Conversations with Victoria

The Tribune column, Nassau, Bahamas. June 25th 2019. “Living well is the best revenge” is a quote from George Herbert a 16 th century poet. I don’t know what his motive or meaning was but my interpretation which I apply to my own life is that to do so means making the best of whatever life throws at us - and making it count. One interpretation could mean living high off the hog with a lavish lifestyle requiring money to spend on expensive habits or acquiring things - cars, houses, clothes, luxurious holidays or entertainment. But those are superficial ‘things’. If you want them and can afford them (key words) and they give you pleasure then go for it. But the word “superficial” is important because although enjoyable, they are not a foundation on which to build a happy and rewarding life. At best, they are an enhancement which may (or in many cases) may not bring you sustained contentment.    My perspective says living well means building a solid base of inner stability m

Tribune column June 18 th 2019 Nassau, Bahamas. Get up, Dress Up, Show Up. Words and an attitude to live by. To be our best and live our best lives, we need to take those words and elevate that attitude to another level. To live our best lives we first need to challenge the illusion of perfection. It doesn’t exist. Those of us who think perfection is the ultimate sign of success are destined for a path lined with frustration and anxiety. It is unrealistic. Chasing perfection is debilitating, counter-productive and tantalisingly always just out of reach making satisfaction impossible. Instead  we need to choose the realistic and reachable target of being the best we can be and giving the best of ourselves to everything we do. With this philosophy we will gain a sense of accomplishment when we focus our energy and put our best foot forward all the time. We do this by being authentic and congruent so that all the pieces of our particular puzzle fit neatly where they should in a

“Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well”. This is a quote by Robert Louis Stevenson, author of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Treasure Island, Kidnapped and other classics. Sage words of advice. Our expectation of how life should be treating us often doesn’t match up with the  reality of our circumstances. While it is true that we don’t get to choose where or to whom we are born; our ethnicity; or our socio/economic circumstances, we do have a choice as to how we view them and subsequently what we make of them. We can whine and complain and do nothing which will leave us stuck or we can decide to make our lives the best they can be in our particular circumstances. That being said, the mind-shift is in our hands, hearts and heads. We can choose to see the proverbial half-full glass or the half empty one. We can choose to be envious of a person we think has had more opportunity, maybe a better education or a more comfortable