From the Desk of Caspar
What’s Next? I’m Bored
I can’t think of many people who haven’t at some point reached a stage in life where you ask the question “What’s Next?”. The exact words might be I’m Bored, I need more excitement, I’m missing a purpose, I need a mission that excites me. The theme that runs through it all is that you’re craving more from life.
What do you do in those moments? How do you react?
I’ve just spent the past two days working with a amazing group of people asking exactly that question and sharing my toolkit on how do you write the story of your future, and equally importantly the tools on how to make that story into reality when you already lead a full and busy life with lots of other people and commitments to consider.
Over the past 3 years of running events like these, many new stories have been scripted and it’s beyond rewarding to hear stories of how successful careers have been forged, thriving businesses developed, lost and forgotten passions have been ignited and right at the core is spending more fulfilling and meaningful time with those who matter most to you.
The central point is that you are holding the pen. Today is literally the first day of the rest of your life. And you have a sheet of paper in front of you.
What’s the story you’d write?
And it’s not just for you. We all live and work with other people -it’s thinking about how we involve others around us in this too.
Tip: Imagine your future as a blank sheet of paper. What’s the bold story that you’d write for your future and those who matter most to you. Picking up a pen and thinking to the future could be one of the most fulfilling things you do today.
Missing Woman Mystery Solved
My friend Brian Millar shared this article and his comment on it. It’s too good not to share….
“We are all, in our own way, this woman.”
The British Exploring Society
"It has taught me to be the best version of myself"
This is just one of the many many stories and feedback that the British Exploring Society hears of how they are transforming the lives of young people through the power of expedition.
I’m incredibly proud to be part of this brilliant organisation that is changing the lives of young people - typically from disadvantaged backgrounds through the power of expedition and adventure.
Big shout out of thanks to my friend Conrad Humphreys who kindly agreed to come and share his experience of being on Channel 4’s TV program Mutiny as part of a fund raising evening.
Just love the opening line on their website:
In the Spotlight
"There is hardly a day goes by where I don’t think about something from either the book or the workshop!”
Three days ago, I was tagged in a post on Instagram with those words.
It was on the eve before my Thrive workshop and was written by Tim, a Brand Manager at a large automotive car dealer.
The post continued…
The first time I read this book in 2018 I was so inspired by the book that I researched the author and found he was running coaching workshops with his wife Nichola so booked myself on one.
So this review is from the second time of reading it. The sailing part makes up part 2 of the book however it was part 1 that really got me thinking.
Part 1 is how a chance conversation over lunch changed the path of this family’s life for ever!!
Caspar details how over a 5 year period the family all created a plan to travel the world for 2 years. How they created a mindset that made it happen, how they stepped out of their ‘normal’ life for 2 years and came back all the better for it.
As a parent I was interested to see that the children stepped out of the school system for 2 years but continued to learn more than enough to step back in 2 years later with enhanced knowledge of the world.
As someone who could be prone to procrastination it was a reminder that our lives are determined by our actions and our lives are not predetermined but are in fact a result of these actions ( E+R=O, Events happen. It’s how we React that dictates the Outcome)
As someone who coaches people and have been studying coaching for a while this book was the first book that has mentioned aligning our goals/intentions with our families.
Most coaching books focus solely on the individual however this can obviously cause family issues if the coachee’s goals are not aligned to the rest of their families.
To take a line from the book, ‘if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together’.
This is not just a travelogue, it’s a book that changed not just my life but my family’s too.
Be a Better Leader
Staying curious and always be learning
This week I arrived early at my speaking event for recruitment leaders, MembersOnly HQ - reinvent your imagination run by Simon Lewis.
Why arrive early? Firstly to tune into the room and the issues and the challenges that are going on in the industry and secondly to listen to the brilliant speakers both before and after me (Jamil Qureshi, Tom Morley and Jim Lawless).
Staying curious and always be learning is one of the 8 steps I share in my Keynote Talk, Charting Success 8 Steps to Navigating a Winning Team. It's the talk I shared with the Members Only audience today. The full 8 steps I covered were:
Write your Bold Story of the Future
Create a Culture of We, Not Me
Ingrain Growth Habits and Rituals (including learning)
Focus on the Biggest Impact
Build People - A Happy team is a fast team
Live Your Values
How to grow your team
How to create Belief
Thought for the Day
Would you rather be right or learn something?
“Caspar is the very first speaker I have ever seen who talks about work and family in the same breath. He understands and celebrates our differences, however as a great leader he understands how to pull them altogether into one entity driving towards one vision.”