Last Monday, on her way to the park for her morning stroll, my mum found a £10 note. She is certain the teenage schoolboy, who was walking ahead of her with his headphones in and his hands stuffed in his trouser pockets, had dropped it. She called after him but he didn’t hear her. SheContinue reading “life lesson”
Author Archives: my1825project
to be or not to be
Each morning, in my journal, I write a word that I aim to achieve that day. I refer to this word every few hours to keep me on track and then, in the evening, I reflect if my actions embodied the word I’d selected. On Wednesday, two weeks ago, the word was “patience”. It’s ironicContinue reading “to be or not to be”
misunderstood
I vividly remember the first time I received a prickly email. I was in my early 20s. The email was sent from my manager to me shortly after I joined the company. As I tried to recover from the strong tone, one of my peers, who was also on the email chain, messaged me onContinue reading “misunderstood”
state the obvious
Last week I led a call in which the Client team – to help bring me up to speed on the project – reeled off the extensive list of open issues. Every single one of these issues needed to be resolved by me and my team. There was a pause as I finished scribbling everythingContinue reading “state the obvious”
SMART
My goal for this year is to form these habits: To consume at least 60g of protein each day. For this I’ve downloaded an app to record my macros until I get into a decent flow of mentally counting protein intake. I’ve also stocked up on protein bars which I’ll have as my afternoon snack.Continue reading “SMART”
classic
I spent the last 12 weeks leading a project manager bootcamp. One of the topics I covered was how to gain trust from your Clients. 1. Clearly demonstrate your logical thinking. 2. Appeal to your Client’s emotions. 3. Show you are credible through your reputation of working with the Client, your in depth understanding ofContinue reading “classic”
type
It’s been an incredibly busy few months at work so, when my colleague messaged us in our group chat to say that he was logging off early to “go out and give his wife a life”, we all understood. His comment made me reflect on if I needed to reassess my priorities. I’ve been carefulContinue reading “type”
business sense
One of the concierge, for the estate on which my friend lives, works full-time, is a hands-on parent to his four young children and he is studying three years full-time for a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. When we bumped into him last week, he joked that he sometimes feels like he’s in the middleContinue reading “business sense”
I’ve said it before
I was bombarded with compliments after a recent presentation I gave at work where I had to break bad news to a Client. “You’re such a natural.” “You answered all the difficult questions with such ease.” “You handled that situation so well.” I’d spent 3 hours practising that presentation. I’d rehearsed everything from the thingsContinue reading “I’ve said it before”
emergency friends
I’m in the waiting room of my local A&E. Everyone is looking at their phones. Well, everyone except me. I’m preoccupied assessing each person to guess the variety of incidents that brought this group of strangers together on an overcast Saturday afternoon. Aside from the discomfort I’m in, I’m actually having a lovely time. There’sContinue reading “emergency friends”
and, done
I have spent the last hour drafting and then discarding several blog posts. There are countless topics I could write on but none of them feel right today. Since my last “me time” weekend where I spent the day reading and reflecting, I committed to publishing a post each week. There are two reasons forContinue reading “and, done”
key to happiness
I became a different person a few months ago. I’m not sure what prompted it but something clicked in my mind that instantly altered my entire mindset. I simply decided that before I respond to any situation I will ask myself “How can I contribute here to achieve the best possible outcome?” It seems hyperbolicContinue reading “key to happiness”
better left unsaid
I didn’t quite hear my mum’s reply after I’d enquired how she was. When I asked her to repeat it, she did, with a little smile. I knew then that her first reply must’ve been a cheeky one. “Is that what you said before?” “Yes”. “Really? I thought I heard you say something else”. AtContinue reading “better left unsaid”
do what works
“How do you get so much done each day?” was the question my teammate asked me at a recent 1-to-1. I requested some time to think about my answer because – at that moment – I realised I had never thought about it in that way before. I do have a comfortable work flow. IContinue reading “do what works”
artwork
I started this blog in 2020 stating the intent was to help me focus on performing acts of kindness but there was in fact an additional reason. I now clearly understand that I also started this blog because I love the process of creating a written piece. It feels magical to freely express myself inContinue reading “artwork”
Day 296, £1825 target met
As 2020 draws to a close and I – like so many of us – reflect on the year gone and the year approaching, I feel compelled to write about a cause I have been following for the past few weeks. There are currently hundreds of thousands of farmers protesting in Delhi, India and millionsContinue reading “Day 296, £1825 target met”
encouragement
I think one of the greatest gifts is to give words of encouragement. Thank you to everyone who has shared kindness with me in this way over the years.
Day 291, £1262 donated so far
I have recently started asking new teammates to prepare a shield to show me in our first 1-to-1. We take turns during the 1-to-1 meeting to share our shields – divulging our core values and favourite quotes as well as describing what we’re like at our best and our hopes of working together. I knowContinue reading “Day 291, £1262 donated so far”
Day 245, £830 donated so far
It’s fair to say Wikipedia is my go to reference whenever I need to check some information. I can easily spend hours clicking through the hyperlinks from one page to the next until I invariably land on one of the more obscure pages and realise I’ve gone too far. Wikipedia relies solely on donations fromContinue reading “Day 245, £830 donated so far”
Day 228, £795 donated so far
I felt deflated this morning when a plan to go for a long Sunday morning walk with a friend was cancelled at short notice. I’d been looking forward to catching up with him after so long and doing that while surrounded by nature. I’ve often allowed for this type of disappointment to impact me moreContinue reading “Day 228, £795 donated so far”