If I learnt anything during my years as a management consultant, it was how easy it was to give advice to others but how difficult it was to put it into practice; in other words it is easy to try and tell others what to do with their lives but difficult to take charge of your own. And I still say the same now; here are some pertinent words of advice to make us smile and which are worth trying to remember, from time to time, by way of “auto-coaching”.