I saw a pigeon being run over last night. It was horrible. It was run over once and it's wings were still flapping afterwards. Then it was run over again. This time only one wing was flapping. A kind motorist then took aim and flattened the poor creature, it's body by now stuck onto said motorists back wheel.

Why did I watch with such morbid fascination? I could easily have looked away.

I've been looking for a clever coaching perspective on the whole thing, but nothing has come to me.

Perhaps is was nothing more than that - morbid fascination.

It's no secret that technology is not really my thing. Thinking about it makes me hot. Reading about it makes me itch. Talking about it makes me mumble and gives me a headache.

So I'm feeling rather pleased with myself today, after ordering my first webcam. It took three minutes to order, cost twenty-odd pounds and will be here in three days.

I'll now be offering coaching via Skype and will try to dispense with my limiting beliefs surrounding technology.

I grew up with The Glad Game.

All you have to do to play is count up some of the the things you have to be glad about. It's a tool that must have been around since the dawn of time in one form or another and has now been adopted by coaches all over the world. Although it probably has many different names, it has one purpose - to raise the spirit.

Try it.

It's very effective!

You will always miss out on 100% of the things you don't show up for.

That's all.

I've been spending a lot of time tending my garden recently and it's it's paid huge dividends - it looks lovely! The black bamboo in one of the planting pockets has suddenly had a massive growth spurt. Until now the height of the bamboo might have been eight or nine feet - the shoots that have come up in recent weeks are already twenty feet high. It's completely changed the perspective and feel of the garden .

It's a funny thing, perspective. All about seeing things from a different viewpoint and that's what a lot of my work is about. One of the greatest joys for me is when a client has a moment of realisation - see's something from a different perspective - and can use it to move forwards with energy and determination. It's actually what makes a classic coaching success story.

I go running about twice a week. Ok, quite often once a week. Do I like it? I mean actually enjoy it? Maybe in a round about way I do, at least some of the time. I think I've now discovered a way of making the experience better.

Today I was running over Blackfriars Bridge and I had a realisation. Running becomes a much better experience if you stay firmly in the moment. Concentrate on surroundings, positive things about current physical state - anything just as long as it's in the present. Thinking about how far you've run, how much further you have to go, how you'll feel in ten minutes will put any runner at a disadvantage.

It's true to say that this idea is highly transferable. Many people spend large portions of their time worrying about the future and fretting about the past in a way that serves no real purpose. I realise that this sounds like a sweeping statement. However, I often work with clients on being in the present and it generally leads to impressive results in all sorts of areas.

The area it's helped me has been with my running and I'm hoping I'll be ready for my charity run on Bank Holiday Monday. All donations will be very much appreciated - www.original.justgiving.com/teamhewsonpurdy

I was listening to Womans Hour yesterday. I was driving up the M1 to see my Pa in Warwickshire and the radio makes these journeys much more enjoyable.

There was an item about assisted conception which was talking about a shortage of donor sperm and eggs. What I felt the item lacked was a true acknowledgement of what a big deal sperm/egg donation actually is. It just seemed to suggest 'people want babies, more gametes are needed, something must be done', and was weighted very heavily towards the viewpoint of prospective parents.

Gametes are not like blood or organs. They are the essence of an individual and I know many people who could not bear the idea of their biological child being brought up by a stranger. Therefore, surely a shortage of donor gametes is to be expected and is entirely appropriate. Does anyone really want to live in a world where they are freely available commodities?

Procrastination is very common. It's a big factor in a lot of the coaching I do with clients. It gets in the way, it holds people back and it stops hoards of people from achieving their true potential.

I have to confess that I, too, procrastinate on occasions and have an excellent example to share today.

National Insurance. I had a very small issue to sort out with mine. Whenever I thought about it, complicated forms, difficult sums and stern sounding voices came to mind. Admittedly, fairly low grade anxieties but certainly enough to make me push the whole thing to the back of my mind. Again. And again. And again.

Whenever I've thought about it I felt a vague feeling of discomfort. On occasions I've woken up in the night thinking about it. Although I couldn't say how much time I've spent not sorting this out, it certainly adds up.

Today I bit the bullet and made the phone call to the National Insurance man. The issue was resolved in three and a half minutes.

Enough said.

I went for a pretty substantial run with my friend David on Saturday. We starded at Clerkenwell, got to the north side of Blackfriars Bridge, ran along the Embankment to Westminster Bridge then back along the Southbank to Blackfriars Bridge. It was lovely and a route I'd recommend to anyone.

I enjoyed the post-run buzz afterwards (probably a mixture of smugness and endorphines) but to be honest, I'm still feeling pretty exhausted from it two days later. And I ACHE!

What's going on?

I'll tell you what going on - I didn't warm up properly, didn't stretch properly and didn't get enough rest afterwards. All text-book mistakes and as a former Personal Trainer, I should know better. I'm not sure why I'd think I am exempt from these very basic rules of exercise but yes - warming up is cool.

If you ever want to change your state of mind, a simple tool is to simply act as if. If you're feeling sad, act as if you're happy. If you're feeling tired, act as if you're energetic. If you're disappointed, act as if you're pleased.

Just do it and see what happens. You'll notice a shift in your mood within minutes.

Go on! Try it!

I often get moments of inspiration, insight and resolution when I'm having my morning coffee in Sobo on Tower bridge Road (www.sobogallery.co.uk) and this morning was no exception.

I was just leaving when Alan, who I'm on 'hello' terms with said 'See you soon Stephen'. The tone of his goodbye, I felt, demanded eye contact but because I had already walked past him when he issued it, I just said a breezy goodbye without looking. It could well be that Alan hasn't given the matter a second thought and I hope that's the case. I, however, felt vaguely uneasy about it as soon as I left the shop and I began contemplating the importance and the power of eye contact.

Customer-care trainings always stress the importance of eye contact and it adds meaning to the special occasion tradition of clinking of glasses. A smile from a random stranger in the street has the power to raise the spirit and people who cannot meet your eye are often perceived as shifty.

Some eye contact is second nature to nearly everyone. It could also be that nearly everyone could make more use of eye contact and that it is actually a very useful tool.

It's spread. My household organising bug I mean. And it all started with the sock drawer.

The food cupboards are now reasonably organised. The contents of cupboard under the sink have been thoroughly edited and tidied. And as for the garden. It's tidier and more manicured than it's ever been. My study is next on the list and I'm actually looking forward to sorting it out.

My point here, again, is baby steps. So if you want your life in general to be more organised, start with your sock drawer and see what happens.

I've decided to resurrect my Twitter account. I set it up last year and used it for about three and a half days. Then I gave up. I didn't really understand it and, if I'm honest, I still don't. However, people do seem to be using it as a business tool so I've decided to tweet a pearl of wisdom every day and see how many follower I get. I've set up a link from the website. Here goes...

I've cleaned out my sock drawer. I decided that something needed to be done with it after finding a receipt in there from 2006, an obsolete phone charger, three Lego bricks and and infants soother. There was much more and all of this rubbish was, literally, tied up with my socks. So I emptied the entire drawer onto my bed and made sure I only put decent pairs of socks into the drawer. Such a simple task which took four minutes and one that I've put off for years - my sock drawer now represents an organised, functional life.

This got me thinking - in coaching we often talk about replication. If you're doing something in a certain way in one part of your life, the chances are you'll be doing something similar in another area. Dare I check the rest of my drawers and cupboards to assess how neat/tidy/organised they are?

Actually, I didn't need to. I knew that virtually every storage space was moderately disorganised - everything from food cupboards to airing cupboard to cutlery drawer. I also knew that this was easy enough to put right.

Anyway, I'm now on a roll and will report back with progress in a few days.

I listened to entrepreneur Duncan Ballantyne on Desert Island Discs this morning. What a charming man! Unassuming, happy, kind, self-deprecating. For anyone who doesn't know who he is, Mr Ballantyne has a self-made fortune of several hundred million pounds and gained a level of fame on The Lion's Den. Despite this, his values system appears to be rooted firmly in family and he seems to be remarkably un-spoiled by his success. Ok, it was only forty-five minutes. He did, however, come across really well and I think he's probably a great role-model on all sorts of levels.

Go and listen to him on the Radio 4 website.

It's interesting how many people I come across in my job who have a problem saying 'no'. It tends to be a big factor in work/life balance factors - saying 'no' to one more drink or an extra assignment at work could both have a remarkable effect on quality of life.

So if you find yourself doing too many things that you don't really want to be doing and you don't really know how to say no, what's the answer? I recently gave a client who virtually never said 'no' a baby-steps strategy. She had to say 'no' to a request just once every day (in her case it work related). I got her to model her delivery on someone she knows who has absolutely no problem in saying 'no'.

After three short weeks her work load is much more manageable. All down to one little word.

I caught up for lunch with my friend Sarah Young today. Sarah was the distant cousin of my friend Yvonne, who passed away nearly two years ago following a series of strokes. Today was one of the first times that Sarah and I spent time alone together and it was fun, finding our own level and watching how our interaction has changed since the passing of Yvonne, who was in her 80's.

Sarah also works in personal developement and her company is called Rambutan (http://www.rambutan.biz). We went to an Italian restaurant on the Southbank for lunch and came up with one or two pearls of wisdom to use with clients and in workshops and talked about work in general. It's always good to exchange ideas and I look forward to seeing Sarah again soon.

I always admired Mo Mowlam. Like most people, I only ever saw her on the news or current affairs programmes but she always struck me as gutsy, clever and fun.

Julie Walters' portrayal of her on the Channel 4 drama 'Mo' last week confirmed all the positive thoughts I'd had about this remarkable lady. And if ever there was a story of great good coming out of real challenge, this was it.

In a nutshell, Mo Mowlam moved the peace process in Northern Ireland forwards with charisma, amazing political acumen and charming lack of inhibition. The brain tumour, which ultimately killed her, would have caused a significant personality shift, in particular her lack of inhibition. How ironic that this might have been the vital ingredient with the 'x' factor that helped to end the troubles.

I'll use the story of Mo Mowlem with my clients. We can never know what good will come out of any challenging situation. Clearly Mo was unwittingly exactly where she needed to be to effect breathtaking change.

Arrived in Jamiaca yesterday - the sun is shining and London seems a world away. Time for me to de-clutter my head and get a tan.

I've been a huge fan of Radio 4 for many years now and rarely miss an episode of The Archers. I even post messages on The Archers Message Boards, which shows real dedication.

A programme that will appeal to anyone interested in coaching or personal development is All in the Mind. It goes out at 9pm on Tuesday and 4.30pm on Wednesday and episodes are available on the BBC iplayer. Two recent programmes of particular interest include one which asks whether we can be taught how to be happy (or happier) and another one about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Regarding CBT - I'd recommend it to anyone, which is why I found this programme so interesting.

The programme about teaching people how to be happy passed on a tool that I use with some of my clients and it works as follows. Before going to sleep at night write down three things that have gone well. It doesn't matter what the three things are. Could be a pleasant conversation with your neighbour, a walk in the park or a successful business transaction. Get into the habit of doing this. Your happiness levels will increase. Try it. It works.

Can't quite believe that I'm posting a SECOND entry about the X Factor, but there you go.

I felt a bit ashamed after watching it last night. John and Edward Grimes were voted off - and I was delighted. More than that, I felt a surge of adrenalin through my body while Danni Minogue was making her mind up and then a wave of elation when she said she was sending them home. It was when I saw their crestfallen faces that I felt ashamed.

On a scale of one to ten, the shame that I felt was probably only about two but it's been interesting to ask myself where it came from. Am I a wicked person? Do I really care (really?) who wins the X Factor? Do I need to get out more on a Saturday night?

I've not come up with a definitive answer yet but will be looking out for my reactions next time I'm watching. For the record, think Stacey should win.

Last night I went out for dinner with friends to an Argentinian steak house. Excellent food and good company though thanks to an open flame grill, the restaurant was too hot. Afterwards we walked down the road to a bar/restaurant called Village East on Bermondsey Street. It's a stylish place and there's always a good atmosphere with a fun mix of people. Last night we bumped into some friends there which made it extra special and we didn't leave until after 2am.

I often tell visitors to London that the city is simply lots of small villages stuck together. That means villages with local shops, restaurants and bars. Feeling a sense of community, for me, is a very positive thing and I realised last night that this can be enhanced by using local services and leisure facilities just a little bit more. It also saves a small fortune on taxis.

Watch out for more entries from me about the Bermondsey/Borough/Elephant area.

I'm feeling delicate this morning, following a spectacular birthday party last night for my friend Niko's birthday. It was a masked ball - you weren't allowed in without a mask and everyone kept them on for the first couple of hours. The effort that everyone made with their costumes was one of the things that made it an amazing party. There was an impressive array of Viennese (or should that be Venetian) masks, cowboys, bank robbers and at least a dozen eighteenth century dandies, complete with powdered wigs and knicker bockers. Conversely, there was a couple wearing Jedward masks - clearly there's no escaping those two at the moment.

I was wearing eye make up and an OTT feathery Phantom mask. Imagine my surprise when I was approached about some life coaching. Although I often get new clients in social situations, it didn't occur to be that I'd be having an in depth conversation about NLP from behind a mask. Something must have been shining through - we start working together on Tuesday - not a mask in sight!

Gordon Brown is in trouble, in a most unexpected way. He sent a hand-written letter of condolence to the mother of Jamie Janes of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, who died in action on 5th October. Clearly this was meant as a kind and thoughtful gesture, possibly motivated by the fact that Mr Brown knows what it is to lose a child.

The unfortunate thing is that the letter appeared to spell Jamie's name incorrectly, was badly written and contained spelling mistakes. Mrs Janes, who must be in agony at the loss of the son, has taken offence at this. Every newspaper in the land is now reporting the story and a telephone conversation between the PM and Mrs Janes can be listened to online.

This is perhaps a battle that Mr Brown was never going to win. A printed letter could easily have been judged disrespectful. Sending no letter at all would have been worse. So, Mr Brown, with his rubbish eyesight, appalling handwriting and over-full schedule chose to send a handwritten note to Jamie's mother. In this particular case, he got it wrong. That said, other families who have lost a son will have drawn great comfort from a handwritten letter from the PM, regardless of spelling and handwriting.

The press need to give Gordon Brown and Jacqui Janes a break on this one. Brown was obviously trying to do the right thing. Mrs Janes is beside herself with grief. No one is going to benefit from keeping this story in the headlines, least of all Jacqui Janes and her family.

I went to a birthday party on Saturday night at Anne's house in Chiswick. It was her mother Betty's birthday and a comfortable mix of family and friends were invited. There was a couple there who I decided a couple of years ago that I don't like much. It's never been a big deal and Anne knew about it - really it was just a case of getting off on the wrong foot and me choosing to take against them.

During a text exchange last week with Anne the subject came up and she sent me the following message:-

'Coach yrself on 2nd chances 4 people!'

This was a throw-away comment from Anne, who has no interest in coaching or the field of personal development. However, it did make me think. I have an excellent reputation as a coach but have formed a negative opinion about a couple and I have not considered reviewing this opinion. Is that an evolved way to carry on? Does it demonstrate emotional intelligence? Are there other people who deserve a second chance from me?

It took minimal effort from me to be nice and make things right between us. It also made the party more enjoyable. I'm going to try this second chance lark again soon. Give it a go - it's a good thing!

Last night turned out to be very memorable. I met up with my friend Mark Watty at Momo, just off Regent Street. Momo is a Morrocan restaurant with a very atmospheric tea room attached to it. It was lovely - all squishy cushions and flickery lanterns and a great place to catch up. We had tickets for the Michael Fienstein show - a one night only performance at the Palladium. I was still suffering slightly from the effects of the Halloween party when the curtain went up. Fienstein is a great entertainer but I have to confess to wondering if I was going to enjoy two and a half hours of him.

Anyway, he sang a few numbers and then after twenty minutes or so, his guest John Barrowman took to the stage. Barrowman was sensational. There's no other word for it. He looked great, sounded amazing and his energy was infectious - he's a very funny guy anyway and this came across effortlessly. At the interval, Mark and I made a beeline for the bar and bumped into Barrowman's partner Scott (I know Scott socially) who told us that that John had finished and they were about to leave for Wales or somewhere. How disappointing! - we were hoping for a couple more numbers at least. We ordered a couple of those cute little bottles of champagne (very thirsty) and the feeling was, how brave/generous/whatever of Fienstein to have Barrowman on as a guest - talk about having someone steal your thunder!

Fienstein clearly had a game plan though. He came back after the interval and absolutely set the place alight - obviously he'd been pacing himself and he saved the best of his performance until the second half. If he, in any way, felt that he was taking a gamble by sharing the limelight with Barrowman, the gamble paid off big time. It was a fabulous show and you left the theatre feeling that Fienstein, apart from being an amazing performer, is probably a very nice guy who's comfortable in his own skin.

I received a text a couple of weeks ago inviting me to a Halloween Party in West Norwood. The invitation came from a friend from many years ago called Tony. He'd also invited me last year and I was unable to go so I decided to make a particular effort to go this year. The thing is, I arrived without having any expectations or preconceived ideas about how the party would turn out. I've been very busy for one thing and also because I didn't know anyone else who was going, didn't have anyone to discuss it with.

It was a really good party. Had a great time and met some lovely people, most of whom were in costume (I'll wear one next year, if I'm invited back). I'm pretty sure that my lack of expectation before the party made it an even better experience. There's a saying - 'expectations reduce joy'. Although it would be a funny old world if none of us had any expectations, it's probably true that if we managed our expectations better, we might up the levels of joy we experience in the world.

I'm going to get a beer from the fridge now - no expectations what ever.

I met Doug in about 1996 before he went back to the States. I always really liked him and our friendship had several layers (go figure). The main thing was that we always 'got' one another and shared many values, a sense of humour and some good times. We stayed in touch for a while after he went back to LA and I knew that his partner was very ill. I was very sorry when I thought we'd lost touch. I think an email address stopped working or something - one of those things that happens in this age of instant communication.

Today, thanks to Facebook, I'm grinning ear to ear. I happened to search for him, expecting 1,748 Doug Macdonalds to appear on my screen. Guess what!! MY Doug was right at the top of the list. I poked him. I've messaged him. And best of all, we've already spoken on the phone. Now he's poked me back too (Facebook users will understand this reference). The amazing thing is that although we have sooooo much catching up to do, it really doesn't matter. More than a decade disappeared and I realised that even though we've been out of touch, all that time we've been there for one another.

Right now, I feel really good about technology.

Like many people up and down the country, I've been glued to the tv on Saturday nights watching The X Factor. One of the judges, Cheryl Cole, really impressed me last night. She accepted responsibility for choosing a song which proved to be too big for sixteen year old Lloyd Daniels (I actually thought he was rather good). She didn't try to justify herself or blame anyone else - she simply said 'I'd like to accept responsibility for this'. This simple act probably lead to enough of the public voting for Lloyd for him to stay in the competition. Even Simon Cowell was humbled and Cheryl seemed to have everyone on-side.

One of the biggest breakthroughs people get in their personal development coaching with me is learning the power of taking responsibility. Clearly, Cheryl Cole learned this at a very young age. I'm sure it must have contributed towards the success she is now enjoying. Good for her!

My central heating has broken. It's the pump to be precise, and some valve or other. I've barely thought about the system for eight years when it last went wrong. Of course, had I thought about it and got chemicals put into the system regularly and had the boiler serviced every year etc, it might not have broken down - who knows?. Would have, should have, could have. Let's see if I learn from this expensive lesson in the future.

In the meantime, the house is feeling decidedly chilly and we're rediscovering the charm and comfort of woolly jumpers and pyjamas.