Let go or be dragged…
Rosemary and I are going through an interesting experience. A year ago we decided to “right size” and signed up for a new, significantly smaller home which is currently being built. It is well under way and we are probably about 4 months from move in date (and my, builders are evasive if you try and pin them down to a date. Don’t misunderstand me, they have been wonderful in every other way, but what started as “perhaps by Christmas 2025” is now “probably by the second quarter of 2026”.) Our new home will be about half the size of our present one and...
Read MoreRemembering who you are… 5 Reminders for the New Year
Apparently 88% of people break their New Year resolutions within 2 weeks and only 8% are following them at the year end. Given that most say they will achieve things without having thought through a realistic plan, that’s not too surprising. We often set ourselves up to fail by making improbable pledges that are hard to implement. When we assure ourselves that we will go to the gym every day, we are sabotaging our likelihood of success because once a day is missed, the goal can’t be met, so after a missed day or two, why not give up altogether? One insight I have found helpful is...
Read MoreReflections on Transitioning to Retirement: 5 Years On… (Part 2)
My first post on my journey towards retirement focused on what I have been doing in the 5 years since I completed my 17 year stint as principal of Vose Seminary. I worked with the philosophy that an abrupt change from the 60 hour working week of that era to a shattering zero would be unwise, and I’ve now moved to a hopefully long term sustainable 35-40 hour work week. I should probably add that whereas my 60 hour week often involved dealing with stressful situations, I’ve been moving away from stress. There is not none (and would you really want a totally stress free existence?),...
Read MoreReflections on Transitioning to Retirement: 5 Years On… (Part 1)
This is a more personal post as I reflect on the 5 years that have raced away since I finished my time as Principal of Vose Seminary… At the end of 2020 – now 5 years ago – I stepped away from 17 years as principal of Vose Seminary and embarked on a journey of transitioning to retirement. During the Vose era my working week was rarely less than 60 hours, so I thought if I aimed at a 40 hour working week it would feel like a significant and helpful adjustment – and I was right. You can feel quite tranquil when you work the same number of hours as most of the...
Read MoreRefresh: Not such a silent night…
With Christmas 2025 almost upon us, I was struck by how relevant my Christmas 2022 post was. Truly, the more things change, the more they remain the same… Hope this Refresh post from 3 years ago helps orientate you to some deeper truths this Christmas. Refresh: Not such a silent night… Back in the 1990’s I was part of a tour which started in Egypt and finished in Israel. Naturally a visit to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was part of the agenda. I had high hopes for the time, and imagined myself bowing the knee at the Grotto Cave where it is thought Jesus was born. Like...
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