Simplify

'What is success? It is being able to go to bed each night with your soul at peace' - Paulo Coelho

Jane Fuller

I've thought for many years that a high quality life is so much more to do with what you remove than what you add. This thinking is also very much in keeping with the philosophy of Arianna's Third Metric where less is more.

I've been a fan of de-cluttering for most of my adult life - as I believe the less clutter you have in your life the clearer and more centred you can become. This applies to all areas of life too including relationships and offices! I think one of the reasons I liked to move house was that it allowed me to do a major de-clutter which then enables new energy to come into my life - I just understood this naturally but I do think that an unrelenting pace of life can separate you from your voice of inner wisdom and we can forget what we naturally know and value.

The world is in chaos and so is society so the more clutter free and peaceful and tranquil your home the better and more supported you'll feel - your home can become your sanctuary. Recently I've had major re-decoration works at my house - great summer to do it - and in so doing I've also applied some feng-shui ideas and thoughts. I believe that buildings only exist because of humans, so they should be nurturing, emotional places and the ancient Oriental philosophy of feng shui helps us to understand that our homes are a direct extension of ourselves. By applying some of these elements we really can affect our health, wealth, happiness and inner peace. It's not difficult to do and most of the feng shui principles are just common sense.

By looking at your house as a whole system and understanding that one neglected area will sooner or later spread the negative energy throughout the whole house and vice versa you can counteract any problems! I love lots of natural light and air flowing through the house - so I have large skylights and windows and mirrors strategically placed to bring lots of positive chi (energy) into the house. I love candles, essential oils and crystals as they are energy purifiers and bring calm, harmony and balance into my home. Clearing clutter and buying less makes you become conscious of the foot print you are leaving on the earth. I care for my home the way I care for myself - so I don't have anything that isn't good to look at or broken and cracked! I also love orchids and fresh flowers as I believe bringing nature into your home is good for the energy and makes us feel whole. Colour and the front door and entrance are all important areas to think about too. These are just my basic rules I apply and I find they work for me and believe I have a happy house!

Travel light I say - you'll be happier and stress free! Have a great rest of summer - see you in September!

'Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open' - John Barrymore

Spirituality in Business

Jane Fuller

'At the root of our secular age is the fatal error that has led us to regard organized religion and the spiritual truth that man embodies as one and the same thing. This has caused millions to deny the reality of the latter because they have rejected the former. The impulse to know ourselves - which, after all, is a key component of spiritual seeking - is as deeply imprinted within us as our instincts for survival, sex and power.' - Arianna Huffington

Apologies for not being in contact sooner however, I've been researching the above title "Spirituality in Business" and I am slightly overwhelmed with the amount of material I have garnered. I have travelled to New York and spoken with Chairmen and CEO's; taken workshops with Hay House and The School of Life and in the process met Ryan Holiday (whose book 'The Obstacle is the Way" I can highly recommend) and the wonderful Arianna Huffington who needs no introduction. Her book Thrive is a best seller about the Third Metric on redefining success and creating a happier life. She believes we need to redefine what it means to be successful in today's world by showing the profound and transformative effects of meditation, mindfulness, unplugging and giving - everything I've been talking about in earlier blogs. Arianna shows the way to a revolution in our culture, our thinking, our workplaces and our lives. She understands it takes time to be human. I believe your mindset can limit your success in business - so not only is a spiritual practice smart but it's essential too. Can this please be taught in schools from a young age - it starts with education.

Before I started writing my first blog nearly 2 years ago - I talked to a number of business people whose view I respected, about wanting to bring spirituality into business. I was told by most of them that the corporates wouldn't like it and it was best I didn't mention the word 'spiritual'. Well never being one to shy away I explained 'that's exactly why they need to listen". We were still in the depths of the recent deepest darkest financial crisis and I believe that one of the major factors in the failing global economy was a lack of values in the corporate and banking world. They'd lost their way - money, greed and power had taken over. That doesn't make them bad people just bad behaviours. I think the movie 'The Wolf of Wall Street' - a true story about corruption in Wall Street in the 1990's before the recent financial crisis - best exemplifies this madness! Money and power was the only way to go and in the process don't think too much about ethics and values because no-one else is and of course there isn't the time. Greed was still good.

I think many people felt disillusioned with that culture and mindset and began to look for a deeper connection within themselves and their lives. I believe it was during those dark days that people generally began questioning and searching for a new way of living and working with a yearning for some degree of spiritual connection. And it's not just a certain demographic but the top tier of the corporate world who are dipping a toe into the spiritual waters - which means if they are then they'll want their businesses to reflect these values too. Erin Knowles who is a lifestyle curator for UHNW individuals says "The true elite are seeking enlightenment to fill the third metric of their lives.  My clients are starting to look within - they have partied hard, shopped hard and now they're exploring their inner health and spirituality. Because there's no point in having lots of money if you're not happy." I could feel the tide change with friends in business a few years ago and it's not just here in London but it's taking place on a global scale in New York at Goldman Sachs and HSBC to individual billionaires and people in their 20's and 30's upwards. They are looking for more meaning in their lives and business.

This does not mean we cannot enjoy consumerism - when you buy a new dress, you're buying into a beautiful piece of energy. This means I can enjoy that experience as much as a 'reiki' session with Dr. Susie Anthony - which I can highly recommend - but how many dresses and Chanel bags does a girl need? Psychological research shows that a core element to leading a happy life is to spend part of your time thinking about ideas or purposes that are bigger than you are. It's about perspective........

Not all industries are this evolved though - when I was running my own film production company the mantra in my industry at the time was 'we're 24/7 here' and everyone was expected to be available 24/7. This evidently has not changed at all since I left the industry and I believe it is deeply unhealthy. I wanted out over a decade ago and redefined my life and my view on success. Life isn't about power and money - although it helps - it's about so much more. I refer to my blog of January 2013 - 'Meaning is the new money'. After decades of pursuing riches, wealth seems less alluring and meaning has become the new money.......... People are realising that something is missing - to coin that wonderful song title phrase by Peggy Lee "Is that all there is?" echos in my ears........

Modern spirituality is centred on the deepest values and meanings by which people live. I am not religious but I'm spiritual and I want to acknowledge the importance of this in my life and it appears that many other people and their businesses do too. In fact you can be even more successful with this way of thinking and working so the economies can only flourish! Just imagine the spirit of your brand.........

Namaste

PS They used to say that politics and spirituality don't mix but Marianne Williamson - another fabulous spiritual leader - is running for Congress in District 33 of California. If I could vote for her I would but another acknowledgement that the world is changing and spirituality is being recognised as an important and political factor in peoples lives

PPS Can I recommend The School of Life website for The Philosopher's Mail  Another site that embraces spirituality and an antidote to The Daily Mail..........

PPS Arianna has personally asked me to be a voice on the Huffington Post - I'm chuffed and honoured

Have a great week!

'This life is too short for our souls'  -  Goethe

Conscious creation, perseverance and actions

conscious creation, perseverance and action

I've just spent 2 days at a conference with Hay House at Imperial College London - very inspiring work - thank you team! It confirmed everything I know to be true and works. That we can consciously create what we want in life by being clear about our goals and then consciously creating with our mind and actions to make our goals happen. However, being clear about what we want takes time and I find writing my own personal mission statement clarifies my goals and gives me a clear sense of purpose. Once you have that vision you need to sew it into the very fibres of your being - your mind is omnipotent and omniscient and will help in working towards the reality of that vision. That's why repetitive visualisations and affirmations for just 10-15 minutes on a daily basis work, as they build a neural pathway to your subconscious and help magnetise the good stuff to you. Also pay attention to the people you meet along the way and be open to life's synchronicities and serendipity - from people to books to all kinds of coincidences and channel any fears you have into clarity. Your brain will then bring your goals into reality.

As I've said in many earlier blogs I have usually expected the best and got it, but I now have more tools in my toolkit to consciously create what I want. Any setbacks now I consider to be lessons that help me learn and make better choices next time - always remind yourself that there is a greater purpose to all setbacks. However I can confirm that an expectation of the best, has a way of organising forces in your favour. The subconscious which regulates many of our actions, merely reflects our beliefs. As Norman Vincent Peale said, "Doubt closes the power flow. Faith opens it." You can achieve anything if you have faith, gratitude and forgiveness.

Physical exercise is another important factor in helping us to realise our dreams as Dr. Susie Anthony says, "Spiritual warriors understand the importance of staying in shape. Just like professional athletes, the ones who make it to the top know they must keep themselves fit. A regular and balanced exercise regimen has a multitude of benefits - it reduces stress, clears the mind, builds endurance and contributes to that 'look of a winner'. It makes no difference what form you choose, just as long as you enjoy it enough to do it 4 or 5 times a week." Ditto with a good nourishing diet and good sleep too.

One final point I'd like to add is to create your own power posse or tribe - there is nothing like sharing your journey with like minded people who want to define success differently and make the world a better place!

'Forget about the glass ceiling - let's change the system altogether by redefining the very meaning of success' -   Arianna Huffington

Image credit

Love

I have been celebrating my birthday just recently and I'm feeling very loved up by the people I love. So as this week is another celebration of love - I wanted to talk about the subject as I believe it's not just about loving one significant other - although that's great - but there can be different expressions of love and that all starts with loving yourself first. I believe you cannot love anyone until you truly love yourself.

I've found these thoughts and quotes helpful and inspiring in my life.........

"Our sole reason for being here is to get over the illusion of our separateness" - Thich Nhat Hahn

"I've learned that whenever I do something with an open heart I usually make the right decision." - Maya Angelou

"Follow your bliss" - Joseph Campbell

"Happy people make better choices and better choices make for a better planet" - Mastin Kipp

"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone" - Maya Angelou

"The greatest gift I can give myself is unconditional love"  -  Louise L. Hay

"Love is an ever-fixed mark / That looks on tempests and is never shaken"   -   Shakespeare

"Poems and music are a sure way to bring us quickly into the Landscape of the Heart, since they speak its native language. The heart speaks in images and metaphors. It makes connections between the visible world and the mysteries beyond the grasp of our mind and senses. Ancient cultures relied on music and dance and the sacred word to stir the soul and create spiritual community" - Elizabeth Lesser

"Really fine art combines many emotions into one masterpiece - be that a painting, a poem, a film or literature" - Elizabeth Lesser

"Live your happiest life by accepting that some people can only be in your life as lessons and/or memories" - Karen Salmansohn

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel " - Maya Angelou

"Bring love into everything you do. Nothing out there will give you what you already have inside" - Gabrielle Bernstein

And here are some of my own:

Do work that you love and makes your heart sing

If there is something you feel passionate about or feel inspired to pursue - just do it!

The three primary realms for feeding your spirit is in your heart, the mind/imagination and the earth.

When you take care of your body and listen to it's needs - that's self love. Your body constantly talks to you. Slow down and make it a priority to listen.

Mindfulness and stillness and listening to your inner voice (intuition) will guide you. It is through the body that the spirit expresses itself. Physical activity can be a key to opening up your spiritual awareness, heart and feelings.

Look after your inner child by doing things you love to do - singing, dancing, going to the opera, ballet, theatre. Exercising in nature etc. Playing with animals. I always found riding my horse a very spiritual experience. Painting, drawing, travel and fun!

Let your heart lead your soul, let your soul lead your spirit and trust that all will be revealed to you.

You don't need anyone to complete you. You are a whole and wonderful person as you are.

Release any negativity - the more light we hold the more we can ascend

Never let it be about the money in anything you do

Consciously create your blissful life

A Spiritual Revolution is happening - be part of it

You have something they don't - we are all unique

Become a hub and connector by bringing people you love together and creating your own tribe

Gratitude and Forgiveness is the bedrock of a spiritual practice and the way to open up your heart. It's not out there - it's in here. It's an internal connection - that's what a spiritual connection is - nourish it.

Be a better version of yourself and bring it to life

Meaningful communication with other people is a spiritual practice

Play the glad game (from the Pollyanna film) at least once a day - now that's what I call gratitude!

My love and thanks to all the people who have inspired me to write and share these life enhancing quotes. We are all works in progress but I hope you have found these helpful and inspiring too. Wishing you much love and have a happy St. Valentines Day!

xxxx

PS Talking of love - can I recommend Donna Summer 'I Feel Love' - recently on the brilliant sound track to the feature film 'American Hustle'. Such a great track........and movie - watch it win many awards over the next few weeks.........and just dance to it round the kitchen on the 14th........please.

'The human race.......has unquestionably one really effective weapon - laughter!!' -  Mark Twain

Out of Africa

'Nature's intelligence functions with effortless ease........with carefreeness, harmony and love.

And when we harness the forces of harmony, joy and love, we create success and good fortune with effortless ease'                                                        

         ~   Deepak Chopra

Christmas 2013 Africa

I have spent 3 weeks with friends I love in Africa for the Christmas and New Year holiday. I cannot think of a better way to start the new year of 2014! We were staying with the Zwager family (see my Serendipity blog) for some of the time in the timeless paradise of the Djinn Palace by Lake Naivasha - a white morocan palace with gardens and an animal sanctuary to match - living a life in partnership with nature. From early morning to early evening game drives to swimming and reading by the pool. The sun shone most days but because of the altitude, mornings and evenings were cool, so wonderful log fires were crackling away by 6pm in the palace.

It truly is a paradise on earth. Spiritually enriching where you float with the slow dreamy rhythms of an African day. It reminded me of a mindful quote by Deepak Chopra who says, "If you observe nature at work, you will see that least effort is expended. Grass doesn't try to grow, it just grows. Fish don't try to swim, they just swim. Flowers don't try to bloom, they bloom. Birds don't try to fly, they fly. This is their intrinsic nature.................It is the nature of the sun to shine. It is the nature of the stars to glitter and sparkle. And it is human nature to make our dreams manifest into physical form, easily and effortlessly." This is how I manifested my dream to be in Kenya again.

I've always believed that holidays are an essential part of making life great; they allow you to feel inspired, heighten your senses, sleep better, be more productive, put your values into perspective and appreciate the wonderful life you have back in London! Never underestimate the power of smart, positive thinking - a great holiday enhances this!

We flew to Manda Island for the Christmas and New Year celebrations - living another sort of paradise with nature by the sea. Manda Island is an island opposite Lamu in the Indian Ocean - the next islands along are the Seychelles. The Zwager family own a large part of the island that is just so private and beautiful. You go to sleep with the sounds of the Indian Ocean lapping on the shore. The dawn chorus that awakens you is quite exceptional and to have breakfast on the terrace amongst the birds and monkeys flying through the trees is just heavenly. From Dottie the Jack Russell waking me up with a large pot of tea to having a swim in Juni's beautiful pool - it is sheer paradise. The great golden sun rises in a cloudless sky at 6am and by 7pm - there is no twilight in the tropics - it would be completely dark apart from the twinkling stars. However the early morning light is exceptional - mother nature is the best dop (director of photography) - the light is as beautiful as found in Provence, France, but different.

I believe buildings only exist because of humans, so they should be nurturing, emotional places - Juni Zwager manages to evoke that feeling in all her houses which she personally designs and builds with her team of crafts people. Her staff are wonderful, loyal people who have been with the family for many years and trained to a very high standard.  This has to be one of the best places in the world!!

Thank you Juni - we love you and we had a ball!

xoxoxox

PS  By the way, everywhere we went from meeting old friends to new friends - they all said the same when I said I lived in London. Everyone, but everyone, including Sandro Rosell - the chairman of the FC Barcelona - all said how London is the most exciting city in the world and beats New York many times over and how lucky we were to live there!!! From the culture, to property powerhouse, to financial clout to food to comedy to liveability - they all agreed London has it all!! Yes.........I've been saying this for years.........finally it's filtered through - it is the best city to live by far and isn't it great most nationalities finally agree!!!!

'Joy is not in things; it is in us'   ~  Richard Wagner

Mindfulness

'Every single person, from Prime Ministers and Presidents to ordinary men and women would benefit from practising mindfulness and stillness in their lives. This wisdom has been known for thousands of years (in Eastern/Buddhist meditative practice) and now the science has caught up with it.'  -  Anthony Seldon, Headmaster of Wellington College

The lady buddha photo I took at one of my favourite places in the world where my mindfulness journey began............

For the past month I have been taking a course on Mindfulness at the wonderful Grace in Belgravia. As you know I have been a fan of practising Mindfulness for a while and this course has made my belief in the benefits even stronger.

According to Professor Mark Williams (please see my recommended books) Mindfulness is a translation of a word that simply means 'awareness'. By noticing our thoughts, we become aware. By becoming aware we can change the way we 'do' things. By changing the way we 'do' things, we can 'be' different.

Buddhist techniques of mindfulness can be of enormous benefit to our health, relationships and peace of mind in this disconnected, stressed-out age. Mindfulness allows us to ease the speed and anxiety of modern life by altering our habits of mind. By realising that your thoughts create your life so practising mindfulness on a daily basis by being consciously aware of your thoughts, words and actions through mind, body and spirit.

There is growing evidence that a well rounded education should now include an understanding of mindfulness and what is known as the inner life and teaching mindfulness to young people can give them advanced training in the art of living. This is now why more schools, governments and corporates - Apple, Google, Facebook, Yahoo etc - are practising mindfulness on a daily basis and the momentum of this is growing. Huffington Post wrote recently about "Why 2014 will be the year of Mindful Living".

It's being aware of your breathing. It's being still and in the moment. It's taking time to discover touch, taste and feel of daily rituals like eating, drinking, brushing your teeth etc. It's being aware of non-judging, giving time to listen to what your body is telling you. It's learning how to do a 3-step 'thinking, doing, being' breathing practice. It's understanding the important link between mindfulness, the heart and the imagination through the Arts. Poetry can help bring us into awareness too. Practising 'patience' and 'lettinggo' and 'acceptance' are all part of the process which I found very soothing. There is much more to learn too which I can't squeeze into a blog but I'm already benefiting and I can highly recommend the course (www.mindfulnessat work.com). 10 minutes practice a day is all that is needed and well worth the time! Please try it.

Thank you for reading my blog this year. Have a wonderful 'mindful' Christmas and here's to a fantastic 2014!!

xxxx

'We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already'  -   J K Rowling

Creativity and Education

Sir Ken Robinson

I heard Sir Ken Robinson talk on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs recently and I'm such a fan as you know. He believes, as I do, that a learning revolution is needed to "transform the culture of education and organizations with a richer conception of human creativity and intelligence". Please listen to him if you didn't hear him earlier this month. I'm backing his mission.

My Leadership Speech

Jane Fuller

'Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself'  -  Leo Tolstoy

This is part of the transcript speech I gave at a Leadership masterclass last week:

When John F Kennedy said in 1961 at his presidential inaugural address - "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." Those words are as relevant now as they were then. They sum up my leadership speech tonight, because if each and every one of us can lead our lives in a productive, healthy, whole, cohesive way - miracles can happen - this will help the world become a better place for us all to live. I believe this is where true leadership begins with ourselves and how we live our lives.

When Merry asked me to talk to you today - it got me thinking about what got me here speaking on this subject. I believe that one of life's risks is never daring to risk, which is why I'm standing in front of you now.

I am a TV Producer by craft and have worked in the marketing/advertising industry for 30 years running my own business for 17 of those years. I began to realise gradually I wanted to listen to that inner voice of mine and not roughshod over who I was and my values. I began to realize I wasn't aligned to my spiritual purpose and I didn't want to bury that inner voice that told me 'time to change course....' Have you ever felt that the voice on the inside was not aligned to the words on the outside?! I believe if you listen to your inner voice it will guide you. Don't get me wrong - I loved producing - but it was time for change.

A life review led me to finding my spiritual path. I believe when the student is ready - the teacher appears and thus I met Merry Graham. She listened to me, she heard me. Thank you Merry for the quality of your compassion and your non-judgement in helping me to seek out my spiritual journey. Spending time becoming more aware of my values and how to honour them was key to my whole person nourishment. This created a paradigm shift in my life. There is no going back once you get this. Looking after myself physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally and understanding that these are all integrated was key. We are all born with this knowledge but this gets dusted over in our current education system and way of living and much has to be 'unlearnt' at some point. If only this could be taught in more schools. Anthony Seldon, enlightened headmaster of Wellington College introduced 'happiness and well being' classes for pupils and parents in 2006 and now more schools are following this example by also introducing mindfulness classes too. So change is afoot.

I'd always looked after myself physically and mentally - exercise, good diet and nutrition, rest and good sleep, setting boundaries - listening to what my body was telling me and being self aware. However the emotional and spiritual - could do better - so I began to fill myself up with understanding and nourishment. We need to give time to being human. We need to understand how our thoughts can affect our behaviour and ultimately our health. We need to understand how our emotions work and how repressed emotions can create serious illness in our bodies. We need to appreciate how our values and beliefs can directly affect our everyday health.

Understanding how the world works helps. We live in a world with a thought system based on fear not love. So judgement is the cornerstone of the thought system of the world. Love and forgiveness are not. We still put competition above collaboration although this is beginning to change. One in 4 people suffer from mental illness. So being self aware, is key to becoming the master and not the slave of your mind. This fast moving over technicalized world we live in marginalizes the soul, it marginalizes the spirit - so don't allow yourself to be run by technology and only use it to your advantage. Also stop the toxic TV and toxic newspapers! If I pick up some newspapers now I find they crackle in my hands from the sheer toxicity! Everything in the external world is basically a reflection of the internal world. So we're in a mess. Many people are so disconnected and numbed by the routine of life that they don't even have an opportunity to stop and know what they're feeling. They don't seek out deeper meaning in their lives because they're not aware they need to. If they lived healthier, whole person lives they would be more self aware and become seekers. It's being open and centred to the universe and saying 'I am open and ready to receive.' When you say this to the universe - it will rise up to meet you. All you need to do is ask and all sorts of spiritual guidance will appear; from books to people to life lessons etc.

I find giving time to all the things that are important to me and nourish me are key. Starting the day early and enjoying the silence that brings, to plan the day ahead. Honouring small rituals like making some lovely tea in a bone china cup. Connecting with nature and nurturing the earth matter to me. I exercise for 30 minutes in the park daily - not only for my physical body but my mental equanimity too. Being with people I love, pets/animals and the arts are all nourishing. Letting go of pettiness, negative thoughts and selfishness; doing everything with love - with everyone and everything, not only with those you like. Realizing that your thoughts create your life - so practising mindfulness on a daily basis. Having a purpose greater than yourself - and serving others and the earth - is an act of love. Finding a larger context in your life with a connectedness to family, community and environment - to bring meaning, purpose and ultimately happiness and health to our lives is key. Understanding that what happens to one directly - affects us all indirectly.

Everything that has ever happened to you in your life can be used as spiritual nourishment. So recognise the possibility of every moment because being in the moment is where joy resides. The task in life is to face sacred moments. You're going to miss this moment some day - so be here - it's all about the journey - not the destination. Once you are on that spiritual path you know what you have to do. There is no choice. Everyone of us is a teacher, a minister or a leader. So let's all lead by example.

Self responsibility and accountability are key to future happiness. Have a vision and communicate that vision. I wanted my work to have meaning. I wanted to inspire others to heal and align themselves to their spiritual path and to help them dig deep into their authentic selves and activate their true drivers and passions. And remember a life lived without spirituality needs more and more of the material life to keep the sense of emptiness at bay!!

So let's not lose this moment in history when people are open to change. We can all be teachers and leaders to inspire other people, other generations, to achieve greater focused leadership in their own lives. We can exemplify, empower and transform stuck places and change our world for the better! This new era needs to be about co-opetition not competition. The common purpose is to lead healthier lives and look after ourselves. As Maya Angelou says, "When you learn - teach. When you get - give." You don't need a title to be a leader.

And remember the more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate!

As Bill Gates said: "As we look ahead into the 21st century - leaders will be those who empower others." 

NAMASTE

(PS - As the Bafta voting season is well underway I went to see the film 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' last Friday evening. To be released 3rd January 2014. It is a wonderful movie with Idris Elba and Naomie Harris and does great justice to the great man. Please see it!)

Empathy and Leadership in the 21st century

'If we choose to be bound by the past we will never move forward.......'   -  Barack Obama  

I have been asked to make a speech next week about Leadership in the 21st century and how we can make the world a better place. So it got me researching and thinking about all the great qualities the leaders of today require because they are very different requirements from the leaders of the 20th century.

Easy access to information through the internet has made it much harder to conceal selfish, unacceptable behaviour. So leaders of today need to have integrity, humility and wisdom and be authentic and courageous. They need to exemplify, empower and transform by being a mentor, guide and role model; be resilient, act effectively, contribute uniqueness, embrace change and stay grounded. With all of these qualities they are going to have to have a great sense of humour too because they're going to need it!!

However, I believe in a rapidly changing world; in a globalizing world; in a multicultural world, there is more and more uncertainty; less hierarchy and more interdependence in finding a common purpose. I believe that the truly great leaders in this era all have one attribute in common and that is empathy. If you can master this intangible, often overlooked skill that allows you to connect with and relate to others - you'll go far in your community, relationships and business. Great leaders relate to the people they serve. Business success depends on empathetic leaders who are able to adapt, build on the strengths around them and relate to their environment. Empathy is the driving force behind all great leaders communication. A critical part of developing empathy is learning to understand, respect and implement another person's point of view rather than forcing your own. It's keeping working on a solution until we hear each other, which can take time and doesn't fit in the fast moving demands of the 21st century - however it is so worth the time and effort and I believe all great leaders understand this!

Whilst I was researching this I came across a wonderful You Tube conversation with Hillary Rodham Clinton (below) having been presented with the Chatham House Prize 2013 last week in London. Please listen to her in conversation as she exemplifies a true leader with empathy and the importance of trust in establishing long term relationships.  I believe she's inspirational for the next generation of 21st century leaders.

Inspirational eh? However, the foundation for relationships is the relationship we have with ourselves - self-awareness and being in the moment and aligning to our core values - this is what my leadership speech and next blog will be based upon.......... Have a good week!

'When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace'  -   Jimi Hendrix

Your thoughts create your life

'If you know what you want - if you can state it, the universe will move in your direction."  -  Goethe

Your thoughts create your life

There is an invisible energy force around every one of us and it's full of infinite possibilities - you just have to believe it is there, tap into it and make your life work for you by consciously creating what you want. This belief is very empowering because it puts you in control of your own life so you won't be buffeted about by life circumstances. What you believe will come true for you because that is the energy you give out and attract. So make sure you give out positive energy and expect the best. When you harness the power of a positive perspective in your own life, you get to make every day a great one!

I believe your everyday approach to life can move you to a higher level of consciousness. You can do this through visualization, affirmations, finding stillness and peace with meditation and spiritual study; with gratitude and forgiveness and letting go of unexamined perceptions because what you do on a daily basis creates your life and your future. I find also being with people I love; exercising in nature and the arts in whatever form brings me great joy and enriches my day and nourishes my soul which helps me maintain a positive perspective.

Paul McKenna believes that you can choose to actively reprogram your mind with a positive perspective - like an owner's manual for your brain. He believes that the next great stage in human development will be a move out of the information age (please read my blog: 'Meaning is the new money') and into a new time where people will begin to develop their inner resources.' He calls this time 'the age of psycho-technology - a time when we will begin to unleash the amazing powers and inner abilities that we are all born with but get covered over as we go through life. That's why children get it. As I also mentioned in a previous blog - 'Do you like what you do each day?' - I believe the new celebrities are the one's who will inspire, who know how to link the inner world with the outer world and who will make our lives richer in the deepest sense of the word.

You create your own reality by the thoughts you think and the words you speak, so make sure you consciously create what you want! You have to be clear about what you want (see Jim Carey - Oprah Winfrey show on visualization) and then be pro-active by working towards your goals.

What you think about you bring about. In the process believe that it has already happened - so you are living your dream. I have thought like this naturally most of my life so I can tell you it works!

'All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.'  -  Ralph Waldo Emerson

'Houses and the human psyche'

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again..........."  -  Daphne du Maurier

Those words always have such a haunting intensity for me because we all know and understand how emotive houses can be and Manderley the house has such a pervading presence in one of my favourite films of all time, Hitchcock's 'Rebecca', adapted from the celebrated book by Daphne du Maurier.

'Rebecca's' narrative takes the form of a flashback with that famous opening line and Manderley the house being one of the key elements. I believe a house can get into your psyche; it can haunt you especially if it's from your childhood. I'm sure this is one of the reasons I love to make houses look great.

My childhood home, North End House, an Elizabethan house with a prerequisite guest ghost, vast duckpond, 14 stables, orchard and paddock and acres of fun has had the same effect on me - it was a house that got into my psyche and soul. It has such a strong emotional pull back of vivid personal memories that are entrenched in my emotional landscape. It's obviously not just the walls of a house - it's the people, the memories and the history.

I was reminded of this feeling whilst I was too briefly in Umbria, Italy recently and stopped by a place I had not visited since I was there as a 17 year old. The place is called Castello Civitella Ranieri. My boyfriend at the time was related to a wonderful lady called Ursula Corning who had invited us to stay with her for the summer at her magical 15th century Italian castle she called Civitella. Castello Civitella has the same haunting effect on me that both North End and Manderley had commanded.

Castello Civitella Ranieri

Ursula was such a character and a wonderful and generous hostess that Civitella and her left an indelible impression on me. The castle is heaven and everything you would want it to be and more. The turrets and tower rooms, the chapel and vast kitchens, swimming in the lake, the ghost, the heat and the sounds and smells of an Umbrian summer. Ursula would have at least @25/30 guests staying at a time - all friends from Ursula's wide and varied, always stimulating, always provocative circle of international friends. Mealtimes and seating plans were meticulously organized by her as she loved to mix people and never put couples together.  Our long stay for the summer lasted several weeks as Ursula kept insisting that we stay for longer. I remember drawing her a 'thank you' card of a cat (she loved cats) with a very long tail that unfolded over several pages, thanking her for our long, long stay!  She loved it.

We would go on adventures - which Ursula would call her 'tiddly-poms' - to the wonderful Roman theatre at Gubbio and see plays, climb Monte Acuto at 3am so we could watch the sunrise and drink mulled wine, endless adventures in Perugia, Orvieto, Spoleto, Assisi, etc., visiting monastries and chapels but always returning home to our beloved Civitella for more fun and games. Ursula would encourage her artistic guests to write poetry and music and perform plays as she believed the atmosphere of the ancient castle and quiet beauty of the countryside would inspire them. She was right.

Ursula was one of those people who just enhanced Civitella because she loved the place so much! Which was of course infectious. The castle looks even more beautiful now than when I last saw it - beautifully maintained but not too perfect. Ursula would be proud. In the last decade of her life she began with two associates to grow Civitella's arts programme and the castle is now thriving as The Civitella Ranieri Foundation to support gifted artists from different disciplines and countries. This is a non-profit operating foundation organized under the laws of the State of New York with offices in New York City. Ursula was a great supporter of the arts and her charitable works included supporting many New York arts and charitable causes, both personally and professionally through her foundations.

Ursula had been born in Switzerland, studied in England and had spent most of her life in New York. Her father was Professor H. K. Corning, a prominent medical anatomist in Europe. He was a member of the Ranieri family who were Bourbons. Ursula's father's cousin, Romeyne Robert, had married Marchese Ruggero Ranieri di Sorbello, whose family owned Civitella since the castle was built in the 15th century. Ursula began visiting it as a young girl and thus began the beginnings of the fabled Civitellian summers............

Thank you Ursula, Jonathan and that wonderful Civitella for giving me such great memories! I also would not be surprised if Civitella has a beautiful, new lady ghost talking of going for 'tiddly-poms'..................I told you houses can haunt you.  Amen.

Conscious Business

'The secret of a good life is that you have to put yourself on the list of the people you most admire'  -  Socrates - 2,000 years ago!  

business conciousness

A few years ago I believed that it was not possible to integrate the values closest to my heart with business. The material and spiritual way did not mix - it was a choice of one or the other. Well my revelation happened when I read and heard Fred Kofman speak about his book 'Conscious Business: How to build value through values'. It changed how I thought about business in a profound way - how often can you say that!

Fred proves that you can act in business in total alignment with your values and this is why he wrote the book 'Conscious Business'. Fred believes that the way to build value in any business is to come from your heart - you do not have to sell your soul. The way you engage with the world becomes the vehicle for you to express what is truly dear to your heart. So you can be fulfilled in your spirit and soul in business and life. How do you bring this into practice? It is through 'consciousness' and how to build value through your values. You don't have to sell-out to be successful. You can engage with the world from the perspective of your values and not sell-out. Think of what you want to do with your life? What qualities do you admire in other people? Write it down - you can create your values from this exercise. There is no trade-off. You need to see business as an area of expression. It is not a life/work balance. It is both together. The values you practice in life and business become the vehicle that is truly dear and important to you.

This book is so profound and touches on such an important and fundamental issue and yet still not enough business leaders practice this method of working. Yes - there is a lot of philanthropic work going on and that is terrific - but we have seen in the last few years in the city and banking no values to speak of and a lack of empathy too i.e.,'I win, you whatever.'

Consciousness - is taking a stance in the world - having values and living by them in your everyday personal and working life. Fred Kofman's teaching is the concept that conscious actions and communications are a central component of a successful business and a happy working enviroment. I think this fundamental practice is the way to get out of any financial crisis and the way forward for business in the 21st century!

I realised that I was here to help spread the message about integrating values into working life - so no-one has to sell out - to make the world a better place to live and work - the two are intertwined.

'Connect with the music you have in your heart' - Fred Kofman

Girl Power!

"Who runs the world? Girls!" - Beyonce

Girl power

My friend Olivia gave her baby shower last week for her friends, mother and new baby daughter called 'Rosie'. Can you believe that Olivia is the one in the pink dress who had her baby only 3 weeks earlier and her mother is in the blue dress and I'm holding the baby!!

It was such a fun, great occasion with mostly Olivia's female friends that it got me thinking about the world that Rosie has come into and how as a female she will fare. The era of the woman has been building for the last 70 years or more and it arrived on January 1st  2013 - the shift from a masculine patriarchal society, to a feminine, Gaia, society from this date was predicted by many trendspotters, astrologers, futurists and marketeers.

In the last 100 years the evolution of women has accelerated and the right to vote came into being in 1918 thanks to the Suffragette movement and other brave women before them. In the last 50 years women have taken giant steps. Women have become Prime Ministers, CEO's, Supreme court judges, doctors, lawyers, Film and TV Producers, Film Directors etc., etc., and hopefully in 2016 we'll see the first ever female USA President in Hillary Clinton. Female members of the UK Royal Family are to be given equality with men in the rules of succession. So Rosie will be in good company................! The next Royal baby due next month will be the first British monarch born in the 21st century - the age of the personal brand. There is no mention of gender yet of the Royal baby but I'm sure she/he will be the first Royal baby with a registered URL and twitter account! So this is the world that Rosie has been born into - yes, I know there is still a long way to go but women are already succeeding and on their own terms. I believe there has never been a better time to be born female!

I am an auntie, great aunt and godmother and I believe womanhood has to be taught. As Steve Biddulph says in his book 'Raising Girls' (a must read I believe for all parents raising daughters): "Modern womanhood is tough. Your daughter will need to be self-reliant, clear thinking, emotionally strong, good with people and responsible for her own life. They will need mum, aunties, great teachers and other older women to help them get there." I believe with great parenting and education you can teach your daughter to evolve spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally. However, I do believe that to embrace Eastern philosophy which offers a much more profound view of the world is so important and that's where Rosie will be very fortunate!

To teach her that this life is an inside job - the way you think creates reality for yourself - your thoughts create your life. The law of attraction is a science. So teach her to make a conscious decision to be happy because that is infectious and attracts other like minded people. I also believe that by living naturally and exercising regularly, the body will tell the mind to be happy. There is loads of data that proves that the mind can believe itself well by optimising the body's natural self-repair mechanisms. Most doctors now agree that the mind has a profound effect upon a person's sense of well-being. The mind is the most powerful tool we have - so teach your child how to use it by opening up their mindset to bigger picture thinking with travel and life enhancing experiences that broaden their horizons and help them find their spark!

Here are a few more tips I'd like to tell Rosie:

• Learn yoga and meditation and deep breathing - it will do wonders for your peace of mind!

• Remember that there will be people around you with low self-esteem who covertly undermine you to make themselves feel better. Don't listen to gossip - it corrodes the gossipers and those who listen! Those who gossip are usually jealous of you - so rise above it. Do as the Royal baby will be taught "never complain, never explain."

• And remember there is no 'glass ceiling' only the one you create in your mind.

Finally this is my Buddhist blessing to Rosie:

May you be safe and protected

May you be happy and peaceful

May you be healthy and strong

May you carry your life with ease and grace

Go girl!

With love

xxx

PS    "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken."  - Oscar Wilde

PPS  And remember boys are wonderful too!!

The importance of The Arts

"The gift of being human is that we have deep creative resources and from these we cancontinuously transform our lives if we choose. Whether you aim to change the whole world or the world within you, the limits are set as much by your imagination as by your current circumstances. This has been true for all people since the beginnings of human history."   - Sir Ken Robinson

As you've probably gathered I am a huge fan of Sir Ken Robinson. He is a recognised leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human potential.  He advises governments, corporations, education systems, and some of the leading cultural organizations. He understands the importance of The Arts in education and peoples lives which is an issue very close to my heart.  He believes that in The Arts we can focus on the qualities of our human experience and what it is to be a human being in vision, in sound, in movement and in words.

Theatres, galleries and other arts organisations are feeling the squeeze from government funding cuts. In the midst of austerity-driven cuts to UK local council budgets, the Local Government Association (LGA) recently said that while cutting arts budgets is understandable under the current circumstances, it may not be the right thing to do. It has been proven that investing in the arts can generate growth and create jobs. It says that for every £1 invested in the arts another £4 is generated. Investment in the arts can deliver an impressive rate of return. However, I think more importantly, the arts bring joy and a calming cohesiveness to communities. Without the arts life would be pretty boring!

The Arts ..........promotes diversity of culture
The Arts...........encourages expression
The Arts...........help to improve social well being
The Arts...........start a dialogue
The Arts...........brings people together
The Arts...........entertain and brings joy to communities
The Arts...........improves and strengthen communities
The Arts...........drives economic development

At the new St James Theatre in Victoria (where I'm an ambassador) they have created a new paradigm for The Arts and Business for the 21st century. They are setting a grand example of how Arts and Business can work together to create an economically successful, powerful and effective coalition in changing the face of Victoria with the local developers Land Securities.

A theatre, cinema, museum or festival draws visitors who do not simply spend money on their ticket or entrance fee, but also buy meals in local restaurants, go to local shops, or perhaps stay in hotels as part of their visit. These people may never have visited that location without the pull of its cultural attractions. The St. James Theatre is positioned in the heart of the Land Securities development scheme - creating a whole new Victoria. This is living proof how The Arts and business can work together and create a dynamic that works creatively and economically!

The Arts are a cultural expression of society. The Arts are so important to the human spirit and soul. People get closer to reaching their full potential when they can express themselves through The Arts. The Arts make the world a better place to live. That's why they are so important in education too! Please support your local arts communities wherever you can by going to all the incredible entertainment they produce and spread the word!

'Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions"  -  Albert Einstein

(PS - Talking of fantastic creativity - please go and see the film 'Behind the Candelabra' about Liberace starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. I was fortunate to go to a small Bafta screening last week with Michael Douglas - the man himself. He and the film are superb! Rob Lowe as the plastic surgeon is hilarious. I highly recommend it - to be released on June 7th.)

Image courtesy of Imaginative Creative Therapies

Do you like what you do each day?

'The Thinker' - Auguste Rodin

Do you like what you do each day? I asked myself this a few years ago - having had a very successful 30 year career in advertising and marketing non stop.

I began to realize it was time to realign my goals with what's on the inside now. I wanted my career path to better reflect the values closest to my heart. I wanted time to set new goals differently and to listen to that inner voice of mine and to find a new career that was fulfilling and meaningful. Don't get me wrong I was always pretty headstrong about being true to myself, my values and my drivers and I had much to be happy about and producing had been my first love, but you move on - time, you and goals change..........

I do think knowing that I was on the right track for me, doing what I had been put here for and to believe that you will only be truly satisfied when you find your place in the world was important. That is the place where your skills, ability, personality and dreams all come together. I'd found that in producing - I loved it - but it was now time to set new goals which might include producing skills too! There was a need to connect to other personal talents and passions.

I found clearing space in my head was very important, to think clearly, dream, make concrete plans and also just to have restful thoughts was very beneficial. I would often have to physically remove myself from my house/environment in order to get the space and peace I needed - phones, e-mail, household noise are very distracting from deeper thoughts. I found reading books like 'Finding Your Element' by Sir Ken Robinson helpful - he shows that age and occupation are no barriers to discovering what makes us happiest and once we have found our path we can help others to do so as well. The breakthroughs that happen in our lives are the breakthroughs that happen within us.

Being good at something is not enough, you have to have a natural aptitude for it and you have to love it! I believe the new celebrities are the one's who inspire, who know how to link the inner world with the outer world and who make our lives richer in the deepest sense of the word. Those who inspire by speaking with feeling - from the heart, moving others emotionally, perhaps moving them to action, to change or to happiness. That's where my new career began...........

As Sir Ken Robinson says: "Recognizing your own dreams and the conditions you need to fulfill them are essential to becoming who you can be. It will give you a deeper sense of who you really are and the life you could and maybe should live."

I'm now inspiring other people to find their element and much more too! I love being involved in The Arts - hugely important to my spirit and soul, being positive in a negatively orientated world and stepping outside your comfort zone are all important and treating self-doubt as a hurdle to overcome, not a stop sign!

'What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us"  -  Ralph Waldo Emerson

The visual is of course Auguste Rodin 'The Thinker' which I have always loved - very powerful isn't it? (Two early casts of The Thinker have just sold in New York on May 8th 2013 to a private collector for £10.3 million - a record price - you see always a marketing girl!)

The Human Spirit!

I was invited to a wonderful and joyous evening of the London book launch of a friend's old school friend from Phillips Academy Andover and Yale last week. Gerry Shea has written an inspirational book called 'Song Without Words' because in his mid-thirties - despite having achieved a stellar career in law - discovered he'd been partially (not completely) deaf since the age of 6 years when he'd contracted scarlet fever. The scarlet fever had damaged some of the epithelial cells of his inner ear which evidently once wilted never grow back so this had affected his hearing deeply.  However, he was not conscious of this at the age of 6 - he thought everyone had a better understanding of what they had heard and just assumed he wasn't as bright as his fellow pupils and would have to work harder!

The book is about his sometimes painful journey from childhood to youth and the ingenious compensating skills he invented and the stress of his long struggle with undiagnosed deafness. The deafness was only discovered when Gerry took a routine physical exam at the age of 34. A doctor did a hearing test and told him he was deaf - he didn't believe him at first and did nothing for a year - however he finally got hearing aids fitted and the rest is history. To listen to him talk about hearing nature for the first time in nearly 30 years is moving - he calls them his 'songs without words' - it might make us all appreciate those wonderful sounds even more!

This is a no 'poor me' wallowing memoir - it's a book about triumph over adversity with no self-pity over his sense of isolation in being deaf - just sheer chutzpah and determination to achieve. The book goes into great depth about how partially deaf people communicate through 'lyricals' - for the wrong words that they hear - these are more of Gerry's 'songs without words'.

A story of true courage and fantastic stength of will and enlightenment of the human spirit. The added bonus in writing the book is that it has given Gerry great joy and he has now found his new vocation and another form of communication that unites us all!

I had a frisky French grandmother (my father's mother) who was partially deaf too and she would often tell me that when you're deaf the other senses are heightened! So not so bad then Gerry........

The party was full of Gerry and his wife Claire's friends and held at Laurie and Laetitia Oppenheim's beautiful home. Thank you Karl Ziegler for the lovely photos.

'Tones sound, and roar and storm about me until I have set them down in notes'  -  Ludwig van Beethoven

'Lean In'?

Lean in

Just as the furore over Sheryl Sandberg's book 'Lean in' has died down I wanted to add my voice to the debate. Unless you're not aware - how cool - Sheryl is the COO of Facebook (since 2008) and this new book has now sold 275,000 copies up to last week. She is hoping to create a national movement to help women advance in the workforce and the book became the focus of intense debate even before it's publication on March 11th 2013. It's part feminist manifesto and part how-to career guide. Obviously the book has nothing to do with helping Facebook's languishing share price since it's bungled I.P.O? Or as the Washington Post succinctly put it "simply the elite leading the slightly-less-elite, for the sake of Sandberg's bottom line'. Whatever, she believes feminism has 'stalled' and I think one of the good things this book has done - is that it has got everyone talking and opened up the debate again. I want to be supportive, but I don't think 'Lean In' is the answer, it sounds more like a 1980's mantra and surely we've moved-on from that? Sheryl's message is that 'women internalize the negative messages they get throughout their lives - most men don't. Women are told it's wrong to be outspoken, aggressive and more powerful than men and so rather than pull-back which many women choose to do, she thinks they should 'lean-in'.'

I believe there is a shortage of women in global boardrooms and in senior positions because most women don't want to go there! Not from lack of ability but from preferring to start their own structure - be it a business or joining forces with other like minded people and creating their own cultures and making lifestyle choices. We can do success differently from many men who make themselves ill with heart problems and diabetes by becoming workaholics which doesn't look fun! We want to make the time to unplug and re-charge.

Being a woman has never held me back. If you know your subject - you won't be thrown by anything. But you have to be strong and have the hide of a rhino sometimes from all the sniping successful women get and I understand why many women don't think it's worth it. I think successful women get a huge amount of flak - it goes with the territory - but I found it unbearable sometimes.  Tina Brown says "flak means you're hot in business" - so there will be a lot of resentment as it's such a competitive world - but does it have to be like that? There needs to be a complete cultural change from the media to governments to the corporates if they want to appeal to more women.

I find it's interesting that the 'millenials' or 'generation y' as they are sometimes called (those born 1977 to 1993), place a higher value on their work/life balance and have expressed a desire to pursue work that is personally meaningful. They say that they have learnt by watching their mothers (baby boomers) tearing their hair out trying to balance career and family and have no intention of copying them!

In my experience if you lean in too far you're likely to fall flat on your face. There are lifestyle choices women can make and most choose not to be at the top table because it doesn't look that appealing. They want to be more individualistic. Unless there are systematic and cultural changes I think this will continue.

I think it's interesting that Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo who also launched her book with much debate is dissing feminism as too negative. I don't think she'd be saying this if she'd been born 20 years earlier when all those amazing women fought for all the fights she doesn't have to now.

Another extraordinary woman - whatever your political views -  was Lady Thatcher whose passing has opened up the debate even further. Why are there so few women MP's? I think you just have to look at Prime Minister's Question Time (PMQT) to understand why. All that aggressive city-type blustering is so last decade/century - it's a toxic Punch and Judy show - women don't want to be part of that culture. It's time for a re-think.

(The cartoon character above is of me which one of my film director's drew - it always makes me laugh and I think shows he understood the acrobatic act I had to go through when running my film production company!)

"One girl is worth more use than 20 boys" - Peter Pan - J M Barrie

Serendipity

Do you believe in serendipity? I do. Wikipedia defines 'serendipity' meaning a 'happy accident' or 'pleasant surprise'. I believe it's much more than that - it's being open to chance, luck, happenstance and having gratitude. Serendipity smiles upon people who know what they like, love and want. Life follows you. Choose what you love and remain relaxed but sticky enough to attract and magnetise the good stuff to yourself. I'd like to give you an example of this in my own life. At the time I wasn't consciously aware of the fortuitous circumstances I'd created but by loving something and showing gratitude I had attracted it to me. In 1984 I was flying out to Sydney, Australia to produce some Quantas commercials with Michael Parkinson and Barry Humphries (Dame Edna). The flight at that time was @26 hours (with stop offs) so we knew we were in for the long haul. One of the creatives I was travelling with handed me a book called 'White Mischief' by James Fox and said 'I think you'll enjoy this'. I could not put the book down. I was riveted start to finish. Isn't it great when you get a book you love - well done James Fox! Anyway the book is based upon a true story about the Happy Valley set in 1940's Kenya and the murder of the philandering Earl of Errol. Whilst I was reading the book I began to realise I would go there, not just to Kenya but to the Djinn Palace on Lake Naivasha. In fact I loved the book so much I was certain I would go there - it all seemed so familiar - maybe I was visualising the movie!

I had travelled a lot by this time, but I had never been to Kenya yet. My father had been there as a young man - before his marriage to my mother - and had loved the place, so I must have picked up on this as a child. He'd regale stories of his adventures there, meeting Karen Blixen, Joy Adamson, etc. He'd also said whenever you go to Kenya you always leave a little piece of your heart there - it's a very spiritual place that gets to your soul.

So I remembered all of this, especially the 1940's were very much my parents era - so throw in the nostalgia factor too - I was hooked. So much so that when we arrived in Sydney I rang London to try to get the film rights of the book. However, the director Mike Radford had already snapped them up and the rest is history. An excellent film was produced called 'White Mischief' starring Greta Scacchi and Charles Dance which was released in 1987. However, by 1986 I'd already met the friends who would take me not only to Kenya but to stay at the Djinn Palace on Lake Naivasha - the Earl of Errol's original home where much of the action took place in the real and filmed 'White Mischief'. Coincidence or serendipity?!

Since then I have spent many Christmases and holidays there with the owners, June and Hans Zwager and family and have loved every minute of it! They run as a family the biggest flower farm in the world - Hans Zwager is truly the flowering Dutchman! I was also asked by June Zwager to oversee the filming of the 'Safari' perfume launch commercial for Ralph Lauren who had chosen the Djinn Palace as the location to make the ad with his New York ad agency. I didn't realise back in 1984 what an important part in my life Kenya would play but the Zwager family are like extended family now and when they are in London they have a house 5 minutes from mine in Kensington. Coincidence or serendipity?

I am now embarking on helping raise awareness of the poaching of white rhino from their animal sanctuary at Lake Naivasha which specializes in protecting endangered species at great annual cost. You can find out more  about this wonderful charity at their website www.oseriantwolakes.com. As you probably know this is a worldwide issue with great supporters such as HRH Prince William and Stephen Fry rallying the cause. I would hope that the serendipity factor works for me with this!

'Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye' - H. Jackson Brown Jr.

My blog this week is a letter I read many years ago of fatherly advice about love. It was written in 1958 by Nobel Prize-winning John Steinbeck, the author of 'The Grapes of Wrath' and 'Of Mice and Men' to his lovestruck teenage son. I just read it again and thought it appropriate for this week - enjoy.

New York, November 10, 1958

Dear Thom,

We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.

First - if you are in love - that's a good thing - that's about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don't let anyone make it small or light to you.

Second - there are several kinds of love. One is selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you - of kindness and consideration and respect - not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn't know you had.

You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply - of course it isn't puppy love. But I don't think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it - and that I can tell you.

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.

The object of your love is the best and the most beautiful. Try to live up to it.

If you love someone - there is no possible harm in saying so - only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.

Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another - but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.

Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I'm glad you have it.

We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.

And don't worry about losing. If it is right, it happens - the main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.

Love, Fa

Isn't that just the best?

Happy Valentines Day!

'Meaning' is the new money

I believe we are in a period of massive change and generally people are looking for deeper meaning in their lives. With the global financial crisis and lack of trust in governments and corporations many people are hungry for something different and may have lost the connection to their deeper selves. After decades of pursuing riches, wealth seems less alluring and meaning has become the new money. Whilst I was researching this I came across a book by Dan Pink called 'A Whole New Mind' about how the 21st century is all about the Conceptual Age and the future of global business will belong to the right brain thinkers. The era of 'left brain' predominance of the logical, linear, computer based Information Age that it engendered are giving way to a new world of 'right brain' qualities that predominate which are inventiveness, empathy and meaning. The future belongs to those with a right brain mindset - creators, empathizers, pattern recognizers and 'meaning makers'. These people -  artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers will all reap the rewards of this new age. We need to maintain our left brain directed skills but now master six essential right brain directed skills. The six essential aptitudes on which professional success and personal fulfillment now depend are Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning. Pink reckons that these six senses will increasingly guide our lives and shape our world.

The four historical major ages:

1.  Agricultural Age (farmers) 18th century - left brain domination

2.  Industrial Age (factory workers) 19th century - left brain domination

3.  Information Age (knowledge workers) 20th century - left brain domination

4.  Conceptual Age (creators and empathizers) 21st century - right brain skills now required

According to the latest research, IQ accounts for between 4 and 10 per cent of career success. However, IQ tests are based upon excessive left brain directed thinking. The qualities that are more important and tougher to quantify are imagination, joyfulness and social dexterity - right brain qualities. Pink says the most valued degree in business is now the Master of Fine Arts (MFA). The MFA is the new MBA.

Research also found that the most effective leaders were funny (ha ha, not peculiar) and these leaders had their charges laughing three times more often than their managerial counterparts. Interestingly in my 20's before I started my own business I only had 3 great bosses all called Ian and all hilarious and well loved - so I can testify to this!

I think this book is more relevant now than when it was first written just before the financial crisis. I'm even more delighted that the future belongs to skills that I embrace where creativity is key, but I do think if you can integrate the right brain and left brain qualities equally you'll go far!

Happy Conceptual Age!

'Leadership is about empathy.  It is about having the ability to relate and to connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.'   -  Oprah Winfrey