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.

Sir Walter Raleigh

Wise men [should be] like coffers with double bottoms; Which when others look into, being opened, they see not all that they hold.

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, […]

Rumi

Every moment I shape my destiny with a chisel. I am a carpenter of my own soul.

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 […]

Seneca

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Inspired.

Inspired by film. Inspired by pictures of gyms, by pictures of roads less travelled. Inspired by peoples achievements, by conversations. Inspired by everything around me.

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 […]

The Illusionist (Film)

From the moment we enter this life we are in the flow of it. We measure it and we mock it, but we cannot defy it. We cannot even speed it up or slow it down. Or can we? Have we not each experienced the sensation that a beautiful moment seemed to pass too quickly, […]

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 […]

Jamie Oliver – TED talk on food education

The Last Samurai (Film)

From the moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue. I have never seen such discipline. I am surprised to learn that the word ‘Samurai’ means ‘to serve’.

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 […]

Calvin Coolidge

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

Impossible Is Nothing

Finding Motivation

“If by setting one’s heart right every morning and evening, one is able to live as though his body were already dead, he gains freedom in the Way. His whole life will be without blame, and he will succeed in his calling… For existence is impermanent as the dew of evening, and the hoarfrost of […]