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  • Why Not Everyone Can (or Should) Be a Startup Entrepreneur

    The startup world is often glamourised through success stories of founders who turned brilliant ideas into billion-dollar companies. These narratives have created a cultural zeitgeist where entrepreneurship is portrayed as the ultimate career path. However, the reality is far more nuanced. While entrepreneurship can be rewarding, it’s not a path suited for everyone – nor…

  • Unlocking Human Potential: Leadership Lessons from John Gardner

    John W. Gardner (1912-2002) was an American statesman, educator, and public intellectual who served as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under President Lyndon Johnson. Beyond his government service, Gardner founded Common Cause, a citizen’s lobbying organisation, and was the author of influential books like Excellence, Self-Renewal, and On Leadership. Throughout his career, he moved…

  • The Psychology of Being in a Rut: Why We Get Stuck

    I’ve already written about recognising you’re in a rut in life, or a rut at work, and what you can do to drag yourself out of it. In this post I want to circle back slightly, and look at the psychology of being in a rut, and why we fall into one. We’ve all been…

  • How to Get Unstuck by Adopting a Beginner’s Mind

    Beginner’s mind (Shoshin, 初心) is a key concept in Zen Buddhism, emphasising an open, curious, and non-judgmental approach to life and practice. It comes from the Zen teaching that we should approach everything as if we are seeing it for the first time, without preconceived notions or attachments. Shunryu Suzuki’s Definition Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki,…

  • Feeling Stuck: A Sign That You’re Ready for Change

    Have you ever felt like you’re treading water in your own life, struggling to make meaningful progress, and wondering why you can’t seem to shake that sense of stagnation? I know I have. While it may feel frustrating, this very sensation of being stuck is actually a powerful signal that you’re on the cusp of…

  • Breaking Your Routine: A 48-Hour Experiment in Doing the Opposite

    The Power of Reverse Thinking Feeling stuck? Here’s a radical solution: spend 48 hours doing the opposite of your usual choices. This “reverse thinking” experiment might sound strange, but it can spark creativity and reveal blind spots in your approach. What does this look like in practice? If you typically check email first thing, wait…

  • Real Artists Ship: Unpacking the Wisdom of Steve Jobs

    Today is the day I ship three new categories to the world, the day I hit the button in WordPress to make this new content public, the day I share the first five posts with anyone who cares to read them. To mark this momentous (for me) occasion, I want to explore a well-known and…

  • Signs You’re Stuck in a Rut at Work (And What to Do About It)

    (Last in a two-part series. Part one covers getting out of a life rut.) Have you ever felt like you’re just going through the motions at work? Maybe your job used to excite you, but now every day feels like a repeat of the last. If this sounds familiar, you might be stuck in a…