I was about to clear my whiteboard, but felt prompted to share something on it that has been invaluable to me in not only surviving but thriving in challenging times: three mantras.
These mantras (or phrases) have been invaluable in grounding me and setting my course right each and every morning.
They serve as valuable reminders.
Please share this with someone who may need them.
Read MoreIt’s the wrong time of year to be talking about graduations isn’t it?
But following what feels like graduations for two of my clients in consecutive weeks, it’s certainly got me thinking about what it means to graduate and level up…
If you want to level up well before the next graduation season then get in touch to see how 3 Stewardships mentoring might work for you.
Read MoreIt’s exciting to think about doing the work that you were put on this earth to do.
Most people can get a buzz off that.
But it’s less exciting to actually do that work in the midst of challenges and trials when you have every good reason to stop, or at least take a break.
I’m glad I carried on in spite of some disruptive challenges that I faced early this summer.
Read MoreBehind many people’s preoccupation with excessive effort and relentless achievement lies a belief that their self-worth is dependent on such – they’re only as good as their last numbers.
And the more stuff they accumulate, whether trophies or toys, the higher their inherent worth (or so the thinking goes).
They’ve believed one of the most powerful lies of western materialism, damaging themselves, their relationships and, ironically, limiting their medium to long-term contributions in the process.
Sustainable success requires sufficiency, not excess.
As Lao Tzu put it, “He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.”
Read MoreThe market’s just tanked and your beloved start-up is a casualty.
You’re sat in the home office of a potential investor debriefing on the experience and its unfortunate ending.
What do you want him to say to you?
“Here’s a job!”
“Here’s some money to start again!”
The man I was speaking with said something more powerful than either of those things.
Read MoreTwo experiences at the end of this week reminded me of the value of regularly visiting sacred spaces in a noisy world.
Sacred spaces don’t only enable us to get results in a spiritual context, but in all aspects of life.
What’s more is that we don’t have to rely on our proximity to abbeys, cathedrals or other places of worship to visit sacred spaces; we can create our own.
If you take the time to do so earnestly, and visit often, then you may find a much needed oasis.
Read MoreWhen I was three years old, I was lured into a dangerous situation by a neighbour.
It was my mum’s uncompromising care that saved me from that situation.
And it was her uncompromising care that ensured that I wouldn’t be caught off guard malign influences as I grew older.
Nothing exemplifies Stewardship like a mother’s love for her child.
Stewardship of this magnitude is essential in a world full of distractions, temptations and challenges.
Read MoreNobody Needs Judgment. But Everybody Needs Clarity.
This is especially true in a world full of distractions, temptations and challenges.
We need clarity on what we’re choosing to reject if we’re to make a meaningful decision about what to espouse.
These choices have a significant impact on our outcomes.
My purpose isn’t to judge, just to clarify.
Read MoreThe temptation of gratuitous sex is ubiquitous, especially in a world of online apps and sites.
Whether or not we succumb to that temptation is highly consequential, however; not only for ourselves but also for others (perhaps more than we might think).
Whilst the desire for sex can be powerful, it does not inherently enslave us or take away our choice.
Ultimately, the choice is simple: Stewardship or Anti-Stewardship?
Read MorePerhaps the most unpleasant passage I’ve read in a novel is found in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.
It encapsulates the Anti-Stewardship mindset, which is characterised by selfishness and instant gratification, and is a saboteur of success at every level.
The world is groaning under the weight of the Anti-Stewardship mindset.
Read MoreI’ve long had the inclination to create a podcast on values, a key area of focus within my mentoring practice.
Now, it’s finally happening.
Stand by for Real Clear Values with Tom English.
Read MoreHow can Britain help its former prime ministers to stay out of trouble?
An odd question, perhaps, but one that was recently answered by The Economist newspaper in view of David Cameron’s involvement with now collapsed Greensill Capital.
According to The Economist, the answer is for the state to give former prime ministers a purpose and a pension when they leave office.
But can’t those who have been trusted to govern the country be trusted to govern their own lives after office?
I have another idea.
Read MoreThis time last year, I distinctly remember taking a long hard look at my sales strategy spreadsheet wondering who would buy in the midst of such disruption and uncertainty.
Now I’m reflecting on a year in which I exceeded my sales target by, perhaps, a record margin.
That is no accident.
If this reads like a sales brag in any way then I haven’t been clear enough.
My intention is to communicate a principle, stewardship, that is central to sustainable success.
I call it a key that will never rust.
And it applies to any job role and any industry.
Stewardship really is for sustainable success.
Read MoreWhat feels worse than knowing you’re on the wrong path, selling yourself short, heading in the wrong direction and that you’ve got no one to blame but yourself?
Thankfully, repentance empowers transformation.
Far from requiring a person to wallow in shame and remorse, repentance encourages people to use those negative feelings to good effect as powerful stimuli for meaningful and lasting change.
Repentance is a habit that empowers me to live in a state of continuous transformation.
Through it, I am able to learn more, do more and be more, reaching new heights along the way.
It’s a truly incredible principle – a key that will never rust.
Read MoreIn Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche railed against Judeo-Christian morality.
He advocated for a shattering of ‘the old law-tables’.
But Nietzsche’s call to arms was in vain – principles cannot be destroyed.
And principles should not be confused with values.
How, though, in a noisy, chaotic and contentious world can we determine which principles we should live by?
Read More“Love is the antithesis of hedonism; love means putting the needs of others before personal desires and pleasure. In practice, it means serving others to meet their needs. Love is a verb, a doing word.”
– Tom English, Escaping the Hedonism Trap, TEDxMCPHS 2020
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