The group decided they aren't doing birthday gifts anymore. It was taking too much time, effort and money. I think that's a shame. I think the gift is in the giving. There is a great buzz to reminiscing about private jokes and brainstorming ways to reference them in gift form. There is fantastic excitement in … Continue reading No more gifts →

I used to live in Hong Kong and a few years after I left, I went back to visit. As I strolled down memory lane with my rose tinted glasses on, I realised the thing I missed the most was the people. The venue didn't matter, it was the company that made it special. By … Continue reading Company not buildings →

You occasionally hear success stories being born out of the desire to prove someone wrong. Somewhere along the line, a doubter, skeptic or someone of little faith told the hero they can't reach that high. Then the hero determined to prove them wrong, found a new unprecedented level of performance to earn their respect. It's … Continue reading Proving them wrong →

It's no coincidence that the bigger the audience, the bigger the internal butterflies. The larger the audience the greater the possibility of strangers in the crowd. The judgement of strangers are the opinions we simultaneously fear and crave. You're not truly a success until strangers join your fan base. Friends and family might be a … Continue reading The judgement of strangers →

Worrying is not helpful. If worrying could actually make the slightest difference to an outcome then it would be considered a success tactic. If worrying helped ensure a result then companies would urge employees to worry about their products. Sports teams would encourage fans to become anxious about their star player's ankle injury. Students would … Continue reading If worrying was helpful →

No one is more productive with household chores then the artist avoiding their work. It doesn't matter if it's cleaning, organising, loading or unloading. Any excuse will do! It doesn't even matter how disgusting the chore is. Mouldy ceilings, smelly bins and clogged toilets are preferable to the difficult task of wrestling with your demons … Continue reading Any excuse will do →

In the recent Six Nations match Ireland were chasing the game. They were down 5 points, in overtime but their chances of winning were looking good. They were attacking well and they had just earned themselves a penalty. All Billy Burns had to do was kick the ball into the corner and Ireland would secure … Continue reading Billy missed touch →

You may have already noticed that I blog daily. I can't remember the last time I missed a day. I think it's over a year at this stage. At this point crafting a blog post is not a burden but a highlight of my day. Something I look forward to and make time for. But … Continue reading Daily blogging habit →

In the US Office there is an episode where, the CEO at the time, Jo Bennett storms into the Scranton branch and announces that someone here leaked to the press that the Sabre printers catch on fire and that person is going to be in big trouble. Then low and behold a great fear grips … Continue reading Press leak in the US Office →

It was groundhog day recently and someone asked the question if you could've done yesterday over again what would you do differently?(I believe they were inspired by the movie where Bill Murray is doomed to live the same day over and over again.)I said I would cut out the inane YouTube videos. They were not … Continue reading Wasting time →