January is a month of reflection and renewal for me. 

Renewal is a word that you might not naturally associate with January — it feels more like a December word!  I believe that ingredients of renewal include reflecting and then another review, followed by planning,...

How is it possible that seven days can be so long and so short at the same time? Sometimes even the weekend doesn't feel like the weekend, right? The third week of January felt like a catapult into 2024! 

On Saturday I attended an event where the Mary Oliver quote was discussed: 

...

I was speaking with a client mid week and said 'Happy New Year... is it still ok to say that?' 

I learned something... In German etiquette it is ok to say until the end of the second week of January - googled it to see if I could find a reference... I got stuck in a google mind trap for 20...

"A good third thing does not require people to work hard to understand it, but invites people to do the hard work of understanding themselves."

— Parker Palmer

I love the idea of the third thing. If you haven't come across this phrase before let me introduce you to the concept. 

...

(the image is a quote I saw a few days ago in Walthamstow, east London)

This week I have a few quotes that can act as invitations to reflect on the last year and look forward to the next...

"The horizon leans forward,

offering you space

to place

new steps of change."

― Maya Angelou...

“Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.”

— Parker J Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation

I suspect in one way or another you have spent some time reflecting on the last year, what the...

(on the video above go to 4:45 to see my actual graduation, and 25:20 for the Vice Chancellors speech)

You'd think for my sixth university degree I'd know what I was doing at a graduation — I had no idea and I had to go to Youtube to do a little preparation to calm my nerves. Until...

This one starts with some important questions, feel free to come back to them at the end if feels like a lot to start with as you transition from weekend to week...

Are you getting enough sleep?

How is your nutrition?

Where are the breaks in your schedule?

What are you doing for self care?

These...

Last week I went on various adventures across London – Covent Garden, Kings Cross, St James Park, and Brixton! As I gently meandered through the hustle and bustle of each trip I saw people going to work, going home, and others coming into town to go Christmas shopping. The pace was frantic,...

There was something settling in my being.

I found an unexpected sense of peace.

I felt grounded in a place that was unfamiliar.

Last week I spent 4 days in Istanbul, Turkey. After my meetings were over, on the 3rd day I was able to fully relax and my pace slowed down considerably. I started to...

Just Come

You don’t have to do anything

prepare anything

produce anything

perform for anyone

report anything

submit anything

be any where

adopt any role.

Just come as you are.

Let’s indulge ourselves

in sweet idleness

and delicious kinship.

by Noel Davis,

(from Heart Coming Home,...

In Season 2 Episode 1 of the BBC series Louis Theroux Interviews Anthony Joshua OBE (the British Nigerian boxer). Louis Theroux has a great interview style and the whole thing is really engaging viewing. About 35 minutes in to the program there is a fascinating exchange between Anthony, his...