I’ve been doing a course over the last 3 months and I want to share with you some of my learnings that I think will be as invaluable to others as they have been to me. The course is structured to promote self-reflection, disrupt old thinking, and then promote resourcefulness to drive new purpose and fulfillment; a strip down, rebuild, and performance tuning enhancement for the mind and soul, if you like. I’m very confident you will get something beneficial from reading and digesting what I’ve summarised.

Below is an (extremely condensed) list of my main learnings and subsequently a list of the invaluable and inspiring course material which I would seriously encourage everyone to access and absorb. If you’d like to discuss anything in more detail (this only scratches the surface) please do get in touch.

Also please read the charity bit at the end!

My Biggest Learnings:

1. Aim to welcome failure as it’s the fastest way to learn; embrace relative imperfection, stop agonising over every last minutiae, and then enjoy a disproportionately beneficial gain in productivity and enjoyment from each task you do.

2. Don’t under estimate the importance of sleep for our physical and mental well-being; of all the sleep tips, focus on allowing yourself enough time to sleep = a sleep opportunity of at least 8 hours each night.

3. Understand the importance of Emotional Intelligence – how you relate to others and yourself, and how important this is in self-fulfillment.

4. Have a mindset of responsible initiative – present solutions, not problems, and have a “can-do” attitude to make the right things happen.

5. Be assertive yet respectful for win : win outcomes

6. Be aware of common time wasters and then recognise and learn how to avoid your own Achilles’ heel, be it: procrastination / disorganisation / not prioritising / estimating time poorly / too willing to help others / interruptions / not anticipating problems / being impulsive / unable to say no / losing track

7. Character development is as important as intellectual development: Thoughts become words, Words become actions, Actions become habits, Habits become character, Character becomes destiny.

8. Take a moment, focus your attention, and ask yourself: is what I’m about to do a reflection of who I am and what I want to be, and will it portray me in line with how I want to be perceived by others?

9. The 5 second rule: There is a 5 second window between forming an idea and the brain kicking in and disrupting it. When you have a rational idea, count down from 5 then enact it straight away. Try this for something as simple as when you’re struggling to get out of bed in the morning. Prepare to be invigorated. See also JFDI.

10. Recognise that ‘human’ skills are just as important as knowledge, the 5 key skills being Curiosity, Creativity, Initiative, Multi-Disciplinary Thinking, Empathy.

11. Aim to have a growth mindset. Every time we go out of our comfort zone our brain neurons can from new stronger connections which offer huge potential for growth and development.

12. Consider an average human life expectancy of 30,000 days and now calculate how many days you might have left. Focus on and cultivate character and crystallise your sense of purpose. A sense of purpose can have extraordinary benefits in reducing stress.

13. A capacity of a leader is to not doubt the ability of their followers to believe in their dream.

14. Frequently pause and release yourself from thinking about every step along the way; instead consider a bird’s eye overview – imagine flying effortlessly over all those fences we face and try to maintain a perspective about the whole journey.

15. When faced with a task you’re less comfortable with, try to envisage the and picture the positive outcome you desire, then work backwards from there.

16. Never say anything you would regret if it were the last thing you said to someone.

17. Consider the impact you have on people around you – do you make them smile, do you make their eyes shine – that’s a good measure of success.

The Course has the United Nations’ 17 Sustainability Goals in its background. We were instructed to choose 1 of these goals that resonates with us and donate to a specific charity that ties in with that goal. I have chosen UN SDG Goal 3 – Human Health and Well Being,
and on the back of that, my chosen charity is MIND - Providing advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.

If you think any of the summarised learnings will make a difference to your life on a daily basis, please consider a donation to MIND via this page. Even better though - please forward the link to anyone you think might benefit.

Thank you.

Key Course Material

(If you have time for nothing else, I highly recommend the videos).


1.    Blackbox Thinking by Matthew Syed (Book)

2.    Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker (Book)

3.    Pioneering Professional by Derek Biddle & Ali Stewart (Book)

4.    Science of Character by Tiffany Schlain (YouTube Video)

5.    How to Make Better Life Decisions in 5 Seconds by Mel Robbins (YouTube Video)

6.    The Adaptable Mind by Tiffany Schlain (YouTube Video)

7.    The Power of Believing you Can Improve by Carol Dwerk (TED Talk Video)

8.    30,000 Days – Living Life with Meaning and Purpose by Tiffany Schlain (YouTube Video)

9.    The Transformative Power of Classical Music by Benjamin Zander (Ted Talk Video)

10.    Johari Window / Nohari Window (Psychology Exercise)