Let me live, love, and say it well
in good sentences
SYLVIA PLATH.
Win with Woop!
All of us struggle to achieve our goals. We take them out, dream them a little, and pack them away again until ….one day. How many times have you thought “one day I’ll study/get a better job/lose weight/exercize /take a holiday/travel? One way to move that “one day”...
Eight blue and white shirts
Former US President Barack Obama delivered the 2018 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in July. It was a very special occasion as it was the centenary of Mandela's birth. It was a great speech, but the words that really resonated with me were: “It is too much. All of us...
What should our children be learning?
Every Thursday morning I coach English to struggling learners at a local primary school. As I walk to my room, I hear the pupils in their classrooms, chanting their timetables- 3 x 4 is 12, 4 x 4 is 16, 4 x 5 is 20. Part of me rejoices that nothing has changed since I...
Rooting out our own racism.
I doubt that any white person brought up in South Africa can be free of racism; our history dictates that. However, I want to believe that every thinking South African rejects the type of explicit and overt racism that has been in the news and social media these past...
Bad Apples
Yesterday I was checking out at the specialist fruit and veg market when the cashier rang up the apples incorrectly. “No”, I said, “those aren’t Golden Delicious they are Cripps Pink.” (I once worked in the apple business so I am a bit of a fanatic about teaching folk...
A 5-step strategy to deal with negative emotions.
I have only been up for two hours. I woke up and within minutes I was feeling grumpy because during the night the dog had deposited a big nasty one on the floor, then I felt guilty because I didn’t go to gym, then I felt frustrated because there was no coffee in the...
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Imagine if it wasn’t the alarm going off that got you out of bed every morning. What If you woke up and leapt out of bed because your life was full of purpose and joy? The Japanese have a word for that - Ikigai. It is a concept that is about finding your reason...
Do you know how to listen?
My 6 year grandson was tugging at his dad’s sleeve “Daddy”, Daddy, Daddy” and Daddy was paying no attention as he scrolled through his messages. Finally a frustrated “Daddy, just because I am little…
Keep calm and carry on? You’re joking!
The children are in meltdown. James has spilt his supper on the carpet and the dog is eating it. Mandy is pulling Thandi’s hair because Thandi has taken her troll doll. It is way past their bedtime…
Bring out the bear in your team
My first management lesson was given to me by my son’s nursery school teacher. He was a hyperactive child & struggled to concentrate, but always tried his very best. When it was time for the annual school concert, it became clear that he …