It doesn't matter what happens today, you're still going to have to breathe in and out!

And breathing in and out provides you with an extraordinarily powerful way to clear the mind, focus on the moment and come to your senses. A couple of deep breaths and you're ready for anything.

And the beauty of it is that nobody will notice you breathing - you're doing it anyway and, of course, all the normal people around actually aren't there!

Last week I had the dubious pleasure of passing through London's Gatwick Airport and, as with all my travels, I have more bizarre behaviour to report

New facilities have been installed in the Gents' Toilet - four washand basins are lined neatly along a wall with motion-sensor-actvated soap, water and driers. Each is clearly signposted - in big white letters. Of course, it would have been easier to simply post a picture of this but I didn't want to chance taking photos in the mensroom - not sure if I'd have made it to my flight! Anyway, I washed my hands, along with a couple of other guys beside me and held them out to dry under the appropriate sign. What happened next? Four guys formed an orderly queue behind me to use my hand-drier!

Ah, the herd instinct! But, of course, the herd needs to be kept in check - God knows how people would behave otherwise. So, having been directed to Gate 16, along with all my fellow-travellers, we were told that it would not be Gate 16. Four official looking half-wits then proceeded to tell us that they had no idea where the flight would depart from. A fifth, to the others' dismay, told us that it would be Gate 14. So, we all walked to Gate 14. Then there was an announcement - airport regulations forbid standing in corridors - we were all told to go back to the departue lounge to await further instructions. At this stage a couple of elderly travellers were in need of resuscitation - they were worried about where the flight would depart from and they had also done a couple of laps of the airport!

Ten minutes later, we were told our flight would depart from... Gate 14. And, when we all got to Gate 14, who was manning it? The four officious half-wits who told us that they didn't know anything! Well, for starters, they know damn all about customer service.

The title is a bit of a mouthful, but you know what I'm getting at. People often tell me that they start doubting their own ability to achieve their dearly-held goals because the outcome that they want hasn't happened yet... "When will it happen?" is a slippery slope to "Will it ever happen?" to "It looks like it's not going to happen" to "I knew it wouldn't happen".

Even though, through the practice of mindfulness, our lives can - and often do - start changing overnight, Rome was not built in a day. Often people become overnight successes after years of work - not hard work, mind you, but a labour of love with a compelling goal in mind. Remember, hard work is like beauty - it's in the mind of the beholder.

Patience is not a virtue - because, to practice patience implies that, without its practice, one would be impatient. Focus is what is required - day in, day out. A friend at Madrid University's Business School recently endeavoured to explain the results of some research to me - the research is in Spanish and, with my friend's broken English, it hasn't quite made the leap into the vernacular. But the gist of it is easily understood: the more one has to persevere, the more successful one will be. The most successful business people are those whose failures would have made lesser mortals throw in the towel.

Let's quote Calvin Coolidge on this one - 'cos it's a good quote! Coolidge said that

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

And this perspective is, in fact, most helpful when it comes to our efforts in the development and cultivate of our own mindfulness. Developing mindfulness can be a perceived pain in the ass! Sometimes we wonder is it taking us anywhere. Often, we become impatient, not to mention frustrated. But it pays, it pays hansomely, it delivers results.

So, come the morning that you say to yourself "I'll skip the meditation this morning, it'll give me a head start on the traffic" spare a moment to reflect on what President Coolidge had to say. Persevere, hang in there, don't go questioning the good, bad or otherwise of five or ten minutes in a clear and mindful place. Just do it... with a little exercise daily, you will start reaping the benefits sooner, rather than later - and then the fun will really begin in earnest.