A petty tyrant is a tormentor. Someone who either holds the power of life and death over warriors or simply annoys them to distraction.~Carlos Castaneda – The Fire from Within In Casteneda’s books, a petty tyrant is ultimately seen as a gift, because they can teach us patience, discipline and to not take things personally....

This March I was coming back from a trip to New Zealand visiting family. I had three days in Auckland before coming back to Sydney, so booked an Air Bnb and set up what I’d call a “work retreat.” “Retreat” means backing away from – or taking a step back from something – often to...

“You begin at the beginning. First you look for the ignition. Then, cultivating that beginning, you find a sympathetic environment in which to start the action. By not jumping to conclusions, you discover both positive and negative conditions. Then you find further starting points. By not holding on to what you have, but by generating...

There are levels to the juggle game. The maestros – over 5 balls (!) The dedicated practitioners – 5 balls. The keen and capable – 4 balls. The hobbyists – 3 balls (often pieces of fruit at this level) The learners – 2 balls… And really, that’s where it ends. One ball isn’t juggling –...

Knowing the outcome, having certainty, or being in control, is a big ask. Maybe doable for a second, but even the second law of thermodynamics tells us that unless there’s constant work going into the system, it’s going to fall apart pretty fast. The other option is, we can try to make a difference, and...

Ten years ago, I had just opened a shoe store. It was a great business, bootstrapped, and slowly nurtured. But 6 months in, a new store popped up not too far away. Then a second. I freaked a bit… One had more stock straight away, and the other spent $400k just on their fitout, with...

When I was little, we were homeschooled for a while. We had a curriculum from correspondence school in New Zealand, but Dad started to bolster it pretty fast. He added in all sorts of activities, and we would bring in our own ideas as well. For a while, part of my work was to go...

I just got an email from some kind of research library service. Huge logo at the top. Then: “Hello, We hope you are enjoying a safe and prosperous start to autumn.” Within nine words, I know I’m being served a spam email blast. “I am excited to share with you a sneak peek at our...