Someone asked me recently how I manage to find the time for all the walking & running I do with 3 kids & a busy business to manage. So it got me thinking & I managed to come up with some reasons at the time & afterwards on how I manage it, my suggestions may help someone.
Runners' frustration as some wait for refunds following cancellation of Stirling Marathon.
Some runners have been left pleading for help after being left to wait for their refund after organisers took the decision to cancel the Stirling marathon. Documenting My #75Hard Journey. After a false start in which I lasted 5 days just a few weeks ago, on 18 February 2022 I begin my 75 Hard journey again.
During this health emergency all our thoughts are with the families who are affected or have suffered because of COVID-19. Also to our amazing health workers who are working tirelessly to support those families and protect the health of us all. This article is intended to focus on supporting small business owners but we should not lose sight of those helping care, support and fight to keep the country safe and moving forward.
11/11/2018 Remembrance SundayThe village of Cambusbarron, Stirling remembered today all those that fell during the Great War.
For my generation World War 1 feels such a long time ago, with World War 2 feeling closer to our time as that war is more associated with being around the birth of our parents and the stories they could pass on to us. Unless you go deep into studying the history of WW1 I don't think we truly can appreciate the atrocities that our grandfathers and great grandfathers went through in that conflict. Like many millions throughout the world, today my family and I took time to remember and pay our respects to the millions that fell and who sacrificed to allow many future generations hope and opportunity. 30/9/2018 It's A Team EffortWatching Europe regain Golf's Ryder Cup you cannot fail to witness the emotional scenes displayed by the winning Europeans. Of course winning an event such as the Ryder Cup will always spark emotions from the winning team but I believe the success and especially the margin of victory for Europe over their opponents USA comes down to a major factor, which is that Europe play as a team. Yes, in golf, football, rugby and any team sport to succeed at the highest level there is no doubt you require individuals with the highest skill and ability but individuals with the highest skill and ability is not necessarily always a good thing if they don't have the fire and commitment to fight for and help other members of their team. You can relate to this throughout any team sport at any level from kids through to world class teams and you can also relate to this in business. As an employer with a growing team of electricians ideally I require a team who can carry out as many of the different skillsets and services required from an electrician but I would be foolish to believe every single electrician on my team can carry out all the different skills and services required. Training and guidance is provided to each individual for them to gain new skills over a course of time but I must initially work with my team around the capabilities of the individuals. And while training and guidance takes place I will be working and reminding each individual that they are part of a team, that when one person wins and completes a job that the end customer is happy about then it is a win and accomplishment for us all - for our team. We win together and we also pull together when required. Team members digging deep and helping each member of their team to succeed the same way as they would do so for themselves is the ultimate goal for leaders in team participation. So in your own world of team's whether that be in sport, business or work what more can you do to help out another team member say solve that problem, move the project forward, complete that task, give them a helping hand or provide support and motivation at your next game or match. One for All and All for One. Oh, and what a brilliant team effort and victory - well done Europe. 29/7/2018 Ice Skating90 days ago as part of one of my 'Fun' goals to achieve in this quarter I said I wanted to have a go at Ice Skating. Not once before had I tried it in my life. Today I hit my target. But after the first 10 minutes on the ice I was tapping out. I couldn't move forward, I couldn't move away from holding onto the side. I was finished. After standing at the side for a few minutes and after a good few deep breaths I quickly threw that 'finished' story out of my head. Back on the ice, I was re-focussed. What I hadn't realised before was that I had about a hundred teachers all around me. I stood and watched, I took in how they moved on the ice, how they balanced. I stood and watched how they flicked their feet and the motions they made. Ok, lets go again then I said to myself. Slowly and uneasily...I managed to move forward and I moved away from the side. Around and around the rink I went. I stopped at times, I rested, I looked at others again to learn more. I was now moving faster, I was feeling more comfortable - it also helped that I had tightened my boots. Around and around the rink I went......thud. The more comfortable I felt with the level I was at the faster I pushed myself. But this created a new challenge - it was now time to fall down. As my confidence grew, I wanted to expand, I wanted to move faster, I wanted to be more graceful. But that brings with it new challenges. Thud, Thud, Thud....it's bloody sore falling on hard ice, that's something else I've learned as well today. 90 minutes later, sweating (how can that be in an ice rink) I was skating and still falling over but where I had came from to where I was now in the space of 90 minutes was massive. From, wanting to quit after 10 minutes, to simply changing the story in my head that ice skating was too difficult and I couldnt do it, to watching and learning from others around me. From falling down, bruised and sore, I got back up and tried and tried again. Dancing on Ice is a long way off, infact skating for more than 2 minutes without falling on my arse will still take many more hours to achieve. But funny how the above is just like all the things we achieve in life. From fear and dread to begin with, to taking small steps, making mistakes and learning from those mistakes to eventual improvement and success as long as we persevere and put in the hard work. I dread to think what my next 90 day 'fun' goal will be. 12/7/2018 Family TimeI admit it’s taken me many years to realise but if you own a business or looking to progress your career this is the best investment of your time.
23/2/2018 Stephen FryA brave and inspirational watch as Stephen Fry describes in his own unique way his battle against prostate cancer. A message for us all not to ignore any signs and also for regular check ups. Encouraged to hear that his recovery is going well. Video from www.stephenfry.com More information at Prostate Cancer UK 13/2/2018 Elon Musk - Mars and More
With last weeks (mostly) successful Falcon Heavy mission Elon Musk and SpaceX have rarely been out of the news and within all the media clippings I stumbled across this TED interview with Elon from April 2017.
It's a fascinating 40 minutes insight into his thoughts and the current developments at SpaceX and Tesla as well as digging tunnels and missions to Mars. If your interested in what the future and even near future holds for us all grab a cup of tea and settle down to listen to what one of the worlds most influential entrepreneurs has to say.
February 4th (today) is World Cancer Day - a day to remember, to shed a tear, to reflect but also to be positive, be brave, be supportive and to fight - a day to get involved and support the research and the fight against cancer.
We all know someone whether a family member or friend who is currently or has been affected by cancer. In November 2012 we lost a dear friend and work colleague Maureen who sadly lost her fight against the disease after a short illness. Maureen left behind wonderful supportive parents and brother as well as a son she adored and supported with everything she could give. In a way I was fortunate up until that time to not have someone close to me suffer from cancer. Since then though I have tried as best as I can to support and raise awareness to help the fight against this horrible disease. Each day around the world thousands of people donate, bake, walk, run, cycle, swim as well as many other activities to help raise money and awareness but even more crucially each day countless partners, relatives, friends and volunteers support and care for people affected by cancer. I'm going to be blunt at this point - this is the link to the many ways you can support the fight against cancer - I beg you to consider donating via the the linked page or by supporting someone you know who is taking part in a charity event in the coming months. There are many types of cancer which need supporting and each has its own awareness and funding challenges but each one all has the same goal - to beat cancer. On 29th April 2018 I will once again take part in the Stirling Scottish Marathon - 26.2 miles running in the wonderful scenic Stirling countryside. Sounds exhausting and exciting at the same time plus also rewarding to those that complete the feat. A feat that is yes personally rewarding but also a feat that requires mental and physical strength - after 20 miles with just over 6 miles to go it is another 6 miles too far for the body which just wants to give up and stop going forward. I'm not exaggerating, 20 miles into a marathon the body is struggling and doesn't want to continue with the final miles - personally it is at that exact moment that in the past I have drawn on the support of the crowd but more importantly drawn on the support of the wonderful people that have donated and supported my efforts with my charity cause. This year I have chosen to support Prostate Cancer UK, a disease that will affect 1 in 8 men, kills a man every 45 minutes and is now a bigger killer than Breast Cancer in UK. With the Men United campaign the awareness of Prostate Cancer has increased in recent years but the funding for the research to help fight this particular type of cancer is less than other well known cancer types. Since I started running and raising money for charities in 2013 the support from family, friends, colleagues and customers has been remarkable and each time I am humbled for the support you give. Conscious of asking for your support again for charity I do believe though that raising awareness and supporting the fight against Prostate Cancer is worth me asking and pleading for your generosity again. Please consider supporting, not my running efforts, but the future research and those currently fighting Prostate Cancer. Thank You. Scott 24/12/2017 Christmas PresentOur Christmas present arrived in time for the big day.
It’s been a whirlwind week full of many emotions with this little man joining our family for Christmas. Wishing you all good health and happiness over the festive period. 10/8/2017 Carse Thistle at 40It was pleasing to see an article in this weeks Stirling Observer newspaper about local youth football club Carse Thistle.
I played with Carse at Under 16 & 18 level after spending most of my youth football at the successful North Broomage Colts/VIS Colts team from Under 11 through to Under 15. Like many of my primary school friends I knew Dick from 10 years old after we all had trials at Carse Thistle and later in life I bumped into him a few times in Stirling city centre where he would never pass you without saying hello and asking how I was. An absolute gentleman of a man who dedicated a lot of his life to youth football in the Stirling area and I wish the new custodians of the club all the success in the future as they carry on the legacy of Dick Taylor. 9/8/2017 A9 Average Speed CamerasAre the A9 average speed cameras a success? Well I certainly think so and the stats prove it.
The most notorious section of the A9 is from Perth to Inverness which I have driven many times and now a handful of times since the average speed cameras were installed with the latest drive being today and I have found the journey to the likes of Aviemore and Inverness to be less stressful and I've encountered less incidents or potential incidents since the average speed cameras were installed. Major roadworks over the next handful of years for dualling purposes will cause distribution and some frustration but there can be no argument that since average speed cameras were installed instead of the small number of static individual cameras the road is crucially safer with journey times far from affected. Dualling the A9 is a massive project and was talked about for decades before the current Scottish Government committed to the long term plan and we are already seeing the benefits of the decision to upgrade the road as well as the decision to take decisive action against speeding. 6/8/2017 Morning TimeMonday tomorrow and I always look forward to an early start to the week. Whether it's for exercise, planning, business time or just to get some you time it's amazing what we can achieve in the first hour or two before breakfast. Try it initially for 2-3 times per week with one of those a weekend day and take note of what you have done in those early hours and when you look back at the end of the week you will be amazed to see how much you can accomplish in those quiet undisturbed hours. Just one quick helpful pointer always use the evening before to plan for what you want to achieve in that morning time. Waking up with a plan will make it easier and keep you focused. 2/8/2017 Milestone DayI just wanted to blog and register a post today in what I know I will look back on as a milestone in my business life.
I remember when I was in my late teens admiring what my team and I this week have taken a massive step towards. Ok, too much info already. Hopefully more news over coming weeks. 29/7/2017 Changing ExpectationsAre our expectation levels changing? I believe they are and my conclusion is that internet shopping is largely to blame - but that may not be a bad thing. In the day of instant online answers to our questions and shopping via our computer and smart devices our expectation levels as customers have increased and it's been working it's way into the traditional trades and services sector for a few years now. At Stirling Electrical Services and Stirling Alarms a large part of our service is being reactive to customers who have unexpected electrical and security alarm problems so we are geared up as much as we can be to respond as quickly as possible but increasingly we are finding our customer service team are receiving more phonecalls from customers who these days not 'hope' for a quick response but 'expect' a very quick response. Back to my theory regarding the internet being a cause for increasing expectation levels, I can relate to this in my own experience. I love internet shopping especially for electronic gadgets and devices and purchase many items online for the business and for home and I admit that I will pay slightly extra if it means I receive the goods quicker. Several examples of how the internet and especially delivery timescales are affecting our expectation levels was this weekend when on Friday I ordered goods from Amazon. Not only could I pick up the goods ordered on Amazon immediately at my local Argos store in a partnership between those companies when I returned the item I purchased on Saturday mid-morning as it was defective I was told that (instead of waiting until Monday as I expected too for a replacement) I could return to Argos later that afternoon when a replacement would be delivered to Argos for me to pick up. Another example from this weekend was on late Saturday afternoon when I again ordered goods via Amazon and expected a Monday delivery but in fact I could choose for the goods to be delivered free (Amazon Prime member) on Sunday. The goods arrived at my home late Sunday afternoon. Yes on Sunday, the last few years has seen many of the delivery companies starting a Sunday delivery service to meet the growing demand and expectations of online shopping. The above examples add to the recent orders I have placed just minutes before midnight on Amazon for delivery the following day and I believe Next also offer a late at night ordering service for following day delivery. Our expectation levels and demands are increasing and the instant answers and service driven by internet shopping is well on the way to affecting the expectation levels within other business sectors, and you know what I think it's a good thing. These days when a customer of mine expects me to have an electrician hiding around the corner just on the rare chance that they may have an electrical problem so we can respond to in a matter of minutes, then although I will initially feel they are being unreasonable to expect an electrician to be waiting just for them, it does get me thinking and makes me take a step back and ponder about how we operate and how we can work towards improving our service level. Customers expectations, yes for us business leaders they can be a pain at times but as leaders we must put ourselves in our customers shoes at every opportunity and improve and align our own business services as much as possible to match the changing customer exception levels as well as keeping an eye on and learning from other business sectors. 26/7/2017 Decisions Decisions Good? Bad?What a day it's been for high profile decisions by both the UK Government and The Supreme Court.
First of all UK Government announced that from 2040 all new cars sold will be electric or hybrid and then The supreme Court ruled that charging employees to bring employment tribunal cases against employers is illegal. I'm going to give it a few days and then blog again in more depth but both decisions leave me with many questions and also anger. I know it's more than a few decades before the new electric vehicle ruling comes into force and many many technology advances will take place within that time but as someone in the industry the generation of and then the infrastructure demand to cope with electric vehicles (in current power demands) is massive. I think its obvious that today's announcement is only to appease and beat a court order deadline knowing new generation and infrastructure plans can be left for another day and another government down the line. The other headline news was The Supreme Court's decision to rule that charging employees a higher fee (introduced in 2013) to bring an employee tribunal case against an employer is unlawful. As I said I will go into this in depth in another post as your point of view on this decision will likely be on whether you are an employer or an employee but let me tell you from experience, this decision will once again increase the risk and heavy burden on small businesses like mine to have to safeguard at a high insurance cost against those odd rogue employees who know at no cost will now be able to again raise a tribunal case against the employer even with a weak and deliberate vendetta case. I really do believe you have to employ people to even start to appreciate the extra demands, burden and costs placed on small businesses who just want to create jobs and contribute to the economy. Let me tell you that when an employee gets charged and convicted in court for a personal offence that means they cannot undertake their job but an employer can then still have an unfair dismissal tribunal case raised against them then the system is wrong and this decision just opens up the floodgates to rouge employees and rogue no win no fee lawyers. 24/7/2017 Back With The Team'Back With The Team' today after nearly two working weeks off and it was great being back engaging with them all again as we collectively work to improve as individuals and also as a business. The family break in Lanzarote was most welcome and deserved after another challenging but also rewarding past 12 months. When you run a business especially one that employs many people there will always be ups and downs and it's how as business owners we react and the decisions we make to the challenges and successes is what determines how the business progresses and grows. Watching my young boys have fun and how they have improved in their swimming over the past 12 months gives me such energy and drive and does an amazing job at recharging my batteries. My office team fully expect me to be on the phone or email to them every day while I'm away but although I have various business information if I require at my fingertips via iPhone/iPad apart from seeking basic updates I have learned over the years that it is not healthy-management and is very soul destroying for my team for me to constantly check in to make sure all is ok.
A combination of introducing various procedures and systems over the years allows the day to day operations to operate efficiently but I am confident in the knowledge that our systems are run by our excellent office team who do a wonderful job keeping everything together and running smoothly. It's a team game, we all have our own individual roles within the team but collectively we must work and be motivated as a unit. Although I've talked about my own experiences above, which I know I must continue to work on and improve, the principles of team building, delegation and trusting your team as well as taking time out to recharge from the day to day coalface are all crucial to small business owners with employees. Time off, recharging and reflecting is a great investment in the business. 19/7/2017 Changing PaceWriting this blog nearing the end of my family holiday in Lanzarote my mind drifts back more often now to business and the months ahead running several companies.
I don't like taking time off - I know I must, I know I must for not only my family but also for my wellbeing. In recent years I feel that I am getting better at relaxing during the downtime and allowing my team back home to look after the day to day operations. They are more than capable and I do take heart knowing that our procedures and systems we have worked tirelessly down the years developing are now in place and being handled well. When companies get to a certain size having procedures and systems in place that help everyone understand the day to day processes is very crucual to the efficiency and consistency of the business. It's a busy period for us in the electrical and security system trade and we have many ideas and plans for the coming months that will require hard work from myself and the team but for now, for me, there's still another day to relax...the hard work of resuming running can also wait another day or two as well. I know this final day downtime will be another day invested well in myself and family. The development of the smartphone and apps over recent years has given me and other business owners the tools that at a glance an overview of certain crucial business information such as bank, accounts information and emails can be sought easily with the facility to drill down into the information if I wish but to be honest I don't go into them in depth while I'm away. Knowing the information is there if I require it is good enough. On holidays though I do tend to spend time planning my diary, todo list and note taking as ideas and problem solving can become much clearer when your away from the everyday hustle of the office. A change to a slower pace is required at times whether it is for one day or one week. Although I've started to realise this in recent times I've still a way to go and can improve to relax further. I never like taking my eye off the ball from my business life but I've believed this week off has given me the rest and boost required to tackle the upcoming next stages in my business development. 11/6/2017 Never Give UpIf ever you need reminding about the saying 'Never Give Up' then watch the last few minutes of the football action from Hampden Park, Glasgow yesterday afternoon.
When it looked like England would close the match out for a 1-0 win, two amazing late free kick goals put Scotland seconds away from a famous victory only for England to score and equalise with virtually the last kick of the match. Three late goals in the last six or so minutes in this Auld Enemy fixture swinging the match either way made it a 'I Was There' moment for the near 50,000 spectators inside Scotland's national stadium. In the business world sport reminds us often of the rewards of never giving up, not quitting and fighting until the end. Ok, on occasions no matter how hard you fight that bad luck and fate just become the overriding factors and win the day but when you do fight until the end, when you do perceiver, when you do push and give it that one more effort then that's when the odds can turn in your favour and results and achievements can happen. That local music band which have performed for many years just never know when that breakthrough opportunity will come or when an app developer will develop that one particular app of many that it will go viral or when our business may attract the attention of investors or buyers. Yes there are occasions when pursuing a dying dream should stop but we all have personal or business goals in life that are worth fighting for and we know that by never giving up and not quitting we increase the odds in our favour of having our own 'I did it' moment' From Sweden through Germany, Belgium and France to United Kingdom we stand together in the face of recent terrorism and the evil it brings. Worldwide our peaceful way of life which up until now we have taken for granted is at risk but we are all starting to unite in supporting each other and standing up to the face of evil. On our own shores no matter the colour of our skin or our political persuasion our togetherness is stronger than ever and the will to take more effective action against those that stand against our democratic way of life is growing. Some of the terror attacks in the countries listed above have been caused by relatively basic means - vehicles driven into crowds in streets and on bridges and aided with primitive weapons such as knifes. As the weapons in some of these attacks are easy to attain it is clear that stopping these types of attacks is difficult as they seem easy to carry out and could happen at any time and anywhere. Perhaps this is the reason why many have now started to call for stronger pre-emptive action that some of us may be uncomfortable with but maybe are starting to accept could be the most effective option. Is it time to start sailing close to the human rights wind and take action against those that are currently on terrorism watchlists by seeking them out and detaining and questioning them before any further acts of terrorism are carried out?. Undoubtably there will be mistakes along the way with detaining wrong suspects but is the will of the people and the legal system now at a stage where we will accept those mistakes if ultimately it reduces the risk of further attacks. It's a tough next move, it may even be an 'illegal' next move but the world is spinning out of control both domestically and internationally that it may need the governments of the affected terror countries to start the process and make the major and difficult decisions required. The will of the people is growing towards more effective and stronger action being taken against those that currently live on our own shores that potentially could cause acts of terrorism. Do we take stronger pre-emptive action or do we just respond the best we can and then learn after the terror events have happened. Brave, bold, strong, 'illegal' decisions may now have to be made at the top level - has the time now come for those decisions to be made? - the people of our grieving shores will I'm sure understand and support those difficult decisions. #askSCOTT - Question 3 - Stirling Weather - What's it all about?Off-topic this week from the usual business related question as earlier this week because a lot of people were talking about the lack of rain in the Stirling area I was asked by a friend about my Stirling Weather service and how did it come about. It all began in 2009 when I started to record live and historical data from my weather station near the King's Park area in Stirling. It was at that time in late 2009 that our data was made available to the public via the Stirling Weather website which we published and the data was supplemented by the Weather Underground website which also stored our weather data. Over the years our weather instruments have been upgraded to near professional standard and via our website and social media pages Stirling Weather is the go to place for local weather information. See the below weblinks for useful sites and information 5/5/2017 FickleThe local election results were today and watching councillors up and down the country lose their seats at the hands of voters reminded me of how it can be like in business at times and the word that came to mind was 'Fickle'.
Fickle - "changing frequently, especially as regards one's loyalties or affections." "likely to change frequently often without apparent or cogent reason" Watching some councillors who have achieved and worked hard over the years for their local area lose out to 'tactical' voting by some of the electorate reminded me of business and when I am left bewildered by the decisions taken by some who at the drop of the hat will turn against you for no apparent reason even after years of good service to them. Learning to live with decisions taken by others which are out of your control is one of life's big learning curves but remaining steadfast in your own beliefs and the proper way you conduct yourself or your business will ultimately come out on top - it may take time but time has a funny knack of eventually catching up with 'fickle' people. 9/4/2017 AchievementsOn Sunday morning I was in Grangemouth to take part in their annual Round The Houses 10k running event. The race started and ended at Grangemouth Stadium which was the venue for what I still regard as one of my greatest ever achievements. 1989 was the year and Grangemouth Stadium was the venue when a football team from Larbert near Falkirk (VIS Colts - formally North Broomage Colts) won the Under 13 Scottish Youth Cup defeating the favourites and well known Edinburgh side Hutchison Vale. Today was an ideal opportunity to look back on that day but it also got me thinking about why we don't look back on our achievements as often as we should. We are all caught up in the day to day hustle and bustle of life and for me that is especially true in the business world as I know I don't spent enough time reflecting on the past. We all get caught up in the present and the countless decisions we have to make in the current time that we don't stop and take time to reflect and learn from the past Looking back at the past and your achievements can have varying effects, one can be the usual "what if" that though is the demon negative that we must banish from our thoughts immediately. I can look back to when I was 18 years old and when I gave up football to concentrate on my electrical career and ask "what if" - what could I have become if I had dedicated all my time to football instead of an electrical apprenticeship. Or we could look back on our past and our achievements and learn from it but to do that I and you need to set time aside and remove ourselves from the present and allow time to reflect on the past. So instead of wondering and dwelling on the what if's of why I gave up football, I could look at our teams achievement in 1989 and look at how we defeated the favourite on the day, how as a group of individuals we all played to our own strengths which galvanised us as a team, how we were coached by focused dedicated individuals who got the best out of each one of us to benefit the sum of the team, how by hard work and dedication we deservedly won the cup, how we had to spend many cold winter nights after school in the rain and cold training in the dark to help us achieve our goal. Taking time out to reflect on those positives of the past will help us make better present and future decisions. We all spend and yes that still at times includes me, living and getting bogged down in the present but our future can become much more clearer and straightforward by taking time out to reflect and learn from our wins and loses in the past BUT we must allow time in the present to learn from the past which in turn will influence our future. There's countless more successful people in the world that have achieved much more than winning a football cup competition at 13 years old but the reflecting on the achievement and learning from the negative and plus points of the past is what drives and steers our future success. Support My Marathon Charity |
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