“Hands up who in this room is a wounded learner? And now hands up which of you are products of amateur parenting?” In a room of some 100 people from all over the world, across all ages and occupations, in February 2006 it would seem that nearly all of us could identify with one or both of these statements. The questions were asked by Ian McDermott, founder of International Teaching Seminars, and teacher of Neuro Linguistic Programming, as an opening line for the first day of the NLP Practitioner Certification Programme. Ian explained that NLP was like a ”how to” to stop blaming the parents and teachers for our current state. These words echoed the sentiment of JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, as she delivered a commencement address at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association in June 2008. In her address, The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination, in which she highlighted her journey to success, she said: “There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.” This phrase took me to my [...]

Today we celebrated my friend’s 40th at what we dubbed The Temple of Veuve high above the Austrian town of Lech. Her Dream was to be up in the mountains skiing for this big celebration, and after a few false starts, her dream came true. None of us, however, could have foreseen the discovery of The Temple of Veuve, an ice bar serving Veuve Clicquot at the top of the snow capped mountain. It was certainly more glamorous and apt than the cake and hot chocolate originally on the cards.  As I bathed in the alpine rays I found my self lost in thought about the history of Veuve Clicquot. Veuve, which means widow in French, happens to be one of the only champagne houses whose success today is down to a woman: François Clicquot’s wife Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin who took over the house after his death in 1805. Sat on eye catching orange bean bags sipping pink champagne under a bright orange sun having finished Der Weiße Ring—and in my case my first red run of the trip—can only be described as a little slice of heaven. To my friend, it was the perfect way to celebrate [...]

Until today, I had always thought Groundhog Day was just a karmic comedy film from the early 1990s that takes places in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. I was talking to my Chicago-based colleague about our industry heading towards yet another Groundhog Day moment, when she asked if I knew that Groundhog Day is a real event taking place in the US today.  According to American folklore, if it is cloudy when the groundhog, also known as a marmot, emerges from its burrow on 2 February then winter weather will end. If, however, the sun is shining and the groundhog sees its shadow, the story goes that the animal scoots back into its burrow and winter will continue for another six weeks. The premise of the film, actually filmed in Woodstock, Illinois, is based on the main character, Phil Connors, an egocentric Pittsburgh TV weatherman played by Bill Murray, being forced to relive the 2 February celebrations in Punxsutawney over and over again until he can learn to give up his selfishness and become a better person. The firm itself really winds me up—which is likely to mean that it hits a nerve somewhere—but the karmic concept behind it has become [...]

Late one night a lady was busy working in the office. She was a journalist in the middle of a really exciting story. She had hardly noticed time pass as she dealt with the US in a bid to unravel the truth; or at least one person’s version of it. At around 9pm, from the corner of her eye, The Lady saw an email with an intriguing headline had popped into her inbox. In that moment her insatiable curiosity seduced her away from the task at hand. The email was belated birthday wishes from a man now living on distant shores. A man she had first met some 13 years previously, and had only ever seen or communicated with a handful of times. Although over the years their paths never had occasion to cross, The Lady still remembered that their first encounter had left her feeling as if she had met him before. The smile and the piercing eyes the colour of aqua Aura quartz remained with her even though now she hardly remembered what he looked like. As The Lady opened the email and photograph attached, she suddenly understood why she had been thinking about unicorns recently. Her correspondent’s hair had [...]

I realised over the summer that I am happiest if I am learning something new. It does not have to be academic, even learning to scuba dive a few years ago was thrilling. So my mind wondered to the idea of doing a post graduate degree, further reinforced when I met a lady at a party that had a PhD in something to do with how the brain works. My meandering mind became alive with curiosity and before I knew it I had downloaded a number of courses that I liked the sound of. The University of Sussex has an MA in Creative Writing and Personal Development and I discovered a professor Srikumar Rao, who teaches Creativity and Personal Mastery at the London Business School. As I explored the mathematics of such a course of action, I realised that right now might not be the right time to take a sabbatical to go back to university. Nor am I now sure that is really how I want to investment my time, money and energy right now. With the debt that emerged in The Riddle of the Tax I am still a year away from paying it all off [...]

It’s been nearly two weeks and I am still cross. I don’t get angry easily, nor do I generally stay angry long. So something is up. What question is this anger, closer to rage on occasion, trying to answer? I believe there is always a good reason (positive Intention in NLP speak) behind any kind of behaviour, however, outwardly vile it seems.  So now in the privacy of my own home after a nice long loud angry rant at the mirror, I am ready to ask “What is this really about?” I suspect if I had ever had the courage to have therapy all of this would be easier to answer and/or I would simply dial a solution (or at the very least the promise of support). But like the Pepperoni Pizza and πr² episode I am, for now, happy to take the longer way round. At least when I get it, I get it. And I know from experience and πr² that I can recall what ever lesson instantly even 25 years later. Unlike cramming, which for me was like a tomb: knowledge went in but never came out. Even as I type this [...]

Samuel Johnson

Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)  

According to Wikipedia “Pick ‘n’ mix” is a common method used to sell various small items, such as sweets, which are displayed in tubs or bins. Customers are able to select any combination of items, and using a small shovel or tongs, put them into a container provided, hence the term ‘pick and mix’. Alternatives sells inspiration for the heart, mind and soul in a basket full for those that want it. A bit like sweets, it’s not for everyone, everyday, all the time. But just like the thrill of the sugar rush, when it clicks, it’s a great source of inspirational speakers for anyone at any point in their curiosity about life. I first strayed across one of their regular Monday talks on 14 May 2007. It was pouring with rain as I was walking back to the Underground from a meeting in Green Park, so I took cover in St. James’s Church on Piccadilly just half an hour before at talk by Gregg Levoy was due to start. It seemed rude not to find out what this was all about as it seemed like such an odd setting for what I thought would be a book review. [...]

Dorothy Parker (1893 – 1967)