By Peter Johnson, on December 1st, 2013 | Comments are closed  I have been travelling along this road for far more years than I dare to think about. Often on a familiar route we start to ignore many of the familiar sights. I am sure I am no exception, and much on this road I am sure I have long since stopped seeing. The one thing that I know I almost always notice is this wonderful old signpost. It marks a point where I do often make a turn. But it is also on a straight part of the road, in trees, where I do also frequently drive past. I know I do notice it though.
Of late it has started to look rather neglected, and as you
Continue reading Are you at a crossroads?
By Peter Johnson, on November 25th, 2013 | Comments are closed I was staying away recently and as I am a fairly early riser I decided to have an early breakfast. My plans were to have a good walk after I had eaten as the light was breaking through. As you can see from the picture it was still misty and the dampness in the air made it feel as if I was walking under a damp cloak. It was not cold so I set off enjoying the freshness and also the contended feeling of the hot coffee starting to perk up my energy level.
On this morning as I walked near the forest I was suddenly aware of a very deep guttural sound, almost like a roar
Continue reading A good verbal pruning
By Peter Johnson, on November 23rd, 2013 | Comments are closed It is interesting how history is made – 50 years ago on 22 November 1963 President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas Texas. He was 46. After all these years we remember such events, even if we were not born or too small to understand the impact when they happened.
It was only a few months before (26 June 1963) that his speech ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ was made when visiting Berlin – whilst his words are credited as a turning point of the Cold War it was another 26 years before the Wall came down in November 1989. In his inaugural address on 20 January 1961 his words ‘Ask not what your country can do
Continue reading 50 Year Ago
By Peter Johnson, on November 20th, 2013 | Comments are closed I was staying at one of my Business Schools recently so after dinner I decided to go for a stroll in the grounds to stretch my legs, clear my mind and relax from a busy day.
I was pleased I did. As I strolled along at a fair old pace in the chill of the evening air, I was struck by the silence, the stillness, the serenity of the moment. So I stopped to listen and look. This picture is what I captured as I turned towards the building – just wonderful. It reminded me of the magic of learning, investing in myself and taking a little time out of a busy schedule to reflect.
The silence
Continue reading The night owl may well be wise!
By Peter Johnson, on November 7th, 2013 | Comments are closed I was walking along a beach on the east coast of England the other day, lost in my thoughts as I strode out. The wind was blowing strongly as the country was about to be lashed by an infrequent storm. I transpired that it was, for England, very windy causing electricity to be lost for 36 hour to over 20,000 homes and at various stages during the 24 hours nearly 1 million homes were without electricity for a while. Fortunately I live in a part of the world where we do have power, and any storm, such as this one, usually means the time when power is lost it is for a relatively short period of time.
Continue reading Where is your anchor point?
By Peter Johnson, on October 23rd, 2013 | Comments are closed I was in London a few days ago for some business meetings, and as it turned out, with delightful people, positive in their outlook and keen on business development. The time passed quickly as the conversations unravelled, and the range of subject matters covered was large.
I was keen to catch an earlier train than normal. I had a busy week, with much still to do, so I headed on my way in the mid-afternoon. Interestingly, I met a former client just as I started to head for a cab. We had a quick catch up conversation, agreeing to meet up a little later in the month. We have always got on well so know that a
Continue reading A chance encounter
By Peter Johnson, on October 14th, 2013 | Comments are closed I was afforded a ‘gift of time’ the other day when a scheduled meeting was postponed. At the time I was close to the refurbished St Pancras railway station, the home of the high-speed train service since 2009, after the move from Waterloo. It was the first time I had been to the station for many years, and certainly the first time I experienced the sight, first hand, after all the recent work had been completed.
It is an amazing sight too, and such a fantastic testament to the Victorian engineers and builders who created this masterpiece. I have recently been reading a book titled: How England Made The English, by Harry Mount, and it never ceases
Continue reading Gifts of time can be sky-blue!
By Peter Johnson, on October 10th, 2013 | Comments are closed This is a phrase that so annoys me! It assumes someone knows what my ‘box’ is, or that I know what someone else’s ‘box’ is. Sadly, it is part of the management speak that has crawled into use. I am not feeling that smug though, I am sure many clichés have become part of my vocabulary and I am no longer even aware, until someone taps me on my vocal shins.
I was running an intensive workshop for a client and when I surfaced into the light of the remaining day, I was struck by the picture you can see.
It may not be clear in the picture, but each parking space is protected by a post
Continue reading Thinking outside the box.
By Peter Johnson, on October 8th, 2013 | Comments are closed Well, this week 7 – 11 October is back awareness week. It also coincides with the launch of the new cover of my highly acclaimed book ‘Wave Goodbye To Back Pain’. In fact there are two books available.
These books are about the personal journey I took to recover from a major back problem. A problem from which one health care professional stated that I would never walk properly again. A consultant neurosurgeon stated that unless I changed my lifestyle I would be in a wheelchair at 50.
Well I did not have surgery, can walk properly and clearly I am not wheel chair bound – I’ll leave you to judge my age!
I chose to be
Continue reading Wave GoodBye To Back Pain
By Peter Johnson, on October 3rd, 2013 | Comments are closed
Trafalgar Square in London is the home of what is called the “4th Plinth” and it is where works of art are displayed for a period of time before being replaced with something new. In some of my past articles you may well have seen other such objects. At the time of writing there is a 4 metre tall blue cockerel standing on this plinth as proud as can be. Fortunately it does not have a voice – or does it?
The other three plinths have long standing monuments, and, as many people know, the Square is also world famous for the lions that are usually being climbed over by people form all corners of the
Continue reading Does The Blue Cockerel have a voice?
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