Last week I got to listen to an inspirational speaker (Jamie Peacock), courtesy of the day job. The delivery was really grounded and the key messages simple to understand. Positively challenge yourself. Keep learning. Positively challenge those around you. Keep going. Jamie wasn’t showy, but he showcased how he’d put the hard yards in. He kept going. Continue reading Not just peacocking

I narrowly avoided bankruptcy six years ago, ostensibly due to a collapse in income and a tumultuous change in life circumstances. Really it was because of my relationship with money. I’m largely through that period of hardship and, after quite some processing, I can say that I’m grateful for what it taught me. For the lasting improvements it wrought in my character and financial posture. … Continue reading A financial gift born of hardship

You can write it up a few ways, some will sound kind and others won’t. As with many things, the emphasis you hear and the emphasis you take away may not be the same. “Keeps turning up when she can.” “Not as regular as he could be.” “Makes every effort, despite their circumstances.” “Attended only sporadically while overwhelmed by events.” “Exhausted but still pushing, he … Continue reading Consistently inconsistent

Being very pressed for time lately, daytime meals became perfunctory affairs. Since I’m also working on mindfulness, the hit and run approach to eating felt inappropriate. I decided to experiment. Some lunches I’d act as had become the norm – the last mouthful (especially) being crammed in and chewed as I washed my hands and quickly got back to the computer. Other lunches I took … Continue reading Chow or ciao

Juggling a number of requests and without enough time to give each its due, you can engage with two different styles of thinking. If you can’t cover all the bases, why even try? Do what looks like enough, as you have the excuse that you’re overstretched and can’t meet demand? Or, work out where you can best contribute with the time that you do have? … Continue reading When there’s not enough time

Reading an article about Big Tech this morning, I noted the author’s words about oligopolistic competition supplanting current monopolies. “It could raise standards as platforms differentiate themselves by trust.” It could, and I hope it does. Trust is important, and we rightly expect it in our interpersonal relationships. We trade it all too readily in the tech space, to save a bit of money, be … Continue reading Trust and differentiation in tech