There are two sides to this story [as always]. If someone is hurting us we should ask ourselves – what is hurting them? And when we are hurting someone else – what is hurting us? Hurt people hurt people, it is true. But it is usually [always?] a symptom, not the cause.
Pessimists just aren’t nice to be around. All that doom and gloom drags you down. The attitude of helplessness is draining. On the other hand, excessive optimism can be just as frustrating – particularly when it ignores the fact that there’s work to be done. Where’s the balance? It’s not about thinking everything will work out, but we do need to continually believe in the possibility of finding a solution. What we need is persistent,
Last September, the UN’s IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] released a report which Ko Barrett, vice-chair of the IPCC said highlighted “the urgency of timely, ambitious, coordinated, and enduring actions. What’s at stake is the health of ecosystems, wildlife, and importantly, the world we leave our children.” To be clear, it was a 900-page report that compiled data from thousands of studies conducted by hundreds of scientists from around the globe. Their conclusion? We
When we commit to something – whether that is an activity, a principle, or a person – does that make us more, or less? Do we gain, or do we lose? It’s easy to see how making a commitment to improving our physical health is a good idea – it makes us a better person. If we commit to reducing the amount of sugar we eat or increasing the amount of running we do, our
Authenticity has become something of a buzzword recently, but the concept goes back a long way – it’s something Aristotle was wrestling with a couple of thousand years ago. It’s not a new idea. In current usage, we associate it with people that are ‘being true to themselves’. But how far do we take that? If you get up in the morning and have a row with your partner, then get cut up on the
The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. Ernest Hemingway Kintsugi (which translates to ‘golden joinery’) is a Japanese art form that uses lacquer mixed with gold to repair broken pottery. The idea is not to hide the breakage, but to celebrate it – the restoration becomes part of the history of the object. The results are extraordinary. It is inevitable that when we choose to take risks, not all
In early October 2019, I was one of the lucky 300 to get one of the Batch No.2 Paynter Jackets. It arrived just before Christmas, and has quickly become one of my favourite items of clothing. Anyone who has met me will quickly realise I’m not that interested in ‘fashion’ – but I care deeply about the story behind the clothes I wear. When you order from Paynter, it’s not just a jacket – it’s
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit Will Durant, American author It’s that time of year when many of us start to feel guilty because we’ve already given up on our New Year’s Resolutions. If that sounds like you, then I have a suggestion – try thinking about establishing new habits, rather than setting bold resolutions. Almost everything we do is a habit. Some of them do
I managed at least a book a week again in 2019. In no particular order, here are my favourites: “Meaningful Work” by Shawn Askinosie In addition to making some of the best chocolate in the world, Askinosie have fed over 1 million students in Tanzania and the Philippines by feeding 2500+ students a day, they have drilled wells in remote villages, supplied thousands of text books to schools, and funded empowerment programmes for young girls
One of the things that strikes me over and over as I read, listen and learn is how we see the same ideas repeated time and again throughout history. Often these are surprisingly practical – “Man is a goal setting animal” said Aristotle in the 4th century BCE, and 2500 years later, Brian Tracy wrote the excellent ‘Goals!’ where he talks about the same thing. We also see the same fundamental concepts appearing all across
Weekly [digital] email to help navigate the [analogue] world …
Weekly [digital] email to help navigate the [analogue] world …
