You have to be voted in to become a politician. You have to pass the bar to qualify as a lawyer. You have to beat out the competition to be awarded the job. But to become a parent you don't have to do any of that. Arguably the role that can inflict the most damage, … Continue reading Parent test →

Gertrude's identity is very much tied up in doing well at work and even though her boss would say she's doing a great job but Gertrude doesn't believe so. You see Gertrude's image of what success looks like doesn't involve this much feedback and she's taking it as a sign of failure. We can compare … Continue reading Gertrude, Gimli and Gorgomoth →

I think a big problem with institutional learning is the enormous emphasis on conforming to the academic way. Namely: You're not allowed your own opinion. There is very strict pedantic rules around referencing. So much so, that the students feel more scared about screwing up the reference list than focusing on deepening their knowledge.

Juanita loves chocolate but abstains and runs every other day to stay in good health. She never displays frustration at work in case the higher ups ever think of letting someone go. She invests as much as possible in her pension because you know it's wise to prepare for retirement now. She lives in Denmark … Continue reading Juanita’s plans →

The youngest has learnt that if she calls for Dad, her older brothers have to cave to her wishes. She has yet to discover the cost of this tactic. Instead she is screaming for Dad every time things aren't going her way. Driving a wedge further and further between her and her siblings. A few … Continue reading Bringing in Dad →

Some do a 'dry' January, some do 'Veganuary' but what about giving up on the approval of others? Imagine a future you that doesn't panic their way to praise. It won't all come at once. There's no switch to flick for an instant fix. But you could aim to rebalance the weighting in favour of … Continue reading Giving up approval →

Towards the end it appeared that their relationship had disintegrated so badly that Tom Brady and Bill Belichik both used intermediaries to talk to each other. In other words, they perceived communication to require too much emotional labour to navigate through the tensions between them that they sought others to prop up their dysfunctional relationship.

I think you're in the Christmas spirit when all the things that should bother you about the season (like the cold wet weather, the shorter days, the busy-ness of town, the mould, the pain of trying to find the right present)  don't because you're happy Christmas is almost here.

Bob likes to keep his brain busy so it doesn't think bad thoughts. Bob's brain takes revenge by waking him up in the middle of the night.

This rant is dripping with the fear of failure. I reckon they don't actually believe it's going to work and instead of admitting doubts or coming to terms with impending 'doom' they're going to make a song and dance about the length of the ribbons. That way they have publicly established a scape goat for … Continue reading Ribbon rant →