The Fairmont, Calgary, midnight, September 9 2008   I just spent the weekend in a cold Shangri la, otherwise known as Saskatoon. It was chilly and crisp and you can smell the money in the air. I was there to facilitate a two day program with one of Canada’s leading construction companies. I loved it. Two days in a room with 80 owner-leaders who rose through the ranks panel by panel, sheet by sheet, brick by brick. It was a…

It’s been an extraordinary summer. And now it’s almost over. The relaxed pace of August is about to accelerate into September. I’m ready. I’m excited. I’m certain this Fall will be huge. I can feel the opportunities flying in formation towards me. I feel the nervousness that always precedes the Big Game. And for me, September 2 to December 23 2008 is the biggest game of all. It’s the one that determines the success of the entire year. As I’m writing these…

It’s been just over 48 hours since I stepped off an Olympic Airways flight from the Greek island of Santorini, via Athens, to Toronto. Together with my wife, Hilary, and daughter, Dani-Emma, I spent 5 days on that glorious island. Prior to Santorini, we spent 4 days on the Islands of Paros and Antiparos close to Santorini. If you’re looking for the most beautiful places on the planet, with food, people and prices to match, go to the Greek Islands. Every…

5.30am. Toronto. Aug 6 2008 It’s been a wild week. Last Wednesday I spoke to 600 government purchasing agents in Charlotte, North Carolina. The following day I spoke to 150 motorcycle accessory salespeople from Tucker Rocky in Dallas, Texas. Two days later, I spoke to 900 new recruits to Deloitte in Phoenix and yesterday, I spoke to 650 sales consultants from Infosys in Toronto, Canada. Each seminar necessitated its own preparation. Each seminar took me into a different world, populated by its…

Embassy Suites, Dallas, 10.55pm, July 30 2008 Damn. I hate losing. I hate hearing that the prospect has “decided to go in a different direction” or that “they liked me very much but they decided that this event needed a different kind of speaker” or that “they’re not ready for my message”. It hurts as much now as it ever did to hear someone say that I’m not the guy. And you know what’s worse? I’m hearing more NO’s now…

Sunday, 1.40pm. It’s time to do nothing when there is nothing to do. But what happens when it’s time to do nothing and there is everything to do? Ever been there? You know you’ve earned the right to rest but there is so much to be done that rest is not an option. But you really don’t feel like working. So you don’t work but you can’t relax either. You feel mildly guilty while you semi-enjoy not working. You’re sort…

It’s Sunday night. 10.15pm EST. 7.15pm PST which is where I’m going. As usual I’m on an aeroplane – this time to San Francisco, then to LA, then back on the red eye on Tuesday evening. My session last Friday in Berlin, Germany, is a distant memory. Two days can be a multiple lifetime if every day is your life in miniature. 28 hours with my family was the ultimate gift before the limo came to take me away again.…

It’s 4.10 am EST. Except I’m on an aeroplane somewhere over the Atlantic so I don’t know what time it is. In the last ten days, I’ve been to Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Manchester, England, and now I’m on my way to Berlin. I’ve been talking to people about confronting massive change – the kind of change that can bury you, obliterate you, disappear you. I’ve looked into the eyes of people who are dazed, confused and disbelieving. They…

How is 2008 going for you? For me, it’s been the fastest year of my career. So much is happening, with so many people, in so many time-zones, I feel like I’m being obliterated in the blur. Sound familiar? If you’re like any one of the 50,000 people to whom I’ve spoken this year, you’re in a race against the clock and the clock is winning. So what’s the silver bullet? How can you slow down long enough to breathe…