Improvement is invariably incremental. An apparent big bang, or overnight success, is built on smaller steps that might seem imperceptible at the time. If you’re not feeling that you’re getting there, remember that you’re putting in another of those steps towards success. Focus on that, one step at a time. Kindly, keep going. Continue reading Getting better at something
When I was in my late-twenties I very often felt inadequate. I had travelled and accomplished a lot, but never lived up to inherited expectations of who I should be. I realised one day that the people I admired most had done none of the things I felt I should’ve done. The expectations weren’t mine, and I learned to let them go. In my forties … Continue reading The people I admire most
Hiking up a tough mountain trail. Facing a grilling from the boss. Making it through the cold and wet. Working out how to make the sale. Satisfying a demanding customer. Almost everything is easier if you have good company. For others, will you be that good company? Kindly, keep going. Continue reading If you have good company
Taking a break isn’t stopping. Pausing for breath isn’t stopping. Considering your direction isn’t stopping. Calling enough, for today, isn’t stopping. Knowing your limits isn’t stopping. Stopping isn’t really stopping, unless you say no more. And what then? Treat yourself well, recharge as you need to. Be proud of your journey. Kindly, keep going. Continue reading Not stopping
You can’t predict when good luck will drop by, so you better leave the door open just in case. You can’t be sure when you’ll spot some good luck, so you better be on the look out for it, day by day. You don’t always know what good luck looks like, so you better not expect it to be obvious. Good luck isn’t merely waiting … Continue reading Ready for some good luck
Reading on from the First Round Review newsletter today (thanks for that tip, Dan), I clicked on a link about imposter syndrome. Dr Emily Anhalt notes: “Most people with competence have some Imposter Syndrome, because they know how much they don’t know. It’s the opposite of the Dunning-Kruger effect.” Competent people know how much they don’t know. If you’re feeling inadequate, remember you’re merely conscious … Continue reading You don’t know, you know
I’m reading ‘Lost Connection’ by Johann Hari again. It tells a powerful story about the impact of pharmaceutical company profiteering on how depression is treated. Regardless of whether or not he’s right about that, there’s a clear acknowledgment of the placebo effect in the medical profession. Placebos work because of the stories (which may be implicit) we absorb about them. For good or bad, humans … Continue reading Clutching at stories
That moment when you realise you gotta get going again, but everything seems quite nice where you’re at and you’re looking at more uphill. Keep the goal in mind. Crack on. I’m working on my next mini-adventure. :’D . (Photo of me, momentarily ran out of steam on the Longshaw Estate in the Peak District) Continue reading Starting again
I’m giving blood shortly. I last gave blood not long after lockdown started – it’s considered essential, and with good reason. The process is trickier with a pandemic going on, but it’s still happening because of the outstanding work of people (including volunteers) who find a way to make things happen. It’s a reminder that there are lots of ways to contribute. There’s no one-size-fits-all … Continue reading Doing something amazing
I’ve hugely enjoyed reading ‘The War of Art’ by Steven Pressfield. He talks about Resistance (yep, with a capital ‘R’) and how it impacts what we contribute. His book is pretty pared down to begin with and while he offers different perspectives on almost the same thing across the pages, it’s that rounded view that builds to such a powerful and, for me, revelatory message. … Continue reading Look carefully
Sometimes You Learn 