Burning the Bush, Indigenous Style
As we burn our way through the start of summer, there are some controlled burning techniques that are halting the expansion of fast, hot and destructive bushfires across our majestic landscape. Indigenous folks have been re-igniting (pun intended) ancient fire burning methods to protect the countryside before a bushfire starts, but also helping the earth […]
The Real Root of Addiction
We’re all one event away from being down the road to a serious addiction. And in reality, we are all addicts, it’s just some use socially acceptable methods, whilst others find peace through frowned upon means. Most of us have some vice we are drawn to in moments of tension or stress. For some, it’ll […]
2018, You Were Pretty Good.
It’s strange how holidays just seem to fly by. And it’s happened again. In just a few days I’ll be heading back to work to embark on another year. First, though, I like to reflect on what’s happened and glean the lessons that have been most helpful from 2018.* The year started with my one-word […]
Taking steps toward a more culturally informed Australia
All is not as it seems for our Aboriginal people. Recently, I’ve been confronted by my own racist tendencies and apprehension towards Australia’s Indigenous people. I would never have called myself racist by any stretch, but being honest, that’s exactly what I’ve been. I was listening to this podcast on race and it reminded me […]
Where to for Wide Open Coaching?
Recently, I was listening to a podcast about failure. The discussion was about how as we get older failure becomes more unacceptable. Like, there is some subtle suggestion that whatever we try we must succeed at. And yet as kids grow up, we expect there to be times of trial and error, taking a chance […]
Write Your Way to Healing
I don’t know what it is, but I know no other way to heal from traumatic events, painful situations or things that piss us off than to write the pain away. Talking it out is great and it helps, but nothing takes the place of entering into the most vulnerable place: our personal story of […]
My New Favourite Podcast
I drive around a lot, which means I have stacks of time to waste invest. Podcasts are my go to, followed by silence and then chatting with people on the phone. Over time though, my podcast library has become a little stale. Until now. Friends, do yourself a favour and listen to Fun Therapy. It’s […]
2017: My Year in Review
It’s time for my annual look in the rear vision mirror. It’s been a really strange kind of year. Why? Because I’ve ended up in a place I did not anticipate January 1, 2017. Am I content with where I’m at? Yes, absolutely. And therein lies something profound. You see I set all sorts of […]
Feeling Lost and Changing Things Up
You know that feeling of being lost? Maybe you’ve felt it out bushwalking or wandering around a large shopping mall. Or maybe even driving in a city without any GPS. It’s not a nice feeling. It’s very easy for the thrill of the adventure to be overcome with an increased heart rate, sweaty palms and […]
The Sphere of Support that Helps Me Keep it All Together
I’m part of an email support group for coaches and other professionals. In it the question was asked: In your private practice and business, how have you found a way to manage your own personal professional supervision? Do you employ a private spiritual director/professional supervisor/psychologist/business coach? This was my reply:
Jamie Oliver on Dyslexia, Education, Purpose and More
I came across this cool interview with Jamie Oliver who has dyslexia, where he shares his thoughts about education, dyslexia and more. Take a look. It’s really inspiring and removes the stigma that is often attached with learning difficulties.
Feeling crappy? It may be HALT
I’m tired. And when I’m tired my mind starts playing tricks on me. Maybe yours does too. For me, I start thinking the worst. I become negative. I get lazy and lethargic. Instead of seeing the possible I see the impossible. Everything around me seems really hard, tough and like the world is against me.
Happiness is a Lousy Goal
All around us, happiness seems to be the pinnacle of all human experience. Everywhere you look, there is a not-so-subtle message toward personal happiness, career success, personal freedom and other ethereal marks that round-off the whole point of our existence. But seriously, since when was being happy the goal?
The Crisis Literally Destroying Our Future
Nearly 1 in 4 Australian teenagers meet the criteria for having a “probable serious mental illness”, a joint report from Mission Australia and the Black Dog Institute has found. via ABC. Read that again. Let it sink in for a moment. 1 in 4 Aussie teens is likely to have a serious mental illness.
The Magic Found by Reading Memoirs
I’ve been getting into some memoirs and autobiographies of late. Mostly footy ones, but there is something about reading another person’s story that instantly brings connection. It’s especially interesting when you read the story of someone who is maligned in their public life. The persona they (or the media) portray often gives way to the […]
The Taboo Topics of the Easter Story
Of all the public holidays we get and the religious celebrations our culture participates in, Easter would be my favourite. Not just for the fact that we get four days off, but it forces me to stop and reflect. Life just goes slow for four days, and there isn’t the huge build up that Christmas […]
Accepted into the SAYES Program. Boom!
Running a business can be hard. Starting a business from scratch is even harder. At least that’s what I’ve found. Wide Open has been my baby for a while now and it’s given me some sleepless nights indeed. Like parenting a newborn, a bit of guidance from people who know what they are doing is […]
The Real Reason You Share Those Pithy Motivational Quotes
The pressure is real. To keep pace with the person next door. To follow the latest marketing trend. To use the best tools out there if we want to stay relevant. The old adage of ‘keeping up with the Jones’s’ is more real today than ever before! I’ve fallen to this sin more than once. […]
A 2 Minute Tip For Christians Following the Bible Society Coopers Fiasco
I’ll keep this short and brief… Instead of trying to change society through strategic partnerships, one line bible verses on beer and light conversations on heavy topics, try this: Love your neighbour. …in private. With no cameras and no fanfare. Just simple acts of love gifted toward the individuals and families in your midst.
The Vision That Grows Through Crappy Days in Business
Building a business is hard. It tests areas of your life you didn’t even know existed, not to mention areas that could unravel. I’ve never really dealt well with a challenge. I’ve detailed this before. But starting a business has amplified every impulse within me to simply give up and shrink back.
Ditching the Stats on my Website
Last week I turned off the stats for my website. It had become an addiction, whereby I’d check them up to a dozen times a day! In any given moment of free time, I’d quickly open the WordPress app and do a quick check to see if the right pages had been visited and if […]
My One Word for 2017: Brave
I ditched resolutions a long time ago. Instead, I’ve been following the one-word idea whereby you choose a word or phrase that will guide your year. I’ve been doing this for five years now and have found it to be helpful in creating a mega-theme for the year. In the past I’ve chosen: Character (2012), Self-Belief (2013), Progress […]
Instead, Create a New Year’s Revolution
It’s that time of year where we set in place our resolutions and the general direction for the year ahead. This morning I went live on Facebook to chat about such resolutions and offer an alternative. You see, most resolutions are dead in the water by about the end of the first month. Yet the beginning of a […]
Embrace Change, Or Be Dragged Kicking and Screaming
Some people promote and seek out change for the sake of it, others go after it to achieve a vision in their mind. Still others will oppose change at every turn. The thing these folks who hate change fail to recognise is that changing our situation, circumstance and surroundings is the only thing we really have control over.
How to Deal With a Less Than Perfect Day
We have sh***y days don’t we. Days when nothing seems to go well and we end up wandering what the point of it was. Today was one of those days for me. The problem started early when I pressed snoozed no more than three times. That meant I not only missed my morning walk (which is the activity that […]