October is a big month for me. It is the period of Accelerate 2030... a sustainable scaling programme focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

I don’t talk very much about some of the 'for impact' programmes I support.

The thing is that there are people up to amazing things. And sometimes we need to know that they exist... that someone is doing something somewhere... to feel that inspiration and that hope...

It may even give us the courage to join them...or to support them where we can...

Scaling for the SDGs

So coming back to Accelerate 2030... Its mission is to scale internationally the impact of entrepreneurs working towards achieving positive social and environmental change.

It is run in partnership with The Impact Hub in Geneva and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). This year it has been implemented across 16 countries: Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, South Africa, Serbia, Turkey, Armenia, Malaysia,...

Continuing on my Autum theme of rest and reflection, here is something on letting go.

One of my rituals is decluttering my space every six months - in the Autumn and in the Spring. I give away or let go of what no longer serves me. And I make an effort to repair or mend the things I keep. Clients often ask me how I do my decluttering. So here are some thoughts...

The Three Questions...

When it comes to knowing what to keep or give away, there are 3 questions ask yourself:

• Do I Love It?
• Is It Me Now?
• Does It Nourish Me?

The idea is to upgrade your environment to reflect who you have become and are becoming. And to surround yourself with things that nurture you.

I always say to my clients: ‘Everything has an energetic impact on you - it either energises or drains you - so choose wisely!’ That little skirt might have been great 10 years ago - but is it really reflecting the truth of who you are now?

Physical Declutter

So try it... look around you at home (or at...

I am usually a good ‘performer’ - setting my goals and getting there - pushing through as needed.

What if this wasn't the time to push?

But at the moment I have felt a bit aimless - I achieved my goals for the year over the summer and now I feel a bit lost. My brain has been pushing me to set new goals and do a last mad dash on something to the end of the year. But I have just not been in the mood.

Luckily, I remembered that in terms of nature this is a time of going inside... a time of letting go, reflecting and most importantly of... rest. It is not the time to just plough on or through to the next thing.

Taking a stand...

In our society, it is a badge of honour to always be switched on and ‘out there’. So it feels like an act of courage to say:’ I am taking some time out to rest and to just 'be' for a while’. To rest not just your body - but also your mind, heart and soul.

9 Types of rest...

Recently I saw this social media post about 9 types...

Welcome to Autumn ...

In the last couple of weeks we have crossed the threshold. Can you feel the shift in energy? The nights are growing longer... the days shorter... There is a tug to turn inwards, to draw closer to ourselves, to listen in...

After the expansiveness of summer and its harvest, it is time to celebrate and complete the cycle that has just been. And it is time to plant the seeds for the new cycle that is emerging.

What is calling you next?

Whether we like it or not, are aware of it or not, we are still earth beings. And as such are impacted by the earth’s rhythms. I have found that the more I align to the natural rhythms of the earth, the easier it is to manifest my true life and work.

Because I am going with the natural rhythms of things - where the flow is. I am true to my own nature rather than fighting it to get things done.

So this is a time for completion and deepening into what wants to be born next... Can you feel the call for the quiet?

That is your...

Do you believe that you can really transform your life and your work?

Recently I was talking to a client... She was explaining that she had been sharing my details with some of her friends and colleagues.  She was frustrated because she knew they could really benefit from my help.  But she was confused as to why they weren't reaching out to me.  I told her it was because they were either not ready - it wasn't painful enough yet.  Or that they had lost hope that they could really change things.

What I have found is this... often deep down we have given up on really transforming our lives and our work.  A few tweaks here and there are fine - like buying a new sofa, going to a yoga class or sending our CV out for a job we know we are qualified for.  

But what about more profound changes... like the ones that lead to something more fulfilling or create a more meaningful impact?  It often seems like a pipe dream or just plain overwhelming....

I was talking to my brother recently about one of his career turning points.  

The Choice

He works for a global consultancy and was for a long time focused on being the good soldier and ticking the right boxes to become a partner.  But it seemed that that wasn't really getting him anywhere.  

And then one day he asked himself what he really wanted from his career.  

And he realised that he had a real entrepreneurial streak that wanted to create something new, take more risks and to contribute to something he really cared about.  

So he stopped chasing partnership.  And instead started to make the contribution he really wanted.  

He didn't leave his company.  Instead he expressed that he would like to build their education practice - the part of the business that serviced the education sector.  And bring a new approach and a new level of thought leadership to it.

Taking The Road Less Travelled

In that moment he decided to create the road...

• Something missing: As a lawyer I could feel something was missing.  I tried to dismiss that I was crying every morning going into work.  I put it down to a bit of stress.  And in parallel, beat myself up for not being tough enough/not having what it takes. 

• The Illness:  A lot of you know this story by now... but as a summary... I get sick and am told I will never walk properly again and will spend the rest of my life in crippling pain.  I realise through that experience that I am completely disconnected from who I really am and what is important to me .  That I am not investing in my real dreams or what I care about.  I...

What I thought was ‘meant to be’ for me at 26 years old was working and playing hard. I was bright and capable and had worked hard to get to where I was.  I was ‘meant to be’ out there blinding everyone with my success.  And so why was I lying in bed crippled instead? 

I recently watched a video clip by Christian Busch in which he said that the ‘why’ generation would change the world.  He argues that it’s by asking the question ‘why’ that we will change things.  I see his point.  In my case however it was the ‘what’ question that changed mine.  

THE Question

As I lay in bed, I asked myself the question ‘What if I am never able to walk again, what will I regret?’ 

I was expecting the standard answer from my ‘meant to be’ world.  I was ‘meant to be’ a partner in a Law firm in the City in London.  Why else would I be...