The interviewer teed up the sports player for a humourous answer. Suddenly I'm intrigued. Suddenly this interview shows promise. It's not going to be the same old run of the mill interview where everyone says nothing of interest. Oh wait nevermind. The player has rejected the invitation of banter and opted for a less risky … Continue reading Sports interviews →

Harry Potter was a bad idea. At least to those initial publishers that turned JK Rowling down. It must dog their thoughts constantly. ‘I turned down a career defining success.’ But let’s examine this situation with the lens of ‘good idea v bad idea’. Those publishers don’t like losing money. Those publishers most likely have … Continue reading Harry Potter was a bad idea →

After setting the title and deadline for my next essay (good ideas) I decided that was quite enough effort for one day and took an unearned break to watch the latest episodes of Rick & Morty on Netflix. I was thoroughly pleased. This new episode was proving to be just as remarkable as previous episodes. … Continue reading Execution →

Seth Godin, the bestselling author, lists one of his top five career decisions to be his daily blog and he recommends it to everyone.I think there are two crucial elements of this activity that make it so beneficial. The frequency and the judgement. Sticking to the daily deadline forces one to think. Sticking to the … Continue reading Seth Godin’s Practice →

Wikipedia estimates the Beatles wrote 188 original songs.The 2000 album ‘1’ compiles 27 of the Beatles number one hits. 27 divided by 188 equals 14%. The album compilers considered 14% of the Beatles output worthy. Even the best band in the world couldn’t produce a hit every time. For every hit there’s a miss. For … Continue reading Greatest hits →

Ciaran usually finished work at half 5. Everyday. He was Mr. Reliable in this area of his life. But last night Ciaran finished work at 7 and now he is sleeping soundly, safe in the knowledge that he is done. He doesn't have to spend the rest of the evening restless in the uncomfortable limbo … Continue reading The peace of done →

Don't shop when hungry is good advice.It's not that it's impossible to maintain shopping discipline when hungry, it's just that you're going to be wrestling with a powerful primal part of you and odds are you're going to lose. This part of you is unevolved. This part of you will take the wheel and run … Continue reading Shopping hungry →

Some self help books end with a call to action along the lines of - the world needs you, to not show up would be denying others your gift.As call to actions go it's quite compelling. It gets under one's skin and makes you feel guilty for not showing up.But the part that I struggled … Continue reading The world needs you →

The beginner is attracted by novelty. The whole newness of the activity keeps it exciting and interesting. But to become a master you need to train for years and novelty doesn't last forever. Once novelty has played it's part, it's best to progress onto something more sustainable like nuance. That's usually the reason why the … Continue reading Novelty and nuance →

If the advice helps does it matter where it originated from?There are no prizes for originality in counselling. Self-help authors today echo what philosophers said thousands of years ago. Fear and courage are millions of years old. Contributing something new is an admirable ambition but it shouldn't stop you from contributing altogether.