#illustration

How Brands Like

Manchester United

Are Getting It Wrong

2 min

Will failure define you or propel you?

The Internet is full of people talking about failure. Whereas some use the term fail often or even fail more, others seem to resent the term failure as some kind of weakness or a sign people accept that it is okay to fail. Now although I understand where both sides are coming from I feel the focus is in the wrong area. I have personally experienced both sides of this coin first hand when working around the world. In my career, I worked for American companies on global teams a

1 min

In life, No dream can be realized whilst you remain asleep

We all do it. We all sit and wonder if we can achieve the dreams we have harbored for years. The passion within burns so brightly, the desire pulses through every vein in our body, the appetite to achieve is insatiable…yet we remain asleep. No one has been guilty of this more than me. What fears hold us back? Whether it’s a fear of failure, ridicule, exclusion or whatever, are all feelings that do not exist unless you allow them to manifest in your life. Every negative force

2 min

Do you have that song HOT DAGGER?

This was the question my son asked me last night when we were out in the car. It was just him and myself as he had bumped his head an we went to the clinic to check he was okay. He was so as we headed home he started flicking through the songs on the radio to see what he could find. I usually let him or his sister do this because a) It’s nice to see the kind of music they each like and b) it keeps them from breaking anything else in my car! He had been flicking through a few

2 min

Your dreams may be closer than you think

Many times in our lives we look around and see others seemingly floating through life without a care in the world. Things just seem to happen easily for them and dreams just seem to be falling in their laps. In comparison we often have the impression we are standing still, or worse going backwards. Our dreams seem to be distant shadows far off on the horizon in a foggy day, a feeling that can break even the strongest of spirits. But what do not often realize is the people who

2 min

Everyone needs a hero

No matter who you are, where you live or what you do, there is always someone who can influence you. A heroic figure that, for any reason, makes you smile, makes you feel good about yourself or at the very least makes you want to be a better person. It gives us something to aim at, something to strive for on a daily basis and breaks that monotony of being in a rut which can so easily happen when we are just going through the motions of life. My father has always been a hero o

2 min

The beauty of social media

Social media has the power to do many things. It helps to inform people about natural disasters, helps companies communicate directly with consumers, Helps people discuss, learn, educate and hear the latest news about topics they are passionate about. Social Media also helps people of all ages come together in ways we, probably, have never seen in the history of our race. It’s an exciting step, but with it comes a word caution. With everything in our world that is good there

2 min

Why social media can be more real than the real world

Social media has been taking a real battering all over the world during the past year. From Iran, Egypt, Bahrain and even places like London questioning whether social media should be allowed to maintains it’s place in our lives has shocked many people to their core. When Iran closed Twitter and facebook there was uproar around the world as it showed a so called oppressive state in action. Equally, when Hosni Mubarak did the same in Egypt, every corner of the globe condemned

2 min

Should’ve, could’ve and would’ve are all holding you back

Do you relive conversations wondering or second-guessing what you could’ve or should’ve said? Do you spend time worrying about what a certain word or phrase ‘really’ meant in an email or discussion you had the day before? I know I have! In fact I have to work very, very hard not to waste my time over analyzing every single conversation, presentation, argument or whatever I have, because the truth is it just doesn’t do anything to help me move forward. In fact these words woul

2 min

Maybe, the only limits are in your mind

Do you believe that some people are lucky and others are not? Do you think that no matter what you do in your life you will never achieve your dreams? Then you are the one that is holding you back. You are the barrier that is stopping you move ahead in life and you are the pushing away all the wonderful things that your life could be. And I have been the worst culprit at this in times of my life, but it taught me valuable lessons I keep with me today. Life happens! Things go

1 min

Have the confidence to walk through any negativity

No matter what you do in life, personal or professional, there will be people who have negative thoughts or actions towards you. Most of the time it is not even something conscious by them, but rather something that just stems from their personality or situation they are in at the time. The confidence you have in yourself will be half the battle, your actions in putting your plan into action, will do the rest. Self doubt is one of the main reasons for failure in life. There a

2 min

Change, there’s no time like the present

I recently spoke to a friend who was asking me what it was like traveling the world and did I regret leaving the UK when I did. I asked him why he was asking the question, as we talk all the time and I sensed there was something behind the need to ask me. He told me that he was thinking of traveling for work and just wanted to know my thoughts about the subject. The truth is I left England when I was 23, worked in Paris and Amsterdam before moving to the Middle East. I have w

2 min

Life is not always about finding the answer

I doubt there are many people in this world who do not have a million questions rolling around their mind on any given day. Why doesn’t she love me? Why is he mean? When will I get a pay rise? Why do the children not listen? And even the big ones like; Why are we here? Many of these questions could be answered very simply, yet I am sure that in most cases, even the other party cold not answer them. But the big questions in life keep us searching and guessing year after year.

1 min

The hardest thing to face is yourself

Life is full of obstacles and difficulties. This is a fact of life that we all accept as part of growing up. But there is nothing in life we will face that can have as a destructive, demoralizing and negative influence on our lives than ourselves. We are the toughest critic, the sternest of judges and the one person who can decide in life whether we accept or ignore the negative forces around us. The easiest trick in the book is to blame someone else for the tough times we fa

2 min

You are supposed to be part of your conversation

When you hear the statement, “Voices in my head,” it usually brings up thoughts of crazy people right? Well I believe that we all have at least one voice in our heads. I spend a lot of time watching people. I have always preferred to be on the periphery and let others be centre stage, just so that I could see how people act. I guess that is why I decided to work in advertising because watching how people react, buy, shop or do not is part of knowing how to communicate a produ

2 min

Time travel to the beat of your own tune

It always amazes me how a single song can literally transport you to another place instantly. I have lot count the amount of times I have suddenly found myself lost in memories, memories eclipse the feelings that seemed to be weighing me down. It is often a song that I have not heard for a while or it could be something new, a song that just has that great summertime beat and rhythm filled with has those thoughts of being on the beach with your friends or family, all flooding

2 min

Risk? What if you fail? Ah! But what if you don’t?

Every single day we are faced with choices in our lives. Decisions that fork in the road. One is safe, although nothing is certain in life, you can pretty much guarantee where you are going to end up whilst the other is clouded in mystery and possibility. The second route scares us, makes us doubt every aspect of the person we are and often ensures we take the safer route. But why? Fear is the main reason. Losing what you have, things not working out and the thought that all

2 min

Wake up your inner child, it’s time to wake up!

Remember when you were a child and everything seemed so simple? It was a time when anything was possible, a time when you were asked what you wanted to be, what you want to do and what you would like to experience. You were told try this and experience that. You were told that you should never say you don’t like something until you at least try it once. But then suddenly we are told you cannot do this or that, you have to be realistic and accept where you are or what you are

2 min

Leave behind the baggage of your past

We often walk through life dragging every problem around like luggage. I know I have been guilty of this on more than one occasion. Everyone has problems and everyone will come against people that see the world in a different way. Although sometimes these incidents can be hostile, they are usually over very quickly. But within our minds, and especially mine, the conversations continue over and over again, constantly re-energizing the feelings of anxiety and anger that are so

1 min

Nothing worth doing is ever easy

We all spend time imagining what it would be like to accomplish our dreams. Some of us spend most of our lives imagining every aspect of the achievement. What we would do, how we would feel, who we would thank and what it would be like to stand atop and look back at the journey we have taken. This of course is the easy part. To achieve anything worth while in life we have to make the first step towards that goal. And after that we take the next and the next. Even we we are pu

1 min

A step in the right direction

Sometimes life can be intimidating. We can stand on the edge of opportunity and procrastinate about the possibilities knowing that one step forward could achieve every dream we ever desired, yet we also think of failure, and that is what holds us back. In times like this you must be brave, you must believe in yourself and you must never, never be afraid to fail. Because even if you fail you will learn something about yourself, you will learn something about your reactions in