Inspiration...

I was at a work event the other week and we needed to bring a peice of art that we identify or means something to us.

I chose the picture above...

For me it is so special, and I can remember the exact moment when a friend gave it to me as a reminder that although a room may seem grey and lifeless, you can always paint it with your own unique colours.

The power of change, of living and embracing who you really are is captured for me in this one image so simply, yet so powerfully.

Tampa, Florida...

the only photos I have...!

Time is the enemy, learning is the friend.

It really is true that time is my worst enemy at the moment - things have continued to move at a rapid pace in my life. It seems that I start on Monday and before I know it I am at the Friday drinks, and the weekend plans whisk into place... leaving little or no 'me' time to stop, sit, reflect, imagine and just simply relax.

But this can only last so long - and tonight I am tucked up in my bed with candles burning, musicals playing, and creating time for reflection and writing.

It feels good.
It feels needed.
It feels rejuvenating.

But where to start?

Probably with my trip to Florida last week. It was absolutely awesome!!! To say I was looking forward to it would be a definate understatement. I had practically been counting down to this work event since March this year when I was asked to prepare and attend the conference. The event was totally in line with what I want and need from this stage of my life - it was a thought leaders retreat for the top 50 HR thinkers in the world - talking on the topic of leadership succession in a changing world.

The event was amazing for me personally, but for many unexpected reasons. I guess growing up in AIESEC, we build a strong concept of what it means to be a leading edge thinker - and the standards and bar is set at an extremely high level. For me, this notion of thought leaders framed many of my assumptions - namely, that the speakers talking at the retreat would be putting forward some pretty radical and futuristic ideas forward to a group of esteemed global thinkers. To be asked to attend with our speaker from ABN AMRO was for me a very big deal.

What I discovered though was that my ideal was too high a level - meaning, that most of the speakers that spoke did not wow me with their thoughts or revelations at the event. Instead, I was initially quite surprised at the level of commentary. And I am not saying that there were no amazing speakers - indeed there were some shiny stones amidst the rubble but the learning was more from the audience asking the meaningful questions; than the presentations per se.

Personally, this gave me an áha' moment - the leading edge thinkers I know around me are not only about to stand out in the feild of academics and business people; but that I can get more value from these dialogues than I can necessarily from such events. Not that these events do not add value - they definately trigger thoughts and thinking in new ways. But what I realised was the power of the network around me, and looking closer to home for the intellectual challenge I crave.