“Self-esteem is not a substitute for a roof over one’s head or food in one’s stomach, but it increases the likelihood that one will find a way to meet such needs” (Dr Nathaniel Brandon) I love either watching my grandchildren play or playing with them. When playing with them, I often have to act out…
I love photography and particularly as it relates to three important concepts – perspective, point of view and opinion. Imagine standing on a road lined by trees on either side. You will notice, as you look at the horizon, that the road and the trees appear to get smaller and smaller the further away they…
“You will never be the person you can be if pressure, tension and discipline are taken out of your life” (James G Bilkey) A fitness experiment was conducted at Tufts University, Boston, involving senior citizens between the ages of eighty-seven and ninety-six years old. This group were not particularly strong (in fact, unenthusiastic and under-exercised)…
During a family Sunday lunch, we ended up reminiscing about when we were children – little children. My mother likes to tell the story of me being a toddler, sitting strapped into my seat on the back seat of the vehicle and my dad driving passed a KFC outlet. Apparently, as soon as I noticed…
It is easy to blame circumstances for a lack of success or at least give really plausible reasons for things not working out as planned. It is true sometimes that we feel like pawns, without any power, being manoeuvred strategically by a greater hand, often meaning that we lose our place on the chessboard. We…
The human being has all but lost the capability to manage the preponderance of choice – this has been called “decision fatigue” by some. There are just so many options, be it in grocery shopping varieties to choose from, career decisions or just knowing what to do, why to do it and when to do…
“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained”. Marie Curie History is filled with examples of people who were dealt very difficult hands, but who…
“The best reformers the world has ever seen are those who begin on themselves”. George Bernard Shaw Total Quality Management (TQM) is a philosophy introduced to corporations by W Edwards Deming in the 1950’s. The principles have resulted in many training interventions in companies across the world and have had possibly the greatest impact on…
“I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I … I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference”. Robert Frost So many people with whom I come into contact are unhappy – sometimes with their circumstances, sometimes…
For the most part, anger is a part of everyone’s lives. Handled positively, anger can act as a “red flag”, as a warning that something is wrong or as a catalyst for change. Not dealing with anger, however, gives rise to health and relational problems and results in hurt people – negatively impacting yourself and…
Even the most proactive of people fall into the procrastination trap at some stage or the other. Important activities are sometimes substituted by pressing activities, the same of which don’t necessarily contribute to achieving one’s goals. Some people get really busy, but often with the unnecessary. Others, seemingly immobilised by fear or indecision, find alternative…
Companies are simply not taking responsibility for career development amongst employees anymore. Sure, there are exceptions when companies fast-track certain individuals to fulfil the responsibilities of specific posts that are important to the business, but on the whole, career development is now largely left to the individual to accelerate and realise. For the most part,…
