Before talking about my odd body “features” let me tell you a few stories from my past week.

NOT THE BEST PATIENT

Anyone who has been around me when sick or injured knows that I am not the best patient. As my tattoo says I prefer to be “living life in the fast lane” not being bound to the bed or couch by ailments. This last week I had one of each. That is one injury and one illness.

As you might know I am training to run a marathon in October and last Sunday I went out and conquered my first 10km run and in just 1 hour and 2 minutes. Immensely proud of this achievement. However, at around 2kms I felt my back very sore, an existing injury which flares up from time to time. The pain intensified so much so I had to stop two or three times to stretch but I was determined (right down stubborn) to finish my 10kms. That didn’t end to well and I have lost out on a full week of training as a result…..

To top it off I got the FLU….. hot, cold, hot, cold, aches, tiredness and all the rest that goes with it. Lemsips, cold and flu tablets, tea and hot water bottles and some TLC was thankfully all that was needed and it only lasted a few days….. so although I missed most of the spring sun this weekend I ended up being able to go for a 6km run with my sons company earlier this afternoon!!!

So moaning done I am now back in fighting form.

CONTINOUS LEARNING

Many motivational experts encourages that to grow and be successful we need to be continuously learning. Of course this is simple;

• Do a masters
• Do a course
• Network with experts
• Watch documentaries or TED Talks
• Read
• Read
• And read some more

In fact I read an article the other day, (there is some irony in the fact that I read it) which outlined that the average person reads 4 books per year whereas a CEO or successful leader reads 4 books a month. That is one book per week. One book per week.

This fact nearly made me cry when I think of my goal to be a successful leader…. Where in my week will I fit reading a full book? Every single week. A book about a business related topic, to top it off. I don’t think my current read of Sheila O’Flanagan’s, What Happened That Night or the one before that Mark Johnson’s, Den Enkla Sanningen would count….

I love learning and do believe I learn every day without having to follow all these thousands of “simple rules” that are listed for us to make sure we are successful. I learn from people, from other industry colleagues, from networking, from doing courses, from reading, from my family, from my personal self and in a thousand more ways. And I am not willing to give even one of them up in order to follow one rule to be successful. I believe I need to find my own way.

Finger crossed I won’t be proven wrong.

ODD ARSE CHEEKS, BLACK EYES & WRINKLES

Yes, those are all descriptions of me by none less than my amazing children….. Whom I of course love dearly not matter what they say! Especially when they say it with a grin on the faces and twinkle in their eyes. After all that is my own sense of humour ingrained in them.

Sitting at the dinner table during the week my son says “Mam, what is that in your forehead”. I take my hand to my forehead and try to remove this “thing” he has spotted. “Where”, I say? “Oh, never mind it’s a wrinkle!”…………………. Now this is the same child who is adamant to, every time we are in public, announce that I am 40, which I am not…. Not even close. (1.5 years left – loads of time).

This was swiftly followed by my middle child aiding me with a spring clean of the wardrobe!! Putting on a rather pink dress, she erupts laughing, “Mammy, your bum looks so funny in that dress”. Well that dress went to the recycling bin. Odd arse cheeks….. of all the things I had to worry about.

by my daughter. She adamantly placed half a stick of concealer under my eyes, saying “Genie, I’m not sure even this will make your eyes less dark underneath…….

All while I was reading my book, working on my 3 month strategy, training for a marathon, cooking the dinner, doing the washing, educating myself with an online course, reading a safety report and losing an hour because of “Spring Time”……. Once again, if you want success, it’s SIMPLE!!!! Just go for it!!

Have a great last week of March everyone. Easter Bunny is just around the corner.