Woody Wonders

As you may have gathered from my recent blogs, I've been doing a lot of reflection and self-development in a bid to become more curious and fire up some creative neurones. When someone asks you, it's very easy to respond with "yes, of course I'm open-minded" .  But are you?  Truthfully?  If you're anything like me, then you'll tend to mix with the same like-minded people, have the same kind of routines, go to familiar places etc etc.   Sticking with what you know feels safe and comfortable, it gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside which is great and we absolutely need that in our lives.  However, if you permanently stay in that environment, it doesn't help you grow as a person. A couple of months ago, I went away for a long weekend and although I knew the majority of the people, many of which were family, there were a few people that I didn't know.  I felt a little nervous, I have to admit, as I was staying in the same lodge as some of them.  Mee...

We are living in a strange  and worrying time I did have some material prepared for this week's blog but it seemed insignificant in light of what's been happening over the course of the week.  So I thought I'd talk about how we can all help ourselves, others and pull together during this very difficult time. Regardless of what our individual opinions on Corona virus are, we are in this together whether we like it or not.  We are now past the point of no return and can no longer ignore it, even if we are a healthy individual.  As a healthy individual it is within our power to alleviate the pressure on the NHS so that they can focus on our high risk and vulnerable loved ones.   Be the bigger person, even if you only have mild symptoms then please self-isolate and under no circumstances mix with anyone at high risk.  You could well be the person who saves hundreds of lives by staying at home. Employers also have a part to play in th...

Welcome to 'Not Normal November' This month we are going to celebrate everything that is unique and 'not normal'.  Who wants to be normal anyway?  Besides, there's no such thing as normal so why should we want to label ourselves as such.   Reasons not to be 'normal' It's boring ... safe.  It's easy to be a sheep and follow the crowd but it takes courage and determination to find your own way in life. It's subjective.  What's considered normal for one person may be deemed as completely off the wall in someone else's eyes. We all have unique characteristics and it would be extremely boring if we were all the same.  Don't conform to 'normality', let your true uniqueness shine through. Labels are what you stick on envelopes, not people. You won't change things by being normal, you have to step outside your comfort zone. I started to think about this subject when I was having a light hearted c...