Paul Davy

I mentioned before that I am working through a self-development course. The latest exercise is an idea from Steven Covey’s ‘seven habits of highly effective people’. It’s the ‘start with the end in mind’ habit. You have to write your own obituary, which is a newspaper article summarising your life when you have gone. I decided to write a Eulogy instead. A eulogy is a speech that is delivered at your funeral summarising your life. I thought it would be useful to share with you.  Paul Alan Davy was born on the 3rd of September 1980. He died a couple of weeks ago on the 3rd September 2082. It was his 102nd birthday and he had just completed his 53rd skydive.  The story goes, for the first 50 years of his life, he was afraid of heights. So he decided to face this fear. On his 50th birthday, he did a skydive. The thrill, excitement and relief of punching through that wall of fear was profound. Paul decided to do a skydive on his birthday every year.  Some of you may know Paul...

I am currently reading a self-help book. The book recommends figuring out your strengths and using them. Not just working on your weaknesses. It also suggests knowing your personality. Taking the Myers Briggs and Big 5 personality tests. Finally, the book suggests looking to your past, specifically your childhood for information. This may be the biggest source for figuring who you are and who you want to be.  I remember doing a similar exercise and looking back to my childhood a few months ago. I think I had been chatting with my two eldest boys. I asked them what they wanted to do now and what they wanted to do in the future when they get older. I ask them this now and again and it keeps changing. A professional footballer. A professional rugby player. A gymnast. A writer. An actor. A rock star. An artist.   Then I remember one of them asking me, when I was a kid, what I wanted to be when I grew up?  Do you know what? I didn’t know. I had completely forgotten....

It’s the start of 2020 and there is the annual flurry of people setting goals and resolutions. Some want to get fitter and start back at the gym. Some want to get leaner. They cut back on the alcohol and chocolate. They are back to eating salads. Others aim to read more in 2020.  Most of us have these goals and go full steam in January. Within two weeks, you are so sore and tired from the gym, you stop going. You can manage ham and salad for most of January, you keep  changing the menu from February, but by June you are done. You start reading a chapter a night. Then half a chapter. Then five pages. But after a few weeks, you just fall asleep on the first page.  We all know some of the things we want to achieve. For most people, it’s health and fitness. We can start well, but we never seem to achieve the goal we set out to achieve.   How many of us take the goal seriously and set out a plan or system so that we can get there? Or do we just set out on our go...

This week is the first week back at work. Going back after two weeks holiday for the Christmas and New Years period.  There is a resistance to going back. Why? Because normal daily life is hard work, it takes effort. Getting up early. Working 9 to 5. Going to the gym. Then squeezing in cooking, cleaning and entertaining the kids. Then there is also a sense of relief to going back. Getting back into a normal routine, a schedule. Returning to eating and drinking normally, getting back into exercise. Getting out of the house and getting some fresh air. Why is there such a stark contrast between what we do outside the holidays and during the holidays? I can understand spending more time with family and friends. Celebrating life with drink and food. I can understand having a break to spend time reflecting on the past year. What went well, what didn’t go well. What were your successes and what were your lessons. I can understand spending time to reflect on what we want to achieve this ye...

Since July 2018 I have been following the Visionary Communication pathway. In Toastmasters (a public speaking and leadership group). It is a curriculum of speeches and projects. The pathway culminates in the development and launch of a long-term personal or professional vision. In my case, it was the launching of my own website and blog.    I was taking the time to look back over what I have learned during this period. Before I get into it, I would first like to tell you a story.    It starts with a cottage. An old stone English cottage in the countryside. It is a hot summers day. You can smell the sweet roses in the garden.    A white horse clip-clops through the garden being led by a hooded figure. The hooded figure can feel the horses hot breath and sweat in the air. The hooded figure turns and has s skeletal face. It is death and his horse Binky.    Death leads the horse round to the stables at the back of the cottage. At t...