Persistence is the Key to Success
We all have challenges in life and it is up to us to see them as exciting or daunting. I have been re-visiting a famous book by Napolean Hill - "Think and Grow Rich". There is a quote from him which has a lot of meaning for all of us as we ponder on our challenges and...
Stars Wars Celebration – May the Force be with You!
During my last week of rest and recuperation, I was lucky enough to be invited to the grand opening of a Star Wars exhibition in central London. Darth Vader himself made a grand appearance as you can see on this clip:- Amazingly, it is 30 years this month since the...
Sometimes We All Need to Chill Out
I am back writing again after what seems like a long break. A week is a long time they say - and especially in politics - just see what has happened in Northern Ireland since I have been away from the blogosphere. Having just written about it being May day and how it...
May Day and Time to Set up Some New Habits
It is the 1st of May and a beautiful spring day in London. I just returned home after having tea at the House of Lords with one of my former school teachers who is now a Dame 🙂 I happened to be near Big Ben when it stuck mid-day. Rarely have I seen both hands...
Are We Really that Different?
Every now and then, I come across something which is so simple and yet so powerful and effective in changing the world. A friend recently connected me with Avaaz, an online campaign group. "Avaaz" literally means "voice" or "song" in several Asian languages and the...
Recycling is Taking Off – Do Your Bit Too
Whilst listening to the car radio this morning whilst returning from a meeting, I was intrigued by a studio debate about whether or not UK households should have weekly or fortnightly refuse collection. The idea put forward is that by having fortnightly collections,...
Stop Alcoholism at a Young Age
There have been calls today to stop parents from giving alcohol to children under the age of 15. To me this was quite a surprise as coming from a tee-total family, alcohol was rarely ever served in our home. A new study reveals figures that suggest a large increase in...
Support the Anne Frank Declaration
To mark the 60th anniversary of the publication of Anne Frank's diary, the Anne Frank Trust are aiming to spread her message even more over the coming months. One way for you to support their work and to help spread her message is to learn and live by the Anne Frank...
What Goes Around Comes Around!
Talking of Anne Frank and her message of all people having goodness in them, three years ago I was lucky enough to be invited to Downing Street for the re-launch of the Anne Frank charity in the UK. Though this charity is not that well known, it does some amazing and...
People are Just People – Look for the Goodness Within
Last week, I telephoned an old friend to catch up after quite a few months. After the usual pleasantries, she mentioned how fed up she was of people and how she had lost her faith in humanity. I probably got her on a bad day, as usually she is very open, giving and...