ME STOP DAY DREAMING? NEVER!

That phrase “stop day dreaming hooker” still haunts me even to this very day. It doesn't haunt me in a negative or damaging way, more of a sad way for the damage that it has done to the many people that went through the education system when I did and had the same phrase repeated to them.

My school back in the sixties was a good school, ok teachers, boys only (damn shame about that) so not many of what you would call distractions. My favourite subject was English language and literature with all other subjects going to the wall - the only exception being athletics. I loved running and held the school record for the 100 yards sprint, mile and 3 mile as well as cross country. I loved the freedom it gave me and hearing the cheering ringing in my ears gave me the motivation to keep going. No-one cheered for you in maths, history, or woodworking classes so they bored me.

I loved looking out of the classroom windows wishing that I was somewhere else, running through the forests, beating other runners and was often reprimanded by my teacher who would shout at me "Hooker, stop daydreaming"

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My daydreaming got worse when a new music teacher came to our school, a Mr Bamber, who wanted to start a school band as well as a madrigal choir. And man did he capture my imagination. He was enthusiastic about music in such a way that there was no other alternative other than to go along with his dreams and perform.

And his arrival at the school lead to me daydreaming even more, looking out the window and imagining all sorts of things in my life where I would achieve everything and be at the top of everything. Unfortunately that bought even more attention on me from the teachers who continually shouted "Hooker Stop DayDreaming" - I can still hear it today ringing in my ears.

However I have come to learn over the years that daydreaming is an integral part of success for what your mind can perceive so it can achieve it. To have success you have to see success. And with the thought of nothing but success on your mind your brain will program your actions to take you in the direction of your dreams provided that you maintain focus on your dreams and never let them go no matter how many people tell you to stop daydreaming.

What did my continual daydreaming lead me to? Top brass player in the Royal Air Force. Leader of a 17 piece dance orchestra. Drummer in a 4 piece group. Vocalist and Trombone player in 7 piece show band. Leading role in many stage plays. Barber Shop Quartet. Singer. International Public speaker. Stand-up Comic......the list goes on and on, and still yet I am accomplishing more of my daydreams. And still some call me a day dreamer.

I am excited that I still have dreams, that I can still see a new and exciting future ahead of me, that I have no regrets, that I am continually dreaming and planning. And believe it or believe it not I never fail. You can't fail when your dreams allow you to feel success mentally. Reality is perception and what you perceive you will achieve.

Dream the way you want to be. Feel your dreams. Touch your dreams. Smell your dreams. Taste your dreams. The only mountain that you ever have to climb in life is overcoming people saying STOP DAY DREAMING! Follow and believe your dreams. Every time someone tells you to "stop daydreaming" just tell them that you are planning and living your success.

David is an international coach and mentor as well as an internationally recognised public speaker. To book him for your next conference or seminar contact him at – info@davidhooker.net

YOU DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO GET 100%

One of my recent blogs was about a friend who felt guilty about taking time off from work. She stated that when she wasn’t working she felt guilty and that she should be doing something that was work related.

You might also remember from the same blog about the mother who was glad that her children had gone away so that she could work and that it would be a challenge to have to "get back to parenting" upon their return.

I have since had cause to think more about these two statements as I am coming across more and more people who place the importance of their work and jobs above the importance and value of their home and their family.

Of course I am only too aware that we all need to work. That we need to provide for our families, and that without an income we cannot feed and clothe our family. That being said it is an ongoing challenge not to let everything get out of balance, and not to put work above family.

I have always believed that one needs to build their work around their family's needs, and not the family around the business needs. It is understood that we can so easily become engrossed in our work with the challenges, decisions, and responsibilities that accompany a job but we must step back and not let anything interfere with the sole purpose of working, and that is to provide for the family.

When we become too engrossed in our work what happens is that so often love flies out the door. Kids become a hindrance, partners appear to be unsporting, everyday needs of the family become distractions to our work and we can’t wait for the weekend to be over so that we can get back to work.

A friend of mine is currently studying for exams, exams that if passed will be a step further towards a much higher and well deserved income. Always a good thing to do for the family will benefit from the hard work. However, in some people, the desire and need to get the highest marks, get 100%, to be top of the class is of such paramount importance that nothing else matters other than that target of 100%. And this friend of mine is not alone. There are many of us out there where being the best, being #1 is seen to be the ultimate achievement. And that’s OK but only if it’s not to the detriment of the family.

At the end of the day just passing an exam, to the best of one’s ability is just as good as getting 100%. In all the interviews that I have ever carried out not once have I asked a candidate what marks they got, all I need to know is did they get the grade, and can they apply what they have learned.

I don’t want an employee who cares more about their work than their family because an uncaring employee will always lack empathy and eventually become an uncaring manager.

When we worry too much about our jobs and not enough about our family we stand the risk of losing both the family and the job.

To comment on this blog, or to talk to David with regards to booking him for your next conference contact him at info@davidhooker.net

STRESSED? DUMP IT DON'T RECYCLE IT

Being a regular frequent flyer I have obviously amassed an amazing amount of air miles with Air Canada, and yes, despite the negative press that Air Canada gets on a regular basis they are still my favourite airline. They have taken me safely around the world numerous times continuously bringing me home safely. Not always my luggage, but always me.

I am the type of flyer who has learned to pack minimally, many times getting all that I need l into my carry on – just a matter of packing carefully. So you can imagine my frustration and sometimes irritability at seeing passengers cramming way too much luggage into the overheads, taking up the space that other passengers are entitled to use whilst others are having to stuff bags under their seats which is way too uncomfortable, and in some cases having bags taken away and placed in the hold - all because of uncaring passengers have no thought or care for others.

Now because of this bad behaviour airlines are carefully measuring every single bag that passengers are bringing onto the flight, and if it does not fit the accepted dimensions then into the hold it goes. And now, on top of that we are getting charged for our baggage in an attempt to alleviate the problem being caused by selfish travelers. Oh yes, I almost forgot, it is also a money grab for the airlines, which airlines are experts at doing in a plausible way.

Excess baggage causes many a headache for all of us and unfortunately we are all carrying excess baggage with us in our daily lives. This excess baggage is very often attached to our finances whereby we are living way beyond our means. Or perhaps the excess baggage is associated with a major disagreement with our partner where hurtful statements were made that we can’t forget or forgive.

The more we carry this excess baggage around the more stressful it becomes and then the harder it is to shake it off. Stress is one of the biggest diseases that we suffer from in this the modern age and is the underlying cause of many of today’s illnesses.

If we don’t deal with the issues causing us stress immediately so the greater the potential damage that can be caused to our health from that stress.

Stress is like a glass of water. Hold a glass of water in your outstretched hand. How heavy is it. Not much eh. But keep on holding it in your outstretched hand, without wavering for 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes. That very light glass of water gets heavier by the minute until such time that it gets so heavy that you can hold it no longer.

Well the same applies to the self-imposed stress that we all place upon ourselves. The longer that you hold onto baggage/stress the heavier it becomes until such time as everything around you collapses. Is that what you want? Is that REALLY what you want? I don’t think so.

Life is too beautiful and far too precious to ruin it by thinking of, and focusing on baggage that you insist on carrying around with you. Either deal with it or just dump it. God has given you the divine power of thought, the ability to choose. So choose.

DUMP YOUR BAGGAGE AND DON’T RECYCLE IT

SECRETS? - THERE ARE NO SECRETS

If you are anything like me you are actively banging away at your keyboard running your business and / or family life. I know that I spend many hours communicating with my hundreds and hundreds (if not thousands) of contacts around the world who have either attended my seminars, followed me or written privately seeking advice and guidance – thank goodness for Skype!!!

I spend hours listening to those who contact me, thinking deeply as to how best I can advise them, to encourage them to keep on going but with a small bit of fine tuning. I don’t have all the answers, no one does but I dig deep into my wealth of experience, tapping into my memory banks recalling advice and suggestions that I have picked up along the way on my journey to a better and clearer understanding.

I can safely assume that my words of guidance have some merit for my contacts are continuously seeking me out time after time to either update me on their successes, to celebrate with them, or to just ask “one more question”.

But what I do is not the point of this blog.

No doubt, again like me your inbox is also fall of garbage from scam and spam emails all trying to infiltrate their way into your data base, to steal your money, or to share with you the latest virus. And no matter what steps you take to avoid these nuisances they always manage to screw up your days with deletion, spam protectors and whatever other steps you follow to protect yourself – what a load of timewasters.

But they are not the ones that truly get my goat (British for “get on my nerves”). The ones that in my mind do the most damage are the individuals that fill my inbox, and yours no doubt, promoting the latest “Secrets” to success. “The secrets that no one else dares share”. Or how about this one, “How to make your first Million” – the list just goes on and on. Watch this short video, buy this amazing book, join my free seminar, pay for 10 sessions, and so on. Learn the secrets to my success here !!!!

The only true secrets to success are desire, determination, and passion. That’s it.

Watch any baby as it emerges from the mother’s womb and be fascinated by the determination, desire, and passion that the baby has for survival. Regardless the challenges that that small bundle of joy might have been born with it only knows one thing – SUCCESS.

That baby does not need motivating, does not need to know any secrets, does not need to read any books. All it knows that it has to survive, is not aware of any deficiencies, and has an in-bread desire to achieve at all costs.

At the end of the day the Key to Success IS YOU. YOU are the key, YOU are the secret, YOU have the power to achieve what you set your mind to achieve – that is IF YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELF – as the new born baby does.

Believe in your decisions. Believe in your chosen direction. Stick to your plan.

And finally DELETE ALL THOSE EMAILS OFFERING THE NEXT UNKNOWN SECRET.

For more information regarding davids work, or to book him for your next conference or seminars contact him at info@davidhooker.net