Our brains make connectionss and links associated to labels and brands. People are no exception (think Jamie Oliver and Julio Iglesias!). We are all judged based on impressions, whether purely on appearance, a conversation or simply what you do for a living. Virtually every little action contributes to your personal brand. From how you dress, to what you eat, how you talk, etc. Personal branding is unavoidable....

We all have a brand image. What does yours say about you? Put simply, a brand is more than just a name, it is what people associate with a company, organisation, product or person. A personal brand is no different, it is about what others would say if they had to describe you. Think of a brand. Any brand. Now think of a few more. What did you come up with? Was it Nike and the little tick? Or maybe it was Google?...

The beginning of a new year is filled with hope and expectations of what is yet to come. Whether you are firm believer that a new year is a new beginning or simply another page on the calendar, chances are you will be reassessing the past and planning for the future. I am a huge fan of lists and love reading things like “100 Places to Go Before you Die”. Having read many of these lists I have learnt...

“There are two things people want more than sex and money – recognition and praise.” ~ Mary Kay Ash Have you noticed how children ask for praise and recognition? “Mummy, Daddy, look at me!” Most of the time parents happily oblige and say how wonderful something is. As children we seek praise. We are taught that if we did something our parents approved of we would be rewarded or praised for...

The recent release of “Sex & the City 2” got me thinking about friendship. Good friends are not easy to find and should be treasured. Every friend offers something different which in turn makes you a better person. As we are all unique, can we categorize our friends into groups? As per a recent article in Philosophy Now by Dr Timothy Madigan, Aristotle divided friendship into 3 different types: ...

Nobody enjoys a breakup. Whether the breakup was rough or amicable, it is not a pleasant thing. Whilst each and every situation is unique, there are general characteristics of a break up that apply. So the story goes something like this… You two break up (it doesn’t matter who did it). You panic and start chasing, pleading, phoning, texting, emailing. Chances are, you do something that will make you...

The dictionary definition of optimism is “a tendency to expect the best possible outcome or dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation”. Sounds good right? Well, your answer will depend on who you are. In a general sense, people can be divided into being mainly optimistic or pessimistic. This will in turn affect other areas in your life. How you view the world is crucial for your well being. How you...

They say that timing is everything. With all the people in this world, what are the odds of falling for someone and have them like you back in the same way and at the same time? Is it emotions that control or actions or fate or a set of circumstances? When it comes to relationships, is timing everything? There are so many factors to consider for a relationship to be considered and deemed successful. When you...

Have you ever lost your temper? Or said something in a moment of anger, which you later regretted? There’s nothing wrong with feeling strong emotions, yet there are plenty of negative emotions that we may wish to control. I am an avid scuba diver and it has recently occurred to me that the basic principles of diving can apply to life and be used to control negative feelings and unpleasant situations. SCUBA...

Most languages and cultures have a grammatical use for past and future tenses, yesterday and tomorrow. Many brilliant scientific minds such as Galileo, Newton, Einstein and Stephen Hawking have studied time. Fascination with time and time travel has also been the inspiration of innumerable fiction books and films. So what exactly is time and what is it good for? Einstein stated that time was simply what a clock...