I think about this question all the time. Every single day. What am I capable of? When I’m in the gym, when I’m at my laptop, when I’m writing down ideas. The answer is a lot. We all are. Humans operate far within their comfort zones, all the time. We unconsciously crave comfort. We’re soft. We haven’t needed to push ourselves because,...

Not feeling too fit? If you’re jogging round the park, you’re lapping everyone on the couch. Not found a job? If you’re up early writing applications, you’re lapping everyone on the couch. Making that first sales call? Producing resources from your ideas? Lapping everyone on the couch. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Taking simple a...

A colleague was feeling stressed and decided she would book a seven-day yoga retreat. However, to that point, she’d never taken a single yoga class. Boom and bust thinking is rarely a good idea. In any situation. But when overwhelm takes over it’s easy to think you want the exact opposite of what you have now, and to talk and think in ...

I'm not ashamed to admit I have a folder on my computer called the folder of motivation. It's where I keep screenshots of emails, quotes and concepts that keep me on track when I'm feeling a bit meh (technical term!) There's one I'd like to share with you. I saved it back in 2016 and it's by James Altucher, an entrepreneur, angel inves...

Reading the books you think you should be reading. Watching the shows everyone else does. Attending the meeting but saying nothing. Going for a walk but looking down at your phone. Scrolling social media instead of playing with your kids. Making small talk with friends instead of asking how they are and delving into the answer. Going o...

1. Just because you are good at something doesn’t mean you have to do it. 2. Others will want old versions of you and it’s down to you to say no. 3. Everyone’s favourite radio station is WII FM; what’s in it for me. 4. “It only happens every four years” isn't an automatic reason for you to give away your time. 5. Department stores are ...

An endurance athlete I know has a mantra: Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated. He’s dedicated to training, nutrition, endurance and being better than he was before. He’s dedicated to understanding his body, heart rate, performance and recovery. Some may say obsessed. Some obsessions are undeniably good. An obsessi...

Since the news of my social media agency’s acquisition was made public, and I told you why I made that move, there are two words I keep hearing: What’s next? Everyone I meet or bump into wants to know. I’ve never heard the question more. Even LinkedIn is itching to find out: It’s awesome that so many people are keen to hear what I’m pl...

Once upon a time, if I wanted to win big in a particular profession, I had to wait to be picked. A musician, an author, an illustrator, a photographer, a model. A CEO, an advisor, a presenter or commentator. I would diligently present my work in front of a panel and they would say yes or no. I would create my CV and send it off whilst ...

For every scenario there are three options. The option to accept and let go. The option to make a change. The option to leave. They are the only three. Unhappiness occurs when you choose the wrong option or try to make a combination of options work. Unhappiness occurs when you avoid choosing. Friction builds until the decision is force...

Fear stories are told, often unsolicited, to us by others. You’re having a baby, and someone needs you to hear their childbirth horror story. You’re starting a business, and someone is adamant it will go wrong, as it did for them. You’re looking forward to the theme park and they remind you of that rollercoaster crash. You’re taking on...

1. Life is more peaceful if you are always early instead of always late. 2. Being tired knocks points off your IQ and patience. 3. You should never attribute to malice what is probably stupidity. 4. Jack Grealish is the most fouled footballer because he is one of the most talented. 5. Netflix documentaries are funded by people with a l...

Here are the articles written for Forbes during June: How to develop a world class memory within a year Brilliant business relationships are built on memory. Remembering someone’s name and the name of their spouse or kids. Remembering their interests and preferences; how they take their coffee, how long they have been a customer or wha...

An obsession with the new. The latest, the shiny, the first of its kind. New collections, new issues, breaking news. We are obsessed with the new and it has many implications. Shop displays must update every week to catch our attention, as must website banners. To halt our scroll, social media content has to be fresh. Stock photos lose...

But it’s not impossible. Records are broken every day. Things once considered beyond human capability happen. Someone spots a way forward, they break through, they make it work. Those determined enough can see the possibility. They aren’t deterred by the prospect of impossible. But as soon as you believe it's impossible, you will stop ...

You can wake up in the morning and decide to have a bad day. You can choose to see the bad in whatever comes your way. You can notice the litter, the traffic and the cold. You can find fault in a colleague, friend or partner. You can fly off the handle at any comment and misinterpret any email. If you want to have a bad day, you can ma...

As social creatures, we unconsciously imitate the people around us. Groups of friends start dressing the same. Kids develop the same mannerisms as their parents. Spend ten minutes talking to someone with a strong accent and you’ll pick up a twang. If all your friends are starting YouTube channels, guess what your next move will be. We ...

1. When the weather is grey you must work harder to maintain your brightness. 2. It’s impossible to argue with someone who refuses to bite. 3. Football matches have 22 people on the pitch and 40,000+ people in the stands. The ratio holds for artists and critics. 4. Being normal is not aspirational and should never be put on a pedestal....

If I fancy ordering some soft drinks for the week ahead, I might run a search on Google to find some to buy. What I’m not going to type: sweet-tasting sugar-free brown bubble water What I am going to type: Pepsi Max The best form of SEO is people searching for your name, not being one provider in a sea of many.

Valuing security means you make certain decisions. You might choose to find a job rather than start a business. Buy insurance. Live in a different neighbourhood. Avoid the unknown and stick to what is certain. Take the dead cert rather than risk the gamble. Ironically, what you think is secure rarely is. At any moment, a global pandemi...

For a reason I don't quite know, I kept all the rejection emails I received when applying for jobs and graduate schemes after university. Perhaps my former self knew I would be writing this with a smile one day. Three are included below but there were many more. Supermarkets, banks, the NHS, even KFC. All rejections. Finally, I was acc...

We are social beings, you and me. We evolved to live in groups and create connections with tribe members. Technology advancements since caveman times mean we have myriad ways to connect to others, email being one of them. Our primal brains seek the same connections they always have. Whilst we can rationalise that our overflowing inbox ...

Passing comment or opinion on the actions, appearance or words of another person creates distance. In your mind, it puts you above them. You feel you have a right to be heard. It creates disdain and superiority. On a long enough timeframe, separation leads to loneliness. Loneliness leads to suffering. Sooner or later, someone will need...

In August of 2011 I was twenty-two and fresh out of a graduate scheme, so I decided to start my own social media agency. My business plan was two words: get clients. Over nearly ten years I had a wonderful time building a brand and working with inspiring people, fabulous clients and team members. In March, the agency was acquired by a ...

Life feels like it’s getting back to normal but it might be a trap. 2020 and its forced changes showed us that something was wrong. Very wrong. We had to take five steps back to reassess and reorganise. In doing so, we lost some freedom but we found ourselves. Sure it was tough, but there were countless silver linings for each of us. S...

Here are the articles written for Forbes during May: Seven common errors great leaders don’t make Tiny cracks can undermine the actions of an otherwise brilliant leader. They start small and build, until they take over and it’s too late. Why being a jack of all trades is essential for success "Jack of all trades" has become somewhat of...

You’ll probably never find the time to renovate that room or darn that sock or write that novel. The space to create that masterpiece or pen that musical won’t just fly into your calendar. Time is not found. Time is snatched and stolen. It’s a minute here and there to jot down ideas. It’s that key bit of research whilst on hold or in a...

Going forward with the wrong thing, the suboptimal allocation of your time or attention, costs more than just doing the wrong thing. There’s all the gain of what the right thing would have brought. Now that time is spoken for, now you’re spoken for, the right thing cannot find you. A calendar filled with 7/10s is the cost of the 10s th...

People become what we label them, especially kids. The kid labelled as clumsy will start tripping over more because they take on that trait. In turn, that reinforces the label and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The creative one, the academic one, the nervous one, the loud one. It’s said, it sticks, it becomes who we are; part of o...

During a trip to Honolulu, physicist Richard Feynman spoke with a Buddhist temple’s tour guide, who explained the Buddhist religion for tourists. On each tour, the guide left attendees with a proverb of the Buddhist religion that Feynman never forgot: To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven; the same key opens the gates of...