I haven’t published an article for over 4 months. I had been neglecting my novel and decided to focus on finishing the second draft. Outside of work and my morning pages, the only writing that’s received my attention has been my novel. I finished the second draft on the 25th of February and since then…
My Father’s Work – A 990 word short story
I only ever knew my mother and father as older people. My parents had me late in their lives. My siblings had all left home by the time I was born. My father’s name was Federico Ricardo Neftali Garcia Basoalto and he was responsible for keeping our town free of bloodthirst and savagery. I was…
Are you doing it?
By doing it, the thing that you dream of doing, you give yourself a huge competitive advantage at succeeding at it. Since the age of six I wanted to write. My favourite assignments at school were creative writing exercises. Not that I did all that well; I tried to impress my teachers with how clever…
How the Hyena got its Markings – an African Fairy Tale
“Here we are, the swimming pool. We will have tea here, before we go back to the lodge, yes?” Thabo does that, turns everything he says into a question. “Can we swim, Thabo?” I ask. “Ms Emily. This might not look like your swimming pool at home, but this is an African swimming pool, so…
School mathematics almost ruined my business
“The best thing about maths is that there is only one right answer. There’s no ambiguity. You are either right or you are wrong.” That’s my mother talking to me after I told her I loved maths back in 1982. My love for maths waned in my teens, but my mother’s insight stuck. I also…
3 pieces of advice from the only person I ever considered a mentor
The ad agency was in trouble. Morale was low, our creative product sucked, and our clients were bullying us into making some really crap ads. We just didn’t seem to be able to do anything right. It’s not like we didn’t have creative or strategic talent. We did. We lacked the leadership to stand up…
What do Agatha Christie, social media and advertising have in common and what can they teach us about our emotional needs?
I recently re-read Agatha Christie’s ‘And then there were None’. The book has sold over 100 million copies since it was first printed in 1939. Only 5 other works of fiction share this accolade, and if you want to know which books they are, knock yourself out. So, why did the book do so well?…
Businesses have forgotten how to win
I was in a fist fight once. I was fighting Greg. Greg was bigger than me. But I was tougher, at least, that’s what I thought. I was confident I’d win the fight. Greg and met in the common room of our boarding house. It was late, after lights out. It was winter. We circled…
Check for teeth before deciding not to throw the baby out with the bath water
I drive to work most days. I always take the same route. On my commute I listen to audio books and don’t concentrate much on the road or the traffic. I’m on autopilot for most of the way. Everything is muscle memory. My brain is so used to the drive that it has decided my…
It is never too late
He was born into slavery in Alabama. There’s uncertainty around the date, but 1853 is the date the experts feel is most accurate. He says his mother told him he was born on the 1st of April. Again, the experts here felt that it was most likely April, somewhere at the start of spring, but…