On the same day that my first snowdrops came into bud, a leading politician said that she could ‘see green shoots of recovery’ in the global financial situation. In the local newsagent’s shop a young child pleaded with her father for ‘just another 2p’ to buy a comic. The nearby daily papers had front page stories of banks ‘losing’ billions of pounds. Later there were two removal vans in the road. A family was moving out to a rented flat after redundancy meant they had to sell the family home for less than they had paid for it. A young couple were moving in, clearly excited and delighted at their ‘bargain basement’ opportunity to get on the housing ladder.

These three recent observations reminded me of how important it is to maintain an accurate and fair perspective about events that happen around us. Our experience of life so far can colour our view about what constitutes reality and the goodness [or otherwise] of various circumstances.

I admit to a feeling of justified pride when I review our training results for the last twelve months. Not from any false sense of ego, rather from the realisation that we have assisted so many individuals to pass beyond their initial fears and doubts and become successful coaches with profitable practices of their own.

Notice that word, ‘individuals’. Every delegate, every coach and every client is a unique and wonderful human being and it is the recognition of this fact that supports everything we do here … no matter what happens globally.