The penny has dropped

As the working year closes and my thoughts turn to 2010 the penny has finally dropped. I've worried for too long about what others might think or expect. I've wondered how to separate what others might consider 'work blogs' from 'personal blogs' and have realised that what I'm looking for doesn't exist.

In tomorrow's world there will be no distinction between work and life so why try to create one here? As we move from materialism to a new order of things, people and shared experiences will be what we seek and value. No longer will we work hard to buy things to 'enjoy' on our own. We will rediscover a simpler life and learn to be ourselves.

A while ago I blogged about a local bureaucrat who sat through a meeting disagreeing with everything, only to say as he left that personally he was in favour. In other words he had chosen to ignore his own instinct and judgement to toe the party line - or what he saw as the party line. These attitudes can start wars!

So - from here on in I am going to be a wysisyg man. No separation between what I feel and what I do. No compromising of my values to suck up to my clients. I'm simply going to be me and stick to what I feel is right. That said, I'm going to invite challenge and debate as views and standpoints need to be challenged.

So -more blogs in 2010 and more reaching out for feedback.

Nice bogs, shame about the frontage

I had lunch at a really nice seaside hotel today. Good food, attentive staff, tasteful decor and really posh toilets. The problem was the first impression you gain as you walk across the car park.

The front windows were rotting with leads poked through for the sparkly Christmas trees in the car park. There were rusty grab handles for older customers to haul themselves up the steps, weeds, fag-ends and a generally neglected feel to the front of the building. Only when you walk inside do you see where the owners have invested their money.

Of course I'd far prefer to have a crap frontage and nice hotel than a crap hotel that looks good from outside. The trouble is though, that had I not been meeting someone there, I'd not have ventured through the front door. It really looked grim from outside!

You're never over the hill

Did you see the repeat of Thora Hird's performance in Bennett's 'Talking Heads' on BBC TV at the weekend?

It was am amazing performance that touches you today just as it did when first broadcast a decade ago. Dame Thora Hird was 87 when she made the film and many would say it was her finest performance - in fact it won her a second BAFTA.

In a world where most would have chosen to use a younger actress to play and old lady, using make up to add the years, Bennett chose to use an old lady with talent and a proven track record. He was clearly right.

Are you ageist? Even unwittingly? Think about it - some of those too often overlooked and ignored have lots more to offer.