About Bo

Dog lover. Runner. Although very slowly. Keeping up with the stresses of running and life...

SUCCESS by Neil Tovey

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Bo

Soccer legend, Neil Tovey presented at a workshop I attended this week. My initial reaction when I heard he was coming was panic. I planned to keep as far away from him as possible for fear that he would sniff out my lack of knowledge about anything football/soccer. But surprisingly, he is a pretty casual, down to earth kinda guy. Over and above sharing some really cool stories about Bafana, Neil shared with us his take on S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

S – Solid Foundation

Laying a solid foundation is key to future success and is key to achieving your desired goals. You need to build this platform before embarking on any journey.

U – Unlimited Resources

Without people, we will fail. Each individual is an integral part of the journey. This not only includes the players but also those behind the scenes; the medical staff, finance etc. Do not underestimate the role these people play in your success.

C – Communication

It’s important that people communicate from the top down, bottom up and across all levels. Your game plan will fail if you get into the field to play a game and the team cannot communicate to one another, especially leaders to the rest of the team.

C – Committment

Go the extra mile. Put in the extra work. It’s worth it in the end.

E – Enjoyment

Do everything to the best of your ability. Enjoy doing it. Have fun.

S – Sacrifice

Time spent away from home playing games. Time put in to train. Time away from family and friends. To achieve success you need to be willing to make the sacrifice.

S – Setting goals

You need to decide where you want to be? Where are you going? Are you getting there? This matters to all aspects of our lives, both work and family.

Neil related many examples to soccer but as I listened, I realised that with all of the above, you can use for anything in life: family, career, sport, even friendships.

The important thing is that if one fails, most of the others do too.

So? How’s things going?

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Bo

The last time I stopped to assess where, what and how my life was going was in March. It feels like ages ago and as Spring has arrived, I thought there is no better time to do it again.

My body: With the hope of losing 7 kgs before December, it came down to me going back to Melanie (read: saviour dietitian) in July to get me back on track with my eating. After two consultations, I have managed to lose over 1kg. It turns out that eating salads every day is not that bad, especially when I’m able to load it with my new favourite item – tomaraisins!

Plan of action: keep up the good eating routine. I have also stuck up a picture of myself on my desk. It’s a picture from 2010 when I was happy with my body and where I want to get back to.

My work: Can it get any busier? Busy is good but I do find there are some things which I am never getting to. Research, new trends, networking… All these types of activities have pretty much taken a back seat while I struggle with what feels like mostly admin on some days.

Plan of action: Realise that the admin needs to be done but to find time for other stuff.

My home: It feels as if everything in my house needs work. The curtains need cleaning, bedroom carpets need washing, the pool needs to be fixed, the garden needs pruning, the water feature needs to be replaced. The big problem is that there is never enough time on weekends to get to most of these chores.

Plan of action: Write up a to-do list and prioritise what needs to be done. Decide on what’s really important in life.

My time: KK and I have bought bikes. For anyone in to sport, just that statement will explain everything. Riding takes up so much extra time (and money) compared to running. The problem is that even though we do most of our hobbies together, it has taken a lot of time away from some of the other things we used to do together. There is also less time for chores around the house.

Plan of action: Make time! Even if it means sitting together with a calendar and booking time out.

My running: I took a break during Winter mainly due to foot injuries, flu and … well, to be honest, I hate running in the cold. But as Spring has set in, I’ve started to run a regular 5km route on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’ve also run two 10km races. I feels great to be back!

Plan of action: Stick with it and enjoy!

If I look at my list and review all these areas, the one major theme stands out: TIME. It’s become a real commodity lately and can truly make such a difference to my life in terms of the goals I set for myself. Thank-goodness I am still finding time to run. That’s a good thing, right!

The next time I look, it will be Christmas. *gasps* – 119 days to go!

Running through my week(s)…

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Bo

1. Max is our friend’s labrador and so gorgeous – he just wants to be with everyone. 2. Spinning class. If I don’t get there by 5pm, I don’t get a bike for the 5:30 class! 3. The day it snowed in Jozi we all ran out in to the street to play. #Memories. 4. Melrose Arch where KK works. 5. Saturday lunch at Yamatsuki sushi in Bedfordview. 6. Lunchtime menu in Soweto. 7. Sitting on the M1N in traffic on my way home. 8. A workshop held at The World Of Yamaha. Lots of toys for boys and girls! 9. Surprised with free soup at Pize e Vino. Yummo.

Juggling life without dropping balls

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Bo

You need to regularly invest in a relationship if you want to regularly get dividends from it. – @leadingguru

Is it just me or does it feel as if in our everyday lives, it’s sometimes difficult to know and to decide what comes first and what takes priority when it feels as if everything is important.

I make lists of important things to do at work but the list just gets longer and longer. I skip gym for 2 weeks and when I go back, my fitness levels have dropped. I don’t brush my dogs and the lounge is full of dog hair. I am leaving nail polish on my nails for far too long, hoping to get away with it. I buy hundreds of books but don’t get around to reading them. Magazines are piling up next to my bed and I still have not finished reading the June edition of Shape. I am still trying to get through all the PVR’ed episodes of Gossip Girl which ended weeks ago…

But somewhere in all the middle of this mess, I have lost touch with those I love the most.

As any runner knows, you have to find time to train, to run races and to rest. If you let anyone of these drop, the others will suffer. If you don’t train, you don’t do well in races. It’s only when your body is injured that you are forced to rest. It’s a constant juggling act to ensure that you get it right.

It’s the same with relationships. Unfortunately, it’s only when something goes wrong that you realise you’ve dropped the ball. And it’s only when you realise loved ones are hurting that you realise you have not paid attention. But by then it’s too late.

There’s way too much going on in our lives to put everything first. There’s too much to do, so much to get done and so many people to keep happy. It comes down to making the right decisions, negotiating with yourself and to compromising. If you get it right, let me know…