Never Stop Dreaming!

It was great to return to the Northeast to deliver my new ‘Increased Productivity’ Masterclass for two teams from Rolls Royce based in Washington. This brought back many memories for me, including playing professional basketball for Sunderland and working for the local radio station Metro Radio.
 
Thank you, Cathy Wood, for booking me to share some powerful techniques with your staff to help them be more productive, less stressed, and enjoy their evenings and weekends without any thoughts about work. These techniques have completely changed how I work; I get more done in less time and enjoy more relaxed afternoons.  
 
I start and finish my day in a specific way. This allows my ‘Chimp’ to relax and settle down, allowing me to focus on my important tasks fully, and I ‘Eat my Frog’ first thing in the morning.
 
The two Rolls Royce groups were brilliant. I had a great time with them, and the energy in the room was fantastic. The feedback was so good, and it is exciting to have another impactful masterclass to offer clients.
 
 
Sunderland Basketball Club.
 
What fantastic memories I have from my time playing basketball. I arrived in Sunderland in 1979 as one of the first professional basketball players in the UK. I lived in a house with several American basketball players, including Randy Haefner, whom I spent a great deal of time with and who remains a great friend to this day.
 
He lives in Gibraltar, and he and his wife flew over to attend my wedding to Julie 9 years ago. I have been to Gibraltar several times to work with clients recommended by Randy. As a side note, one of the managers from Rolls Royce who attended the session said that he used to watch Sunderland basketball and saw me play!!
 
Some of the memories I have from my basketball days are the orange company car they gave me with my name on it, the international games we played across Europe, the unique and powerful camaraderie we had between us, and the time we were underdogs in the playoff finals and beat the favourites, Crystal Palace, to win the biggest competition in basketball against all the odds.
 
 
I had to retire very early in my career.
 
Unfortunately, I had to retire straight after this victory, aged 27, due to a back injury. I then spent three years working as a commercial manager for the team. This was a very successful time, and it made me realise I had some skills in sales. Then, I spent a year running the Manchester Giants basketball team as General Manager before returning to join Metro Radio as a regional sales executive.
 
This was a great time as well. I progressed in the role and became the Regional Sales Manager before leaving after four years to set up my own business in sports promotions. This was during one of the worst recessions in history, and I struggled to succeed because the first thing businesses were cutting back on was promotions.
 
After one year, I completely pivoted the business to become a radio recruitment agency, which was more successful. I met with radio stations around the country and persuaded them to use me to find radio staff.
 
 
This pivot worked…. But
 
I received CVs in confidence, and then when a radio station required a particular staff member, whether a sales executive, sales manager, sales director, or managing director, they would contact me, and I would send them suitable CVs in confidence.
 
They would then interview the preferred candidates and pay me a commission for this. This worked well, but I found no human contact in these transactions and became bored and dissatisfied. I realised that I loved people and needed that interaction.
 
I closed the business and returned to radio, becoming the regional manager for Hallam, Viking, and Pulse radio stations across Yorkshire. I had spent 13 years living in the Northeast, and I loved it. The people are so friendly and caring.
 
When I set up the business, I employed a PA named Elle Brown. We worked together for the two years I ran the business before shutting it down. Subsequently, Elle had a great career, and she now works for Siemens Energy in the well-being team.
 
Elle contacted me a couple of years ago to see if I would like to deliver some sessions for Siemens. Of course, I said yes, and I have enjoyed providing some great online sessions where up to 2,000 staff have turned up online to watch each masterclass.
 
 
It’s not what happens; it’s how you respond. 
 
During my life, I have faced many challenges, including a back injury which finished my basketball career very early, my first business failing, two failed marriages, three redundancies, two hip replacements, painful arthritis, and personal bankruptcy 30 years ago.
 
Adaptability is one of the keys to success. After my back injury, I had to adapt to a new career, pivot my business to radio recruitment in response to the recession, find work after three redundancies, and believe that I could have a successful third marriage.
 
In all of this is a mindset that has hope at its core. Hope is a keyword in life, and when you have hope, you have a chance. A good friend, Gill Wright, gave me a lovely wooden plaque with the words ‘Never Stop Dreaming’ engraved on it. This plaque is positioned right in front of me when I sit at my desk, and it reminds me that no matter what happens if we keep dreaming, amazing things can happen.
 
 
Thoughts for the week. 

1. How many things have gone wrong in your life?
2. Do you feel like you can’t go on?
3. This week, reflect on the words Hope and Never Stop Dreaming.
4. It’s not what happens but how you respond that makes all the difference.
5. If you don’t give up and get back up, you will be genuinely amazed by what happens in your life. 

 
Well, that’s it for this week. Have a wonderful weekend and never stop dreaming!
 
Warm regards

John