Sid Shares #17SidShares

Hi All!

Here is my November monthly dose of “Sid Shares.” A list of what I’m enjoying and exploring. (The picture above is of Freddie (4) and Beatrice (2) exploring the joys of reading and learning.) Many thanks Dorling Kindersley @dkbooks for your wonderful encyclopedias. We LOVE them - especially the dinosaur, animals, space and planet ones.

I'm dedicating November to 'Possibilities'. The only barriers, obstacles and limitations are placed there by ourselves. When I think of my young children and their curiosity, creativity and want to do things it reminds me of what is possible. The more I live, the more I'm realising that none of us truly knows what we're capable of.

October delivered some wonderfully wet weather and the odd glimpse of some sunshine. It's definitely getting colder here in Wales and getting harder to find the motivation for outdoor exercise (especially the wild swimming). But out I go most mornings and never regret it. It reminds of a quote I came across "Be stronger than your excuses”. It's not attributed to anyone and recently I was listening to a podcast from Tim Ferriss and Seth Godin called 'The Game of Life, The Value of Hacks, and Overcoming Anxiety (#476)'. I'm a fan of both of these inspirational men and this podcast highlights the need to make the right choices for yourself, without excuses. So often we talk ourselves (and often others do it for us) out of doing things and believing we cannot do them. It explores creativity and although it's long (1 hour 44 mins) it is brilliant. I loved Seth's exploration of 'What you would do if you knew you would fail?' Very insightful. 

What that podcast did was remind me of how far I've come, personally and professionally, especially in the last 12 months. I don't know about you, but I rarely reflect on my achievements, which seems silly as it's always good to do so. If I think back even just 6 months ago so much has changed. I recently wrote an article for Working Dads called 'Working dads and lockdown'. It's an honest insight into some of the challenges I've faced and come through. One thing I now do is start every 'DO' list (I changed it from 'To Do' as there's no 'To', it's just 'DO') with 'Recognise How Far I've Come'. It's a salute to my achievements and a reminder to what I'm capable of too. Try it now and think of all the amazing things you've done :)

I've recently started a podcast called 'Just Meee'. I love listening to podcasts and have always wanted to do one that celebrates the amazing achievements of everyday people (that's all of us). We’re all celebrities in our own worlds and I've met so many amazing people that I wanted to celebrate who they are. If you are interested in joining me to do one (they're just 30 minutes long), or know of anyone whose story is worth sharing please let me know sid@meee.global.

I often find myself reading something interesting when I wake up and really enjoyed this from Harvard Business Review called 'Don’t Let Uncertainty Paralyze You'. It talks about 'unproductive uncertainty' which I love, and reminds us to Remember That Possibilities Always Exist. It also references this amazing Victor Frankl quote “Everything can be taken from a [person] but one thing: the last of human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” There's no question that things are tough right now. But it is our decision on how we live our lives which will determine our outcomes.

If you're stuck for something to watch this film with Morgan Freeman called The Power of One is great. It's another reminder of why kindness and purpose matters.

This poem is often referred to and I find myself reading it frequently. It's the Guest House by Rumi and it always helps me let so many things pass me by. I hope it helps you too!

This quote always makes me smile and who doesn't love Winnie the Pooh. “Just because an animal is large, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want kindness; however big Tigger seems to be, remember that he wants as much kindness as Roo.”

Lockdown is now amongst us again...so whatever, wherever and whoever those possibilities come to you, embrace them. You just never know where they may take you. Keep strong and know this will end.

If you would like to, please give me feedback on email, Twitter or Facebook on any of the topics above. Or if you have any thoughts or suggestions for the future I'd love to hear from you.

If you would like more information about Meee and the resources please follow this link.

With love, kindness and blessings xxx