Cycling with Alecarts and Uncle Festa

Cycling season is well and truly in full flow! 

Since the weather broke into a shiney sweat Easter weekend I have noted the steady increase in the number of cyclists out and about (doing the same). Today I had the pleasure of being ‘cycle buddied’ by Uncle Festa riding a splendid bike. No, not the real ‘Uncle Festa’ but a good look alike  with excellent past-time taste!  

Jim (Uncle Festa) has a fabulous titanium bike with carbon extras … half the weight of my bike but he was carrying twice as much weight. What you gain in one hand you lose in the other eh?!  It all balances out in the end

Festa cruised up beside me … well, sort of.  More like huffing and puffing as we both battled the wee climb out of Bolton Abbey cafe. The early pop-tart climbs hurt most before your legs have chance to circulate blood and one’s heart beats like a teenager about to have sex for the first time.

We peddled, chatted and swapped cycling stories and tips all the way to Burnsall cafe where we joined the Alecarts – Festa’s cycling mob that he had intended to ride out with earlier but the previous night’s frivolities prevented him from the same. It was great to meet at least another lady biker amongst the 20 strong fellas at the oasis.

As the Alecarts crew headed back home Festa and yours truly rocked on through Grassington, up Arncliffe climb, down into Malam (passed the Tarn), across to Hetton, back down through Burnsall and on to Bolton Abbey.  Absolutely fabulous circuit! Roughly a 40miler with some solid climbs here and there.

The weather was brill, the scenery spectacular and the new buddy an absolute hoot!  Festa made the miles go twice as fast … and for that I am truly grateful !

Thanks Festa for making today an extremeley bright and rewarding one.  Will catch you and the Alecarts crew again some time! 

If you fancy joining me and the Alecarts cycling sometime then drop me a message/comment here.

Today’s thought …   Rock On, Cycle On, Full On !

Hugs

Chrissie

Running in the snow … snow joke

I have lost the plot. Or have I? …

It’s Sunday morning. 8am (ish). There’s 6 inches of snow on the ground. It’s zero degrees. It’s still snowing. The birds are still in bed (wise).

And I have this gut wrenching urge to go for a run. Seriously. You’re probably thinking I’m sad and need to get a life. I don’t blame you!

But, looking out of the window, onto my balcony and across at the train line, canal and river I am overcome by the pure white blanket begging to be stomped on. I succumb to the temptation …

So, I don my running shoes, leggings, Heli Hanson layers one and two,  the brightest waterproof ever, ski bobble hat and gloves and off I trot.

Pure heaven. Not a soul around. The trees are thick with snow, the canal is semi frozen over with a dusting of snow and the canal path crunchy under foot. Not a footprint to be seen … until I arrive. Each stride bellows another thwack thwack thwack. A snow flake plops onto the end of my nose and I instinctively look up to the heavens, close my eyes and hold out my tongue to catch one there too.  And another … and another …

It feels like I’ve just stepped back in time to my childhood, gone through the wardrobe and stepped out into Narnia. It’s beautiful. So beautiful in fact that I completely lose track of time.

On returning home I glance at the clock. 09.45. I guess time does fly when you’re having fun.

Would I rather have stayed in bed sipping coffee and reading the Sunday papers?  Nah … I can do that anytime. Mornings such as these are rare and the opportunity and moment is now.  Sometimes you’ve just got to capture the moment otherwise it passes by and the opportunity is lost. Had Brad Pitt been in my bed the ’moment’ might have been rather different! Fortunately (or not) he wasn’t.

Anyhow, today’s thought …

Don’t let life pass you by … seize the moment … make it count

Do you enjoy running in the snow?

Chrissie   www.fullonliving.co.uk

To ski or not to ski? … that is the question

I’ve just been for an ‘after work drink’ with a good friend. He informed me that he’s ‘off skiing’ next month with his wife and a few family & friends and is in the process of ‘getting fit’ so that he can get the most out of it. Bravo !!!!!!

‘Off skiing’, ‘getting fit’, having a fabulous and fun time …  sounds wonderful! I can’t believe I haven’t skiied in my lifetime yet. I’ve always fancied it and yet never done it. What’s all that about? Why haven’t I?

Answer – the chat progressed and I started with the feable reasoning of  “it’s never been the right time”, “I can’t risk it because I’m self-employed and can’t be off work with a broken leg/arm/hip” … whatever and, “when you’re self employed and not cushioned by the umbrella of corporate insurance it wouldn’t be practical”. I then realised something momentous … I need to do something about my desire, my dream. I need to ski!  Therefore I need to act and stop coming up with ‘excuses’ as to why I haven’t fulfilled my dream yet …

Reality check. Now IS the time. What if I croak tomorrow, next week, next month. Haven’t I waited long enough. As the saying goes on many things “there is never a right time … just do it!”

Upshot … he inspired me. I have decided that this year I shall go skiing. Likely to be end of the year … but I shall go skiing.  Always wanted to, always dreamed to. So, I figure it’s about time I do.

Thank you my friend for helping me make another dream come true. You’ve just given me the motivation to ‘do it’. You know who you are and I shall be forever grateful.

Do you dream to ski?

If you’ve already ‘done it’ then please share your experience(s) here as it will inspire me to ensure I make my dream come true!

Full On Yours

Chrissie Lightfoot

www.fullonliving.co.uk

Womb Popping To Coffin Clock. Discuss …

Hi, I’m Chrissie Lightfoot, age 38 going on 360!

I might be age 38 ‘womb popping to coffin clock’ but I reckon I’ve managed to pack in the equivalent of 360 years of real living. Or, to put it another way, I believe a 360 year old may not have packed into his or her lifetime what I’ve already managed to cram into my meagre ‘turning 38’ lifetime (you’ll understand what I mean by this when you read on).

It’s no coincidence that I chose the number 360 . There’s a lot written about how we ‘go full circle’ in life – hence the 360 degrees inference (you’ll also understand what I mean by this when you read on).

Today I’m pondering how we measure age and life. I welcome your thoughts …

George Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor, and author, who won five Grammy Awards. He has a wonderful view on ageing …

Quoting George Carlin on age 102:

“Do you realise that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about ageing that you think in fractions.

‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m four and a half!’ You’re never thirty-six and a half. You’re four and a half, going on five! That’s the key.

You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m gonna be 16!’ You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life …. . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There’s no fun now, you’re Just a sour-dumpling. What’s wrong? What’s changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40…. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You’ve built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it’s a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80′s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn’t end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; ‘I Was JUST 92.’

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. ‘I’m 100 and a half!’
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!”

Absolutely brilliant by George Carlin.  See, we go full circle!

And ‘yes’ George, a lot of us might just become / turn / push / reach / make / hit 100 – woo-hoo. Certainly those of us that live life Full On have already surpassed 100 (figuratively speaking).

I tend to measure age and LIFE by the quality and quantity of experiences, whatever time span has occurred. I reckon it’s one’s attitude and approach that counts, not what the cradle to grave clock says. Deepak Chopra’s philosophy ‘Ageless Body, Timeless Mind’ (the title of his book) has always struck a chord with me and latterly Leonardo Dicaprio’s mantra ‘to making each day count’ in Titanic the movie.

What do you think?

I’ll also leave you to contemplate the following (something I read recently; my apologies I do not recall the author):

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

Signing off now to go experience another breathtaking moment …

http://www.fullonliving.co.uk

Possession is nine tenths of the law. Is it?

I’ve just read something interesting and figured I’d share it with you …

Apparently the phrase “possession is nine tenths of the law” started out as “possession is nine points of the law”.

The latter phrase tended to be used by someone claiming an advantage in a legal situation, particularly over the ownership of property irrespective of whether the property actually belonged to them or not.

Prior to the 17th century the expression was 11 out of 12. It’s not known why it was reduced in later years.

The nine points are as follows: good luck, money, patience, a just cause, good counsel, witnesses, a true jury, a good judge and a good lawyer.

I knew there was a reason I decided to become an Entrepreneur Lawyer!

Still living life full on …

My motto for the week ahead … “Success is a choice. Here’s to yours!”

Full On Business

So, the world has survived another week. Go figure.

My question to you is this. Is the recession as bad as the press is making out?

Seems to me that everyone I’ve been speaking to of late is busier than ever! Sales are ongoing and increasing and my contacts are working harder than ever to service demands in the SME sector. Me included. Things are ramping up at www.leepriestley.com as even corporate deals are kicking in. Yeah, no word of a lie!  Isn’t that neat?  Means no doubt that I’ll be starting work at “daft o’clock” all over again and leaving at “dafter o’clock”. Anyhow, love it! Bring it on … Full On.

Wonderful weekend. Done some running, cycling, walking, Lee & Priestley bits and bobs and Full On Living stuff. Oh, and of course, been tweeting (again). Tweeting is addictive. Just started following Lance Armstrong … couldn’t resist it. The Eurosport coverage of the Paris Nice pro cycling event this weekend has been absolutely excellent. Can’t wait for The Tour (France that is). I reckon I’ll have to go to the South of France this summer to catch Lance on the Col. Would be awesome to see the pros in full flight. He’s an inspiration. 7 times tour winner, defeated cancer and is on the come back. Magnificent. If ever there was a true example of Living Life Full On then Lance Armstrong opitimises it. Fabulous.

Ok, await to hear your views on the recession …

Full On

Chrissie

Living Life Full On

It’s Saturday night. I should be out dancing but decided to stay in and dance in my own space. No, I’m not sad … just living life Full On.  It’s all about balance. Done a run, some cycling, some tweeting and strategy & planning for Full On Living Ltd. I’ve also been doing some research which I’ll share with you in a moment.  Anyhow, as I was out last night I decided that tonight is the night that I finally get jiggy with blogging.  So, here I am … hello blogettes (women bloggers)!

I’ve had a wonderful day. Been innovating on several fronts. Done a bit of research into entrepreneur lawyers and realised we’re a rare breed. There’s not many entrepreneurs that have become lawyers. Smart peeps you are no doubt thinking. Entrepreneur, lawyer …  never the twain shall meet you’re no doubt thinking! Go figure, I did too, but turns out it’s a really neat fit.

For me, I can use all of the skills, experience and knowledge of having been in business and apply them in my corporate legal work at Lee & Priestley – www.leepriestley.com .  It was a burning ambition of mine to train as a lawyer so that I can help entrepreneurs … young entrepreneurs and women entrepreneurs in particular.  Having been a founder of several businesses (and still am) I know what it feels like NOT to be understood by a lawyer.   So, I figured the best way to make a difference and to be truly of value to the entrepreneur community is to become an entrepreneur lawyer. Call me ‘mad’, call me ‘fool’, call me ‘nutter’ but believe me it’s been worth the pain to get here!

The great part of it all is I get to interact and connect with inspiring and innovative people every day (clients / colleagues / friends). It’s  a real joy to help entrepreneurs with their legal issues/problems/solutions. Start-up phase is both an exciting and challenging time and I feel blessed and honoured to meet and help the brainchild of the business that gets up and running in these tough times.  Wow, it takes guts … and confidence … and I admire the entrepreneurs of 2009! I’m looking forward to helping as many entrepreneurs as possible through what is sure to be a tough life cycle.

Signing off for now … but leaving you with the motto …

“Live Life Full On”