I’ve turned into a bit of a couch potato this week as I’ve been glued to my TV watching the Olympic games from Paris. I am in awe of these athletes. To compete at this level, you need to be blessed with a certain amount of natural ability. Beyond that, though, you need passion, strong work ethic and focus. I think it’s safe to say … Continue reading How You Can Experience Flow State
In pursuing happiness, we often search for external sources of joy. Yet, true happiness often lies within, waiting to be uncovered through introspection and self-discovery. By asking ourselves the right questions, we can navigate our journey toward fulfillment with clarity and purpose. What is My Purpose? The quest for happiness begins with a fundamental question: What is my purpose? This question prompts us to reflect … Continue reading Finding Happiness: Asking the Right Questions to Unlock Fulfillment
Last week, I heard of some new research about Ikigai, the Japanese concept that loosely translates to your life purpose or reason to get out of bed in the morning. I’ve long been a believer in Ikigai, but the research confirms it can not only add years to your life, but also life to your years! Read on to learn how Ikigai can help you … Continue reading Ikigai Can Add Years to Your Life – And Life to Your Years!
There’s nothing like a funeral to make us aware of the passing of time and the shortness of life. Listening to the tributes at my brother-in-law’s memorial service, I recalled a poem called The Dash that I heard years ago. It was a reminder of the importance of making the right choices about how we spend our time. Are you making the most of your dash? Continue reading A Life Well Lived – How Are You Spending Your Dash?
My friends, family, and former colleagues often ask me whether or not I miss flying. It’s been a year since I handed in my resignation letter and decided to divorce from a 12-year career. I’m incredibly fortunate to have had the time to decompress following all the political upheaval I was caught up in Hong Kong. When people ask me if I miss it, my honest … Continue reading Why I Miss My Job but Don’t Regret Leaving It
I started blogging on WordPress because I wanted to practice writing. Although I’ve written and published, mostly technical books but also a memoir about my beloved father, I had a sense that I could hone the skill of putting words together to describe life and myself more adeptly. What I’ve found is that the practice of writing has changed me. Whenever I put life down … Continue reading The Writer’s Mission Statement
If you are losing your leisure, look out! –It may be you are losing your soul Virginia Woolf In modern society, work has come to dominate almost all aspects of our lives. One’s identity becomes subsumed by their job title. Days become filled with endless tasks and checklists. Ever increasing productivity seems to be our guiding principle. In a highly competitive global economy, efficiency trumps … Continue reading Rethinking Leisure in the Age of Total Work
The clothes you wear do not have the only primary function of protecting you from low or high temperatures. They don’t have either the only function to make you more attractive or trendy. Clothes are also one of the most immediate forms of non-verbal communication. There are several scientific studies that demonstrate the relationship between what you wear and your brain. This means that the … Continue reading Fashion Psychology, How What You Wear May Help You
The Four Forces of Flight There’s an analogy I want to imprint on your mind today. It’s one I intend to come back to repeatedly as I go about writing my high-flying book. It concerns something known in aviation as the four forces of flight. To give you a quick lesson in aerodynamics, those are thrust, lift, weight and drag. Thrust counteracts drag, whereas lift … Continue reading Stalling: The Aerodynamics of Life
Last Saturday I went to visit an exhibition of photos taken by Vivian Maier, an American photographer who was unknown to me. From the early 50s, she spent over forty years working as a nanny, first in New York and later in Chicago. Only recently, in 2007, her photographic work was discovered. She spent her lifetime in anonymity despite her impressive work. More than 120,000 … Continue reading A Lifetime Spent in Anonymity
I recently completed a course on personality theory that I found infinitely fascinating. Today I want to share some thoughts about how this understanding can help us better navigate in the world. You can think of personality as the lens through which we view the world. It functions by filtering the world so we only pay attention to certain things. This then influences the way … Continue reading Why Understanding Personality Is Key to Increasing Potential
We’re all looking for that Goldilocks position in life. That ultimate purpose specifically suited to our own unique talents and values. Of course, we want to maximise our potential to do the most possible good. This is why many of us have this gnawing sense that the job we’re in isn’t quite right. We feel like we are meant for something else, something more. I … Continue reading Where We Are Meant To Be
The search for meaning is inherent in the human being. In Japan there is even a specific word to define the importance of having a purpose in life: Ikigai. The Ikigai refers to the individual motivation, the one that makes us get out of bed every morning and that gives us the joy of living. There is no direct English translation. Ikigai does not need to … Continue reading Ikigai: the Search for Meaning
Let me ask you a question. When you play a game, when you embark on a project, when you go to work, when you get up in the morning, when you sit down to write, when you make a presentation, when you have to do anything, Are you playing to win or to avoid losing? If you’re wondering what the difference is, when you play … Continue reading Are You Playing To Win or To Avoid Losing?
Here are a couple question I’m keen to get your thoughts on: What are your most important values and why? How do you live up to them? I look forward to hearing your answers. *** You can find AP2’s personal blog here at: https://clear-air-turbulence.com You can also find him on Medium at: https://anxiouspilot2.medium.com Or on Twitter at: @AnxiousPilot Continue reading Question of the Day: No. 543
I write to call myself a writer and be called a writer, because that means more to me than words could ever convey. Continue reading Why I Write
Do you feel like the weight of responsibility is keeping you grounded? Or the sheer drag of life is forcing on the brakes? Do you find it hard to muster the requisite lift and thrust to overcome these forces in life? Of course, we’ve all been there. We’ve all had those days where everything has felt like one big drag, where the simple act of … Continue reading Finding Life Balance Using the Four Forces of Flight
How would you describe your true calling? Do you even believe there is such a thing? I don’t necessarily believe that one has a true calling, however, I believe if we can find something to do that we love – in the service of something greater than ourselves – we can find balance. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. *** You can visit AP2’s … Continue reading Question of the Day: No. 519
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – HOWARD THURMAN (SOURCE: THE LIVING WISDOM OF HOWARD THURMAN: A VISIONARY FOR OUR TIME) I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, ‘what do you mean the ONLY THING the world needs from me?! The world demands EVERYTHING from me!!!’ ‘It … Continue reading The Only Thing The World Needs From You
By E. L. Jayne One mellow evening, a seemingly miniscule reverie came along that managed to consume my mind. I couldn’t stop contemplating one question: What have I given 100% of everything I had to? Truly, 100%? Continue reading To give, or to not give, 100% of yourself?
