Whilst listening to a recent episode of the Richer, Wiser, Happier podcast with Matthew Mclennan as the guest, he mentioned a quote from Seneca that made me pause and reflect:

“If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favourable.”

I had a moment of realisation recently that I’ve been putting more pressure on myself than necessary.

It’s been an intense period for work, which isn’t unusual in itself. If anything, I think it’s more down to the fact I’ve been on a sustained run without a break.

With the renewed tension in the Middle East, we’ve seen the return of familiar themes from the past few years. Rising costs, inflation risks, and the creeping sense that we may not be as far removed from it all as many had hoped. Most prominent in people’s minds is the immediate impact on fuel prices and the expected pass through into broader energy costs.

Every so often I’m stopped in the street by a fundraiser asking if I’d consider making a monthly donation to the charity they represent. It’s no doubt a situation most of us are familiar with. Sometimes you’re genuinely in too much of a rush to stop, however we’re often prone to avoiding fundraisers or suddenly finding great interest in our phone screens.

In today’s world, noise and distraction have become the norm, silence the novelty. You’re reading this on a phone or computer screen right now, but looking around you, how many other things are vying for your attention at this very second?

I sense that many of us face personal battles that sit under the surface, quietly running in the background of our lives day by day. They’re invisible from the outside looking in, with probably only a select few aware of your vulnerabilities and the challenges you’re carrying.

The pace of AI development continues to march forwards but at the same time the noise surrounding it is becoming increasingly tiring.

I spend a fair amount of time consuming financial news and, particularly during earnings season, the same familiar pattern repeats itself.

I was listening to a recent episode of Founders, where David Senra was covering The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. During the episode he referenced a quote attributed to Tom Sachs that particularly spoke to me:

“The reward for good work is more good work.”

We live in a world of contradictions. One such, is that many people say they want to succeed, grow and reach the highest levels professionally, personally, physically, or financially. Yet, at the same time few seem willing to accept that to achieve those outcomes you have to battle through hard work, pressure, effort, and sustained discomfort