Friends & Friend’s Friends Picnic 2019 (Year 18!)

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It’s time for my annual picnic in Regents Park!

Called “Friends & Friend’s Friends Picnic“, it is held every year – and this is YEAR 18!!!

This year it is to be held on Sunday, 11th August 2019.

(Post-picnic update – This year’s picnic was phenomenal with around 500+ people attending during the course of the day! You can see all the photos here on Facebook – Friends and Friend’s Friends Picnic #18“).

17 years ago, I had a vision of bringing people together in community in a spirit of fun and contribution – and so I invited all the people in my life to a picnic. And I asked them to invite all their friends too.

So my “Friends & Friend’s Friends Picnic” was born!

With all that’s going on in the world right now, I believe that it’s imperative that we come together as a people as much as possible – and what better way to meet and create new friendships than in a gorgeous setting and with a fun, friendly vibe?

“Far more unites us than divides us” – Jo Cox

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History of the Friends and Friend’s Friends Picnic

I first had the idea of the Friends and Friend’s Friends Picnic in summer 2002 when I wanted to bring together people from my family, my friends and the communities that I was part of.

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Filed Under: Love is all that matters

Help Me Help More Brave, Sick Children Like Maddison

Happy Friday everyone! 

It’s finally spring time in London – and that means it’s time once again for the London Marathon :-). 
 
Do you get deeply moved by stories of brave, sick children?

And then are you moved to help them in some way?

Today I am going to share the incredible and moving story of Maddison. 

You will then understand and appreciate exactly why I am taking part in the London Marathon.

On this coming Sunday 28th April, I’ll be lining up with over 41,000 other runners and each one of us will be raising awareness and sponsorship for their chosen cause.

I have chosen Well-Child, a charity that helps look after sick children like Maddison.

Some friends have been asking me why I am so passionate about WellChild and why I am taking part in the London Marathon for them once again.

Well, this is my way of contributing and making a difference to children. And you too can do your bit by sponsoring me.

Click here to go to my sponsorship page

Your contribution will be helping Maddison and other brave children like her.

(I have been given permission by WellChild to share Maddison’s incredibly inspiring and moving story).

Here is Maddison’s story:-

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Filed Under: Create Your Legacy Tagged With: ,

How Money will Reveal Your Truth… if You Can Dare to Look

What role does money play in your life?

If you are like most people, money probably plays a very central role in your life. We can never seem to get enough of it – and isn’t it funny how quickly it comes and goes?

I recently spoke to my friend Davide De Angelis who is doing some amazing work with his latest product – an incredible range of Tarot products based on the life and work of David Bowie.

I invited Davide to write a few words for my readers outlining his journey and how he got here. This is what Davide had to say – hold tight for an amazing ride:-

There was a time when most of my waking hours were being shaped by a lack of money. At one point things became very grim indeed.

One day as my wife Esther and I sat scowling at each other, me clutching a court summons for unpaid tax and Esther brandishing a final demand from the electricity company, a vocal purging of dramatic proportions ensued: unspoken truths, secrets, buried anger and deep resentments flooded to the surface like an erupting volcano.

We had tried everything – borrowed money from family and friends, sold some old family jewellery and even researched some free tax tools. 

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Filed Under: Find Your Joy

The Ultimate 40 Love Posts For Valentine’s Day and Every Day

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

Is it a time of the year you enjoy or dread?

Today, I am writing a post with a difference. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, I am bringing you some of the best blog posts from around the blogosphere, including some of my own previous articles.

Valentine’s Day is a fun and loving day for many people and there are so many wonderful blog posts out there about all aspects of relationships. I have searched high and wide and these are in my opinion some of the best wisdom you can get, no matter where you are in your relationship.

I am proud to know a lot of these prominent bloggers as friends and it is a privilege for me to share their work with you.

Do take your time reading through these articles, bookmark this post and come back to it again and again as you create a wonderful and happy relationship.

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Filed Under: Relationships

7 Harmful Things to Finally Stop Doing This Year: Make It Your Best Year Ever

Happy New Year everyone!

Trust you had a wonderful festive time and New Year celebration with your loved ones.

As we now get into this New Year, here’s possibly the most important question you can answer this year:-

Just HOW will you make this New Year a Happy Year?

The key word we use to greet each other at this time of the year is “Happy”. As we move away from the old and bring in the new, we expect things to somehow magically be different and better on the other side of the New Year fireworks.

As you know, life is not like that!

You and I have to consciously make it happen so that things are magically different and better in the New Year. The MAGIC comes from us – through our clear intentions, effort and focus.

And the important question is this – how will YOU make this year your best year ever?

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Filed Under: Find Your Joy Tagged With: , , ,

8 Smart Ways To Make This Christmas Your Best Ever

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Is Christmas a joyous time for you? Or are you stressed?

Around Christmas time, overspending on presents, pressure from kids and other loved ones, prolonged and close proximity to difficult family members and loneliness can all build up your stress levels.

Christmas can also be very demanding on your relationship as you spend a lot of time together with your immediate family and perhaps your extended family and even the in-laws.

However, it doesn’t have to be so.

Christmas is meant to be fun and joyous!

This year take charge and make it work for you.

Make this Christmas the best ever for you and the family.

Sit down right now for half an hour and decide for yourself what YOU can do this year to make it so.

Here are my tips for making this Christmas your best ever:-

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Filed Under: Find Your Joy

Why the Loss of a Loved One is Not the End of the World: How to Start Living Again

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Exactly 10 years ago in December 2007, I suddenly lost my father in the middle of the night. And it took me a long time to get over my grief. This is the story of my journey of pain and recovery.

My phone rang in the middle of a cold December night.

I woke up with a jerk. Annoyed that I had forgotten to switch off my phone.

But as soon as I looked at the phone and saw that it was my mother calling, I knew it was tragic news.

My mother was hysterical. My father had just died. He was no longer with us.

My life was never the same again.

What’s the most excruciating pain you have ever felt in your life?

I don’t mean physical pain, but the pain of the loss of a loved one. And how did you even get through?

It is now almost 10 years since I got through the most excruciatingly painful time of my life when my father suddenly passed away in the middle of that fateful December night.

He had a massive heart attack and passed away in the presence of my mother — they had been together for 54 years.

It was a crushingly traumatic period in my life.

Only 6 months before my father died, my best friend had passed away through suicide.

It felt that the whole world was against me — and that I would never get through this torture and pain.

I kept thinking — why me?

Is Death and Grief All Around Us?

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Filed Under: Love is all that matters

How to Master the Art of Saying Thank You

Master the Art of Saying Thank You

Do you say “thank you” like you mean it or do you just say it casually and almost apologetically?

And when you thank someone, just how appreciative are you really being?

Today, 11th January 2017 is International Thank You Day!

So firstly, thank you for being in my life and for reading my blog posts :-).

There is an art of saying thank you and mastering this one skill will instantly make your day to day interactions with people deeper and richer.

The key is very simple – you really have to mean it when you say thank you!

People get it when you genuinely mean something and also when you are just going through the motions.

Put yourself on the receiving end of being thanked – I bet you remember well the few times when someone has truly shown their appreciation.

I shall always remember the day when I invited a new friend for dinner and she asked if she could bring something – I simply suggested she brought a huge appetite.

She turned up laden with gifts – a thank you card, flowers, a bottle of wine and something for dessert! It was so thoughtful and unexpected; to this day I still share her story like I am doing right now.

The most beautiful thing about truly thanking someone and expressing your gratitude is that it creates a deeper and instant bond between people.

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Filed Under: Create Your Legacy

Happy Thanksgiving Day – Time to Celebrate our Challenges!

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Happy Thanksgiving Day everyone!

Well, a lot has happened in the world over the last few weeks. Just what is the world coming to!?

If you look around, the world faces umpteen challenges today and it’s really time for us to rise to the challenge and make it happen for a better world for all us. At the same time we have to make the most of our own lives and make the most of what we all have.

Even at a personal level we all face so many challenges. Right now I have dear friends who are going through a painful divorce whilst a very close coaching friend is going through her last days after a serious illness and is now in palliative care in New York,

Of course it is not how or when you die, but ultimately what matters is how you lived your life – and the legacy you created.

Life is so precious and it breaks my heart every time I hear of the killings and atrocities that happen every day in the name of religion, politics etc.

Right now the world is a very different place compared to last Thanksgiving Day with the Brexit outcome and the USA election.

A while back, a blog reader emailed me directly to challenge my way of looking at the world through “rose-tinted glasses”.

Well, as I replied to him, I am happy to see the world the way I see it. Of course it’s not about being blind to reality, but choosing to see how things can be different and in a way which uplifts and benefits everyone.

So yes, I for one am happy to be upbeat about our humanity and our potential to solve the huge problems we face today.  There are so many inspirational people who are striving to change to things for the better – and their number is growing.

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I am always inspired and filled with hope when I learn of all the good things happening in the world. For example, Nirvana School in Pondicherry, South India, is going from strength to strength with over 500 children now receiving a good education and being well cared for.

These children may not have much in material terms, they have so much more to offer us and teach us.

And yet we in the West who have a lot to be thankful for so often take life and all our goodness for granted.

We all have deep within us this calling and a capacity to help others, to make a difference in some way and to make ourselves count.

So my invitation to you on this Thanksgiving Day is to remember to be grateful for all that you have – and to strive for something bigger than you.

Check out my tips on how to live with an attitude of gratitude. 

No matter what, celebrate your challenges too!

Also, a while ago, I wrote 5 special articles for this week of Thanksgiving. So to help you celebrate and appreciate all that you have to be thankful for, check out all 5 articles about this special time.

Thanksgiving Lesson 1 – How To Embrace What You Already Have

Thanksgiving Lesson 2 – How To Let Yourself Give and Receive

Thanksgiving Lesson 3 – How To Add a Little Sizzle to Your Relationships

Thanksgiving Lesson 4 – How to Harvest the Wisdom from my Blogger Friends

Thanksgiving Lesson 5 – How to Serve Others at the Global Table

Thanks everyone!

PS As I said, please remember that no matter what challenges you may be facing in your life we all have so much to be grateful for. 🙂

Life is short. Cherish this moment. Treasure this memory. Celebrate this life…

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Filed Under: Find Your Joy

The Power of Giving – and Why I Always Carry a Banana

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How friendly are you to strangers? Do you reach out to new people you meet or do you hold back?

Over the years I have learnt to take each person at face value and try not to judge them in any way. Friends often comment on how easily I connect with people and how effortlessly I seem to make friends wherever I go. Maybe it’s a gift, maybe it’s just my way of being – but whatever it is, the results are often magical.

Talking to strangers I meet has led to some great friendships as well as many life lessons.

I have had 2 such experiences with homeless people in London which left me moved to tears on both occasions and reminded me once again of the power of giving and receiving.

In London where I live, there are more and more homeless people, many of whom have to resort to begging, whilst others sell the “Big Issue” magazine which helps the homeless create an income and ultimately aims to get them off the street.

I met one such Big Issue seller outside my local train station – he proudly told me that his full name was Christopher Patrick McCormack. We struck up a friendship and we had a repartee going – every time I saw him I called him by his full name – and he would call me by my full name.

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Filed Under: Love is all that matters
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