Hello, I’m NCS.
This is where I think out loud, mostly from the little yellow beach hut I built on Lancing beach. Notes on reading, work, life and lighthouses, written when something is worth writing down. More about me.
Latest from the collection
Lighthouse stamps and postcards, and the stories behind them. See all the postcards and stamps.
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Team of rivals
I am reading several books on the history of the USA at the moment and I just realised that George Washington’s cabinet makes every other cabinet look pathetic! His cabinet had Knox, Hamilton and Jefferson! If you have not read ‘team of rivals’ I would recommend it. To fill a team of smart challenging individuals… Read more
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Who cares?
I was enjoying a zoom lunch with a colleague the other day and they asked. “What do you get out of posting a two minute read everyday? Is it worth it?” I like this colleague, I consider them a friend so I gave this question some serious thought. I told them I would write it… Read more
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My favourite teacher story
As my son is a school teacher now and I am a very proud father I have started to collect or notice teacher stories. This one below is one of my favourites, enjoy: A school teacher ran a test that had several sections, each of which contained three questions. He told the students to choose… Read more
aphorism, Beach, beach huts, beaches, blog, Blue mind, books, carpe diem, experiences, hard work, heat, just do it, just keep swimming, knowledge, lancing, lessons, life, mentoring, narrative, philosophy, quotes, Reading, Sea, seas, seaside, ships, Shoerham-by-sea, Shoreham-by-sea, storytelling, sussex, swimming, tenacity, water, waves, wisdom, Writing -
Where the focus goes the energy flows
Today I build on one of my most popular posts ‘Got to do, get to do’ I often hear people say “I’ve got to do this or that” as a complaint. They don’t realize the negative energy that flows from their words. I’ve got to wash the dishes I’ve got to get up this morning… Read more
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Mentoring can be magic
Mentorship works, Socrates mentored young Plato, who in turn mentored Aristotle. Aristotle mentored a youth called Alexander, who ‘over achieved’ that young man went on to conquer the known world as Alexander the Great. I heard about this great example: Great Ormand Street Hospital (GOSH) Doctors and nurses needed to model moves of master handoverers,… Read more
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Chess lessons for life also
I have always loved Chess since I was a child, it is a game which tests strategic thinking. It requires concentration, and an ability to cope with change. Here are 5 life lessons I draw from Chess: 1. You have to move, thinking for too long is bad To play better you need to play… Read more
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Forget the scoreboard
As the coach of football teams I would always tell my players to always play like it’s 0-0. I wanted the players to not let the current state of play impact the game plan and their actions. I would then apply that philosophy to the entire season. If you want to extend your winning streak,… Read more
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A story I paid a homeless guy $5 for, enjoy
I was sitting on a bench outside a hotel in Indiana 12 years ago and a homeless guy sat by me and posed me a bet.” If I can tell you a story that makes you think, will you spare me a couple of bucks?” Of course I took his challenge and this is my… Read more
