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
Tag: learning
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
Trusting the Process
Earlier this week, I watched my current favourite TV programme, Portrait Artist of the Year, in which people paint a celebrity. As a non-artist, I marvel at what these people produce in four hours. They paint a good likeness, while capturing the spirit of the person. The common theme is that they all have a… Continue reading Trusting the Process
The Next Leap
In the 17th Century, Douglas Cargill, Presbyterian Minister and Covenanter, regularly evaded the authorities by leaping across the River Ericht at Blairgowrie, Perthshire. The spot became known as Cargill’s Leap. They caught him eventually, but he always got across the river. I have made many leaps in my life. Some successful, some less so. Many… Continue reading The Next Leap
It was Twenty Years Ago Today …
My business started, with me standing at Oxenholme train station, waiting for the train to London Euston. I was full of anticipation, enthusiasm and a bit of nerves. I thought there were strong possibilities and I wanted to explore them. Since that successful first job, I’ve delivered training throughout the UK & Ireland in person… Continue reading It was Twenty Years Ago Today …
Special Memories
One of my most memorable life experiences happened 51 years ago today. We got a taxi, walked up and down a noisy Goodison Road that was filled with people and their anticipation. Everyone seemed so tall, you could smell the tobacco and police horses. The best memory was that magical moment when my Dad led… Continue reading Special Memories
How Did You End Up There?
How Did You End Up There? I saw this driftwood tree, washed up on the beach and wondered, ‘How did you end up there?’ That is a question I am often asked these days. At my point in life, the answer is, ‘it’s a long story.’ Everyone has a story. Even for those of us… Continue reading How Did You End Up There?
A Helping Hand for a Great Cause
This week I had my first experience delivering virtual training with Na’amal on the MIT ReACT Programme. I had a great time exploring Effective Remote Communication with a group of enthusiastic learners from around the world. Na’amal is a UK-registered social enterprise established in 2019 to provide the soft skills and networks for refugees and… Continue reading A Helping Hand for a Great Cause