So, there I was on that Tuesday morning at 07:30am. And there it was when I opened my email, the message that stopped me in my tracks and hit me like a freight train…

Or whatever #StayAtHome day it is now…

I happily admit that I am writing this with just as much tongue in cheek as serious tone, but I cannot ignore what I’ve been noticing in the last week; both within myself and with those four delightful beings I’m sharing my quarantine-castle with. 

I’m travelling back home with my family, after celebrating Christmas with loved ones, for a few days in England. As we speed along the highway, I notice how nearly all of the trees by the side of the road have long lost all of their leaves.

Before you start reading this blog, call to mind a situation that is challenging you at the moment. Something that life has thrown at you, that you don’t necessarily like, but that you are still having to deal with.

How to engage and work with any problem or challenge to unlock its potential 

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change" ~ Max Planck

Every morning early, I sit in meditation for at least 20 minutes. Most days, it's twice as long. And now and again, it's only 10. It's a part of my morning routine, as unmissable as my first cappuccino. And it sets me up for the day.

May be this sounds like a contradiction but... the first step in any personal change and growth, is to accept yourself the way you are. To appreciate what it is that you don't like; those aspects of yourself and your behaviour that you would really like to change. 

Meditating is as normal for me as making a cup of tea or checking my mail at the start of each day...

Meditation de-stresses me, focuses me, increases my clarity, creativity and ability to see new possibilities. It enables me to live and work in my role as a leadership & executive coach more effectively, efficiently and happily. And of course it's benefit in most, if not all, of these areas has been scientifically proven.