About This Site. This site is the website of motivational speaker Craig
Harper. A constantly updated, one-stop
information, inspiration, education and motivation
station. Unlike many similar sites, it is a totally
free resource for anyone who is serious about moving
from mediocre to amazing in any area of their
personal or professional life. With hundreds of
articles covering a wide range of subject matter,
great interviews with cool people and inspirational
video posts, there's more than enough brain-food to
keep you busy for hours. Okay, days!!
Enjoy.
DVD
- Renovate Your Body
In this entertaining presentation, Craig discusses the
notion of Renovating Your Body - once and for all. (Also
available on CD).
Fattitude.
While many books focus on food,
Craig Harper teaches that creating life-long change is more about the
dieter, than the actual diet. This book is perfect for people who have a
history of 'almost' getting in shape.
Food
for thought.
In this book, Craig Harper walks the reader through his 21 rules to
Permanent Weight Loss.
So
you've decided you want to get in shape (again).
Imagine a pocket-sized fitness book that takes just twenty
minutes to read. Craig Harper addresses the REAL
getting-in-shape issues.
Craig
Harper - Food, Exercise, and Lifestyle Diary.
If you're serious about your training,
nutrition, and lifestyle - Craig Harper's training diary is an invaluable tool.
Craig Harper is a leading
motivational speaker
and educator. He is a highly
sought-after corporate coach and is considered to be
a leader and pioneer in the areas of personal and
professional development. Working with hundreds of
teams, companies and a wide variety of organisations
on numerous continents over the last twenty years
has given Craig a unique insight into, and
understanding of, human performance and all its
variables. Craig has an ability to educate, inspire,
challenge and make people laugh all at the same
time!
Remember how much fun you had when you were a kid? Inventing cool stuff. Creating your own games. Decorating your bedroom like some weird-ass shrine to your fave singer/actor/band. Being a rock star in front of the mirror. Making up stupid songs with your stupid friends. Killing bad guys (maybe that was just me). Singing, dancing, drawing, painting, writing fantastical stories. Telling awesome lies to get out of stuff (me again). Generally being creative. You didn't need to worry about what your singing voice sounded like, whether or not your dancing looked silly or whether your stories made much sense at all. It didn't matter one bit because it was all about freedom of expression, developing your creative self, hanging out with your friends and of course, having fun. It was mostly about fun. And you had plenty. Because you were creating.
Early Retirement
You only learned to worry and be self-conscious about your creative self as you got older. And what a sad day it was when you learned that lesson. As you became more and more self-conscious, you became less and less creative and adventurous. You sang less, danced less, created less and took less chances. Had less fun too. Creative You became completely agoraphobic - never wanting to leave the house. Scared of public places and attention. Creative You went into semi-retirement. Looking out the window every day but rarely coming out to play.
You do remember Creative You don't you? And you do remember when you didn't care what people thought about your ability or talent? It was much easier then wasn't it? When was the last time you two spoke? It's probably been a while. Pity.
Let me out!
If you're like many people, then Creative You is still in there somewhere desperately waiting to be heard once again. Desperately wanting to play a part in your life. Or just play. Wanting to make you smile like you once did. Wanting to sing into that hairbrush, roll in the dirt, shoot the bad guy, write the fairytale, create the award-winning play and do fun stuff just because you can. Not because it's strategic or timely, not because it's what's expected and certainly not because it makes sense. No, simply because it's fun and being creative is part of who you are.
Or who you once were.
Sadly, logical and grown-up you has been running the show for too long. Creative You hasn't been seen or heard from for years. Sometimes he (she) tries to be heard but sensible, clever you simply talks louder. Sometimes sensible, clever you is an idiot.
Something from nothing
I believe passionately that many of us are happiest when we're creating. Taking an idea and turning it into a 'something'. A theory, a thought into a reality. Creating and innovating rather than duplicating and imitating. Very cool.
Like Sir Ken Robinson, I believe that most of our educational systems actually beat the creative desire out of our kids. By the time they reach their teenage years they have learned that singing, dancing, inventing, painting, drawing and expressing their creativity is less than desirable out in the real world and should take a back seat to all things academic. Not that we all need to be performers or artists (as such), but we do all need to express our creativity because on some level, that's who we are. Without creativity and original thought we simply become boring, unfulfilled clones of each other.
"I'm not sure what I think, what do you think I should think?"
We're so worried about fitting in and not looking foolish that we get scared to let our creative self have a voice. If I didn't let my creative self have a voice this blog wouldn't exist and you wouldn't be reading this article. Your life would be craig-harper-less (stop it).
Okay, bad example.
Two years ago I didn't know what a blog was and all of my writing was for magazines and books. It was mostly academic-type, science-based articles about health and fitness - not always riveting stuff. For too long I had not let my creative self have a voice (when it came to my writing anyway). I worried - "what if I write something that I find hilarious, amusing and entertaining but nobody else does?"
The genesis of medotcom
So with Johnnie kicking my ass, I decided to take a chance, create a blog and write about whatever I wanted to, rather than what my editors wanted or what other people thought was appropriate to come from the keyboard of an exercise scientist dude. I have since learned to love the creative freedom of a blog. To love having no editors. No rules. To write about what I want, when I want and if I want.
No rules
If I want to write something funny, I can. Philosophical, I can do that too. Thought-provoking, yep. Controversial, no problem. If I want to be a motivator on Tuesday, a scientist on Wednesday and a story-teller on Thursday, that's okay - cause there ain't no rules on my blog. I can even use horrible grammar and misspell wurdz because this crap doesn't get marked!!! And I can say crap too!
There are probably lots of sensible reasons why I shouldn't be a creative writer and even more reasons why you shouldn't listen to me - you know I have issues right? But hey, I'm gonna keep doing it anyway 'cause it's kinda fun.
Besides, I like creative me the most.
If the last time you did something creative was in the eighties, then why don't you surprise yourself today. Do something different. Stop doing the same. Don't do it because it's sensible, mature, responsible or strategic, do it because it gives you pleasure and it's part of who you are.
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20 comments
You've decided you want to get in shape. Get a little fitter, healthier and stronger. Buff up and gain some muscle. Possibly even a six-pack. You head off to the local gym, sign on the dotted line, hand over some cash and then head straight home. You would have done a workout on the spot but it wasn't really a goodtime. So the following day you get up, put on your new gym outfit - the one you bought on credit - and head off to the club. You arrive looking resplendent in your new workout gear. You put your valuables in a locker, pin your key to your shirt and head out on to the gym floor.
You look at all the bods in the gym sweating, grunting, pushing, panting and generally getting uncomfortable and to be honest, it really doesn't look so appealing to you. The reality of exercise doesn't seem nearly as much fun as the idea of it all. And if there's one thing you like, it's fun.
Strange people on strange equipment
You move around the gym looking curiously at the strange people on the strange equipment and nothing looks particularly enticing or enjoyable. In fact, it all looks a little uncomfortable and if there's one thing you have an aversion to, it's discomfort. Finally you find something which appeals to you; a weird-looking bike, with a back rest, arm rests and a built-in TV. Giddyup. Now you're interested.
The first workout
You call over the gym dude with the big arms and little head and he shows you how to program a workout on the bike and more importantly, how to use the TV. You ignore the first part of the lesson but soak up the TV tutorial. While the multitudes sweat all around you, you stay focused on your wildlife documentary and use the pedals of the bike as nothing more than a lop-sided footstool. Literally. Not a single turn of the pedals, not a deviation of your heart rate and not a bead of sweat to be seen. Forty five minutes later your workout is done and you head back to the locker room. You return your key to reception, purchase a well-earned drink and wave goodbye to the staff at the front desk. You stride triumphantly to your car and wonder why you didn't join a gym years ago; "It ain't that hard", you think to yourself.
Getting into a routine
You enjoy your workout so much that you decide to go five days a week. You create a little ritual for yourself. Same bike, same corner of the gym, same rewarding drink at the end of each session, and of course that same triumphant power-walk to the car.
After three months of toil you're informed that you're due for your re-assessment. The dude with the little head takes you into a pokey room with a bunch of weird looking gadgets and a plethora of indecipherable charts and tables on the wall. He pokes, prods, measures and weighs you. He looks somewhat concerned. He informs you that you're fatter, heavier, weaker and less fit than when you started.
What? No results!
You're disgusted and disillusioned. You can't understand how going to the gym five days a week for three months can equate to such poor results. You tear up your membership card and you vow never to return to a gym. If only you had actually done something while you were there. If only you had got a little uncomfortable.
Now, I know watcha thinking: "as if anyone's gonna do that!"
It ain't just a silly story
Well you may (or may not) be surprised to learn that this story is a metaphor for way too many lives. Lives spent avoiding anything that looks like hard work or discomfort. Anything that might actually produce some quality results. Anything that might get people out of their secure, familiar little boxes. Anything that might cause them to learn, grow, adapt and change. Some people spend their life sitting on the comfy bike, resting their feet on the pedals (rather than turning them), watching the TV and wondering why they get zero results. Why they make no progress.
When it comes to achieving genuine personal growth and seeing real positive change in our world (as opposed to the all-too-common, short-term burst of motivation and temporary behavioural change), there's a bunch of potential hurdles and obstacles that we need to negotiate and navigate our way around in order to create the new and improved version of us. There is however one standout at the very top of most 'hurdles and obstacles' lists...
We are comfort junkies.
Yep, being addicted to comfort can be somewhat problematic, if not catastrophic, for the wanna-be, modern-day success story. The truth is, if you're not experiencing and dealing with pain, discomfort and fear on at least a semi-regular basis, you're probably not learning, growing, changing, adapting and exploring your potential as you should be. If you're all about personal growth, maximising your ability and positive change, then avoid the tough (uncomfortable, inconvenient, painful) stuff at your peril.
Life can be an amazing and incredible ride. It can also be a messy, unfair and uncomfortable place to be. It's our classroom. It's where we learn and grow - when we choose to pedal the bike. As I've said before, pain is one of our greatest teachers but we need to be willing students.
We don't learn, grow, adapt and improve by gravitating towards all things safe, comfortable, familiar and convenient. No, we actually begin to develop and change for the better when we get off the couch, roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty. Some of us have been masters of avoidance for too long.
If you've been reclining on the comfy bike forever, then maybe it's time for you to start pedalling.
If you're serious about becoming the new-and-improved version of you, then stop looking for easy and start looking for effective. Don't do what's comfortable or convenient, do what works.
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23 comments
G'day you crazy kids. Hope you're having an amazing week because that's what you've decided.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post called A Lesson About Learning. In it, I touched (briefly) on different learning styles and discussed how we all learn in different ways and at different rates. I also spoke about how some talented, creative kids are handicapped because most traditional educational systems simply don't cater for them.
Well, today I want to continue that theme via one of the best presentations I have ever seen (on any topic) by an enlightening and entertaining genius who goes by the name of Sir Ken Robinson. I love this guy, he is one of my favorite speakers - quirky, gifted, funny and unbelievably clever.
Even if you're not (normally) a video watcher, I would encourage you to make an exception and take 19 minutes out of your day to learn something from this truly fascinating and thought-provoking teacher.
Sit back and enjoy. Click here to play the video.
8 comments
And a big thankyou to the Spice Girls for today's title!
Apparently we should all be setting goals. It's what us high-achieving, self-help types do. We set goals and then we achieve stuff. Great formula. Seems to make sense. And then once we achieve what we set out to, we're happy. Allegedly. We've reached our goals and done what we wanted to do, so we must be over the moon right? We set specific goals because on some level we believe that by achieving those goals, we will meet a personal need. Become more fulfilled. More content. And of course achieve what we all want; the universal goal - happiness.
That wasn't the deal
But does the achievement of our goals always translate to happiness and all that other good stuff? Is it possible to achieve what you set out to but ultimately be no happier or maybe even less happy? Sometimes our goals are like those products we buy on-line; they look so good in the picture but when they arrive at our door and we take them out of the box, we discover we've been scammed. "Hey, this isn't what I signed up for".
Business goals, career goals, financial goals, health and fitness goals, sporting goals, relationship goals, lifestyle goals - all types of goals that seem to inhabit our thoughts and conversations. Apparently the goal setting process gives us clarity, purpose, direction, structure, organisation, a level of certainty and commitment, helps us create momentum and gets us closer to where we want to be.
Put simply, goals are the things we want.
But then maybe they're not. Perhaps they are only what we think we want.
What happens when we get there (achieve the goal) and it doesn't 'deliver' what we thought it would? Is that particular goal what we were really chasing, or was it only the (perceived) vehicle for providing us with what we really want?
For example:
Someone says, "my goal is to lose 25 kgs (55 lbs)"
Okay, they want to be thinner and lighter - that's their objective - but what do they really want? They want what they believe that weight loss will bring them (the goal behind the goal) - popularity, improved self-esteem, confidence, better relationships, interest from the opposite (or maybe same) sex, more opportunities and ultimately, happiness. The actual weight loss ain't what they're really after, it's merely the mechanism or vehicle to get them what they really want. The perceived benefits and advantages of being lighter and thinner.
Will weight loss necessarily deliver those (above listed) things? Is it possible to lose a bunch of weight, transform your body and still be miserable, lost, insecure and unfulfilled? You betcha. Seen it many times.
Ferrari Boy
What about the guy who really can't afford it, but is obsessed with owning a Porsche or Ferrari? What does he really want? A car that can go 300kph (180mhp) while he lives in a city where the speed limit is mostly 60 kph (35 mph)? A car that costs ten grand a year to insure, five grand for each service and can't be parked anywhere? No, he wants the (perceived) benefits of owning such a vehicle. Respect, envy, power, popularity and female attention. And if he wasn't such a big, insecure dickhead that might actually happen. But not because of a car.
Six months later he realises he's still a tool, still can't get a girl and still has all the same issues - only now he's a big, single tool with a massive debt. Dumb plan Ferrari Boy. A fancy car ain't gonna fix your numerous emotional and social issues. You might wanna consider developing a plan B. The one where you address the real issues in your life.
When I facilitate goal setting sessions with people, we focus on two key areas:
1. The Goals - what the person wants to achieve.
2. The Outcomes - what they really hope to achieve (the benefits and advantages of achieving those goals).
So next time you decide to set some goals, ask yourself "what are the goals behind my goals and what do I really want?" That's what's important.
Maybe the Spice Girls were on to something after all.
* Let us know your thoughts on this post by clicking on the comment thingy and sharing from your own experiences or thoughts. If you'd like to receive articles like this automatically, simply click on the 'subscribe to this feed' thingy at the bottom of this post and become a subscriber.
28 comments
For some of you the following will be revision, so I apologise in advance. For others, it may be a relevant and timely message. Pun intended. Timing
Yes, we've spoken about the 'time thing' before on this site but recent conversations, emails and questions tell me that too many people still believe that success or failure, is largely determined by hours in the day and/or this mysterious and hard-to-master thing called timing. For some people, apparently good timing is the key to achieving most things. And silly old me thought success was more about making decisions, using our ability, doing stuff and managing the time we have effectively. It seems that no amount of information, inspiration, education or motivation is enough to get some people past the intention and planning stage, and into the doing and producing stage; the results stage.
The mystical right time
Ever noticed how some people live their life in a holding pattern, perpetually waiting for the mystical right time to change their reality, or part thereof (career, health, relationships, destructive habits), yet mysteriously that time never seems to arrive? Talk to them on any given day and they are always about to re-invent themselves. Always about to do something huge, spectacular and life-changing. Always at the threshold of greatness - in their mind anyway. Pity they never actually get off their asses. Plenty of thinking, talking, planning, postulating, philosophizing and of course waiting, but as a rule, very little action.
They would do it of course, but amazingly it just never seems to be the right time for them. Some people have been planning for decades - if only they'd plan less, wait less and do more, they might see some real results. If success was built on intentions, they'd be incredible and if life was a theory they'd be living the dream right now but sadly, they're still only dreaming the dream.
What's it really about?
Many of us live under the illusion that creating positive change in our world is in fact largely about the right timing. I'm here to tell you that for the most part, it ain't. It's waaaaay more about attitude, choices and behaviour than it will ever be about timing (i.e. spending forever waiting for the 'ideal' time). When it comes to creating our best life and changing our situation for the better, timing is an issue (one of many) but it certainly isn't the key determinant of success or failure. If you have everything else in place (including ideal timing) but you go into that change process with a bad attitude, you will produce results which will fall somewhere in the average to disastrous range. Sometimes we simply have to make it the right time or make the most of the time we have. It's all in your head
By the way, the only place that too much or too little time exists is in our head. Time is time; we all have the same allocation but some of us simply use it better. It's one of the few things in life which doesn't change. It's neither good nor bad, right nor wrong, too much or too little; it just is. But we choose to give it the good and bad, right and wrong labels in order to justify our lack of results and our lack of doing. Funny how people will blame their lack of results and inability to change on 'bad timing' but never blame it on their bad attitude. Or their procrastination. Or lack of consistency. Or fear of failure. Or laziness. They will wheel out the 'time' excuse because it's convenient and it takes the pressure off them (in their mind). In the course of my work I've heard the following sentence (or similar) thousands of times:
"For me, it's a timing thing - now is not a great time."
There are two key time excuses:
1. I don't have enough time
2. Now is not the right time for me
These excuses might be valid periodically but not day in, day out, year in, year out! Nope. While all the timing people are waiting for the planets to align, the kids to finish school, the weather to get warmer and for a few things to miraculously fall into place (as they do), the attitude people are out there doing what needs to be done and creating amazing results. Some people maximise their time, some people waste it and some people even blame it.
Which group are you in?
* Let us know your thoughts on this post by clicking on the comment thingy and sharing from your own experiences or thoughts. If you'd like to receive articles like this automatically, simply click on the 'subscribe to this feed' thingy at the bottom of this post and become a subscriber.
21 comments
Click play above
to
see motivational speaker Craig Harper in action.
Motivational
Speaker - Craig Harper Craig Harper is one of Australia's most respected
motivational speakers and educators. Some of Craig's recent clients include:
"We had our annual
conference over the weekend of the 23rd and 24th Feb, 2008 and we had
Craig Harper as one of our presenters. He was wonderful, funny and
professional, and he got our message through to the staff in a positive
and fun way. He was loved by all!"
DVD
- Renovate Your Body - Craig Harper
In this entertaining presentation, Craig discusses the
notion of Renovating Your Body - once and for all. (Also
available on CD).
Fattitude
- Craig Harper
While many books focus on food,
Craig Harper teaches that creating life long change is more about the
dieter than the actual diet.
Food for thought
- Craig Harper
In this book, Craig Harper
walks the reader through his 21 rules to Permanent Weight Loss.
So you've decided you want to get in shape (again)
- Craig Harper
Imagine a pocket-sized fitness book that takes just twenty minutes to
read. Craig Harper addresses the REAL getting-in-shape issues.
DVD
- Renovate Your Body - Craig Harper
So you've decided you want to get in shape (again)
- Craig Harper
Telstra
ANZ Bank
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
National Australia Bank
Corporate Express
Pricewaterhouse Coopers
Department of Infrastructure
Department Planning and Community Development
Simplot Australia
Porter Davis Homes
Rothschild Merchant Bank
Royal Children's Hospital
Fernwood Fitness Centres
Flour Daniel
Brivis
Sensis
Western Water
South East Water
For more information on booking Craig click
here.Some nice words about Craig:
"We had our annual conference over the weekend of the 23rd and 24th Feb, 2008 and we had Craig Harper as one of our presenters. He was wonderful, funny and professional, and he got our message through to the staff in a positive and fun way. He was loved by all!"
Ally Memic, IMCD, Australia