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.
Click play above
to
see one of Craig's weekly segments on national
television. (9AM with Kim & David - Network Ten)
Online
Personal Training
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.
Life Coach
If you are interested in maximizing your potential,
stepping out of that 'holding pattern' and being
privately coached by Craig click here.
Business Coach
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.
Biological Age Testing
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.
Body Composition Analysis
Craig's
team of experts can provide you with a
complete Body Composition Analysis in just 30
minutes.
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.
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 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!
*Note:For the purpose of this post, when I use the term 'feedback' I am talking about constructive, specific, relevant, well-meaning feedback by a responsible, informed person - not scathing, pointless criticism by some ranting idiot.
The Trigger: "Hi there, could I chat with you for a moment? I'd just like to give you a little feedback on a few things."
The Response: Increased heart rate, increased respiration (faster breathing), increased blood pressure, discernible anxiety, emotional and psychological shift, change in body language, production of cortisol (nasty hormone), switch to defense mode. Ability to listen objectively and benefit from ensuing conversation - zero.
In the corporate world most employees are required to participate in regular 'performance' reviews. This is a process whereby someone a little further up the corporate ladder will sit with a team member (as they are referred to in 2008) and provide them with constructive, specific and meaningful feedback on their work performance. That's how it's meant to happen anyway. I have friends who regularly sit on both sides of the feedback desk and I gotta say, from what I've heard the review process ain't always a positive, productive, uplifting or enjoyable experience. It's not completely uncommon for a 'review' to result in a screaming match or worse.
Personal Development Brussels Sprouts
Apparently some people don't like having their faults or flaws pointed out. Who would have thought? Well, we may not like it, but perhaps we need it for our own personal and professional development. When it comes to diet (for example), I always say to my clients "ask yourself this question, do I want it or do I need it?" We can ask ourselves the same question when it comes to the issue of feedback and personal growth. We might not always want it but if we digest it the right way and often enough, it might just be good for us. Kind of like personal development brussels sprouts.
This type of valuable input is not always easy to come by. To be able to access honest, objective, constructive feedback specific to you (your overall performance, your habits, your strengths and weaknesses, your skill level, your communication style and your attitude) can prove to be invaluable in the creating-your-best-outcome process. If you can get your hands (and mind) on some quality input from somebody else, then I suggest you make the most of it. If you choose to use feedback constructively (rather than reacting to it defensively) you will fast-track your personal growth, greatly improve your level of performance and create much better results in all areas of your life.
Craig Watch
As a person who spends a lot of time in front of people because of my corporate work, personal development work, writing and media commitments, I am constantly being assessed, reviewed and advised. Formally (via feedback forms) and informally. Like it or not, that's my reality. Consider my professional life; minimum of four radio gigs a week, television most weeks, being read by a large audience on this site most days, writing for four magazines, published author and regularly standing in front of live audiences. My 'performances' are under constant scrutiny. And while that type of analysis can be uncomfortable, it does give me a level of perspective, insight and objectivity that I can't get on my own. After all, "I don't see things as they are; I see things as I am." It also provides me with the drive and motivation to continue working to develop my knowledge, my skills and the quality of my 'product'.
Valuable Ingredient
In my opinion, constructive feedback is one of the most neglected, over-looked, under-valued and under-utilized ingredients of the personal growth process. Many people don't understand the potential benefits. One of the challenges with the feedback process is that it's often kinda painful and confronting and in a culture obsessed with comfort, ease and quick fixes, that can present a problem. In other words, we only want to hear the good stuff. The easy stuff. In many instances the people who would really benefit from some constructive input and guidance won't have a bar of it because they are too insecure, too stubborn or too arrogant to listen to and genuinely consider, what is being said.
The Dreaded Feedback Sheet
Most times when I deliver a corporate presentation (which is about a hundred times per year), the audience is required to 'assess' my performance via feedback sheets at the end of my talk. This is not always a pleasant experience, especially when they start filling out the forms before I even leave the room (which they mostly do). I wish I could tell you that I've always had amazingly positive feedback but I can't. Sometimes it's been like a knife in the heart but overall it's given me a much greater awareness of how I am perceived and made me a better teacher, writer, presenter and communicator. For years I have consciously, methodically and un-emotionally worked at developing those skills. Listening to, and acting upon feedback has been an integral part of that process.
"I Hate That Shirt."
This morning I did one of my regular TV segments and I've already had twenty people (or so) give me feedback on my 'performance'. Did I ask for it? Nup. Did I listen to what they had to say? Yep. The feedback was (as always) wide-ranging and varied. It included commentary on the clothes I wore, how much I smile on camera, how quickly I speak, the chemistry between the hosts (David and Kim) and I, the subject matter, how much I move my hands and a bunch more. For some reason people feel compelled to give me their Craig 'report'. Mostly it's positive, sometimes it's not and that's fine. Many times people have made me aware of something to which I was totally oblivious. My friends, colleagues and even my critics have taught me much.
One of the challenges with the personal growth journey is that too often we don't appreciate feedback for what it is and what it can be in our life. We process it as a personal attack rather than an opportunity to grow, adapt and improve. And as we've done many times before, we let our emotions get in the way of our progress and our potential.
Tomorrow I'm going to explore how we can give and receive feedback in a constructive and productive manner. See you then...
Ciao Kids ( )
* Let us know your thoughts on this post by clicking on the comment thingy and sharing from your own experiences or thoughts. If you'd like to receive articles like this automatically, simply click on the 'subscribe to this feed' thingy at the bottom of this post and become a subscriber.
We don’t know why, but people go crazy for these shirts. Perhaps it’s because they allow us to tell people what we really think without wasting our breath! Order your shirt here.
'You're Not the Boss of Me' T-Shirts
Are you sick
of the bossy people in your world? Well,
this T-shirt could solve all of your
problems and change your life. But then
again, probably not. Order your shirt
here.
