It’s Monday. You drag yourself out of bed, sleepwalk through showering, brushing your teeth and getting ready for work. You’re now on the tube, surrounded by solemn faces rocking back and forth in the rattling carriage. You sit and think of the problems ahead of you this week: the tough client conversation you need to have, the looming project deadlines and the ever-growing life admin to-do list. 

“Could we…” Anna starts before Cathy shouts, “there is nothing you can do here!” Cathy goes on and on. Anna and I nodding in complete agreement at the berating we are receiving on behalf of our masters. It was a face I was very adept at making, smiling and nodding whilst I got shouted at. ‘Yes, you are right, we are assholes.’

Maybe it was the gym. You got the membership, bought the gear, and rode the wave of motivation for a week or two. But then work got busy, life got noisy, the wave flattened, you found excuses not to go and the new ritual slowly faded.

As I write to you and reflect back now, I think back to that moment of taking the decision. I was stepping into the unknown. I, as we all humans do, crave certainty, but I intentionally chose a path of great uncertainty. At the time, my mind was spiralling through all the things that could go wrong. What if I failed? What if we ran out of money? What if I wasn’t good enough?

As I write this entry, reflecting on my journey through business school, consulting and corporate, I know something must change. I don’t have the language or the plans but at 35,000 feet, some light has crept into my spirit – something Plato wrote about 2,400 years ago.

As I write this entry, reflecting on my journey through business school, consulting and corporate, I know something must change. I don’t have the language or the plans but at 35,000 feet, some light has crept into my spirit – something Plato wrote about 2,400 years ago.

“But Patrick, if I slow down, focus on doing fewer things and protect time for rest and recovery, won’t I become lazy? What has made me successful in my career so far has been my work ethic and drive. I’m worried that in slowing down I will lose that.”

The lunch bell rings. We have to wait for the teacher to dismiss us from class. This isn’t America where the kids pack up and leave once the bell rings. I look around and we’re all on the edge of our seats. It’s our day today and there isn’t a second to spare. Seconds cost you.

At the same time, as the science shows and as I see time and time again in my coaching, the key to achieving any goal is consistency in execution of tactical actions. And the key to consistency in execution of tactical actions is in setting the bar low.

When we tell someone what is working for us, we know what we can do more of. In a world of abundance, we need to know what is right with us, so we can repeat it with intention.

We can learn all we like from non-fiction, but some of the best sources of wisdom are in stories. Real, made up, or loosely based on facts, these stories are how we learn to interact with the world.

We are all familiar with the stereotype. The 50-year-old guy buying a Porsche 911 and a pair of red trainers. But this halfway-point-of-adult-life is too late for a crisis. Why have your mid-life-crisis when your kids have already left home and you have just the twilight of your career left?

Humans are wired for tribes. When we belong, we thrive. The Industrial Revolution broke our tribal bonds – replacing community with control. Today, we must consciously rebuild our tribes, choosing where and with whom we belong. Whether in companies like Ferrari or leadership retreats in Thailand, modern tribes still make greatness possible.

From Fuxi to Da Vinci, Leibniz to Claude Shannon - human progress has always been driven by those who crossed disciplines. They weren’t specialists. They were explorers. They followed curiosity, saw patterns others missed, and made creative leaps that changed the world. In today’s age of AI, complexity, and constant change, it’s not your niche that will define you - it’s your Range.

We’re wired to explore. From ancient migrations to modern leadership, adventure fuels growth, emotion, and self-discovery. But without rest, it leads to burnout.

Values aren’t words on a wall. They’re how you live and act - especially when no one’s watching.

The greatest achievements in our life are not reached through daily epiphany and daily mountain top climbing. They are achieved with everyday actions.

Creating a Wildest Dream doesn’t mean fanciful living in the future. It means stopping to reflect, to think, ‘where do I want to go,’ because only then can we know and be truly conscious that the steps we take today, and tomorrow are in that direction.