Personal transformation isn’t a one-time event – it’s a process.
Sometimes it’s an immensely challenging process at that.
Keep going.
It will be worth it in the end.
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I recently heard from a credible source that the average podcast only lasts seven episodes.
The Real Clear Values podcast is already past the seven episode mark with several more in the pipeline featuring some genuinely world class guests.
The podcast is a conversation about values: what we want, why we want it and how we go about getting it.
Join me for what promises to be a great ride.
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Just two days ago, I had an eye-opening conversation with Ronald Beiner, Political Scientist at Toronto University, for the Real Clear Values podcast.
Beiner’s work on the return of the far-right is a stark reminder that we simply cannot take the freedoms that we enjoy for granted.
Tackling racism and extremist ideologies isn’t just a matter of education; it’s a matter of values.
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Two 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.
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This Father’s Day I’m more than 300 miles away from my dad.
The distance gave me an added sense of responsibility to write something meaningful in his card.
I’m glad that I took the relatively small amount of time to do so.
It made me appreciate the role that my dad played, through how he lives his life, in teaching me the principle of stewardship.
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It was undoubtedly one of the most pivotal evenings of my life.
The evening after feeling the full brunt of my realisation that I was living a nihilistic life will be etched into my memory forever.
Whilst the darkness that I’d been living with reached its nadir on the Saturday, Sunday was a day of unparalleled and near instantaneous redemption.
This is the part of my transformation story that I didn’t mention in my TEDx Talk.
And it’s vital.
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How do you reconnect spiritually in a materialistic world full of distractions, temptations and challenges?
This was the challenge that I faced as I made the transition from missionary to university student.
Reflecting on my values journey has been a rewarding part of creating the Real Clear Values podcast.
It’s reminded me just how difficult it can be to live in harmony with values that support continuous spiritual connection.
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If you were to tell a story about your values, how would it go?
When I decided to launch the Real Clear Values podcast on the good, the bad and the ugly of human values, I decided that it should start with the story (or stories) of my own values.
I’ve just finished the first tranche of those stories from my time as a missionary in Madagascar.
Reflecting on what was learned from that experience has been enjoyable and valuable for me, but, more importantly, I hope that it will be valuable for others.
There’s plenty more to come, not least interviews with some exceptional guests.
And you’re welcome to join the journey.
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Nell Minow has been described in the Financial Times as “doyenne of the US corporate governance movement”.
BusinessWeek has called her the "the queen of good corporate governance".
She co-authored the book Power and Accountability with Robert Monks, which was hailed as essential reading for anyone interested in corporate governance by legendary management thinker Peter Drucker.
And this week it was my honour and privilege to interview her on the Real Clear Values podcast.
Nell’s generosity, passion and insight in coming on the show make for a value-packed podcast episode on the ins and outs of corporate governance.
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When 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.
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Nobody 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.
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The 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?
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Perhaps 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.
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I’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.
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How 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.
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This 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.
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As I think back to my 21 year-old self, newly returned from missionary life in Madagascar, I have compassion.
My falling into the hedonism trap (and its ensuing nihilism) was inevitable in the environment and context that I was in.
A reckoning had to be had at some point – I had to make some big decisions.
Since escaping the hedonism trap, I’ve created a mentoring program to empower others to create lives of purpose, meaning and fulfilment for their own version of sustainable success.
The abyss of purposelessness is deep, though it can be escaped.
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What is a reliable way through which you can discover your path and purpose in life?
For me, one thing stands out above many others: keeping a meaningful personal record.
Not only does this enable you to ‘join the dots’ over time, it also enables you to see and recognise the breadcrumbs along the path ahead of you.
A meaningful personal record can become esteemed as personal scripture, enabling the individual to connect with the inner self and the divine.
In this piece, I outline the value of keeping a personal record in living a life of purpose and how to do so in a meaningful way.
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Suffering, to a greater or lesser extent, is an inherent part of life.
Sometimes it may seem cruel and intolerable.
But it needn’t be for nothing.
Suffering can be a powerful catalyst for personal transformation, giving us unparalleled learning experiences.
With faith, it may even come to represent a call to our path and higher purpose.
If you are suffering now, know that your darkest dawns can yet become your brightest days.
Don’t despair.
And never give up.
Keep hope, have faith and go well.
Onwards.
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A week ago on Sunday I was asked to give a talk at the LDS ward that I attend. The following morning, I spontaneously awoke an hour earlier than usual and had several scriptural references and themes brought to mind. It was as though the talk was being given to me sequentially, line-by-line. I got up and wrote it all down on a piece of paper.
This blog includes a recording of that talk.
The core message is simple: We are all sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father who has unique work for each of us to do.
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