Life's What You Make It

"Life is like a game of snakes and ladders. There are going to be good times and bad times, but you have to keep throwing the dice to stay in the game."

That's what you get to hear when you're sitting in a coffee shop, reading the paper and earwigging the table next to you. Well, at least that's what happened to me the other day. Two people chewing the fat about life, love and soap operas. And it seemed quite apt for me to hear it as well.

Things have taken a bit of a turn in recent months. I recently left my job, broadly by "mutual agreement", and I'm taking some time out to find some new direction and get some head space.

I've been thinking about it for some time and I provisioned accordingly for time away from the workforce. Still, it is pretty scary. I know there will be ups and downs along the way, but hopefully at the end of this crazy journey I'll be able to say "at least I tried", regardless of the outcome.

So I'm just going to have to keep throwing the dice and live the life I'm destined to live. That's the plan anyway. And at least I get to spend time in a few more coffee shops in coming months as well...

Wishing On A Star

“It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are still alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger for them.” 

- George Eliot

We Don't Need Another Hero

So often we look for inspiration from those that have done amazing things, yet your only connection with them is through the TV or the words written in some glossy magazine. We could be talking about Oprah, Mariah, Madonna - any number of individuals you'll never actually get to meet.

And looking outside for guidance is only right as we all have limitations and many of these exceptional individuals have achieved all sorts of crazy things from the hardest of upbringings. But at the same time, let's not get sucked into the cult of celebrity. These people are as human as the rest of us and, let's face it, a fair few Lance Armstrong posters have been thrown into the bin in recent months.

So rather than idolising complete strangers and placing them on pedestals, sometimes it's worth looking a bit closer to home. I'm inspired by my older sister's thirst for learning and goal of continually stretching herself academically; my younger sister's focus, drive and continued commitment to her calling in lay preaching and writing; my nephew's commitment from a young age to be his own boss, developing enterprises and passive income initiatives. I could go on. These are everyday folk that we can all readily relate to - and, in my case, actually be related to - and that can only be a good thing.

Back To Life

Blog, dear blog, it's been a while. The trouble with having grand designs but very little discipline is that the grand designs tend to gather dust rather easily. To put it another way, I haven't quite found or, in fact, made time for this blog. Hopefully I'll be able to turn that around in 2013.

But one thing that I have found enjoyable of late has been to look back at previous blog entries from a year or two ago. Ok, it's not Shakespeare and I can't imagine future generations poring over the nuances in the writings, but I'm kind of proud and sometimes inspired by the stuff I've written. That's all I ever really wanted in the first place anyway.

E=MC²

I failed an exam yesterday. I haven't got the results yet, mind you, but it's not one of those false modesty things. "Oh, I'm sure you'll do fine - you're quite bright." No, I pretty much failed.

But I'm actually quite fine with it. Very fine with it, in fact. Like every Tom, Dick and Harry I've had a penchant for wanting to run away from failure. Don't take risks - that way you can't fail. Don't commit - that way you can't fail. Don't follow a path - that way you can't fail. Well, this time I did risk, commit and follow a path - and I failed. And you know what? It feels fine.

We all know the platitudes about failure is an opportunity in disguise, how all the great inventors of our time had failures before that breakthrough success, if at first you don't succeed....etc. Well, in the real world it's not always that easy to accept so truism. We've fed our ego with some much garbage, it's no wonder we can't always accept when something doesn't work out.

But for the first time in a long time I'm comfortable with the idea of being willing to "make more mistakes". I know that it will toughen me up a bit and actually give me a bit more focus for next time. For once I'm able to leave the ego at the door and be honest with myself. Cool.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Question: Mr Tyson, can you rank top 3 heavy weight boxer of all time please?

Answer: Ali is undisputed number 1 of all time.

Question: Who is number 2 and 3?

Answer: After number 1, rest just don't matter! 

We Are The Champions

Well, where shall I start?

It's been a summer of absolute triumph for my first love, sport. In fact, in this case I'm really talking about British sport. It's been amazing. The London Olympics and Paralympics were simply epic. Residing outside of the UK these days, I was  determined to be part of the story. So flew back for a week of the Olympics and couldn't help but be inspired by the occasion. Men and women, as ordinary as the rest of us, doing extraordinary things. Who knows what the legacy will be for future generations. For me, it's made a mark now.

I know that I won't ever compete at the highest level of sporting endeavour but the discipline, focus and passion that these great people showed was simply amazingly powerful and inspirational. I felt as proud as I've ever been to be born in this royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle. Team GB set a wonderful example. And Andy Murray's victory in the US Open was the icing on the cake for a Great British Summer.

I don't tend to talk about this kind of thing in what still is a warm and fuzzy-thinking kind of blog. But I realise now that a sense of belonging and this appreciation of effort and achievement, sporting in this case, are really part of what I connect with deep down. I don't need to over-analyse, over-think or over-engineer my world.  Sometimes it's the simple things in life that count.

Gold

A long time ago and far, far away I wanted to be an athlete. An Olympic one at that. It was my first ambition in life. Was it ever likely? Well, at the age of 6 years old I most certainly thought it was. Back then you could dream big because you were allowed to and, more importantly, you allowed yourself to. All things were possible. Unfortunately, circumstances and life in general made sure it was never a realistic proposition. I guess I was never going to be fast enough, able to go high enough, or be strong enough - that's how I figured it as the years wore on. But such piddling details have never detracted from my eternal love of the greatest show on earth, the Olympic Games. And this time around it’s only right for me to return to London, the town of my birth, to celebrate its moment in the sun. So I’m jumping on a plane this week to soak up the atmosphere. I can’t wait.

Keeping with the Olympics vibe, my friends at Inner Space released a charming 'Thought of The Day' the other day:

Life is a sport. Are you a spectator, a coach or a player? The spectator sits outside the game, airs opinions and cheers the game with enthusiasm and passion. The coach is also outside the game, but has a significant role in empowering and supporting the player. The player is in the game, focused on the now, focused on the results and on improving their game. Take part in the game and know when to be a spectator, a coach or a player.