To be polite. When we are young, this is one of the first lessons we learn. Don’t ruffle feathers. Of course, generally a helpful posture. Certainly preferable to outright aggression. But later in life, we often see a little side-effect, or confusion, and that is around making assertions. An assertion is taking a stand. It...

One of the practices we’ve done in retreats is the practice of “seeing.” After a couple of days in the retreat, participants head out for an hour walking around in nature. There are no special instructions, simply to really observe. To stop, and really notice what it is that is there, right in front of...

When you book in for surgery, you want a committed surgeon. A surgeon with conviction is great, but it’s of far less use. The fact that the other person is convinced on the outcome may, or may not help us in reality. What we want to know, really, is that they are committed to doing...

Recently I cut pretty much all my hair off. Short hair was the life-long norm for me, but every ten years or so I’ve let it go long. Anyway, I went to the place down the road – they give you an amazing “hair wash experience” before the cut. Some places don’t do that. It’s...

In a world of infinite connectivity and abundant data, your edge is not in the information you have. The edge is not in the moves you can do. The edge is not in your specific strengths. These are all isolated. An edge is found only in relativity – it is relational. How you think, move,...

Let’s be direct. Social media feels good. Scheduling a meeting over coffee feels good. Buying another workshop feels good. What we actually want to seek out though is the part that usually doesn’t feel good. This is what we are looking for. This is “tension,” or “friction” This is choosing to generate energy, to show...

We like to think that we have some level of control over possible outcomes. That our efforts towards “growth” in one direction will be rewarded by a positive result. When we do see alignment, we feel as though we are conscious creators of the highest level. Masters of our own universe! Really though, there are...

There’s something special about ocean swimming, and the races in particular. Long distances, currents, chop. It’s half conditioning, half grit. I remember the start of one race in particular, it was the Shepparton Half Ironman. I was racing in the Open/pro category, even though I really wasn’t quite ready for it. Story of my life....