Every day I make a note on what I’m excited by and what’s currently a frustration. Having a poor memory, I find this really helpful as I occasionally look back. It prompts action. To do more of some things and less of others. There’s a pause for thought if the same frustration is coming up time and again – what am I doing to tackle … Continue reading Noting frustrations
Often we face a choice – do what’s right and might lead to sanction, or do what’s easy and can be justified if you squint a little. What will make you proud in the long term? What builds the world you want to live in? Kindly, keep going. Continue reading World building choices
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
In my thirties I came to recognise that contentment was more important than chasing happiness. In my forties I’m slowly, I’d say reluctantly, learning that feeling sufficient is more important than striving. That’s not to become a miser or forsake ambition – it’s being grateful for what we have and to recognise when enough is enough. When we’re always aiming for just ‘more’, it’s easy … Continue reading Happy, enough
My dawg’s tag came off his harness at some point today. We’ve had it a while and it has memories of my Dad wrapped up with it, so I re-traced my steps on this evening’s walk (when I noticed it was gone) to look for it. I’ve written before about finding my dropped car key, after four miles of re-tracing my steps on the Yorkshire … Continue reading Finders keepers
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
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
I remember when I was 18 getting back from a three mile run and feeling exhausted. I more or less collapsed on the stairs when I got in the house. Today, at 45, I enjoyed nearly 13 miles with a good friend and after getting home took my dawg out for a good walk. I’ve put in a lot of training since I was 18, … Continue reading What do you want to be better at
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
Sometimes You Learn 