ESSAYS

Risking It All.

Risking It All.

Why is it sometimes hard to write? Because the risk is so great that it won’t be any good. That it will be too honest, too vulnerable. That people won’t engage or respond or understand me. So the questions run through my mind and my desire to avoid risk stops me in my tracks.

Dealing in Hope. (Leadership #9)

Dealing in Hope. (Leadership #9)

Optimism can be ebbed away. But hope is shared, communal and demands participation in the process. Those who would have hope step into the storm and look to navigate through it.

This Is Not Enough.

This Is Not Enough.

The truth is, I do want more. I want to make a difference. Maybe it’s because I want to have children of my own to invest in and it could be that’s selfish. But I also want to make a difference to the world at large. I don’t want or need fame, but I crave influence – to enable change for the many. I’m ambitious enough to believe I could do it. In fact, in my deepest secret self, I believe I’m meant to, somehow, be part of something bigger and more significant than my life alone.

The Science Of Instinct.

The Science Of Instinct.

The trouble with Instinct is that it’s a science masquerading as a mystery. A rarely visible one. It’s mapping the details of what you see and hear at a million miles an hour, against everything you know and what people are telling you. It’s making connections, tangible and intangible.

Why You Should Consider Selling Out.

Why You Should Consider Selling Out.

I was talking with a recent design graduate the other day. They were talking about how they were never going to ‘sell out’ by working for a big corporate agency. Their philosophy was pretty simple – as far as they were concerned, working for a big agency would mean...

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LEADERSHIP

Why Men And Women Must Be Friends.

Why Men And Women Must Be Friends.

Our sex-addled brains that need this truism more than anything else – that friendship between men and women, friendship itself is possibly the most vital human interaction in society today. There may come a time, though hard to imagine, when my body is too old and stiff for sex or I have simply lost the desire for it. I will be lonely then, as I am lonely now. It is my friend who quells my loneliness.

How To Have An Imperfect, Less Stressful Christmas.

How To Have An Imperfect, Less Stressful Christmas.

Christmas’ dirty secret is that there’s no such thing as a universally perfect Christmas. In fact, we rarely talk about the anger, tension, stress and emotional turmoil that so many go through in trying to meet a perfect myth. So, it’s December 28th. You have 360 days, give or take, to work on new strategies for a less angry, sad, lonely, bitter, stressful Christmas next year.

The Importance of Being Second.

The Importance of Being Second.

In a world driven by being the best, it takes a hell of a lot of resilience to be second. To be second best, but not give up. To be second in command, advising on big decisions but not aim for the top rung. To be the backing vocalist, never sing the lead and still...

The Most Unreasonable Thing.

The Most Unreasonable Thing.

If you are a Christian, particularly if you are a leader in a Christian community – I challenge you to do more than simply express your sympathy and shame in a Facebook post or a tweet. Engage your people in the conversation about restoring grace and humanity to those whose spirituality has been somehow overshadowed by their sexuality.

Risking It All.

Risking It All.

Why is it sometimes hard to write? Because the risk is so great that it won’t be any good. That it will be too honest, too vulnerable. That people won’t engage or respond or understand me. So the questions run through my mind and my desire to avoid risk stops me in my tracks.

Coming Out Spiritual.

Coming Out Spiritual.

My challenge, is to be honest about how little I like to publicly own my faith, despite the enormous amount of time I spend with people who don’t have connection with traditional Churches or spiritual contexts. In the darkest of nights, I’ve questioned whether in fact, I am a fraud.