I am a Quaker and I recently attended a spiritual weekend retreat at Ammerdown. The topic was re-looking at the Bible to see whether it had any relevance for today, and specifically for Quakers today. There has been in recent times an increasingly secularist approach to religion whereby religion – in many areas – hasContinue reading “Making meaning”
Category Archives: Weblogs
Motivation and the Bruges Group
I was invited to give a talk on motivation and the European Union at the Bruge Group’s annual conference this year at the Great Hall in King’s College, London. It was for me an unexpectedly lively debate – and I met some great people and learnt a lot of new stuff. I say ‘new’, butContinue reading “Motivation and the Bruges Group”
What we want
There is in all of us basic needs and drives that work at all times but which we are mostly completely unaware of. We are so conditioned to thinking that our conscious mind represents what we are ‘thinking’ that we fail to see how what we are doing can often bear little relationship to ourContinue reading “What we want”
The mine of darkness
Dante’s Divine Comedy starts: Along the journey of our life half way/ I found myself again in a dark wood … And this leads him on to the entrance to a place where the motto above the gate is, Abandon All Hope You Who Enter Here. [Peter Dale’s – my favourite translation].That place, of course,Continue reading “The mine of darkness”
Bad things happen and turn out nice again!
I met a great guy at a networking event recently – let’s call him Q to retain anonymity. We started talking and I said, “Your accent – I can’t quite place it.” “Rhodesian,” he said. “Right,” I replied. “That’s not a word I’ve heard in a long time. How long have you been here?” “AboutContinue reading “Bad things happen and turn out nice again!”
Education, education, education
That was the rallying cry of New Labour; you could say the one thing on which they must be judged; after all, it would be simply unfair to judge them on their transport performance as Prescott was in charge. No, education was firmly what it was all about – build the future through the education ofContinue reading “Education, education, education”
Teaching the law of unintended consequences
Perhaps the most terrifying law in the universe is the law of unintended consequences; this is far worse than anything gravity could do. Why? Because it is a law with an unpredictable outcome, and human beings hate uncertainty. In fact most of our activities are directed towards creating certainty. How frustrating, then, when what weContinue reading “Teaching the law of unintended consequences”
Making books
I have just had a new book published, "Insight" (http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/insight/12809764), which I am really pleased with. My friend Susan Rice-Lincoln is partially responsible since she gave me the idea – simple really, but not obvious till you get it. She said, ‘re-purpose’ your materials. What? Re-purpose your materials; make them work harder; re-use them in aContinue reading “Making books”
Music and motivation
There is a wonderful book, published some years ago, called the Music of the Mind, which was written by Darryl Reanney and published posthumously. Reanney was a distinguished biologist and his previous book, The Death of Forever, was a bestseller. Why is he important? Because as a scientist he increasingly came to see that evenContinue reading “Music and motivation”
What’s wrong with the world?
If we ask the big question, What’s wrong with the World? We may come up with answers like – Greed, Power, Corruption or, looking at it from the other end of the spectrum, Poverty, Ignorance, Crime. The World is a difficult place. Wherever we are we have a duty to try to make the WorldContinue reading “What’s wrong with the world?”
The Mapping Motivation Series 