Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash In 2008 I was visiting friends in Australia. I woke up one morning to a voicemail: ‘Jon, your grandad is in hospital. He’s stable, but it’s serious’. It was the same grandad, my long time hero Pete, who I mentioned yesterday I spent the next few hours speaking to …
Chance encounters – an opportunity to connect
Photo by Jorge Roman on Unsplash How often do you chat to strangers? Have a proper conversation I mean, instead of say hi, or grumble about the weather. For me it's rare. I work from home most of the time and when I do go out, I'm usually preoccupied with one (or both) of my …
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What’s your one word for the year ahead?
Try this great little thought experiment from Dr Jason Fox, courtesy of Michael Bungay Stanier
Micro living – removing overindulgence and focusing on quality
A few years ago I heard about a concept called ‘micro dosing’, which involves taking a small amount (around one twentieth the normal size) of hallucinogenic drugs (LSD, mushrooms). This tiny dose can give enough active ingredient to ward off depression and bring about mental clarity, but not enough to stimulate a full-on trip. The …
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Sleep, exercise, diet – the Clear Mind holy trinity
Since the 40 degree Celsius temperatures we had in the UK this summer, I’ve struggled to get back into gear. That’s about 6 weeks of feeling sluggish, being one-step behind where I usually am in my thoughts and reactions, and being generally in a bit of a grump. And it’s totally my fault. After some …
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The last minute (Seth Godin)
https://seths.blog/2022/09/the-last-minute-3/ "If you do anything at the last minute that takes more than a minute, you’re not organizing your project properly. The last minute is not a buffer zone, nor is it the moment to double-check your work. The last minute is simply sixty seconds to enjoy and to remind yourself that you successfully planned …
On target – working towards a goal
https://unsplash.com/photos/KWQ2kQtxiKE?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink In football (soccer) there's a way to practice penalty kicks, to help the player's accuracy: start far away, then move closer to the penalty spot with each successive kick. The idea is to hone your accuracy from a long distance, when the goal seems far off and hard to hit. The closer you get, …
Holding space
Bady Abbas on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/hxi_yRxODNc?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink 'Holding space' means being present for someone, creating the environment for them to reflect, to process, to come to their own conclusions. Holding space is also the high art of leadership according to Dr Nick Udall. Today's picture reminds me of the four capacities mentioned in the article, that help …
What I’ve learnt blogging for 100 days
https://unsplash.com/photos/qz_SazFoMyc?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink A friendly challenge back in May led me to post every day for 100 days. The goal was big and scary for me at the time… Did I have enough to write about?Did I know what I was talking about?Could I actually bring myself to commit that much time, that consistently, to hit the …
Meditation – isn’t it just for buddhists?
Some years ago a friend of mine and I went on a meditation course at the London Buddhist Centre. It was as you might imagine - run by people wearing orange robes, teaching us the value of silence, peace and serenity. And we had to sit on the floor. It wasn't the first time I'd …
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Why I wouldn’t want to be a celebrity
I drove around the bend on a country lane today and saw a woman on a horse, on the other side of the road. She waved her arm up and down at me, to say 'slow down please!' I was immediately annoyed. I was driving at the speed limit (or near enough). How could I …
When you are busy
Sometimes there is so much going on that, let's be honest, you don't have time for planning or prioritisation. Your day is a mad scramble. The upside is it's easier to get into flow, passing time in a deep state of concentration, ticking things off your to do list one by one by one. The …
Leadership lessons from topless dancing guy
Are you the first person on the dance floor at a wedding? The second? Do you wait until a crowd starts to form and it's safer to throw your shapes? Or do you hang back until it's just you and Grandpa and the person feeding the baby still sitting down, and it's more uncomfortable not …
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Do simple things to create magic
And proof the tooth fairy does exist
When achieving your goals is too much like hard work
Follow these three steps from Michael Ashcroft on Every.to to make things easier
Harrison Ford and the search for perfection
A conversation with friends this weekend saw girls quickly pitted against guys on the subject of good enough vs perfect. The wives on one side, voiced their frustration about jobs being left unfinished. The husbands on the other countered that the main outcome is often achieved, but perhaps there's some finishing off to do. My …
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Why kids hunt elephants, and adults don’t
About 6 months ago I was at my son's weekly kick boxing class. After warming up and practicing technique, the instructors had the 25 or so 4-8 year olds take part in a mass sparring session, reminiscent of a big American wrestling event. The older/taller ones were only allowed to block the youngsters, but they …
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What you do… in 10 seconds?
Can you give a simple and intriguing answer to the question 'what do you do', in 10 seconds or less?
What are you doing for the next year? Here’s an invitation to live brilliantly
Sign up now to build your life one week at a time with this free course! Forgive me for being cynical, but this sort of promise sounds like codswallop. And I've seen plenty of crap courses in my time. But, its provenance is good - I just finished reading The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay …
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Key steps to becoming an expert
A good article from Kellogg Insight
Your Clear Mind 