Category: 5 Share Friday

1. Quote I’ve been pondering this week:  “Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad, and that’s why I call you dad, because you are so special to me. You taught me the game and you taught me how to play it right.” – Wade Boggs 

2. Book I’m reading The Longevity Diet – this is less a diet book and more a book on living youthfully. I’ve not finished it though it’s a topic so interesting I’m sharing here. Written by an Italian scientist who studied centenarians (those people who’ve escaped major disease and live much longer than our average), it’s a book on the art of living longer.  Making a longevity change can be a good way to atone the first world eating and  lifestyle most of us live. This book is a must for anyone who wants to grab life by the balls and live it to the full.

3. I’m reading more again. I’d lost my way in reading recently (with the move to Denmark and renewed work focus). Now I’m getting back on track. What inspired me? Figuring out I had the time, we all do. This post (3 minute read) gives you the facts and demonstrates you can read 200 books a year, it’s not that hard.

4. Making a presentation you need to dazzle people with? Want to dabble in infographics? I’ve been using PresentationGo this week, a free powerpoint library of amazing charts, diagrams and graphics. It’s quickly become my go to place for grabbing visuals to use for information and you won’t want to miss it either.

5. New blog I’m reading – https://25iq.com/ Tren Griffin who writes the blog works at Microsoft and this blog is a fascinating mix of tech, lifestyle and money advice. I didn’t think it would be my thing until I started reading this post about Tupac Shakur. Take a look, Tren is someone to learn from.

1. Quote I’m pondering this week “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” –  Ludwig Jacobowski

2. Best purchase is this smartphone holder for my bicycle. Whether your on the trail, road or navigating the city, this phone holder allows you to have your maps on so you don’t get lost. I did a ton of research before buying this and have no regrets. 

3. Sticker charts, they’ve become common place across homes and classrooms in the USA and parts of Europe. This Washington Post article is an insightful look at behaviour management and the dark side effects parents and teachers may not be considering. We’ve not used a behaviour system with our children at home and are instead teaching that it’s the act of doing that’s rewarding.

4. I’ve fallen ill this week. It’s been a long while since I was unwell, pretty good going compared to a few years back. So why don’t I get ill often anymore? I made changes coeval to finding out I have Gilberts syndrome. Here’s some of the natural ways I use to fend off illness that work for me most of the time.

• Freshly squeezed lemon, diluted in water before I eat or drink anything else (ref: https://bit.ly/2MvhrEI)
• Cold shower each morning (ref: https://bit.ly/2HrjvjD )
• Regular meditation practice (ref: https://bit.ly/2H2turn )
• No vitamin / food supplements (ref: https://bit.ly/2xjv9W2 )
• No dairy in my diet (with Gilbert syndrome dairy free has been a game changer)

5. Most inspiring read this week Jack Ma’s resignation letter – The founder of Alibaba has resigned as chairman and details 3 key principles that are key to not just work:

1. You can’t do everything by yourself,
2. You won’t last forever, and
3. For real success, your undertaking should be able to continue without you.

1. Quote I’m pondering this week “Predicting rain doesn’t count. Building arks does”  – Warren Buffett

2. Information is beautiful – I’ve been looking at this book again and have a renewed awe for its display of information in a wonderfully digestible way. In my work I’m looking at how I can better present data, this book changed how I did it years ago and is doing it again for me now. I also got the chance to look through Knowledge is Beautiful too (the newer follow up) and it’s terrific. If you want an inspiring, enjoyable table book for home or work this fits the bill perfectly.

3. Cooking without foil. We’ve been using these silicon mats at home and they are incredible. If you use baking trays in the oven for any type of cooking you need these mats, available on Amazon as well.

4. What I’ve been reading on the internet. This is the best advice I’ve ever seen on what to do when looking for a new job. It’s an incredible example of what you can do in order to be proactive and land a role for you on your terms, don’t miss out even if you’re not looking it’s worth book marking for the future.

5. On Monday evening my 5 year old son told me “Daddy, you’re always on a plane or train!” He was a little sad I was off for a few days on a work trip. The reality is that it’s only once a month for a couple of nights on average, though it does feel like a lot of my time is on a train or plane somewhere. He then followed it up with “Bring me back some Lego please”.

This week I’ve been back in the UK, sadly not enough time to catch up with old friends, hopefully that’ll happen soon. In London Victoria I realised I hadn’t missed the flagrant disregard Brits seem to have for those around them. I was being pushed about and people were swearing at each other for going too slow. I’m so grateful that in Denmark there’s almost a hyper awareness for those around you. This isn’t totally true of the Copenhagen tourists however 😀. If we were all in less of a hurry and cared for those around us, the world would be even more fabulous.

1. Quote I’m pondering this week: Mark Twain once said, “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education”.

2. This week I became a millionaire for 2 days! That’s right, you read that correctly. It was a strange feeling, the money ($1.2 million) was in my bank account and I took a screenshot for prosperity. Sadly the money wasn’t mine and had been put there by mistake. Not being motivated by avarice I gave it back, deciding  not to run away to the Philippines to live out my days in luxury as a fugitive. I did find this site which would have helped me disappear, so if you’re thinking of going on the run check it out. 

3. Lego, it’s fair to say that in the land of Lego our house fits in nicely. My 5 year old has a Lego building desk dedicated to these plastic bricks and minifigures. Watching him create not just physical things, but stories in parallel is a wonderful experience and one I’ll always be grateful for. The short video on this website shows the Lego minifigure getting made in their factory, amazing!

4. This week we’ve been enjoying a simple smoothie at breakfast from our favourite recipe book Forks over Knives. It’s called the chunky monkey and I’ve pasted below. It’s terrific and I highly recommend for that taste sensation at breakfast:

2 frozen bananas (chop into one-inch pieces before freezing)

1 cup plant-based milk (such as unsweetened, plain almond or oat milk)

4 medjool dates, pitted

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp cocoa powder

Instructions: Blend it all up and enjoy!!!

5. This post on sleep and those night owls who’ve had to conform to societies norms is a fascinating read. 8 hours sleep is something I’ve not experienced in years and we are all different, we don’t all need the 8 hours and some thrive on having it at different time.

I hope you have a terrific weekend of sleep and chunky monkey goodness!