Personal reflection

Have you ever turned left? Did you notice the difference? I have and, yes, I did notice the difference...and I liked it. Turning left is what you do when you fly first or business class; you board the plane and turn left. Of course, to get this sort of feeling in other areas of your life you probably don't have to turn left or spend any money, but you get the metaphor anyway don't you?

In 2001 I was asked to speak at a large conference in London. It was my first 'big' conference so I decided that I would travel by train AND first class. I recall sitting in my seat thinking of all of the other things I could have spent over £200 on if I had just travelled standard class. I have since discovered that I can still travel first class by train for a lot less than the cost of a full price ticket, I just have to choose which train I travel on. On at least one occasion the cost of a first class pre-booked ticket was less than the cost of a standard ticket. In the early days, I found myself justifying my mode of transport by saying things like "because I can get some work done" or "it is quieter." Now I tell the truth. I travel first class on a train because I choose to.

Air travel is a little different. I recall a conversation with someone sat next to me when I travelled business class to Dubai (the client was paying). They said that the seats were much nicer than having to squeeze up in standard class. I pointed out that, even if I travel standard class (I am paying), I still have a choice. Their exact words were "No you haven't, you have to take the seat that they offer you." "It might be a case of first come first served but if you get there early enough you can secure yourself an exit seat" I said. "Yes, but who wants to get to an airport three hours early just to get a bigger seat" they said. "Me" I replied. You see, if I want the extra comfort that an exit seat gives me and if having that comfort means paying the price of being at the airport for thee hours I am prepared to pay that price. Choice again...and I also chose to become a member of the Institute of Directors which gives me access to the lounge in any Uk airport. So you see, I can turn left in standard class and also while I am waiting to board.

I am prompted to write this because I have just witnessed a conversation on the 07:10 train from Leeds to Liverpool. I chose to pay a small excess so that I could occupy one of the few seats in the first class carriage. At Huddersfield a young man boarded with a guitar and a rucksack and duly took his seat. When asked for his ticket it became apparent that he had a ticket allowing standard accommodation only. He was asked very politely by the conductor if he would like to pay the excess to travel in this carriage. He didn't and was asked to move to a standard carriage. At first he refused because the other carriages were almost full and then protested by asking why he should sit cramped in standard class while there were empty seats in first class. The conductors answer was polite and to the point..."Because these passengers choose to pay extra sir." The young man left but not without expressing his 'One rule for one and one rule for others' argument. I stopped short of saying "No, young man, it is the same rule for all of us...the rule of choice." Just to finish off here...turning left is not always about paying more money. When was the last time you said yes to an invitation knowing that you really didn't want to go but if you didn't you might cause offence. Saying no, and accepting that if people are offended it is their choice, and then using that time for something you really want to do is turning left. Spending Sunday lazing around watching TV and doing little else because you want to and you can is turning left. Asking the waiter to take the steak back because it is not as you ordered, or anything else that means you allow yourself whatever it is that you believe you deserve, is turning left in life. So, all together now..."LEFT TURN, CLYDE!"

"It wouldn't be your newsletter without a rant Clive." someone told me recently So, just for you mate, here goes.

Recently I saw an interview with Robbie Williams. An interesting young man who has made several choices in life that have resulted in him being a very VERY wealthy young man. Another choice he took resulted in him having to attend rehab to correct a drug and alcohol addiction. Another huge role model for young people is Kate Moss. She too is a very VERY wealthy young woman who chose to do the same. As did her boyfriend and many other 'role models' for today's younger generation. What shocked me though was when the interviewer said congratulations to Robbie for cleaning up. I also heard a couple of radio DJ's express how glad they were to see Robbie (Or Kate) back and congratulations to them for cleaning up. I wonder what messages this sends to the youth of today? So here and now I would like to say something to my lovely daughter, Laura, her equally lovely boyfriend, Simon, and the millions of young people out there who have never taken the choice to become addicted to any drug, including alcohol. Congratulations to you all and thank you for being my role model and my heroes.

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Achievements Inventory

I have finally been recognised by my peers. I have been selected to speak at the Professional Speakers Association national conference in November this year.

Apparently I have rhythm.

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Recommended reading, listening or watching

Take your brain out, buy some popcorn and go and watch Shrek III!

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What do I know now that I didn't know a month ago?

Sometimes the mountain wins

If I am wrong I should admit it straight away;
if I am right I should keep my mouth shut.

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Things to do

Where are you and where do you want to be? If you are anything like me you have asked yourself those questions more times than you care to recall. Once you have answered them though what have you done about it. I wrote in my book "When the Flag Drops" that 'the greatest pitfall to most people achieving the success they truly desire is their inability or reticence to take action on their dreams' and I stand by that statement. So what is the challenge here? Why are people reticent or unable to take action on their dreams? Well, I have come up with certain things that are now being penned into a book that, when published, WILL sell in excess of 50,000 copies.

I believe that we are stuck in a comfort zone that is, for the most part, made up of those things that we believe we are required to do or be; of those people we feel that we are required to have around us or associate with; of those beliefs or attitudes that we feel we are required to hold onto. If this is the case, then we are preventing ourselves from achieving some of the things that we actually desire to do or have. We could even be depriving ourselves of some of the associations that we desire to become involved in. Why do we do this? I believe it is because the journey from required to desired is fraught with loneliness, fear, rejection and uncertainty. What I believe would make the journey between the two easier can be summed up in three letters...B.M.S.

Belief. Do you believe that A) you deserve whatever it is that you desire and that B) you can actually achieve whatever it is you desire?

Motivation. Why do you want it? It has been said by many people in my profession that if you have a strong enough WHY the HOW will take care of itself.

Support. Do you have the support systems in place to help you on your journey? Do the people you have chosen to surround yourself with stand for your magnificence and will they refuse to accept your inadequacies?

This is a very simple way to look at the journey between required and desired. You will have to wait for the book to come out to get the real meat of it all. In the meantime, though, I am going to challenge you to think of one thing in your life that you are ready and willing to change. Make a note of what your beliefs are around achieving it and then write down why you want it. Add to that the support system that you can call upon to help you when the going gets tough and see if that makes the journey any easier.

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Actionstep

I guess we have all hear the expression "brought to you by public request" a few times. Well here I am actually using it! By public request I have finally decided to take my corporate personal development programme public. I will be delivering two one-day open programmes in October - one on the 11th in Leeds and one on the 10th in Hartlepool (I am discussing delivering others in North London and Liverpool.) The programme is called "Wake Up to who you are and what you deserve" (there is a downloadable pdf available from my website giving more details). Attendance at each event will be limited by room size and the fact that I want to allow everyone to be included in the day. I have decided to make it affordable to everyone by charging just £99 (+ VAT) per person - I want to make a difference not make a killing. However, as a thank you to you all for supporting this newsletter, I would be happy to offer you a place at the discounted price of £85. I look forward to seeing some of you there or at another event soon.

Some time ago I told you about something called your 'Latté factor' from the audio programme "The automatic millionaire". As a quick reminder, your latté factor is what you spend on coffee, newspapers, snacks and all of those other things that contribute to your weekly, sometimes unaccounted for, expenses. Well I forgot about mine. I also forgot about a few other things that I have recommended over the last months and years. I was reminded of my latté factor when I totalled up receipts that told me that I had managed to spend £48 IN JUST 9 DAYS in Starbucks coffee shops. There are many people out there who would agree that this could qualify as excessive expenditure on coffee and sticky buns. So here's what I did.

For the first time I can recall in many years I now have a weekly budget. On the first day of the month I took an amount of cash out of my bank, enough to give me four weeks worth of my allocated weekly budget. My main shopping trip and all petrol was paid for using my debit card. Anything else absolutely had to be covered by my weekly budget. I was amazed at just how focussed I became about the money I was spending on a daily and weekly basis on purchases and unnecessary 'stuff'. Try it - you might be surprised at how much you are wasting every month.

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This months adventure

...where I viewed the world form a different place.

As you know, this is my year of adventure where I commit to looking at the world from a different angle or to challenge myself in a different way every month. This month I had two adventures. Firstly, I am learning to dance. It has taken me a long time to get 'a round tuit' but I'm there every week with a group of similarly 'coordination-ally challenged' individuals learning the art of Salsa. I am no where near proficient as yet and I still feel something of a little bully when I am required to lead my partner (my hands are the size of pit shovels) but I am having an enormous amount of fun. What makes it even more fun is I am doing it with my daughter, Laura - in fact it was she who dragged me to my first class.

The motivation has always been there (I want to dance with Laura at her wedding next year). The support has always been there (I could always have found someone to go with) and the belief has always been there (I am, after all, a qualified aerobics instructor). What took me so long to get around to it? Easy...I'm shy (PLEASE don't tell Will Kintish I just said that!) so having someone to go with for the first week was a great help. However I am now hooked and the bonus is that Monday evenings are now sacrosanct as 'Daddy-Daughter' time!

My second adventure was spending an entire weekend supporting my good friend, Chris, in a race. As a former quality athlete, I absolutely hate watching other people having fun. Chris had entered the West Highland Way - a 95 mile run from Glasgow to Fort William in Scotland. (I used to own a car that would struggle to do that!) He couldn't start the race without at least two people with him to act as support crew, one of whom had to run the last 20 miles with him. Peter drew the short straw for the last 20 miles which left me to drive from one point to another providing nutrition and general "You're looking good" type words of encouragement at regular periods. The whole experience was truly an adventure. From 7 am on Friday 22nd June to 10 pm on Sunday we managed to see the inside of a bed for just two and a half hours and that was on Sunday morning after Chris had finished. I ate a lifetime's supply of Jaffa Cakes in just 48 hours and I watched runners take their head torches off because the sun had risen and then I watched them put them back on again because the sun had set, all without a break. As I was there as a supporter and had lots of time on my hands I was able to watch the race as it unfolded. What an experience and what a group of absolutely amazing people I was able to see. The winner did just over 17 hours (which should really be made illegal) and the last finisher took almost all of the allowed 35 hours to finish.

So...95 miles over some of the toughest terrain in Scotland. Will I enter next year? Absolutely not! Will I act as support for Peter next year? Absolutely not! Sometimes, the best learning you can get from an event is that you never want to see the event again. Congratulations Chris and thanks for letting me share your adventure - even if it was just the once.

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Feedback

I received some interesting and very negative feedback recently. It was great to receive it though because it actually helped me to realise who I am and who I am not.

I spoke to an audience of 1350 people in London. With an audience that size I can usually expect around a dozen emails, letters or in some cases text messages of a positive nature. I can also expect at least a couple of negative remarks (if I can't upset someone in an audience of 1000 plus I just ain't telling my truth!). On this occasion I was called 'an insulting racist'. Now, next to calling me a child molester calling me a racist is the worst thing you can say to me. In the past I would have read this email and probably wasted the rest of my day going over it again and again in my mind. It would have upset me for days and probably had a negative effect on my whole life for a period of time. Not this time though. You see, this time I know she was wrong. Clive Gott is not a racist any more than Clive Gott has green hair. If you told me I had green hair I wouldn't be offended or upset because I know that I haven't. I also know that I am not a racist. So this time I read her email, I honoured her opinion and then I placed it on one side, said (out loud) "No I'm not" and carried on with my work.

By the way if you want to know what I said to solicit such feedback, send me an email and I will let you make your own mind up.

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Speaking dates

Details of current and upcoming events.

August 29th 2007
Vapor Trails
Oxford University.
Contact Nazia on 07886 818285 for more details.

October 10th 2007
'WAKE UP to who you are and what you deserve' open programme.
Hartlepool
More details...

October 11th 2007
'WAKE UP to who you are and what you deserve' open programme.
Leeds
More details...

October 25th 2007
ISMM Workshop
Swindon

November 3rd 2007
Vapor Trails
closing key note at the Professional Speakers Association European conference in London.
For information go to www.professionalspeakers.org

December 1st 2007
Junior Chamber International National Conference
Doncaster

December 2nd 2007
Charity Goal Setting Day
(Venue to be announced)

For further details for any of the events mentioned above, please contact:
clive@clivegott.com

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If...

Questions to stimulate conversation either in the office or over dinner.

Q1. IF turning left is a choice what will you do, or refuse to do, because you know that you deserve better?

Q2. IF IF you were asked to give an award to your hero, who would it be, what would you award them...and when are you going to do it?

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