I am now more convinced than ever that finally, finally I am on the right path. It has taken me years to get it, but I understand the concept of weight loss, and am putting it in place. Trousers fit better, that's my main point of reference. I also feel fitter, I have been doing more cycling, which has been good, well when i am not getting soaked in the rain!! I didn't touch the kettlebell at all last week, so will get it out more this week.
The main aim of this blog was to track my fitness, to see where I started from, to look for inspiration, and I think i have moved away from that. But I am not going to start making bold promises, not yet. I have failed too many times when doing this, and the failure always affects me, certainly mentally I then find it harder to start again. At the moment i am in a good place, i am more active, and am going in the right direction.

Another book i have recently finished is The 21 indispensable Qualities of a Leader. Yet another book i received from my boss to read, and very easy to pick up and put down as the way it is written it is broken down into small section and little bites, full of quotes from famous leaders, politicians and culture heroes of past. Here's a sample of some

“Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.” ~ Bernard Montgomery, British Field Marshal


“How can you have charisma? Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you.” ~Dan Reiland, Vice President of Leadership Development, INJOY


“Competence goes beyond words. It’s the leader’s ability to say it, plan it, and do it in such a way that others know that you know how- and know that they want to follow you.” ~ John. C. Maxwell

The 21 Qualities of a leader as defined in the book are
Character
Charisma
Commitment
Communication
Competence
Courage
Discernment
Focus
Generosity
initiative
Listening
Passion
Positive Attitude
Problem Solving
Relationships
Responsibility
Security
Self Discipline
Servant hood
Teachability
Vision
It does give a good insight into how to behave as a leader. It was good to self evaluate, to look to see where I could change, and learn. But the same with Broken Windows, it goes to highlight the failings of others and this can be very frustrating. I have learned from this book not only in my work life but in my private life. The definitive message I got was that the easiest option isn't the best option, and that is something I have been guilty of in past. Being aware of the decisions I make and how the affect others is important, especially as I am no longer an independent single guy, I am a husband, a father, a supervisor, a team leader. Looking at the list, i felt that character was the most important Quality, and if you could grow your character the others would follow. I am trying to put it into practice, lets hope someone notices!!

I promised i was going to speak about the books i have been reading lately, so lets start with the book that has left the biggest impression on me. Broken Windows Broken Business was written by Michael Levine. The synopsis from Amazon is below
Social psychologists and law enforcement officials tend to agree that if a window in a building is broken and left un- repaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken and the neighborhood will soon go downhill. According to Levine, the same theory is applicable to the world of business. Examples of this principle in action include: JetBlue, which figured out that giving fliers what they really want (leather seats, personal televisions, etc...) when they travel was the absolute key to success * Google, because of its extraordinary and reliable customer accessibility, was able to break out of the clutter of all the Internet search engines. * On the downside, McDonalds lost its edge in recent years when their "Broken Windows" of sloppy eating areas and unsanitary bathrooms began to drive customers away * Same goes for Kmart, which lost sight of its customer base by trying to go upscale. In BROKEN WINDOWS, BROKEN BUSINESS, Michael Levine offers the theory that all problems in business stem from the tiniest details and by extrapolating all the "small" remedies into a much larger plan, these items can stimulate business growth and keep customers coming back for more.

Reading the book wasn't that overwhelming at the time. My obvious reference point was my work, and we have signed up to the Broken Windows concept, it was my boss that gave me the book to read. I tried to relay what i read with what happened at my work with little success. It wasn't until after I read the book that it started to make more sense. One Sunday i took my daughter to the cinema. Instead of queueing for our tickets at the box office, we had to queue at the popcorn stand, adding 10 minutes to our wait, meaning we missed the start of the film I thought to myself. The week after I had to MOT my car. I went to a shop to buy a paper to read while i was waiting. The queue took forever, while the manager sat at an empty til doing some paperwork. Another broken window I thought. And then the list grew. I would notice more and more things that were broken windows, things that made us perceive businesses as sloppy and things that may make us choose not to use these businesses in the future. Even this morning, as I drove into work, i was sat behind a van, owned by the same company my brother works for. Now I know that this company is having major internal problems, a major broken window. But the van that i seen this morning was neat, clean, and even had the name of the company on the license plate. It also had all the usual information like the service they provided, contact details etc. Very professional i thought. I then noticed a van which had the complete opposite effect. It looked a mess, the van was dirty, the information on it was unclear, and it looked very unprofessional. The fact the driver didn't give me right of way in rush hour is beside the point. But it got me thinking of how that two vans give totally different messages to potential clients. If you had to choose a plumber, or sparky based on this criteria, and lets be honest quite often we will employ someone to do a job for us without a recommendation, then which one would you choose?
The downside of this book, is now I question nearly everything. what does the state of the pot holes in Aberdeen say about the council? What does the state of my garden say about me? everything i see or hear about, or read about is a potential broken window!! But I have also put the concept into my own life, i know what my short to medium term aim in life is, and I know how to identify the broken windows in my life, and hopefully, how to repair them!!

Common Sense has prevailed. I went out to Inverurie yesterday to clean mums lock block, and she said she was going to phone and let the breeder know she wasn't taking the dog. We discussed it and she agreed with what i said. This does mean she is intent on getting a dog, and it does make sense in some ways, but we will go about it the proper way. Next week, the Cat and Dog Home!!

My mum has went and arranged to get a puppy. As you can imagine i freaked when she told me. What happened was my aunt had got a puppy, a papillion, this week. when my mum seen it she wanted one, so she phoned the breeder who had one left. It comes tomorrow. I am at my wits end. I discussed it all with her, and told her why i thought it was a bad idea. She agreed with some points but said she was getting it anyway. I asked her to hold off for a few months, but she wouldn't budge. I told her after all I had said was she still going to ignore me. She said yes. I asked why. She said because she wanted a dog and that was it. I now don't know if i should phone the breeder and tell her my mother isn't fit to get a dog, or if i should let it happen and deal with the consequences. Obviously I don't know what the consequences are yet. It may all work out great. She had a papillion as a child and is very excited. She will have a companion. She can get out into the open air with it. That's the plus sides. The down sides are numerous. She still cant look after herself properly. The reason she walks so much is her blood sugars are high and she exercises to take it down. Will she be so keen to walk when her blood sugars are stable? The weather is great just now, not so in January, is she prepared to walk it then? This is a puppy she is getting, is she prepared for it to chew everything in the house. What about when it shits, all over the garden, will she keep it clean for her grand kids, at the moment she cant even keep her weeds under control. What about the cost? Okay there is the £400 but there is food, vets bills, toys etc. All this on a pension? What about the long term commitment? This do could well live into double figures, the last time I spoke to the diabetic nurse she told me if my mum couldn't control her diabetes she would need to go into a home! What about the dog then? At the moment i want to walk away, have nothing to do with the situation, but i cant. I am going to visit her today, and to clean her patio for her, I am sure it will be a tense afternoon!

Visited Davie last night. The doctors advised him to get a second opinion. He is off to Edinburgh tomorrow to meet a consultant who is flying up from London for the Open and has agreed to meet him. He has to take his laptop and the CT Scan on disk with him. He may be clutching at straws but anything he can do he should. It may mean more chemo but if that gives him more time with his daughter then that is a good thing. Hopefully I will hear more this weekend.
On a personal front, i have been feeling more positive about things, my clothes are starting to fit better, and I am enjoying being active. I am considering starting a new plan, but my concern is it doesn't work out, and history repeats itself. I need to work out whats best. At the moment, i am plodding along and i am happy, maybe that is what will work for me better than anything else. i have no idea my weight, how fit/unfit i am and maybe things are going well because I don't know these things. I wont push thing. But for the first time in ages i feel i am doing things right. I avoid junk food, I haven't had much alcohol, and I am active, wither with the kettlebell, on my bike, in the garden or with Aisha. One small step.........

its not been a great few days. My mate Dave was taken into hospital this week with bad stomach pains. That was Tuesday. I went up to hospital on Thursday to see him. He reminded me of my dad when he was ill. His head looked too big in proportion to his body. He has wasted away to nothing. When i went into his room his girlfriend was with him. His jaundice had returned. He said they suspected the cancer had got into the liver. This hadn't been confirmed but a CT Scan had been run and he expected the results on Tuesday the 13th.
the stomach pains were caused because he couldn't pass anything. He had to have an enema to relieve him of the pain. While in conversation he also mentioned he was now diabetic. Like it was a normal every day occurrence like watching a soap opera!! We chatted about diabetes, as my knowledge of the subject has increased greatly over the last few months. I tried to lift his spirits, tried to put a smile on his face, tried to be "normal" whatever the hell that is, tried just to be a friend for him. Then yesterday i got a call to say the specialist had visited him and advised him the cancer was very aggressive and there was nothing they could do for him. He wont see this Christmas. He wont share his daughters first Christmas with her. He wont see his 41st birthday. life just seems so wrong at times. A nicer guy you couldn't meet. to watch him deteriorate has been awful. To watch him die will be tragic. I am going to give him and his family some space before I visit. I know it will be the hardest visit I have ever had to make. Knowing someone has been dealt a death sentence, but I will make it, because however hard it may feel like for me, its not a scratch on how hard its going to be for Davie!

This week

Its been a very busy week at work, a new guy started Thursday and trying to run the show and train someone is proving tricky, but we will get there. The weather has been good and i have been out at nights on my bike, riding through Brig O Balgownie, down to Seaton Park and along the River Don. You sometimes forget what a beautiful country we have, but being out and about makes you appreciate it.
Aisha has now finished at Braehead primary and the school holidays have begun. she seems excited about going to a new school but we will see closer the time. We nearly went two weeks with dry pants but she had an accident last night. She seemed more upset than anything, which is probably a good sign.
I have been reading a lot lately, some books i have received from my new boss others i have picked up myself. They include The Goal, Broken Windows Broken Business, 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader and How to Win Friends and Influence People. I will go over them in more details next week. For now I am off to enjoy the rays!