#portraits

How Brands Like

Manchester United

Are Getting It Wrong

2 min

The world through another’s eyes

We often walk through life and only occasionally stop to see the wonders that are in our world. I met a man a few years ago and was touched by his generosity of spirit and the creativity that was clearly abundant within him. His name is Ramy and we met through work. He was the client and I worked for an advertising agency. His passion for the arts was something that was evident from the first meeting, as well his his desire to have the best work we could produce. Clearly in f

2 min

Think of every failure as a stepping stone to success

Sometimes when you fail it can take away every ounce of your confidence. Literally drain you of all the positive energy that drives you forward in life. But if we look at people in the world who have achieved any amount of success we often rarely realize the success they obtained came out of many, many failures. I personally have failed many times at so many things in my career and even if life. But out of every single failure I learnt more about myself than any other experie

2 min

Don’t just listen, hear.

In life we often talk about good listeners. People who are always attentive and are the ear for you to bend when things are not going well. But listening is only half of the story as it takes a certain type of person to go from listening, to hearing. We all listen to what is happening around us yet very few people really, truly hear what is being said to us. I know that I have to make a concerted effort to stop myself thinking about what I am going to say or trying to solve t

2 min

Sometimes taking a step backwards is the fastest way to move forward

Push hard against a wall and it only resists you more. A problem in your way can feel like a brick wall that appears out of no where. You were doing fine, just coasting along when you suddenly felt the resistance in front of you. In these situations we often try to push the wall down. Our minds determined that nothing can slow us down or prevent us from moving forwards. But not every wall in front of you is a bad thing. When a wall stops our progress we are forced to stop and

2 min

Every exit is an entrance to somewhere else

Many times through life we must focus on new beginnings rather than something coming to an end. Our life is full of chapters, some big some small, but all add up to create the person that is you. Every experience no matter what it holds for you will be a lesson for you to carry forward through the next journey. Sometimes in my life I see the path ahead and it stops me in my tracks, as situations in front suddenly make sense of all the little bumps and turns that came before,

2 min

Life is not perfect, so keep making adjustments along the way.

Self doubt can be the most paralyzing feeling you experience. You can be sprinting down your path full of confidence when from no where comes self doubt and knocks you sideways. It stuns you and blocks you. It stands in front of you mocking the very things you believe. Tearing every shred of assurance you have away. It can be a terrifying experience as there is no way of seeing it coming. It often comes when after being passionately involved in something for so long with care

2 min

Taking a step in the right direction

In life we often contemplate where we are going. We question the final destination, the if’s and maybe’s that are life’s unanswerable questions. And what is most disconcerting is the fact we have no control of when or what will happen after the journey comes to an end. With this in mind it can paralyze a person with fear and doubt about everything they do. Unless we face facts that somethings in are life are out of control we remain like the proverbial rabbit in the headlight

2 min

When you are not involved, don’t complain!

When my life recently decided that she wanted to buy a dog, I have to say I was less than enthusiastic about the idea. With the busy lives we lead and the traveling that both of us do now I couldn’t see the logic behind it. But like most things my wife managed to convince me it was a good idea, maybe she is the one who should be working in advertising! We had discussed it a few times and I kept putting off the idea as much as I could. The a few weekends ago we, my wife and 2

1 min

Break through the wall that you built

Is there a wall in front of you? How long has it been there? We all have them in our life. Some we build ourselves, others seem to appear without us even realizing. Whether you are the kind of person that can plough your way through difficult situations or need a more ‘brick by brick’ approach, just start now removing the walls in front of you. Remember a wall is something in our mind that stops or hinders our progress in some shape or form in our lives. But they are in our m

2 min

Take the time to stop just for you

If we were to stop what we are doing today and just look around at the world we live, see the beauty in our galaxy and the wonders of our universe; everything that we have going on today, the problems or deadlines, would just pale in comparison. I know how much our daily activities take over our lives and we find ourselves chasing our own tails rather than being in control of our journey. We are often reminded by a great tragedy or maybe just sitting with a child and listenin

2 min

Take the time to stop just for you

1 min

Accept the changes that you face in life

The problems we face in life can be devastating at the time. They can rip out our heart and leave us floundering in a fog that can last for days, if not longer. But often when we look back we notice the bigger picture, or the lessons we learned and have a positive feeling about something that, at the time, was very traumatic for us as an individual. I know, I have faced many demons in my life, and my life has taken many twists and turns that I didn’t understand at the time. S

1 min

Accept the changes that you face in life

1 min

Two careers, one love.

There are times recently that you are far away. Life has taken our paths into different directions. Success and ambition drives us both forward, achieving goals that seem to appear on our separate paths but always knowing that we are thinking about each other. As there is no success worth reaching and no ambition worth achieving unless we reach there together. 12 years ago you barged your way into my heart, loudly, as only you could do, whilst still radiating beauty and poise

1 min

Two careers, one love.

2 min

There are no encores in life

Do not stand in the shadows on the side of your stage. The spotlight that is your life is already waiting for you to step up and shine. All the answers to your fears are not in self books and quotes, but deep within you. You are the only person who can move yourself forward, you are the only person that can accept that ‘yes’ you may fail but by god I WILL TRY! You are the only person that’s knows the secrets of what you would like to try, if only once just to see what it was

2 min

There are no encores in life

2 min

You learn more from your mistakes. Make as many as possible.

I have talked about this topic before but last night I had a small discussion with my son, who is 8. He has been having a few problems with his reading. After a few discussions with his teacher I decided to show him something. I sat a hat on the chair and took a pack of playing cards. We sat on the floor and I told him to flick the cards into the hat. As he started the cards flew literally in all kinds of directions. Then he got one that bounced of the rim of the hat and I as

2 min

You learn more from your mistakes. Make as many as possible.

2 min

Tumbling down the rabbit hole

We all will face a time in our lives where we are afraid of what the future will bring. It seems that suddenly there is no floor beneath us and that sick feeling we get when falling comes from the depths of our stomach. Many things in our life will cause this sensation, many moments we spin lost in confusion trying to stop the world spinning for a moment as only to gain our composure. Were we pushed or did we lead ourselves down the dark and strange path? Some, for sure, will