January 10, 2022
When to celebrate
In 2018 I was in Australia, supporting my friend as she competed in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. One day I watched an England badminton player called Raj Ouseph play a menâs singles match against a Singaporean. The rules of badminton state that you must win by two clear points in a close set. During the match Raj faced four match...
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January 6, 2022
How to set goals and achieve them
Set a goal and write it down. Then stare at it. Imagine yourself achieving it. Imagine what you have written down being your reality. Assess how you feel. If a goal is worthwhile it will fill you with excitement. Youâll feel it in your whole being and youâll be raring to get started. If it fills you with anything less, youâre probably ...
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January 3, 2022
This yearâs mantra
The word mantra has two Sanskrit roots. 'Manas' meaning âmindâ and 'tra' meaning âtoolâ. A mantra is a tool of thought. At the start of each year I choose a mantra. This mantra will sum up the year and underpin what I do. In 2018 it was: If youâre going through hell, keep going. Told to me by a friend, I think this is a Churchill quote...
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December 30, 2021
My top 5 business-changing decisions
1. Finding a millionaire mentor This mentor helped me think bigger and in better ways. He saw things differently. He could differentiate true opportunities from distractions in disguise and I learned so much from every chat. 2. Joining a mastermind group Weekly meetings, with purpose and structure, with four other entrepreneurs traveli...
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December 27, 2021
I might not get this chance again
My favourite athlete is New Zealand rugby player Beauden Barrett. He started playing for the All Blacks in 2012 and has won the World Rugby Player of the Year award twice. When asked about how it feels to be selected for the national team, Beauden said that he never says no to an offer of playing for the All Blacks. He explained that h...
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December 23, 2021
We all want the same things
I have joined a new gym and itâs busy. Full of people. Every machine is taken, thereâs kit everywhere and a queue for the squat rack. The first few visits filled me with dread. Everyone annoyed me. I was frustrated having to wait around for equipment. People took ages doing their sets and they played on their phones for too long in bet...
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December 20, 2021
Make your vocation your vacation
Create a life you donât need to take a holiday from. There are many unhealthy cultures that permeate business advice, but the most widely-accepted is, in my opinion, actually the worst. Grinding and hustling all year except for a handful of âwell-earnedâ breaks, including Christmas, is practised and recommended by entrepreneurs and bus...
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December 16, 2021
Nailing your colours to the mast
Some people support political parties like they support a sports team. Their party can do no wrong. They remain loyal no matter who is in charge or what they say they will do. The devoted supporter is challenged on their beliefs and doesnât want to show weakness, so defends policies they donât quite agree with, to save face. The politi...
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December 13, 2021
"Was I weird enough?"
An incredibly intelligent friend with ADHD and Asperger's told me that he often, after leaving a social event, asks himself: was I too weird? I think he's asking the wrong question. The people that stick in your memory are those who stand out. Of the thousands of Uber journeys I've taken, I remember the drivers with the stories. Of all...
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December 9, 2021
Throwing the kitchen sink at it
One key difference between entrepreneurs that make it and those that donât is focus. Putting all of their energy in as few directions as possible (ideally one) in order to go further. Switching between projects doesnât just cost your own brainspace. It costs your brainspace in other peopleâs heads. They donât know how to help you. They...
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December 6, 2021
Changing your mind
When politicians change their mind itâs seen as negative. Inconsistent. A U-turn. They are expected to stick to their convictions so they donât look like they made an initial misjudgement. Even for the rest of us, thereâs a stigma. We are reminded we used to want to live in Spain, we never wanted a dog, we wanted to study law at univer...
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December 2, 2021
The mushroom effect
The mushroom effect is where, in the absence of big problems, small problems appear bigger. Itâs molehills dressed as mountains. Itâs the phenomena of needing something to worry about and inventing issues. Perhaps our minds feel uneasy without fear. Weâre so used to low level anxiety that when itâs missing we believe itâs cause for con...
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November 30, 2021
How do you want to feel today? [New book]
In the depths of the UK's first lockdown and with the uncertainty of business, life and travel, I wanted to create some certainty. After reading about the concept of a premeditation strategy (where you choose, in advance, what you will make happen) I loved the idea of being able to decide what type of day I could have. This book is an ...
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November 29, 2021
Staying stocked
Athletes cannot train or compete well on empty stores. They need to be well-rested, fed and hydrated. They need to know the technique and the rules and have developed the muscle mass or endurance. Entrepreneurs cannot lead well on empty stores. They need strong intuition, experience, and examples ready to draw on to choose the way forw...
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November 25, 2021
Ten things I know for sure (this week)
1. Early nights are the new luxury. 2. Once defined, your dream life is halfway there. 3. People who follow up get further than those who donât. 4. Whatever triggers you requires further exploration. 5. Change your trajectory by changing your geography. 6. What we hold onto might be what holds us back. 7. Every part of your life is a c...
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November 22, 2021
Intentional energy
Our brains make up just 2% of our mass but they use 25% of our energy. Brainpower is expensive. Whatever we do and think about is taking energy away from somewhere else. Where are you expending brainpower on topics that just arenât worth it? Here are twelve true wastes of energy that many of us fall into without realising. 1. Commentin...
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November 18, 2021
About frugality
Frugal means simple and plain and costing little, or economical regarding money or food. The word frugal conjures up images of scrimping and saving and living a meagre existence. Being tight and ungenerous and counting every penny. One way to be frugal is to check the price of everything. Search around for a better deal. Go without som...
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November 15, 2021
Being liked or being exceptional
The best leader I worked with had high standards of herself. She knew what was exceptional and what wouldnât do. She questioned her methods. She asked for feedback. She was open to learning and she saw the detail others overlooked. She had high standards of others, too. When she led someone with similar high standards, the relationship...
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November 11, 2021
Buying time
Paying for a problem to be solved is not everyoneâs first thought when faced with a challenge. Spending our own time to address an issue tends to be the default. Gallantly, we want to fix our own cars. Darn our own socks. To heroically put up our own shelves and plan our own holidays. We want to type up our own notes and spend our week...
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November 8, 2021
Can or must?
At any given time, you can do a lot of things. You can raid the fridge, you can watch YouTube, you can check your phone. You can call a friend, dance naked, check the score or make a purchase online. But thereâs a huge difference between can and must. There are powers bigger than you working to turn a can into a must and control your d...
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November 4, 2021
Loving what you do, thought experiments, maximising your potential
Here are some of the articles written for Forbes during the past few months: The 5 everyday influences costing your potential Every day, these five influences keep you toeing the line and playing small. Subtract those elements of your life that donât need to be there. The ones that are silently stealing your potential while you remain ...
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November 1, 2021
How far for the perfect shot?
During a day trip around Maui, Hawaii, the tour guide drew our attention to tourist mishaps on the island. On the road to Hana, on the easternmost point of Maui, the cliffs were steep and the waterfalls were high. Many of the edges had been cordoned off, but those in search of the perfect travel photo had jumped barriers and bored hole...
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October 28, 2021
Testing ground
I once attended a lecture by a university professor who joked that he saw the world of business as a petri dish. As entrepreneurs in the audience, were his material. Everything contained within the petri dish was there for analysis, monitoring and experimenting. He would make observations and draw conclusions. Whilst the light-hearted ...
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October 25, 2021
What do you work for?
For much of his career my dad sold cars or developed teams of people who sold cars. Often a customer would base their decisions on model, trim or extras on the price. When a decision came down to price alone, my dad asked the question, âWhat do you work for?â Primarily, the question represents a sales tactic. It helped the customer fee...
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October 21, 2021
Reality distortion field
Bud Tribble, longstanding colleague of Steve Jobs, created a concept to describe a phenomenon that happened when you were in Jobsâ vicinity. The reality distortion field. Back in 1981, the vision held by Jobs for the Macintosh project was so strong, so exceptional, so compelling, it had a magically persuasive effect on the developers a...
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October 18, 2021
Default mode network
Have you ever had someone ask a question that you know you know the answer to, but you canât quite find it? The answer feels like itâs on the tip of your tongue. You know itâs in your head somewhere, but it wonât reveal itself. Itâs super frustrating. You rack your brains trying to muster up the word. Later on, in the middle of the nig...
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October 14, 2021
In the arena
On April 23, 1910, Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech upon leaving his presidential office. Known as the man in the arena address, it differentiated between the man who, in the arena, strives valiantly, errs, spends himself and triumphs, and the critic or onlooker. This man, said Roosevelt, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatl...
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October 11, 2021
Ten questions for you this week
1. What does your perfect day look like? 2. What do you do that you donât want to? 3. What really matters? 4. What will you regret not doing? 5. Looking back in one yearâs time, what will have made the year great? 6. What are you uniquely placed to do? 7. In which areas are you failing to demand the best for yourself? 8. Whose approval...
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October 7, 2021
Imposter syndrome
Imposter syndrome means believing you are not as competent as others perceive you to be, specifically around intelligence and achievement. When others think you are awesome and you arenât sure you agree, it signals low self-esteem and a feeling of hollow success. Andy Warhol once said, âSometimes people let the same problem make them m...
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October 4, 2021
Instagram rules⊠or does it?
In December 2020 my book, Instagram Rules, was published with White Lion Publishing, an imprint of Quarto. The book contains 125 bite-sized tips on how brands, businesses and individuals can harness Instagram for commercial and professional gain. Having seen, and helped, Instagram completely transform brands, writing this book was a lo...
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