Lessons in life from our children
I was recently regaling a close (and willing!) friend with a few stories of funny things my children have said and done of late. For example, my seven-year-old daughter who loves to read Dog Man has taken to exclaiming “Oh boy, this is gonna be great”, which is hilarious given her cut-glass English accent. I […]
Managing transitions: taking a leaf out of nature’s book
This summer, one of my dearest friends (let’s call her Jennifer) fulfilled her dream of moving from Paris to Annecy, where she can ski to her heart’s content for almost half the year. Ex-pats get used to having friends come and go – it is part of the job description. I have many overseas friends […]
Read yourself to greater fulfilment, 5 books in the personal development genre
5 books in the personal development genre to feed your mind and soul this summer Four Thousand Weeks Oliver Burkeman is my find of the year. I gobbled up his latest offering, Four Thousand Weeks – Time Management for Mortals, then proceeded to read through his entire oeuvre. The title refers to the fact that […]
Be the master, not the slave, of your to-do list
What does your to-do list look like today? Is it long, short, detailed, written down, in your head? I generally have two going at any one time – one for personal tasks (on a post-it), the other for work-related items (currently experimenting with Trello). I love lists in general, as I find they give me […]
Identify your values to honour your identity
“This above all: to thine own self be true And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” So concludes Polonius’ famous soundbite-filled monologue to his son Laertes in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In other words: know yourself and follow your own counsel. This is sage advice indeed […]
What’s your story? Finding a narrative that serves you
Do you ever feel like your life consists of simply keeping all the plates spinning? I know I do. On good days, I look at all the crockery I’ve got under full rotary control and smile smugly. On other days, it can feel like I’m just barely keeping the plates from crashing down like a […]
Reclaim your thoughts: changing your relationship to your inner monologue
I have been known to joke that at the ripe old age of 41 I do not feel any different from when I was 21, and in some ways that is true. In others, I am happy to say, it is not: I am definitely more confident and self-possessed now, and less concerned with what […]
