Be First Class

“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” Napoleon Hill.

Joanna Page is a Welsh actress and presenter who was born in a village called Treboeth near Swansea in Wales. She attended Mynyddbach Comprehensive School, where she was head girl.

Joanna has appeared extensively on both stage and screen over the years. This includes roles in the 2003 film Love Actually and in the television series Gavin and Stacey. It was in this series, playing one of the main characters, Stacy Shipman, that Joanna Page came to wider public attention. She appeared in the show’s three series between 2007 and 2010, before returning for the Christmas specials in 2019 and 2024. It is one of my favourite TV shows of all time. I love the characters and Joanna was brilliant as Stacy.

I saw her being interviewed on TV recently, where she was talking about her book – ‘Lush! My Story – From Swansea to Stacey and Everything in Between’. It is her Sunday Times bestselling autobiography. The book looks back at her early life growing up on the Welsh coastline, her move to London at the age of 18, attending stage school and her career.

During the interview, Joanna talked about growing up, training at drama school and going to RADA. She explained that she got an agent and became a working actress. She then mentioned the lowest point of her career. She explained that work dried up and then she had the disappointment of missing out on a role in Dirty Dancing in London. She said that she never wanted to act again and felt like giving up. Two weeks later the Gavin and Stacey role came along!

Along with the millions of people who watched and loved the show, I am so glad that she didn’t quit. I bet she is too!

I think Joanna’s story is a great lesson to us all to find some strength and to persevere when we’re on the verge of quitting something. Life is full of twists and turns and we never know what is around the corner. After all, tomorrow is a new day, a fresh start. We don’t know how close we are to achieving something when we’re thinking of giving up.

I’m often asked what I consider to be the most important qualities required to attain success. This isn’t an easy question to answer given there isn’t a single definition for success. We’re all unique, have different talents and life experiences and have our own personal success definition.

There are many traits required to help people to be successful at what they set out to do. It’s rare for there to be a straight line to a successful outcome. Along the way we encounter opposition, have to overcome obstacles and bounce back from set-backs and unexpected events.

Just like Joanna, some of the most successful people in history had to overcome adversity and keep faith with what they were seeking to achieve e.g., Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, The Beatles, JK Rowling.

I believe a quality that’s required to be successful is persistence. The dictionary defines persistence as “the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people.”

Persistence helps turn something we visualise or imagine into a reality. Persistence enables us to learn, develop and acquire new knowledge. When combined with sustained effort and fine tuning it ensures we accomplish our goals.

When we set out to achieve something in life, we’re often given a series of tests which enable us to discover hidden strengths and resources. The challenges test our resolve and help us to determine how much we really want to achieve something.

This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect. Consider if there something in your life that requires more persistence on your part or a slight change of approach. Alternatively, is there someone you know that requires a bit of encouragement to persevere and not give up on something important to them.

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

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Sir Winston Churchill.

There’s a great quotation by Robert Byrne who said “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”

The quote ties in with many philosophies that suggest that having a purpose is vital to living a happy, fulfilled and positive life. Purpose provides a focus for action and priorities and increases the meaning in life.

Many people see that having a clear purpose helps them to have a better understanding of how they can contribute to making the world a better place. We all have a unique set of skills and qualities and our purpose can be a way of using them to be of service to others.

The Dalai Lama famously said that the purpose of life is simple, to be happy.

This reminds me of a story that John Lennon used to tell. It was about an incident from his childhood. He said that when he was 5 years old his mother used to tell him that happiness was the key to life. When he went to school, they asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. He wrote down happy. They told him he didn’t understand the assignment and he said they didn’t understand life!

Many people spend so much time working that it’s important that they find meaning in their job and everyday actions. It’s great if people have a real understanding of how their personal efforts fit in and contribute to an organisations purpose and vision. Whatever the responsibilities of our job, it’s great to feel part of something bigger and that our contribution is making a positive difference.

Some work by author Anthony Robbins validates this point. He suggests that all humans have six basic needs. Two of these are significance and contribution. The others are certainty, variety, love/connection and growth. Meeting these needs help us to feel successful and happy.

Robbins defines significance as the need to have meaning, to feel special, proud, needed, wanted, a sense of importance and worthy of love. He defines contribution as the need to give beyond ourselves, to give, care, protect and serve others.

There is a nice story about when President John F. Kennedy was visiting NASA headquarters for the first time in 1961 when they were planning an expedition to the moon. While touring the facility, he introduced himself to a janitor who was mopping the floor and asked him what he did at NASA. The janitor replied, “I’m helping put a man on the moon!” The janitor understood the vision of NASA and felt part of it. It gave him purpose in his work.

After the great British architect Christopher Wren had designed St Pauls Cathedral in London, he visited the site to review progress of the building work.

When he did so, he walked around unrecognized among the men who were carrying out the building work he had designed.

“What are you doing?” he enquired of one of the workmen, and the man replied, “I am cutting a piece of stone.”

As he went on, he put the same question to another man and the man replied, “I am earning five shillings two pence a day.”

And to a third man he addressed the same question and the man answered, “I am helping Sir Christopher Wren build a beautiful cathedral.”

The third man understood the vision and felt his actions were purposeful. He could see beyond the cutting of the stone and earning his daily wage, to the creation and building of a great cathedral.

This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect and consider what action you can take to bring greater meaning and purpose to 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

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Winston Churchill.

It’s important sometimes to put your needs first to deal with overwhelm and the need to balance many priorities. This helps to keep your energy levels high.

As I get older, I’m becoming more discerning about how I invest my energy and who I spend my time with. When I am around the vibe given off by pessimistic, complaining and negative people it starts to have a real impact on my energy levels. My body starts to feel heavy; I feel tired and drained.

I know that we all have challenges and problems from time to time and life isn’t always a bed of roses. In the face of difficulty and adversity, it isn’t easy for people to remain upbeat. It’s important we offer support to those with genuine challenges and problems to solve.

What I’m referring to are the perennial moaners and negative people. You’ve probably come across these people yourself.  They believe that “every silver lining has a cloud” and refer constantly to their problems and don’t look for solutions. Often, they have much to be grateful for but they don’t recognise this. They choose to think about what they lack rather than the abundance they have.

When you ask them how they are, they hunch their shoulders and say something like “fair to grim” and launch into a detailed account of their troubles. I refer to them as “drains or energy vampires” because they suck the life out of you with their negativity and stories of how life is unfair! More frequently, I am choosing to give them a wide berth.

Conversely, I have noticed that when I’m around positive people (those that give off a positive vibe) with a “can do” attitude and solutions orientated approach, I feel lighter, energised and happier. I refer to these people as “radiators” as they are full of warmth, radiance and brightness. They have zest, vitality and they make the most of the hand that life has dealt them. When you ask them how they are, they look you in the eye; they smile and say something positive and uplifting. They have a sense of gratitude and appreciation for what they have in life.

An exercise that I recommend is to take an A4 piece of paper and draw a line down the centre. On the left-hand side draw a positive sign and right-hand side a negative sign. Ask yourself the question “what people/activities give me energy?” Note down your responses under the positive sign.

Then ask yourself, “what people/activities drain my energy?”  Note your responses under the negative sign. Review your results and decide if you need to make any changes to the way you spend your time.

In this information rich, time poor world there are many potential sources of distractions and demands on our time. Technology is amazing however it brings its challenges. It’s said that the conscious brain can only handle 7 bits of information at any one time and is a reason why we can feel overloaded at times.

The overwhelmed feeling can also prevent us from starting new pursuits as we feel we don’t have sufficient time or mental capacity to take on anything new. When clients are feeling this way, I recommend they look at ways to create more space and time.

I suggest that they spend some time considering what they can STOP doing to create some space for some new habits and behaviours and provide some room for growth.

Clients who have compiled a STOP doing list tell me that it gave them greater clarity, helped to sharpen their focus and gave them renewed energy. They say that it allowed them to concentrate on their most important and rewarding activities. Clients normally complete lists for both their personal and professional lives.

Here are a few common examples of what clients choose to STOP doing:

• Using “reply all” with e mail.
• Checking social network sites.
• Using e mail alerts/notifications.
• Checking email outside of designated time slots.
• Holding meetings with no agenda or clear objectives or doing recaps for late arrivals.
• Failing to preserve uninterrupted time for important personal and professional projects.
• Being afraid to say no to requests for help.

 
This week, why not pause for a few moments. Consider what people/activities give you energy and what people/activities drain your energy. Also decide what habits and behaviours you can stop doing to create more space and time.

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