creating change without shouting
Recently I joined a webinar with Michael Bungay Stanier (MBS to his friends) on the one question that unlocks everything. What was it? “If I say YES to this, what must I say NO to?” MBS has an extraordinary skill in capturing crucial ideas so simply that you can’t ignore them. This phrase has deeply … Read more
We often say we want to focus on what matters, to make choices that reflect what is important to us. But it’s tough. The choices are challenging, and it’s not just about giving up what we don’t like or find tedious. It’s choosing between the good. The variety of activities that reflect who we aspire … Read more
Being here now in this place, at this time, we have choices. We can look behind and try to find our way back. Or we can find comfort in the now. And block out the consequences of what we do or say because it’s not our responsibility. Or we can face the uncertainty of the … Read more
I’m reading Oliver Burkeman’s outstanding book 4000 Weeks: Time and How to Use It. It’s a long time in coming – both in terms of his journey to writing it and my waiting for the right time to sit with its pages. And I’m not disappointed. It is beautifully written and full of both resonance … Read more
I’ve been around long enough to know that most of us have a core narrative. Our default self-talk. And like our fingerprint, this isn’t simple to change. Yet, perhaps we can cultivate a more positive tone rather than being trapped in its shadow side. One of mine is ‘if … then’, which leads to my … Read more
The paths we create are probably not the ones we thought we were making. We start out thinking of a direction and an endpoint. And on the way encounter beauty, ideas and people we hadn’t expected. Along with challenges, questions and a kind of reality that creeps up on you unawares. So we have a … Read more