Small Actions Matter

I haven’t written in 12 months and have no good reason or even excuse for it. There were times when I sat down and started but didn’t follow through. Mostly though, I let it sit and slide. Why? I don’t know.

All I know is that every other real goal I ever had, I achieved. For example, I wanted to run a marathon and last year, I did. It took me 6 months and I did it. I got up at 4am one fine Sunday morning and ran the 42.195km for my sport watch to register the full distance. Actually, I ran 42.5km because I couldn’t remember the needed distance at this point of my run and I was pretty sure it was less than that. Better safe than sorry! And you know what? 6 months later I ran a second marathon, this time I participated in an official city marathon with an official time.

I always wanted to run a marathon – just because I can. After all, other people run marathons and if you watch famous city marathons on television e.g. New York, Boston, London, Tokyo, Berlin, … you’ll notice a lot of novice runners who put mind over matter and I wanted to be one of them.

You may think that training to get ready for a marathon takes a lot of commitment or a lot of time. Having trained twice, I tend to disagree. The plan I used to get marathon fit set out running four times a week and most of the time for only 40 minutes. This is less time than many people spend at the gym! I never ran more than 5 hours a week in total and I was happy to adjust the plan to whatever happened in my life. At the faintest idea of a cold, I’d take a day off “due to illness” or I’d postpone my “long” Saturday run because I had a drink or two on Friday evening. After all, I’m only human.

Instead of hard training sessions or super human commitment, all it took was consistency. Consistency in showing up and giving it a good go.

Once I really set my eyes on achieving the marathon goal, I stuck with the plan consistently. The training plan was easy enough to follow in the first few weeks and that easing into the schedule was enough to get me running consistently 4 times a week. Once the habit was established, the training got a little harder each time. There were no big changes, only minor increases in speed or endurance. My fitness had increased at each point, so that physically, I didn’t even notice the change too much.

The main challenge for me was to consistently think of the increase in intensity in positive terms. I told myself that the increased effort levels are good for me which allowed me to consistently give my best at every session. I continued to train consistently 4 times a week and ultimately, I achieved my goal.

My goal right now is to do what I started last year and note down small action which I can take to make the world around me a little bit better. I want to be able to truthfully say that I did my best in looking after myself, my friends and the environment around me.

Consistency is a great tool which will get me there. Thinking about just one small action a week is achievable on an ongoing basis and working four times a week on it is most certainly achievable too.

Now, your turn. What one thing will you change to achieve your dreams?

Susan: “Where is your man going? The race starts in 5 minutes and we need to get to the start line.”
Helen: “He’s getting a coffee. We’ll meet him in the coffee shop when we’re done racing.”
Susan: Speechless!

I overheard this conversation years ago when I started taking part in run races. Unfortunately, similar situations – or worse – happen regularly. Recently, I watched a local long distance run and at the finish line, spectators were cheering, supportive and dancing to the live Samba band who got the crowd going. However, a kilometer before the finish line, the scene was different. The route had not been signposted or cordoned off, tourists stepped into runners’ paths, hardly anyone cheered. What a comedown.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, spectators at the Tour de France can come too close and at times be abusive to athletes. Back in 1975, Eddy Merckx was punched by a spectator as was Richie Port in 2015.

People not only step out in front of runners but also onto motor racing tracks as in the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2015. Even worse, some spectators are shouting abuse at athletes and officials who more and more often are being trained and coached on how to react to abuse. Ultimately, violent spectator incidents are not new and not limited to any particular type of sport as this Wikipedia list going back 140 years shows. Nowadays, these incidents are fortunately publicly discussed, no longer tolerated and actively cracked down on.

This should leave all of us to enjoy future sporting events as participants and spectators alike again. Right? It’s not quite that easy. After all, who exactly is a spectator? What is expected of spectators? And most importantly, why is is important to show up as a world class spectator?

According to the Oxford, Cambridge, MacMillan and Collins dictionaries and also dictionary.com, a spectator is “someone who watches a public activity or event, especially a sports event”. In other words, it can be anyone – including you. Sometimes, you can end up being a spectator without planning it. In 2016, I ended up watching the last leg of the Tour of Britain without knowing about it in advance.

Watching the cyclists go past at up to 45 km per hour was exhilarating. To put it into perspective: this is seven times the speed of standard traffic in central London, UK. So I stayed to watch the full race and cheer, applaud and show the athletes that Londoners are a good crowd and support sports.

In a nutshell, that is all that is expected of a spectator. They should be there, ready for when the athletes come past and then cheer as much as they can. Give your all!

If you don’t know how to cheer random strangers on, then look around and see what other people do. If they are quiet, then a simple applause is better than silence. If verbalizing your support is not your thing, how about creating your message on a sign and bringing it along? You could also do some upfront research and get tips on supporting and cheering.

The best cheers I’ve ever heard were at a triathlon where a visitor cheered as many people between the swim and the run leg of the triathlon as possible. He shouted out to individual participants without unnecessarily raising his voice, he made it personal by mentioning names or logos on outfits and most importantly, he was positive and injected some humor: “Look strong, run strong, Welsh dragon”, “Good stride length, Oxfam”, “Keep up the good work, Red Cross”. I still can hear his voice and picture the athletes when I think back.

From a spectator’s point of view, it helps to know about the event in question and get a spectator guide if possible. The Tour de France organizers are know for planning the route and schedule well in order to attract as many spectators on the sides of the roads as possible e.g. 2018 stage 10 time schedule with planned arrival times based on the cyclists’ speed. I think this is a great idea as long as all spectators behave and respect that the 176 riders who come past are doing their job when they cycle past.

Many organizers are aware of the importance of spectators on atmosphere and the revenue generated by spectators. As a result, they have started to cater for spectators as well and some good examples are the London Marathon, the Texas Ironman and the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Have a look if you can get the app, website or flyer for your sporting event and have a great day out.

If you need another reason to immerse yourself in the experience, a research paper from Bath University shows that “participation and sports spectatorship are symbiotically linked. In contrast, increase TV viewing per se leads to a reduction in participation.” Ask yourself: “What is the best that can happen when I go and watch?”

Whenever I see a live run like last weekend, I want to go for a run as well. In turn, hearing spectators cheer me on when I’m participating increases my own efforts in supporting athletes during their events.

In conclusion, whenever you get a chance, enjoy yourself when you watch a live sporting event and cheer for every person coming past. It doesn’t need to be a big event like the Olympics or motor racing, often participants in the smaller events need your support even more and you’ll have a more personalised experience. You may even start to sign up yourself.

As promised, here are my views and options on how to deal with cheating in a romantic relationship setting. My starting assumption is that there is hard evidence of cheating. This does not need to be a confirmation by the offending party though.

Before going into how to deal with the situation, let’s look at what cheating actually means. Personally, I find the urban dictionary definitions great because they include the physical and emotional aspects of cheating. After all, someone can cheat emotionally without ever being in the same room as the person they are cheating with. All that is important, as always, is that you know where your mind is at. What is acceptable for you? Where do you draw the line? How closely is your partner’s line aligned to yours?

Think about it for a little while and imagine what you would be able to get over and what would be a breaking point. Is it acceptable to be friends with a person of their preferred gender? How close a friend is tolerable for you? Is it OK if your partner kisses someone but not if they hold hands? Does your partner have the same values? Take some time and really figure out where you draw the line.

Now that you know your starting point, let’s look at options and actions.

First and foremost, retaliation, aggression (passive or active) or violence is never an acceptable way of reacting to a cheat. In the best case scenario, it will end in tears and in the worst case scenario in a jail sentence for yourself. Don’t do it.

Packing your bags, calling it off and moving on to pastures new is another option. This however is easier if you have no ties which are easily broken. When children are in the picture, it may not be that easy or the preferred option and you need to know yourself what you are able to put up with until your children are ready to start their own, independent life.

At this point, I feel it’s necessary to point out that the old saying of “once a cheater, always a cheater” seems to hold up. A study of the University of Denver titled “Once a Cheater, Always a Cheater? Serial Infidelity Across Subsequent Relationships” found that people who self reported cheating in the first relationship are three times as likely to cheat in future relationships.

As a first step, some couples take a break to have time to think and explore how they would like to carry on. I think this is a perfectly fine way of dealing with the situation. Just remember to make sure that both of you have the same understanding of what a break means. One person may think of it as living apart with the same rules as being married and living in the same house. Other people on the other hand may think they are fully single during the break. Some people of my generation may remember the episode in the series Friends where two of the main characters were on a break and didn’t agree on the rules.

You could also seek help from a professional such as couples therapy or counselling. I have seen a few marriages make it through their hard times this way and would always recommend it as a good step even if no trouble is on the horizon. After all, prevention is better than fixing. In many countries, you can find reasonably priced counselling sessions. You could also try it at home using the Gottman Institute marriage minute newsletter or books. This would only work though if both of you are committed and both of you agree that the DIY approach is helpful.

Whatever the situation, I encourage you to speak to your partner in person rather than talk it over with friends, family or letting steam off in other ways. These “strategies” are no more than avoidance techniques which do not add to the solution of the situation and only drag out the moment a decision will need to be taken. Ultimately, these techniques will do more harm than good to you.

Also, ask yourself if you actually still want to be with this person. How do you feel about them now that you have evidence that you are not the only love in their live? A School of Life video puts it aptly in that you need to weigh up your situation versus the uncertainty of a new start.

In conclusion, you have to know your own mind, you need to know what you want and you are the only person who can take the decision. Understand what you feel comfortable with and what you are willing to put up with in the long run and what you value in life. Once you fully understand your value, your values and what you value in life, you will know what to do. Then, just do it.

I noticed a new bin at my local recycling station a couple of weeks ago. It’s big, it’s brown and it’s full after only two days.

The local council started a new initiative to collect “gardening rubbish”. It’s meant for big green things such as trees you cut back or the bush at the end of the garden that you finally removed or the remains of the big hedge which were cut off the plant to make it look like an over sized poodle.

I don’t have a garden, so I won’t need the new bin. Still, I’m all in favour of giving the neighbourhood the option to get rid of their foliage easily. As it turns out, the rest waste bin is no longer overflowing which is enough benefit for me.

Personally, I reuse, recycle, compost and make use of whatever waste management facility is on offer. I do it because it’s super easy, it reduces my local authority bills and it makes me feel like I do my bit for a better world.

Every country I ever lived in has it’s own way of dealing with rubbish and recycling and it generally doesn’t take too long to get your head around. In London, UK, every household has a waste collection bin with recycling stations within a reasonable walking distance. In rural Austria, every household has their own waste, paper and compost bins. In Switzerland, you can buy specific rubbish bags from dedicated shops or drop off your stuff at the recycling point just outside of town. In some parts of Spain, households don’t have their own bins and communal household waste bins are part of the recycling stations which are never far from home.

Sweden even imports waste from other countries to turn it into energy – and into profits – through incineration. The reason given is that the Swedish population recycles too much waste so that the governmental incineration stations receive insufficient waste for the incineration process to generate the required energy.

Over to you. What are you doing to and with your waste? Are you avoiding waste all together? Are you taking the easy way and put everything into one bin? Are you an ardent recycling supporter?

The reason I am asking is the fact that many people don’t think about this question. Many people are not aware of the full waste management offering from their community, village, city. Often, the first encounter with waste management arrive through the post in form of a pamphlet from the local council when there is a change to the current rules.

So, let’s look at the available options one by one, how practical they are and their pros and cons.

First off, illegal dumping, better known as fly-tipping, is never an acceptable option. It’s in the name: it’s illegal in many countries. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) even includes it in it’s list of environmental crimes. Littering falls into the same category for me and more on this topic in a few weeks. The main issue with illegal dumping is the possibility of toxic waste which may be part of the dumped items. In order to get on top of the issue, many different actions are taken. One research paper even studied the use of GPS tagged sea gulls in locating illegal dumps containing organic material.

Second option, avoiding waste is a big topic around the globe and in simple terms it means to not buy things that will turn into waste e.g. plastic bottles, single use shopping bags. The US Environmental Protection Agency has a comprehensive list of tips for pretty much all situations. I do have my set of cotton shopping bags and tend to take them with me if I plan to go shopping. My gripes is with the times, when I remember to run an errand without planning ahead.

Third possible action on dealing with waste, if you do end up with that extra water bottle or single use plastic bag, you could try and re-use it. In my opinion, it is a good option if you are creative and have some time on your hand. It works particularly well if you have children who use that plastic bottle for a school project or you want set up a space saving garden at home.

The next possible action you can take is to recycle. Recycling has many benefits as proponents are always eager to point out. For example the Prestige Recycling Center points out that raw aluminium is twice as costly as recycled aluminium, it creates jobs and areas used for landfill can be utilised differently. However, not everything that glitters is gold (which can be recycled from laptops) and recycling has drawbacks which makes for an interesting debate on the topic.

Last but not least, you could do absolutely nothing and put everything in one bin. Given the above data, this seems a viable option even if it feels counterintuitive at first. Over time, technology will improve and develop and take care of the problem. In the meantime, binning everything helps countries such as Sweden who earns approx 800 million Swedish Krona (which is approx Euro 780; 90 million USD) per year with your waste.

Looking back over the options, what do you think now? Will you change your “rubbish ways”? Or will you continue as you do now? Ultimately, all that matters is that you are aware of what you do and the reason why you do it.

Personally, I encourage you to get on the bandwagon and reduce, reuse and recycle as much as you practically can. There’s every reason to continue and very little reason against it. It doesn’t cost money or time and you may even save you money. It’s good for your conscious and for mankind as a whole. Let’s keep this world clean together.

Last week, love was in the air… and in post boxes all over the country.  14th February is the day when many celebrate Valentine’s Day. It is generally seen a day celebrating love or more specifically, romantic love. Cynics generally frown upon it as a day of pure consumerism. Looking at the Valentine’s day data and statistics on presents, expectations and experiences, this is easy to understand why.

That criticism seems to call for the obvious action of not joining in and ignoring the day completely. This, to me, is a little cheerless given the sentiment around the tradition. When I say tradition, I am talking about the current tradition of sending a sweet card or having a lovely time with your loved one. I am not thinking of the Roman or Christian or other historic roots which not many people know about and which are no longer acceptable in today’s world.

Coming back to our current interpretation of Valentine’s Day, this opens the question: what other choices do we have and what other actions can we take?

Personally, I wish everyone I see a happy Valentine’s Day. In previous years, I sent  Valentine’s Day e-cards to friends and family. It saves trees, is a good chance to catch up  and brings a smile to their faces. Even though some paper cards are doing a pretty good job of receiving – better said giving – smiles too. It is also a reminder to think about interactions  with people throughout the day rather than a frantic race to beat the crowds to the last bouquet of long stem red roses of just the right kind of red.

There are even groups who take it one step further and turn Valentine’s Day into an opportunity to do good and help others. I am in awe of anyone who has their first date on Valentine’s Day in a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen or an old people’s home. Do send me your story if that is how you met your soul mate.

Focusing on a specific romantic relationship you may find (or found) yourself in, you may want to do nice things for each other and they don’t have to have anything to do with Valentine’s Day. What’s wrong with offering a foot rub or a hot chocolate in the evening? You may even ask yourself “What’s the best that can happen if…?”

You don’t even have to wait for Valentine’s Day or do a Jekyll and Hyde by changing for only one day. Make it a habit for a month or two and see what happens. How about reserving a table at his / her favorite restaurant mid week or bringing home flowers. My suggestions is to choose their favorite flower rather than the easy option. Or bring breakfast to bed – ideally without crumbs.

The best book I ever read on the topic is “The 5 Love Languages”. It was recommended to me by my mentor who is using the suggestions in a male dominated, high stress, high pressure environment and it has been the single most impactful piece of advice I have received from him. The point here is to make your other half feel valued and loved. It is not about the money or showing off or getting the red of the roses just right. It’s all about them – your loved one, your better half, your soul mate.

All of these are small actions that matter a lot and they can be performed any time and  are more important than the big ones. After all, the wedding or the day you met your loved one is only one day but “Forgettable Wednesday” will come round every week. What will you do for your partner on Forgettable Wednesday number 217? That’s a little over 4 years into the relationship. Will you still be talking about the big day or is it more likely you will all be wrapped up in day to day life?

Back to topic though. Valentine’s Day is a day to show your appreciation of your partner. Sometimes they drive you crazy and sometimes you ask yourself why have a relationship in the first place? They are messy and hard work and frustrating and sometimes all three all at the same time. Sometimes, you even get hurt or your partner cheats on you. More on that topic in two weeks time though.

The good news is that relationships are good for you, make you life longer, healthier and happier.

In conclusion, cook a nice meal for your loved one. Yes, Valentine’s Day has come and gone for another year and life is back to normal. This should not stop you from surprising your partner or just being nice to them. Just do it. Make their day and in return they may just make your tomorrow.