I’m no stranger to the process of reflection. The personal development training I’ve done over the years has taught me to reflect every day on what went well, what didn’t go so well, and what I’d do differently next time. But Rach Allen’s questions were deeper than that. She invited me to reflect on the past year – particularly the period after we originally spoke last July for her podcast 40 … [Read more...] about What did your 2020 smell like?
wisdom
A birthday story about reaching grandmother age
Let's play a numbers game. I was born in 1957. I am 57 years old today. Two of my grandparents were born in 1900, so they were 57 when I was born. I have zero children, therefore zero grandchildren. Yet I have reached grandmother age. What does this mean? I am indebted to my friend Mary Ann Mhina, who recently published a beautiful book of interviews with older women, Listening to our … [Read more...] about A birthday story about reaching grandmother age
Finding a safe space in the pages of an old book
I want to talk about books. Not just any old books - I mean the books that either sit on your shelves, unloved and unread, or the books that you keep for years after you’ve first read them, waiting to be called to them once more. One of the books that had languished unread on my shelves for some time was Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I bought it years ago when it was … [Read more...] about Finding a safe space in the pages of an old book
What would you do without your 21st-century toys?
As of 2pm tomorrow afternoon, I will be unable to communicate electronically or telephonically for five days. It will probably sting for a while but I’ll get used to it fairly quickly. I know this because I managed to survive without my iPhone/iPad/Macbook for eight whole days last year. No surfing the web, no texting, no emails, no Facebook, no Tumblr, no Twitter, no Pinterest, no iPlayer - … [Read more...] about What would you do without your 21st-century toys?
Do you have THE PEARL WITHIN?
I first heard the term SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely) goals about 10 years ago and I’ve remembered it ever since. I know the power of a good acronym or mnemonic, so I set myself the task of coming up with my own for The Pearl Within. Here goes: P is for Presence There are two strands to presence: one is always being in the present moment; the other is having a … [Read more...] about Do you have THE PEARL WITHIN?
Eddie Izzard and the art of living a big life
We can’t all be like Eddie Izzard. We won’t all be able to run 43 marathons for charity or do stand-up comedy in French and Russian. Eddie lives his life with military precision and plans far into the future. I have no doubt he will fulfil his ambitions to become Mayor of London or an MP by 2020. But that’s Eddie for you - he’s a relentless superman. However, if you are an ordinary mortal who … [Read more...] about Eddie Izzard and the art of living a big life