Weaving reality and stories through social construction

In which I explore the notion that our reality and stories are socially constructed. Issue #109 of The Coach’s Notes Newsletter Happy summer solstice to you! Did you do anything special to celebrate the changing of the seasons? I was in Woking for the solstice, sitting through a two-day training course. I was on the […]

Pascal’s Wager: a dialogue

Pascal’s Wager is a philosophical argument put forward by the 17th century French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist Blaise Pascal. The argument is a pragmatic reasoning in favor of belief in God and is found in his posthumously published work Pensées. Clay: Monsieur Pascal, you are known for your philosophical wager on the existence of God. […]

Angles, possibilities, and paths

In which I journey down to London and ponder how to be an active participant in life without being consumed by it? Issue #108 of The Coach’s Notes Newsletter. In the cool, rumbling interior of a train making its way down to London, I find myself absorbed in introspection. The ambient sounds of coughs punctuating […]

Soul Surfing

You stare at your reflection in the mirror, searching for answers to the age-old question: “Who am I?” The face that stares back at you is familiar, yet somehow foreign. You study the lines etched into your skin, the colour of your eyes, the shape of your nose, as if these physical attributes hold the […]

Making a living

In which I take a walk and contemplate what it means to make a living in issue #107 of The Coach’s Notes newsletter. Henry David Thoreau, the celebrated American philosopher and transcendentalist, once inquired, “What, precisely, do people ‘make’ when they ‘make a living?’” This seemingly simple query presents a profound existential riddle. What, indeed, […]

The pleasures of doing nothing

The modern world, with its dizzying array of gizmos and gadgets, promises to make us more efficient than ever before. We have smart devices designed to expedite our chores, applications to manage our time, and a constant clamor for productivity. This rhetoric of efficiency is deeply ingrained in our societal DNA, relentlessly pushing us to […]

Gifts and Wounds

The human condition is an intricate tapestry, spun with threads of paradox. It is a saga that unfolds, amidst joys and despairs, a play where light coexists with shadows, and creation often originates from the womb of destruction. This grand theatre of existence beautifully brings to light an exquisite dichotomy, a dance of yin and […]

The Path to Excellence

Excellence is not just a goal to be pursued; it’s a way of life that we can cultivate in everything we do. It’s a promise to hold ourselves to the highest standards, to try to reach our full potential, and to keep improving our skills, abilities, and character. The path to excellence begins with a […]

We have a natural bias toward doing nothing

While the bias for inaction can help keep things stable and consistent in some situations, it can also get in the way of progress and change when they are needed. If you are aware of this bias and actively challenge it, you can look at possible changes more objectively and make better decisions. By doing […]