Yesterday I hosted a business breakfast and attended an exclusive political roundtable: ...One question made me think more than usual: 'If an SME or entrepreneur could change just one thing, For the biggest single impact, What would it be?' My Answer: Stop asking, “What do I need to do today?” Start asking, “How do I stop this coming back again?” Most entrepreneurs live in reactive action. → Emails → Fires → Problems → Opportunities → Busy days that feel productive But data from McKinsey, Bain, MIT Sloan, And decades of SME performance research, All point to the same conclusion. The highest performing businesses are not run by effort. They are run by systems. Here is the real shift in plain English. Am I fixing this today. Or am I building something that fixes it every time? Most business owners are proud of being busy. → Solving problems one by one → Making decisions emotionally → Being the hero → Wearing long hours as a badge of honour High performing businesses think differently. - Every action strengthens a process. - Every problem is documented, not heroically fixed. - Every solution is designed to work without the owner. This single shift creates powerful second-order effects. → Time starts to appear → Stress reduces → Quality becomes consistent → People step up → Scale becomes possible → Burnout disappears Why this matters. - Motivation fades. - Discipline wobbles. - Energy fluctuates. But systems change behaviour without willpower. They work quietly. Every day. Whether you feel like it or not. The best entrepreneurs are not smarter. They are not luckier. They are not working harder. They stop being the engine. And start building the machine. And here is the uncomfortable truth: 'If the business only works when you are there, You do not own a business' You own a job. With overheads. That is the single mindset shift That changes everything.

If you ask my kids, They will tell you this. They say things like, “Yesterday dad did that.” Or, “You normally react like this.” And my answer is always the same; - That was the old me. - The new me is born anew. The new me is more positive. The new me is focused. The new me is going to smash today. Here is the truth most people ignore. Every morning you wake up with a choice. You either: → Replay yesterday → Run the same programme → Live another Groundhog Day Or you choose to: → Reprogramme → Refocus → Re-energise You bring a new you to the party. A new you to the business. A new you to the day. Some people call this spiritual or psychological nonsense. But science is catching up fast; Vibration. Frequency. Energy. What we say, Out loud or in our head, Controls outcomes. As surely as electricity flows between two points, Your thoughts connect to results. Wake up saying: “I’m tired.” “It’s miserable.” “I hate my job.” “Clients won’t pay.” And guess what you create. But even if you think all that is bollocks, Answer this honestly. Is it better to show up as: → Positive → Energised → Focused Or as the: → Pity party → Problem-focused → Pathetic version of yourself Every morning, You choose the programme. Old you. Or new you. Which one are you playing today?

We spend so much time trying to control our life. Trying to control the people in it. Trying to control the systems around us. Yet it is that very control that blinds us. It closes our mind to opportunity. It makes us miss the pivot. The evolution. The small adjustment that changes everything. And do not confuse a pivot with a distraction. They are not the same. A pivot is alignment. A distraction is avoidance. Sometimes we cling on so tight, push so hard, that we lose the ability to flow. We fight when we should flex. We dig in when a simple redirection would have freed us. I see this all the time. People so focused on the original route that they stay stuck at a roadblock. Oblivious that a clear diversion sits right beside them, waiting to guide them forward. This is why I teach stop, breathe, think. When you feel like nothing is moving, that may be the moment to pause. Just like a traffic light. The red signal is not punishment. It is protection. It is unsafe to move right now. But the pause is temporary. The green light always returns. To see it, you must step back. Rise up. Stop, breathe, think. Only then do the alternative paths reveal themselves. This is also why I say: Put your goals in concrete. Put your plans in sand. Your destination is fixed. Your commitment is absolute. Your arrival time matters. But any seasoned traveller builds in extra time. What-if time. Space for the unexpected. When you allow no time, no flex, no realism, the slightest roadblock creates frustration and missed deadlines. Not because the goal was impossible. But because the plan was too rigid. Most people fail not through lack of desire, but through lack of adaptability. They do not know how to go with the flow. They refuse to take perspective. They forget to stop, breathe, think. Control is the great illusion. Awareness is the real power. Want to explore how to build goals in concrete yet plans in sand so you can flow rather than fight Send me a message.

Some will see pure national pride. Others will instantly assume nationalism or racism. We all think we see facts. But most of the time we are seeing filtered reality: Filtered through 'our' thoughts. Filtered through 'our' feelings. Filtered through 'our' stories and past experiences. Filtered through 'our' prejudices! So when people say that what we see and feel is a mirror, this is what they mean. We are often looking at our own limiting beliefs, not the reality of anyone else’s. The picture is neutral. The feeling is 'ours' ...own it !! And we jump to conclusions in a split second. We do it with friends. We do it with family. We do it in business. We do it across society. Our brain is fast, but it is not always accurate. It races to a decision long before we understand even 1% of the facts a picture but not the whole truth, not the full story. So when you see the attached image, does your mind go to pride or prejudice? To love & connection, or to hate & rejection? ...what you feel/see isn't reality it is only 'your' reality based on layered experiences and limiting beliefs The picture itself is neutral. - It is not pride. - It is not prejudice. - It is simply one image and one moment in time. The reaction comes from us. Our brain fills the gaps. Our past colours the present. Our emotions pretend to be evidence. The world is not as we see it. The world is as we perceive it. And our perception is not the world. It is only our version of the world. Which means we can change the angle. We can choose a different lens. We can pause before we judge. We can look through someone else’s eyes. Seek first to understand, before you judge. Because understanding expands the world. Judgement shrinks it. And here is a question worth sitting with today: How many decisions are you making based on your own prejudices, your own assumptions, your own split-second meanings? How many situations have you judged without knowing even a fraction of the truth?

...lack of discipline is akin to self-harm “Discipline equals freedom.” Jocko Willink Discipline is not a punishment. It is a vote for your future self. Every time you knock off a task you said you would do. Every time you choose the long road instead of the shortcut. Every time you honour your own word. You are training your brain to deliver when it matters. Research has shown that people who build self regulation perform better. They build habits. They build momentum. They build self respect. Now the real part. Lack of discipline feels comfortable in the moment. We tell a story. We create a reason. We justify an excuse. We dress avoidance up as a priority. We blame someone else. We pretend it was out of our hands. As a behavioural profiler for 20years across multiple disciplines, I do not just think people are bullshitting. I know when they are. But here is the truth you already know. It does not matter what I think. I do not have to live with your excuses. You do. In your quiet moments YOU know the truth. - It was not a lack of time. - It was a lack of discipline. - It was not a tough situation. - It was avoidance. - It was not bad luck. - It was self sabotage. If discipline is the highest form of self love Then lack of discipline is the most painful torture. It is self harm done slowly. It is death by a thousand broken promises to yourself. The gap between what you say and what you do - That gap is where confidence dies. - That gap is where self belief erodes. - That gap is where your potential goes to rot. Discipline is not strict. - It is kind. - It says I value myself. - I believe in my future. - I honour my own word. So choose discipline. Choose self love. Choose the life you know you are capable of building. Because the alternative is living with the version of yourself you know you betrayed ...and who wants to live with someone that betrays them constantly?