wisdom
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110% Is for Idiots
I can’t abide the term overachiever, It’s not possible for people to rise above their level of competency. We are all in some way under achievers to varying degree. Have you ever been told to give 110% effort? It’s a common phrase used in motivational speeches and self-help books, but the truth is, it’s a… Read more
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This Too Shall Pass
This post is dedicated to all those readers who have had a situation over come them. Decisions made on your behalf. You gain the upper hand with seeking to control things in your control. The situation is not in your control but your reaction is. The following post is about how embracing ‘not knowing a… Read more
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Learn by Doing & Quantity Has Its Own Quality
I spend just 30 minutes a day on learning to draw and sketch. I am not looking for perfection, I am looking for gradual improvements. I am looking for learning from errors. In it’s own way quantity will have therefore it’s own quality. Let me illustrate with a story I found in a self help… Read more
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Who Is to Be Blamed?
When you become a parent you sign yourself up to be many roles: Protector, provider, punisher, peacemaker to name just a few but it is the parental pep talk where I enter into my own domain. I lack confidence on many things but the ‘go getter’ pep talk I am the master at. The above… Read more
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Apricity
As a lover of literature and collector of words. I would like to draw your attention to the word Apricity, which means the warmth of the sun in the winter. With 5 days of the winter left in the UK we get more of these warm(ish) days now. This term comes from the Latin meaning… Read more
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A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats
It seems some days there is not even enough time to manage your own workload without the idea of helping another but that is what I am suggesting you do this week. Reach out to someone and ask them how you can help them, helping can be as little as listening and offering advice. How… Read more
aphorism, Beach, beach huts, beaches, blog, Blue mind, books, carpe diem, hard work, 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, water, waves, wisdom, Writing -
A Colleague’s 10 Year Cube Reflection
I attended a colleagues 10 year cube call last Friday. A very dear friend of ours, Jason Gilet had been at Veeva for a decade. It was lovely to celebrate with him. It made me happy to spend an hour in the company of friends. I started at Veeva when there was hardly any Europeans… Read more
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L’esprit de l’escalier
I am often in a meeting or social engagement where a remark, joke or comment is made which leaves me speechless, I tend to take longer to process things than others. If someone says something against me I am usually embarrassed or confused as to how to react and so let the moment pass by.… Read more
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Reading Is Not Slacking
Meetings, team calls and 1:1’s are part of our working day culture and no one questions them on a calendar. What if you saw ‘Read a Book for an hour’ on someone’s calendar what would you think? Reading can change your perspective. This in turn can lead to improved productivity or you and your team… Read more
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No Grit
We had some snow this weekend and local news outlets were complaining about why didn’t they grit/salt the roads. Not that many cars need to be on roads at the moment. Years ago my daughter asked me the question. “Dad, what happens to the homeless on weekends like these when it snows and is very… Read more
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Our Brother Will and a Famous Sandwich
My youngest brother called Will is the best Barber in Burgess hill. He is highly sought out, with people waiting for ages to get in his chair. He is my youngest brother but a giant of a man well over 6ft. Customers love to talk with him because he is a great listener. He is… Read more
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Employees or Crew (How Many Souls Are Aboard Your Boat?)
I had the worst migraine in ages last night. Health really is wealth and you never appreciate how wealthy you are until you are in pain. I think it’s sinus related as I can’t breathe well at all. I hope it will not effect the quality of the post today. I trained as a day… Read more
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Make the Right Decisions, or Make Your Decisions Right
We make decisions everyday. Most are easy to call decisions which require very little energy. Some are key decisions that required your focus, energy and time to reflect. You know there is a BUT coming…. But those people that wait too long to make a decision don’t get far. A friend of mine from the… Read more
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Lead Like a Conductor
There is a quote: “if you want to lead the orchestra you must turn your back on the crowd”. It is often used by people as a justification for ignoring the criticisms of the many to focus on a task or mission. The quote is about leadership and the lone figure of a conductor standing… Read more
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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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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
