Yep. The stuff that seems silly. The stuff that is beneath you. The afterthoughts. The stuff that gets left out when you are in a rush, when you are on a mission to meet a deadline, when your work is more important than other peoples’ work. photo credit: J A Alcaide I was in London … Read more
I find myself in front on a huge pile of metal keys. Gold keys, iron keys, silver keys, copper keys; Old keys, new keys; Clean keys, dirty keys, rusty keys. A large imposing door is locked behind the pile. I feel a need to open the door and step into the room beyond. I look … Read more
A family lives in the outskirts of a remote village on a small plot of land. The family own one cow. Each day they live from the milk of the cow. If there is little milk, they eat little. It there is lots of milk, they eat well. The lives of the mother, the father, … Read more
My short article “The Mindful Entrepreneur” was published in Entrepreneurs’ Organisation Octane magazine this month. The story of why I got rid of the iPhone and Blackberry devices from my life last year and how I have reduced my use of email. Have a great Sunday. Going for a walk in Collserola park this morning.
I watched the world’s top golfers play in the prestigious PGA tournament over the last 4 days. This is one of the top 4 prizes in world golf and a massive achievement for the overall winner. Winning a “major” is a vital brick in the career of the world’s top golfers. I want golf and … Read more
A young man was walking along the shore of the sea. The beach was of pebbles. A wisened old man approached him. “I’ll give you one million dollars if you bring me a touchstone”. The young man paused. “What is a touchstone?” “It looks like any other stone, but when you hold it in the … Read more
Ira Glass, presenter of This American Life, tells us that there are three basic building blocks of the story – the anecdote, “bait” and moments of reflection (video here). We improve a story by building up the central conflict, ensuring that the listeners can relate to one of the central characters and by adding surprise. … Read more
A friend of mine, Roger, asked me “Why do you call the blog The Rhetorical Journey?”. I am a fan of U2. I have been since I was 10 years old. On the album “Rattle and Hum” there is a recording of an interview between a journalist and Bono and The Edge of U2. The … Read more
This question is really a game. Here is how it works: Relate a story of a time when you’ve made a mistake. Retell the story while only relating the actual mistake (without justification). The question is, “Why might it be difficult to do just Step 2?” I read Leadership and Self-Deception and The Anatomy of … Read more
JK Rowling gave the Harvard commencement speech in 2008. I love the way she wins over the audience by speaking about her own life. She speaks powerfully about the greatest lessons that she has learnt – always from her failures. What would JK tell her 21 year old self? “Life is not a checklist; a … Read more