Tewodros was born and raised in Algeria, in the hard sands of the Sahara desert. So when he and his family moved to France when he was seven, at his first sight of the lush and verdant French countryside, Tewodros literally fell down. He was gobsmacked. And so a fascination was born. To the surprise…
Category Archives: Mindset
Magnificence and the raising of standards
Jilaine was a carpenter and a woodworker. Okay, most of the time she was really a lawyer – but she wanted to spend her days with sawdust instead of solicitors. No time like the present! Every workday Jilaine arrived home, changed out of her suit, ate some steamed vegetables and chicken, and marched into the…
Ease and challenge
Sticking envelopes is boring work. But stamping envelopes is fun. When you’re sticking envelopes, it’s almost impossible to screw it up. Pull off the sticky tab, seal the envelope, make sure it’s fastened. Done. It gets painfully repetitive within thirty minutes, and coma-inducing within two hours. Stamping the envelopes, however, is a blast. Firstly, the…
What is magnificence?
That is magnificence. Charity: Water is magnificent. So is Hideaki Akaiwa (and every other Badass of the Week). My dad participating last week in the attempt to break the world record for Largest Ukelele ensemble was magnificent. (Yay Dad!) You better believe the World Beard and Mustache Championships are magnificent. The mother who fought for…
Something you need to stop beating yourself up about
You’re moping along the dusty road when you come across me on a yellow sunchair, beaming merrily at the sun. I jump up and grin delightedly at you. “Hi there, sweetie! Why do you look so glum?” You say, I’m so pathetic. I don’t know if I should be an inner penguin coach any more….
Beauty in the barbed wire
This is Winter, performed live by Tori Amos. Listen, and read the lyrics. I am going somewhere important with this, I promise… you need to have her voice in your head before you read on. Snow can wait I forgot my mittens Wipe my nose Get my new boots on I get a little warm…
The contagiousness of language, or why I never want to “hit my list”
Last week I was talking strategy and implementation with one of my amazing support team and I said, “…and once I’ve done that I’ll hit my list and…” Then I paused. “Wait. I don’t want to hit my list. I want to beguile my people. I want to rock their world, entice them, serve them…
Drag queen fairy godmothers and an unquestioned assumption
Livia loved three things: the circus, Dita Von Teese and absurdist humour. In a blinding flash of inspiration she decided to bring her loves together with a lavish smear of the buffoonery of the Ancient Roman mimes and the cabaret. It would be a spectacle of tit tassels, raucous humour and bawdy fun. She named…
The Pith Helmet Guide to Marketing
We meet, you and I, as you’re slogging down the road. You say to me, Damn, you’re hooking it. I say, “Thanks! I try. I’ve come a long way and I’m starting to build up some momentum; it’s awesome.” You say to me, That’s cool. Do you have any ideas on how I can speed…
Couch to Magnificence
I successfully ran a 4.5km run with blogger buddies Jess and Ainslie on Sunday. Our time was a very respectable 39 minutes 10 seconds. If you don’t know me this doesn’t seem like news – or at least it sounds like news of the “Oh, that’s nice” flavour. What you have to understand for this…
