“The best way to predict the future is to design it”
– Buckmister Fuller

This time last week I was in the middle of hosting annual retreat for leaders, which was all the more special because of the prolonged delay with the pandemic.

23 unsuspecting victims, I mean clients…,joined me for 3 days in the beautiful village of Carlingford. We hiked, talked, reflected, laughed, listened and learned.

While there is a structure to this retreat I’ve found that there is always an emergent property to the event – themes or ideas will emerge in the moment as the group deepens it’s connection. One of the recurring themes this year was around ‘including yourself in your success’ more.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb

“I’m too far down the road to change now. It’s just the way I am”
So said the smart, ambitious leader to me.
They were referring to why they thought it was impossible for them to change some of their behaviour and habits – especially mental ones.
On one level, at least they were honest in saying what they were thinking.

“The last mile is never crowded and that’s the way it does feel sometimes.

The difference is to be able to hold on in there, to keep it going.”

– Kellie Harrington

Over the weekend, the Olympics came to a close but not before a certain Dubliner, Kellie Harrington won a gold medal in the lightweight division of women’s boxing.

Kellie has worked tirelessly for years, with the singular ambition of getting to the top of her sport – and with scant resources when compared with many of the other athletes at the games.

Indeed I must admit to being turned off some of the better known international athletes when their reactions to not winning gold indicated a sense of entitlement and poor sportsmanship.

Over the last 2 weeks a few people who read this weekly post told me they hadn’t realised I have a podcast.

So this note is to let you know I have one… :)…. plus to give you a challenge.

It started as an experiment in February this year and has evolved into a weekly podcast that ranges in time from 8-15 minutes usually. (Details and link to the podcast are below)

So far it’s been an enjoyable learning curve and I really like the format.

The quote above is one I think is important as you get older. The greatest workshop of all is your life. Experimentation is key to ensuring vitality and aliveness, yet it’s so easy to fall into a non-experimentation way of living.

It crossed my mind recently that jobs lost seem to always get more airPlay than jobs created. So out of curiosity I did a scan to see what jobs were created in Ireland in May. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far: Merit medical. Galway. 200 jobs. Copper fasten technologies 37 jobs software SAP-…

“mindset” {noun} a set of beliefs or a way of thinking that determines ones behaviour, outlook and mental attitude. Over the past month I’ve spoken at three different events on How To Use Your Mind For Better Results in business and sport.  One was for business people and 2 were for golfers.  It’s amazing how…

Why? That is probably the first question that Gary Speed’s family and friends will be asking as they digest the terrible news of his loss.  And the sad thing is that they may well never know the answer. On the face of it he had a life others dreamed of.  A distinguished career as a…

Here’s your shot of weekly inspiration: “It is an immutable law in business that words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises  but only performance is reality.”   – Harold S. Geneen  (American Businessman, he was CEO of ITT (International Telephone and Telegraph) (1959-77) Maybe we should all get this quote enlarged and put…

Here’s your shot of weekly inspiration: “I find it kind of weird now to look down a crowded street and realize that half the people aren’t really there” – Dr.  Daniel Gilbert Those of you who know me the longest will know that one of my favourite interests is genuine concentration, or lack of it…

I guess it’s not every day you see a subject line like that in your e-mail Inbox… Before we get onto that here’s your shot of inspiration this week: “The harder I work the luckier I get”. – Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn was a very successful American film producer and founder of several movie studios. …