Power

Walking the Birks of Aberfeldy recently, I was struck by the power of the waterfalls, their speed, strength and beauty. It got me thinking about the people I meet who tell me they have ‘no’ or ‘little’ power. There’s a lot more to power than age or seniority. We could have expert power, based on… Continue reading Power

The Calm After the Storm

After a wet and windy few days, it was good to wake up to calmness. Even better to spend time walking around the Glenmore Forest, breathing in the fresh, crisp, pine air. Calmness is a wonderful, underrated thing. Something I learned rather slowly, after realising that living on your nerves is tiring and not always… Continue reading The Calm After the Storm

Contrasts and Constants

Friday’s walk was chilly and bathed in sunshine, blue sky reflected in the water. Saturday’s walk was under a dark, brooding sky, the water almost as dark with the wind blowing a hoolie. And yet, we enjoyed both walks for what they were. Invigorating. Especially Saturday! For all the contrasting experiences we have in life,… Continue reading Contrasts and Constants

Fall is Back

It’s that time of year again. The mornings stay dark longer, the light slips from the evenings a bit more quickly. Sunburnt becomes weather-beaten. I like the American concept of Fall. Much of what we enjoy in the summer falls/disappears to be replaced by something different that we love at least as much. Nature’s changes… Continue reading Fall is Back

Turning Points

Our lives are full of turning points, waiting for us to notice them and act on them. 40 years ago this week, I left home for the first time to study at Portsmouth Polytechnic. I was incredibly lucky to study something that still interests me today, at a time when you could get a full… Continue reading Turning Points

Comfort Zone

I had an interesting conversation recently. Someone asked me if I was doing face to face work again. I said ‘Not yet, though there’s some coming up later in the year.’ They then proceeded to tell me I was living in my ‘comfort zone’. ‘How come?’ was my response. I got a fairly unintelligible answer.… Continue reading Comfort Zone

Rolling with the Spring Haze

If you read Taleb’s work (well worth it, by the way), you’ll notice that he recommends a bit of chaos and disorder in our lives. Working through it makes us stronger and more agile. This week has seen the mild chaos of work inside the house, losing space, everything seemingly in a different place. And… Continue reading Rolling with the Spring Haze

Running Up That Hill

When I was even younger, I did a bit of distance/cross country running. The advice that stuck with me was to run harder up a hill, keep your momentum downhill, then speed up as you get to the bottom and kick on (this was 40+ years ago, mind!). Like in business, and life in general,… Continue reading Running Up That Hill

More Strings to Play

This week I got another instrument. This is my bouzouki, made in Romania, travelled up here from Yorkshire. Playing music has become so important to me over the last three years. It is so much fun, it offers a sense of progress and different processes to master. It allows you to be creative without any… Continue reading More Strings to Play

One Long Journey Leads to Another

This is my Baglama Saz. I heard someone playing one on YouTube and loved the sound, so I bought one. It arrived two years ago today. I followed its journey from Istanbul to Leipzig to East Midlands to Aberdeen, then to here. The second journey started with me slowly learning how to play an instrument… Continue reading One Long Journey Leads to Another