I want a Banana

A sunny start to the day and as I had a workshop to attend in the evening, I needed to be up early to train. It was a hardish run round Clayton Vale and I was battered by the end. I got carried away too which meant I had 9 mins to get showered changed and up to the office on time! I made it!

I was excited by tonight's workshop, delivered by Sarah of Chimp Management, Prof. Steve Peters company. The focus was on 'understanding others' a kind of important skill required by coaches. I am an inquisitive baldy chimp and love learning new stuff. If you've not read Prof. Peters' book, then I thoroughly recommend it. Anyway, Sarah was excellent and I definitely took away a few things that I'll certainly apply to my own practice.

Talking of human behaviour, I received an unexpected text from my mate Claire to say she's passed her viva for her Ph.D. a psychology related one! I'm very proud of her as I've got to admit that I thought she may not get there. It's been a difficult journey for her with similarities to my own one! Many Ph.D. students become self-obsessed neurotic f**k ups and in this regard Claire excelled.... but such adversity has made her better for it.

It was once said of me that I was a poor Ph.D. student and not destined for an academic career. However, an interpretation of what philosophiae doctor means is 'to be a teacher of the love of wisdom' and this is a responsibility is one of the few things in life I take very seriously indeed. Earlier in the day, a colleague had commented on a paper I had written, how easy it was to understand and how well it sold an idea. "Unusual for an academic" he said. Ha ha....."I can't possibly be an academic.....I take complicated stuff and make it sound easy, not easy stuff and make it sound complicated" I retorted. He laughed and nodded in agreement. My critic was only half correct!

Anyway, I'm sure Claire will take her responsibility equally seriously and make a valuable contribution to knowledge too.