“You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present” (Jan Glidewell) Embracing the present is a recognition that life can only be understood backward but that it must be lived forward. Richard L Evans (Tonic for our Times) notes: “Those who gaze too…
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it” (Helen Keller) Many of life’s difficulties are short-term and swiftly come to an end as we get re-employed, or sort out an issue with a friend, or resolve an argument or recover from some illness. Other forms of adversity,…
“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart” (Roy T Bennett) If ever there was a time for contribution, meaningful acts of compassion, and kindness, it is now! The world is intoxicated with fear and despair – often caused by corrupt or inconsequential leadership that…
“An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind” (Mahatma Gandhi) All over the world, individuals and groups seem to be “at war” with one another. Personal grievances don’t just play out as minor tiffs or arguments, but often develop at best, into litigation, or at worst, into bodily harm or murder. Anger, spite,…
“Today is one of those days when I could restore myself to the default factory settings” (ANON) Feeling overwhelmed, weighed down by concerns and buffeted by moments of extreme anxiety seem to be a significant part of the experience of life for most people over the past few years. The uncertainty that has been created…
“How we walk with the broken speaks louder than how we sit with the great” (Bill Bennot) In their opening paragraph on the topic of ‘leadership’, Wikipedia notes the following: “Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organisation to “lead”, influence, or guide…
“If the deck is stacked against you, reshuffle the cards” (Anon) There’s a part of me that wishes that the above quote could represent life and that managing everything that life throws at you was that easy. It’s not! Life is not a board or card game where, if you are losing, you can just…
“It is unhealthy to marinate in your own press clippings” (Sam Walton) Humility is the hallmark of true leadership. Those in leadership who display humility recognise that they have been put in a position to serve others, create opportunity for others and bring out the best in others. Humility empowers others. It sets an example…
“How we walk with the broken speaks louder than how we sit with the great” (Bill Bennot) Force majeure is a common clause in contracts which essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such as a war, strike, riot, crime, epidemic or…
Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads (Back to the Future – 1985) The world is quite different now – the very concept of “team” has been challenged, revised and reconstructed. On the one hand, globalisation has accelerated the employ of diverse and remote teams, where team members operate from many different countries in…
“Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o’er-fraught heart and bids it break” (William Shakespeare) The world in which we live is hurting currently – not only are there tensions between factions, conflict between other groups and even nations; not only are there real concerns about global warming, pollution of the…
“What is depression like? It’s like drowning, except everyone around you is breathing” (Anon) Like joy, happiness, fun and pleasure are part of the experiences of all human beings, so also are moments of sadness, pain, anxiety and fear. In small doses, negative feelings are quite manageable and bouncing back is a real possibility for…
