Work hard. Live humble.

Why Should I Work Hard?

Because I want to love what I’m doing so much, that I don’t need to check Facebook every half an hour to distract myself. Because when someone asks me “how is work?”, I want to have to take a moment to work out what “work” is. Because I don’t want to be one of those […]

Happy Birthday, Muhammad Ali

You fought the toughest battles, in and out of the ring, Against oppression, with conviction and for humanity, Your opponents lost when they felt your sting, Happy Birthday, Muhammad Ali.

Four Leadership Traits.

The aim of this article is to explore the four traits that I believe are embodied by great leaders, and ones that can be applied across a range of different disciplines. Is there a common trait that you see in the people that inspire you? Let me know in the comments below! 1. Uncompromising, principled […]

Welcome to Apatheia.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’d be happier with (far) fewer possessions. This is the logical conclusion of one who has realised that more material possessions do not only not make you happier, but actually have a corrosive effect on the mind. To be held hostage by your emotional attachment to such consumerist values, […]

Get Motivated Here.

“I can’t be bothered to go to the gym, I’m just not feeling motivated! I’ll go tomorrow.” The above is a familiar refrain, and one that I’m hearing often. So without entering into a long discussion on free-weights vs machines, aerobic vs anaerobic activity, whether or not stretching is good for you, here are a […]

Weekly Training Playlist

I’m now running my current training playlist on a separate page. Use it to inspire you, psyche you, hype you but whatever you do: use it wisely. The dominant theory about why music boosts exercise performance is that we have a limited ability to pay attention to the information our senses gather. Focus on sounds […]

Advice to a Young Man Hoping to Go Somewhere – Ryan Holiday

Great advice to someone starting out on a new career, or achieving a new goal. I’ve listed just a few (my favourite) points below, but strongly recommend you take some time to read the original article. Always say less than necessary. Don’t be too good at being an assistant (or an intern). In fact, the […]

Boxing their own worst enemy (via Reuters)

This article nicely juxtaposes two of my interests, training and photography. It’s not important to have the latest/greatest in training equipment, or even the environment. If you have the motivation, that is enough. http://blogs.reuters.com/photographers-blog/2011/04/07/boxing-their-own-worst-enemy/ Laercio arrived to train and Mauricio fired a question at him. “What is the greatest conquest?” Laercio looked at him without […]

We’ll miss you, Steve.

This is a prepared text of the Stanford University Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005. I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be […]

No shortcuts.

As much of a cliche as it may sound, it appears that a sub-section of todays society chases materialistic goals. This is through no fault of their own, they’re bombarded with messages throughout the day about how to make more money (if you can’t, then how to get more loans), so you can buy MORE […]

Opinions – from Gym Jones

A number of statements I agree with, and a very good article amongst other very good articles. Yeah, go to your local gym and see what passes for work. Even the people engaged in bodybuilding efforts or performing (and I mean “performing” in the sense of acting) short, high intensity cross-training circuits aren’t doing anything […]

Why Intelligent People Fail

Interesting read from the book “In Search of the Human Mind” by Robert Sternberg. It lists a series of points on, as you may have gathered from the title, why intelligent people fail. I’ve picked out what I find to be the most pertinent points, but do click the link at the bottom for the […]

Hysterical Strength (and Thinking)

I was watching a TV show other day about stories of people allegedly exerting almost superhuman levels of strength in times of extreme danger/panic. One example was of the lady who saw her son trapped under a car which had fallen off the hydraulic jacks; she managed to lift it up to allow her son […]

Details. Details. Details. DETAILS.

I believe that one of the (few) defining characteristics of successful* people is their attention to detail. By observing more closely, by seeing more than just the initial observation, one has more information to work with, to analyse and to draw conclusions from. I’ve posted this story in support of this statement, and while it […]

The Most Patriotic Thing You Can Do

Bust your ass and get rich. Make a boatload of money. Pay your taxes. Lots of taxes. Hire people. Train people. Pay people. Spend money on rent, equipment, services. Pay more taxes. When you make a shitload of money. Do something positive with it. If you are smart enough to make it, you will be […]

How bad do you want it?

What would your perfect day look like?

This is the question that was posed to me recently by a friend training to practice NLP (neuro-lingustic programming). It’s a simple enough question, but one that requires an answer in the kind of detail we rarely consider. So, let’s try and answer this question. The perfect day inevitably starts with the interviewee waking up, […]

The Heart of a Champion

Oscar Pistorius overcame a double amputation to compete and win the 400m event at the S. African Championships. Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to climb Mount Everest, remarked: “It’s too easy to credit Pistorius’ success to technology. Through birth or circumstance, some are given certain gifts, but it’s what one does with those gifts, the […]

How David Beats Goliath

You’ve guessed it; through more effort, and harder work. This is an excellent article by the renowned Malcolm Gladwell, on how underdogs win through unusual tactics, higher levels of fitness and above all, sheer effort. It uses numerous examples of this, from how a small-time Junior basketball team consistently defeated top teams, to Bedouin techniques […]