John's Blog

The day has finally arrived, and tonight, we fly off to Australia for four weeks. This trip was scheduled for early 2020, and then Covid hit. The flight was cancelled, and we received our money back. Then we waited and

Born in 1958 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Mark Cuban is an American entrepreneur and pop culture icon, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and star of the hit television show Shark Tank. However, things weren’t always so rosy for Cuban. He learned failure the

Sometimes things go well, and sometimes they don’t; we often don’t know how things will work out until we experience the reality. This week could have gone well, or it could have gone badly, and in all honesty, I didn’t know

Yesterday, I arranged for our settee to be picked up by the furniture company from which we originally purchased our suite. While the suite itself is beautiful, we noticed a slight sagging in the seat padding, prompting us to bring

Believing in yourself is incredibly important in life. If you think you can achieve something, you have a chance of succeeding. But if you don’t believe in yourself, success becomes very unlikely. Sylvester Stallone is a great example of someone who

Keanu Reeves is one of the finest actors in Hollywood, but it is very inspiring to read that his childhood was marred with incredible difficulties, yet he succeeded to an amazing level.  Against all the odds In 1964, the world welcomed Keanu

I came across this article about Helen Keller who was stricken with an illness at a very young age which robbed her of her sight and hearing. On the face of it, this was the end of the world but in

Born in 1809, Abraham Lincoln is famously known for being the 16th President of the United States. He was a champion of equal rights, and he blazed a trail towards the freedom of slaves in America.  But Lincoln didn’t start out

I came across this inspirational account of an American writer who had a tough upbringing, but he decided to focus on something every day until he had mastered it and it changed his life. Jack London chose to focus on

I had never heard of tennis player Carlos Alcaraz until 3 weeks ago when he became a world superstar beating arguably the best player in history Nowak Djokovic in the Wimbledon men’s tennis final. Watching him play in the first round

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on individuals, communities, and societies worldwide. It caused millions of infections and deaths, overwhelming healthcare systems and highlighting the importance of public health infrastructure. Lockdowns and restrictions led to economic downturns, job losses, and

During my 40-year career, I have experienced several episodes of complete burnout which had a profound effect on me and put me out of action for long periods of time. If you have never experienced burnout, then you are doing very

I found this short article in Word for Today recently and it resonated with me because I love to laugh, and now I know why. “Scientific studies reveal that people who laugh, live longer. Humour is a stress dissolver. It’s an

I came across this story of adversity and one person’s desire to overcome the challenges she faced to fulfil her dreams and it warmed my heart. Maya Long ago in a small village nestled in the heart of a lush green valley

I came across this article in Word for Today and it made me think about the way I handle fear. “Advice columnist Ann Landers received about ten thousand letters every month. When asked to name the most common problem in her

Julie and I had a wonderful holiday where I rested fully for the first time in 8 years. I thought that all the trips I had abroad were holidays, but they were in fact working trips. What amazed me on

I am writing this blog from the Algarve having enjoyed a fantastic holiday with my wife Julie. We fly back tomorrow refreshed and happy. If I can be honest with you this has been the first holiday I have had

I came across these wise words in Word for Today and it made me think back to the time I had a near-fatal car accident. A wise man once said ‘I saw that there is nothing better for people than to

I came across this information about Katy Perry which I found very interesting as it details her extremely difficult journey which eventually led to her worldwide success.  Born in 1984 in Santa Barbara, California, Katy Perry is an American singer and