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About This Site.

This site is the website of motivational speaker Craig Harper. A constantly updated, one-stop information, inspiration, education and motivation station. Unlike many similar sites, it is a totally free resource for anyone who is serious about moving from mediocre to amazing in any area of their personal or professional life. With hundreds of articles covering a wide range of subject matter, great interviews with cool people and inspirational video posts, there's more than enough brain-food to keep you busy for hours. Okay, days!! Enjoy.


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Motivation - Craig Harper

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Can’t always make it to the gym? With your very own Cyber-Trainer you don’t need to. Our online PT service is for people who would like to access the skill, knowledge and experience of a quality Trainer, without doing the face-to-face thing.

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If you are interested in maximizing your potential, stepping out of that 'holding pattern' and being privately coached by Craig click here.

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If you're a personal trainer, gym owner or studio owner who is interested in growing your business then mentoring with Craig could be a valuable part of your overall success strategy.

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Recently, 67 year old Jan Frazer completed one of our biological age tests only to discover she has the body of a 37 year old (in terms of fitness, strength and function). How old is your body? Find out here.

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Craig's team of experts can provide you with a complete Body Composition Analysis in just 30 minutes.

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Online Nutrition
Many nutritional experts confuse people with their jargon and pseudo-science. Let Craig's Director of Nutrition cut through the dietary confusion and contradiction for you.

Craig Harper - Fattitude.

Fattitude - Craig Harper
While many books focus on food, Craig teaches that creating life-long change is more about the dieter, than the actual diet. This book is perfect for people who have a history of 'almost' getting in shape.

DVD or CD - Renovate Your Body
In this entertaining presentation, Craig discusses the notion of Renovating Your Body - once and for all. Many of us have a curious ability to be able to get in shape for events (weddings, parties, reunions and birthdays), if only we'd get in shape for life.

Craig Harper - Food, Exercise, and Lifestyle Diary

Food, Exercise and Lifestyle Diary - Craig Harper
If you're serious about your training, nutrition and lifestyle - Craig Harper's training diary is an invaluable tool


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Welcome to Craig's site.

Craig Harper is Australia's leading motivational speaker and educator (according to Google Australia). He is a highly sought-after corporate coach and is considered to be a leader and pioneer in the areas of personal and professional development.

Working with hundreds of teams, companies and a wide variety of organisations on numerous continents over the last twenty years has given Craig a unique insight into, and understanding of, human performance and all its variables. Craig has an ability to educate, inspire, challenge and make people laugh all at the same time!

ryl workshop

Renovate Your Life Blog


Monday, June 16, 2008
Rules
To a large extent our lives revolve around rules.

limoRules which can be either empowering or destructive, personal or global, legal or moral. Rules which can dictate our day to day behaviour. Consciously or not, we do and don't do certain things because of these rules. Some of them are generally accepted standards of behaviour for a particular situation or environment and some of them are rules we've created for ourselves over time. Some of them give our life order, predictability and a level of security and some of them do nothing but make our journey one of frustration, fear, self-limitation and under-achievement.

Kids

As kids we have rules at home (clean your room, respect your parents), rules at school (wear your uniform, don't copy the smart kid's work), rules in our social group (defend your friends, don't wear certain clothes), rules on the sporting field (don't argue with the ref), rules in the school yard, rules on the school bus and even rules about what music we should or shouldn't listen to.

Adults

As we get older we add a whole new bunch of rules to the list; rules on the road, rules at work (official and unofficial), rules from the government, rules from the police, relationship rules, eating rules, moral rules (standards), religious rules (faith, beliefs) money rules... too many rules!

They don't all make sense

In many situations and environments we're told what we can and can't do. For example, where I live in Melbourne, if I want to drive with a phone in my hand there's a rule about that; it's illegal. But if I want to drive with a chicken sandwich in my hand there's a different rule; it's legal. Phone at my ear while driving - not okay. Shoving food in my gob while driving - fine. And no, I'm not suggesting we do either. If I drive along the freeway near my house (speed limit 100 kph - 60 mph) at 105 kph in my car with ten air bags, seat belts and lots of other safety features, I am breaking the law and can be fined. However, if I ride along the same freeway at 100 kph on my motorbike in a singlet, a pair of shorts and bare feet with a five year old kid on the back wearing zero protective clothing (other than a helmet), I'm not breaking the law. Yes, I'm being stupid (and possibly breaking my own personal rule) but no, I'm not breaking the 'official' rule about what's acceptable behaviour on the road in my home state.

The Drug Cheat

limoIf I'm a thirty year-old female who's putting synthetic estrogen (the dominant female hormone) into my body, then I'm doing something quite normal and acceptable; using birth control pills. Unless of course you ask the Catholic Church - then I'm doing something quite wrong. Confusing I know. Mainstream society has a rule which says that women putting synthetic estrogen into their bodies is okay. Smart even. Responsible perhaps. If, on the other hand, I'm a thirty year-old male putting synthetic testosterone into my body (the dominant male hormone), then I'm a meat-head, steroid freak or drug cheat. An irresponsible fool. The rules tell me so.

The cancer-causing drug? Sure, how many packs would you like?

If I want to walk into a store to buy some Voltaren 50's (an anti-inflammatory medication) for my sore ankle, I can't. There's a rule which tells me that I can't access them without permission (a prescription) from a doctor. No biggie. But if I want to walk into the same store looking to buy ten packs of cancer-causing, highly-addictive cigarettes, no problem. That's the rule.

Of course some rules are valuable and worthwhile, some are beyond our control, some are confusing and contradictory, some don't impact on us at all, some handicap us and some protect us. And then there are those rules which impact on us the most; the ones we create for ourselves.

Personal Rules for Living

Consciously or not, we have all created our own rules for living. Acceptable and unacceptable behaviours for us individually - what we've decided we can and can't, should and shouldn't, will and won't do. I have 'Craig rules', just like you have 'you rules'. Some of our rules protect us and give us stability, familiarity, confidence and security (what we're comfortable with) and some empower us. And then there are the self-imposed rules which ruin lives and stop us from exploring, maximising and developing our potential.

For years I have spoken to talented people who are under-achieving or living a life of frustration and pain because of self-imposed rules. Rules like these:

1. I won't take a chance. I won't risk failure (it's too painful).
2. I won't accept or act on constructive feedback (they're just being nasty and critical anyway).
3. I'll eat what I want, when I want (I'm here for a good time, not a long time).
4. I can't cry or express my emotions because I'm a man (I'll be labelled weak).
5. I will never disappoint my parents/partner (so I'll continue to do what makes them happy and me miserable).
6. I don't enjoy exercise so I won't do it (hopefully I won't enjoy a heart attack or a stroke either).
7. When someone pays me a compliment, I will dismiss it (they don't mean it anyway).
8. If I tell the truth, nobody will understand (so I'll continue to live a lie).
9. I don't have the talent or potential, so I won't try (I know my limitations).
10. If it's uncomfortable I won't do it (what's the point?).

Better than a Mac

limoDespite what the marketing people would have us believe, the most amazing computer on the planet is in fact not a Mac, it's you. I know you may not always feel like it, but it's true - unless of course you have a rule about it! Unfortunately, many of us waste what we've got by running faulty programs and letting too much spam infiltrate our brain. A Mac can't think independently and create it's own operational rules... but you can.

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