Since I hit 50 earlier this year I've definitely had deeper, existential thoughts more often. Questioning and reaffirming to myself the career path that I'm on. Wondering about the message I carry to my clients. Considering how mine and my wife's lives are changing as our children grow and become less dependent on us. You … Continue reading On loss and thinking about the future
Author: Richard
Hi, I’m Richard and I’m a regular, middle-aged guy who thinks a lot.
I believe that, regardless of how we currently see ourselves, each of us has something amazing we can contribute to the world. That we each have a unique purpose for which we were made, and I’m on my own journey to find out what that means for me.
This blog is a place to share those experiences and hopefully to encourage great people like you as well. I write about self-improvement, the search for purpose, life, faith, all sorts really.
As far as we know (and without wishing to start a religious debate) we only get one go on this ride a few times around the sun.
So as the poet Mary Oliver very wisely asked:
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?"
The seaside
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by; And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking, And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn … Continue reading The seaside
Let’s end “hustle culture”
Some years ago, I used to be that guy. The one who was in the gym, on the rowing machine by 6am on a weekday (and with the social media pictures to prove it.) Workout, shower, change, and on the train to the office by 07:30. Just like all of those online influencers, I was … Continue reading Let’s end “hustle culture”
The lonely path
For many years I dreamed of working for myself. To find my own clients, set my own agenda and tread my own path. Like a Ronin, the masterless samurai in feudal Japan, I wanted to serve no one particular master. Instead I had a vision of using my skills to help many people and, once … Continue reading The lonely path
One of the greatest leaders of our time?
When you think of a truly great leader, who springs to mind? Winston Churchill? Mahatma Gandhi? Martin Luther King? All great candidates for sure, but I have another that I’m willing to bet you’ve never thought about. Andrew John Ridgeley. Allow me to explain. Back in the 1970s Georgios Panayiotou (known to his friends as … Continue reading One of the greatest leaders of our time?
Let’s fix what’s actually broken
There’s a lot in the news at the moment about the UK Government trying to get more people back into work who are off with long term mental health problems. On the face of it, that seems like a good thing. Unfortunately though, I fear that what will actually happen is that people suffering from … Continue reading Let’s fix what’s actually broken
Why aren’t more people doing this?
I had a great day this week working with a group of clients at which I introduced some radically different ways of thinking about organisational structure and culture. They were based around a philosophy that I’ve seen implemented over the last few years and which genuinely create a newer, fresher and more effective kind of … Continue reading Why aren’t more people doing this?
My big problem with using AI content
You’d have to have been living under a rock for the last year or more not to have heard of ChatGPT. But for those unfamiliar with this phenomenon, it's a Large Language Model (LLM) AI tool developed by Open AI and now backed by Microsoft. It’s a very, very clever tool. Type in a few … Continue reading My big problem with using AI content
What’s a hedgehog got to do with anything?
K.I.S.S. Not the Prince song, the acronym - Keep It Simple, Stupid. It’s blunt advice, but also very valuable. In many areas of life, the simple strategy is often the best one. In his landmark book Good to Great, Jim Collins and his team came across this same thing in all of the successful companies … Continue reading What’s a hedgehog got to do with anything?
What if?
"What if...?" is a question of possibilities. Future states which have not yet come to pass. But it's a question that cuts two ways which, depend on your predominant outlook in life. It's sometimes a question of risk and worry: "What if you lose your job?" "What if I get ill?" "What if the car … Continue reading What if?
That Richard Bloke 