Published in ILLUMINATION·PinnedMember-onlyAnnoying Little ‘Power Trips’ One of My Oldest Friends Uses to Keep the Status QuoAre you guilty of any? — One of my oldest friends, who I’ve known for over 30 years, I’ve realized uses some very clever techniques to maintain the balance of power in our friendship. He is very gregarious, a friend to everyone, and runs a very successful business. When we first met in our mid-20s, we…Power4 min readPower4 min read
Published in In Fitness And In Health·PinnedMember-onlyI Didn’t Expect This When I Started HIIT Training in JanuaryI joined so I could lose weight. — In the dim and distant past, pre-COVID years ( remember them?), I used to do karate twice a week and a 5k run every Saturday. But then. Well, we all know what happened. Two years later, after a house move as well, I was ready to take on some sort…Hiit4 min readHiit4 min read
Published in In Fitness And In Health·PinnedMember-onlyThe Worst Weight Loss Advice Ever for Fat Blokes Like MeYou won’t like it. I didn’t. — I'm at the stage in my life where I'm thinking, whatever I do to try and improve my physique, lose weight or do anything to get fit is pretty much an uphill struggle. My metabolism has come to a virtual standstill and all I need to do is have a…Weight Loss3 min readWeight Loss3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Jan 14Member-onlyThe Biggest Shock I Got From My Writing Last YearI wasn’t expecting this — Before we start, I need to lay a few things out on the table. I’m not a hugely prolific writer. I have NEVER had an article go ‘viral’. I write about things that interest me and I have other, non-writing, income streams that put food on the table. But… I…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Dec 16, 2022Member-onlyComments Like This is Why FB Needs a Health WarningHow would you react? — The other day I was scrolling through my FB feed and saw that a friend of mine had posted a meme that said; “There are many days when you should not drink wine. Today is not one of them” Nice. Innocent enough and pretty amusing. …Facebook3 min readFacebook3 min read
Dec 9, 2022Member-onlyA Plea to Screenwriters. “Please Stop Buggering About with Classic Novels”Why do you do it? Don’t mess about with a classic. — Many years ago, I read a couple of books that have resonated with me to this very day. The first, and one that I still read from time to time, a charming masterpiece and a masterclass in concise writing is ‘Goodbye Mr Chips’, one of the most beautifully written books…Film3 min readFilm3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Nov 24, 2022Member-onlyNine Sh*t Things About Being over 60Just so you can be prepared — I fall into the above category, only by a couple of years and I’d like to share with what I consider to be the, predominantly, young readers on this platform some of the shit things you have to look forward to when you reach this milestone. You get injured very easily If, like me, you…Old Age3 min readOld Age3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Nov 18, 2022Member-onlyObstacles I Overcame to Achieve My DreamIt wasn’t a good start, but I had one thing in my favour, ‘determination’ — “You might as well get yourself down to the Job Centre tomorrow.” Those were my dad’s words of advice when I gave my parents the news that I’d passed 3 out of a possible 8 ‘O’ levels when I left school. …Goals4 min readGoals4 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Nov 9, 2022Member-only4 Simple Strategies You Can Use from Today to Defeat Negative Self-TalkMost of us will suffer at some point. You don’t have to. — “Tell us the value of ‘X’” I didn’t know the value of X. I didn’t have a clue. It wasn’t even my class. I’d been sent to Mr Clarke’s class to get some exercise books and he’d ambushed me. “What’s the value of ‘X’?” I didn’t know and this piece…Self Talk4 min readSelf Talk4 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Nov 4, 2022Member-only4 Really Simple Reasons Why We Ignore Good AdviceWe all know what to do. Why do we choose not to do it? — How many times have you read articles about how to; Lose weight Get fitter Write better headlines Write better articles Improve some aspect of your life Come on. Hands up. Yes, ALL of us. I had a little scan through my ‘saved articles’ file here on Medium and about 80%…How To3 min readHow To3 min read
