Pressure

Right here we go, and don't worry it gets easier....Pressure is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed... Well, that's the start of the technical definition anyway. We all know what it feels like to be under pressure, use it to motivate someone to action, or see our doctor smile when our blood readings are AOK. But what happens when that pressure is changed suddenly ? What are its impacts? And how can we use it?

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Storms of Reflection

Machiavelli first said, "Never waste the opportunity offered by a good crisis." In the modern era, this sentiment has been wrongfully attributed to Winston Churchill and used by politicians and leaders worldwide to spur us to action on the intransigent. Popularised in this century by Rahm Emanuel, chief of staff to former US president Barack Obama, it sentiments remain valid today. On June 9 of 2021, my part of the world was rocked by storms causing damage not seen before. During its aftermath, I reflected on our reactions to a crisis and what we may learn that we may find helpful in the next one. There will always be another crisis to navigate.

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The Power of The White Coat

A visit to the dentist is never the same after seeing the 1976 movie classic Marathon Man. The famous torture scene, in the dentist chair, with Laurence Olivier playing the Nazi war criminal Szell, leaves your next visit to the dentist even less appealing. If you are afraid of dentists, I suggest you don’t watch it. You may never go again. Yet for me a very powerful image was able to reduce my pain and bring me comfort.

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Three Fundamentals

Interviewers have numerous techniques for getting the guests to talk, and it begins with how they ask questions. One trick they learn is to refrain from asking questions that only require a yes/no response; they end up where they started with no conversation and the risk of "dead air". Hence a prepared interviewer will avoid this at all costs. One of their most common techniques is to ask the list type question. What music would you take to a desert island? Top three books you read this year? And on it goes…

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Considered Trust

Trust is one of the essential foundations of human society. It holds families and worlds together, and when broken, disaster follows. Families can fall about, and countries can go to war. We often see trust as a black and white concept. We can either trust or not but perhaps considered trust is a mature option. Something to ponder...

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Thoughts To Ponder

On a recent podcast, Prof Yuval Noah Harari discussed the concept of boredom and how we avoid it at all costs and yet it can be one of the most valuable experiences. To have time to wander around topics of interest without looking for a particular answer or end game - can lead to creating space in our minds to discover the new.

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