In the same way that hate begets hate, I think fear begets fear.Inversely I believe courage in any area of life influences every other area of life.You'll never be without fear, its part of the human experience, but the more you practice courage the stronger that muscle gets.One micro obstacle at a time.

"Looking back now I can see that it was definitely fear but in the moment I didn't register the emotion at all. I just felt someone or something inside me pulling the handbrake ... hard! At the faintest whiff of the merest notion of going over and talking to strangers it pulled the trigger on … Continue reading Scared Sammy →

'Hey, wanna colour with me?' The colouring book flops open to an untouched jolly Santa. The page currently only contains two colours, black and white, but not for long you say to yourself. The kid pushes the box of crayons towards you but doesn't wait for you to pick one, they've already picked up their … Continue reading Colouring in the lines →

Now I have never been part of an improv group, I haven't studied spontaneity extensively either and I don't have a P.H.d in 'flow' states but I think the key to spontaneity is giving yourself a judgement free pass. I think you're going to appear tense and rigid as an interviewee if you're tethered to … Continue reading Spontaneous speech sounds →

Of all the songs on the album no two were alike. The band showed off their extraordinary skills in a range of genres. It was like they knew how to skip the beginner phase of each style. They had the Midas touch and could do no wrong. I think variety in creativity is extremely impressive. … Continue reading Not two songs were alike →

There's something to be said about getting your panic in early. If you're 6 months out from organising a trip for 20 people and you're already starting to sweat the logistics, there's no better cure than channelling that nervous energy into proactive planning. I think it's the uncertainty of it all that's scary. I think … Continue reading Panicking early →

In her book Making Comics Lynda Barry recommends you use a timer for each drawing exercise. In one activity she even challenges the reader to draw a cat in less and less time. There's 6 levels ranging from 60 seconds down to 5 seconds. Now 5 seconds isn't enough time to draw a cat. It's … Continue reading Not enough time to draw →

Lord Yoda, who art in Jedi heaven, I am about to start my day, And I pray that you will send the following gifts my way. Lord Yoda please grant me the strength to deal with any pigheadedness, stupidity and moronic requests that stray across my path on this day. Please guide my vessel through … Continue reading My prayer to Lord Yoda →

How do you know if you're good at something? Well if you are a professional athlete and the public regularly proclaims you the G.O.A.T., you can take that as a good sign. If you're not in the public's eye but many people compliment you on your performance, that helps. If compliments are a rarity you … Continue reading Gauging good →

You know the old saying: 'Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.' Well I think a similar saying exists for brainstorming sessions. 'Be careful what you suggest because you just might be put in charge of it' To everyone else it makes logical sense that person who suggests the idea … Continue reading Good suggestion, now do it →