a noise and everyone at bingo knew they were going past!

During the concert, Kelly told a story that made a link from the beginning of the band to the night of the concert. He said from a trolley that had a squeaky wheel they had progressed a great deal. He stated that now in order to put on concerts during the tour, they had needed 4 tour buses, 9 trucks full of staging and equipment and a large group of people behind the scenes. Over the years they have performed with many artists including Tom Jones, U2 and David Bowie. That’s quite a change from a single trolley!

For me the story was a reminder to us all that something wonderful can be created if you put enough effort, belief, patience and passion into it. It encourages perseverance and a recognition of the value of tiny steps and small efforts at the start of a project. The story can be used to reassure or inspire someone who is starting out on a project, new direction or adventure.

It reminds us that the little acorns planted today will become mighty oaks in the years to come.

This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect. Consider if there is a new project or hobby that you want to start or a group that you want to join. If so, what will your first step be?

Alternatively, is there someone you know, who is just starting out on a new path who may need a bit of inspiration, encouragement or reassurance?

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

“When you take care of yourself, you’re a better person for others. When you feel good about yourself, you treat others better.” Solange Knowles.

On a recent flight to Majorca, I was reminded of a metaphor that I learned when I first went on a plane. Have you noticed that when they make the safety announcement the crew always give a specific instruction?

The plane’s crew tell you that in the event of an emergency (when the oxygen mask appears) to apply your mask first. They say that you must do this before you attempt to help others with their mask. The reason for this is that if you don’t have oxygen/energy you won’t be in a position to help others!

It’s imperative, to avoid burn out that we balance the amount of time that we care for others with the time we allocate to meet our own needs. Being well rested and looking after our health means that we will have the requisite energy to help those around us and keep delivering first class results. Sometimes we simply have to put ourselves first so that we can be the best we can be and have the energy to help others.

However, many of us were brought up to believe that focusing on our needs was somehow selfish. A desire to please people can also mean that we prioritise other people’s demands and needs before our own. Therefore, it can lead to feelings of guilt when we put ourselves first. Many people also confess to feeling weak if they show some vulnerability and admit that they need some help.

I tell people that we can all learn about the importance of self-care from the Mother Theresa quote “If you want to keep a lamp burning you have to keep putting oil in it.”

Self-care is not a fluffy; it’s about taking responsibility for our physical, psychological, emotional and social needs.

If you’re regularly tired because you have irregular sleep patterns, skip meals or fail to get exercise, then start making self-care a priority. Many people put others needs in front of their own, as they feel it self-indulgent to put themself first. In order to maintain good health, it’s vital that you put some time aside and adopt some habits to take care of yourself. 

The phrase ‘self-care’ has gained in popularity over recent years and reminds us of the importance of taking care of our needs, so we can be the best we can be. It prompts us to take care of our physical needs (getting enough sleep, right diet, regular exercise etc.); emotional needs (asking for help when needed); mental needs (stimulating job, interests, personal development etc.); spiritual needs (time for prayer, meditation etc.).

Having good self-care also helps us to maintain good health and this should be a good incentive to look after ourselves. In life having good health is the real wealth.

Here are a few self-care tips: –

• Keep hydrated. Drink plenty of water – the recommended daily intake is 1.5-2 litres a day.
• Good regular sleep. Aim for good quality sleep of 8 hours a night.
• Strengthen boundaries. Decide what your limits are and communicate these to others. Get clarity on what you will and won’t tolerate. Get comfortable saying no to demands on your time.
• Eat 5 pieces of fruit or vegetables every day.
• It is recommended that you undertake 30 minutes of physical exercise every day. This doesn’t have to be a visit to a gym, walking is good for you.
• Put some time aside to watch some funny movies or comedy shows and have a good laugh. Humour helps you feel good, more relaxed and energised.
• Avoid negative people and environments that drag you down. Ensure that you spend time with people who radiate energy and help you increase your energy levels and not deplete them!
• Give up being a people pleaser. Be kind to yourself and ensure that your self-talk is encouraging and positive.
• Unplug from technology on at least one day a week. Give your brain a rest and be in the moment.

 
This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect and consider if you need to take any action to put your needs first more often. Also think about what personal steps you need to take to create more energy and balance in your life.

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

“You can do anything as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus and the support.”  Sabrina Bryan.

This week’s blog is a very special one for me as it’s the 650th one that I have written since the first one was written over 12 years ago on 21st January 2014. I have posted a blog to the Be First class website every Monday since then. I haven’t missed a week!

My first blog was titled “Small and incremental steps do make a difference.” (You can read it here)

By writing this blog every week, I’ve actually followed my own advice about small incremental steps being consistently applied. I am glad that I did as it has yielded some very positive results. As well as developing my writing ability and confidence, putting the blog together every week has enabled me produce enough material to write and publish two books.

The first book “Be First Class” was published in May 2016 and a follow up “Just Be” was published a few years later. Doing this helped me to fulfil a long-held ambition to publish a book. I have to be honest and say that for many years I believed this was an unobtainable goal. I was very happy to prove myself wrong!

I was asked recently about my process for writing blogs and the secret to me publishing them consistently every week for over 12 years.

Here are a few thoughts and insights on what I’ve learned along the way: –

Get out of your own way.

When you embark on a new chapter or project, I learned that you need to “get out of your own.” What I mean by this is that you need to overcome your own inner criticism and the mental obstacles that you create in your mind. I had thought about writing a blog for some time before I started but I procrastinated. I thought I wouldn’t be able write something every week. I wondered if anyone would actually be interested in reading it. Eventually, I took the plunge and proved all those negative thoughts wrong. If you take the first step, the path will reveal itself as the journey unfolds.

Have a clear purpose and intention.

Once I got out of my own way and started writing the blog, I had a very clear purpose. Firstly, I wanted to share knowledge to help others. It was my small contribution to seek to make the world a better place. I had no idea if anybody would read the blog and I wasn’t too attached to an outcome. However, I had an image in my mind that one day, someone would do a web search and as a result would come across my blog. I visualised that the blog would help them in some way. I imagined they may gain an insight that would generate a new idea, inspire change or solve a challenge that they had. It gave me the motivation to write each week.

Secondly, I wanted to develop my writing ability and confidence and generate enough material for a book.

Be committed.

In my view, you have to be 100% committed to something in order to make it happen. As soon as I started writing the blogs, I have left no room for excuses; I determined that I would produce a blog each week come rain or shine and that’s what I have done.  At the outset, I decided that if at any time in the future, I felt that I wasn’t totally committed, I would stop writing them and use my energy elsewhere.

Be self-disciplined.

The importance of self-discipline can’t be overstated. I have a specific time in my diary where I write the blog. It has become a habit, part of my routine and just something I do every week. I plan the subject of the blog beforehand but I don’t know what the content will be until I sit down to write. The subject is inspired by current world events or something that has happened in my life. I plan for holidays and absences by writing two or three blogs in a week. This means that the blog can continue to be published while I’m away.

Shut out distractions.

In order to ensure I have sufficient time for writing, I have eradicated things that eroded and drained my energy. Some practical examples of this are turning off email and social media notifications and indeed spending limited time on social media. I reduced the amount of time that I watched television or browsed the web. I unsubscribed from some mailing lists and cut down the time I spent dealing with emails.

Be prepared for unexpected outcomes.

In December 2021 I was contacted by a teacher who taught English in Ukraine. She wanted to use some of the material in one of my blogs in her lessons and sought my permission to do so. It was titled “what would you do if you were fearless?” I was glad that I said yes to her request and never envisaged when I did that Ukraine would be at war just two months later and still are over four years on. I remember reflecting at the start of the war about how the teacher’s life and that of her students had changed forever in a short space of time.

We do best what we enjoy doing.

Life is very precious and we have limited time and energy. Therefore, it is imperative that we focus some of our time on things that we enjoy and are passionate about. I enjoy writing and helping people develop and grow. This has helped to sustain my commitment to writing the blogs each week.

The importance of support.

I could not have achieved this milestone without the help of my good friend Paul Albertson. He maintains my website and posts the blog to the site every week. He is also an extremely talented actor (you may have seen him on shows like Coronation Street, Casualty, Holby City, Doctors and The Gold). He is currently in the touring production of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. Thanks Paul, I couldn’t have achieved it without you!

This week why not take a few moments to reflect and think if there is a goal that you would really like to achieve. You may have one that you haven’t taken action on recently. What one step could you take to ignite and energise this goal?

Remember that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!

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