If you think of platforms like Google, Facebook, Slack, and Wikipedia and the ways in which they have made the world so much more productive, collaborative and knowledgeable, it seems a shame that we have not used any of the lessons inherent within them to improve our societies. Our democracies are archaic. Really archaic. I […]
And then what?
By November 11, 2015 7 Comments
Some people know why they do what they do, and others don’t know. There are very few who know what their plan in life is, for after they have done what they are doing. When you eventually retire, or the kids leave home, or you’ve got that promotion, or sold that business – ask yourself: […]
Build Peaks – Don’t Fill Troughs
By August 13, 2014 5 Comments
There is no ‘one size fits all’ way to do things. I see so many people trying to be someone they are not. There is this belief out there that things should be hard; should be a struggle and you ‘should’ be a certain way. I don’t really buy it. Any struggle provides information that […]
The 4th R
By August 6, 2014 18 Comments
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Viktor E. Frankl If ever there were a quote that highlighted one of the main opportunities for growth in every human being, it is this one. Because […]
The Self-directed Life
By May 21, 2014 20 Comments
My wife and I have just come back from visiting an outlier education facility called North Star Teens, in Hadley, Massachusetts. They are early pioneers in supporting young people to adopt a self-directed approach to learning. It is really amazing to see how these young people are thriving in ways that most normal young people […]
Moving from Economy to Lifeonomy
By April 30, 2014 10 Comments
I recently gave a talk to 100 people and asked them about to think about whether or not they would have any deathbed regrets. I also shared some recent research on the 5 most common deathbed regrets. They were as follows: 1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, […]
Why We Are All Going Back to School
By March 12, 2014 32 Comments
I look at my almost 3 year old son and I see that he is already where he needs to be. For him, everything is fantastic! He lives in the moment, has no problem being himself, doesn’t care what anyone thinks, and he will try anything. The bottom line is – he loves life. Forget […]
The 1 thing I wish I had learnt before I started
By March 5, 2014 12 Comments
I often get asked, “What’s the best piece advice for those starting out?”. Usually I am not one for looking backwards. I am not one for regrets. I occasionally reflect on the past, but only to learn and move forwards. If I was leaving school or university right now, what would I say to steer […]
The Road Less Travelled
By January 21, 2014 27 Comments
I took a group of 11 blog readers on a secret adventure earlier this month, as an experiment in self-exploration. It was an adventure that had fear and uncertainty at its very heart. They were asked to turn up to an airport with their passports, and that was pretty much all they knew. They had […]
The 4 Minute Mile
By October 9, 2013 9 Comments
In the last week I have spent time at some remarkable outlier education institutions: Singularity University, Uncollege and School of Communication Arts 2.0. They are all defying conventional wisdom yet delivering far, far more than conventional providers. They are all part of my continuing research to explore the edges of human potential with a view […]