Today’s my Birthday (and I’m lucky enough to be spending it with three of our grandchildren – Kendall, Cameron and Andrew – happy days!).
I’ve been reflecting on my life and how much I’ve been enjoying it. Make Happy Choices is my Focus – and has been for quite a while.
On my 30th Birthday I remember having dinner with some friends in Geneva (during my Procter & Gamble days) and discussing a book I was reading – Passages by Gail Sheehy – where she spelled out a roadmap for Adult Life – something I thought I was about to enter for the first time.
Gail passed away last year – and her book was recognised by the Library of Congress as one of the 10 most influential books of all time. (I still refer to the 1976 edition I have in my NZ library.)
This morning I thought about the passions that I embraced during my Passages and was surprised to see how much they had influenced/formed me – and how important most of them were to me still.
13+:
- Sport – rugby, football, cricket and tennis (Man City and the All Blacks).
- Music – still my lifeblood – the storytellers, the 60’s, Folk and Country.
- Girls – a key interest growing up (accentuated by going to a boys only grammar school), now a spectator sport only!
- History – an on-going interest – Who, When, Why …
- Religion – As a teenager I studied many of the world’s religions and was struck not by differences, but by how much they had in common. What’s so wrong about Peace, Love and Understanding?
- English Literature – Thank you Peter Sampson who opened my eyes to drama, poetry, and contemporary fiction.
- Making Money – I hated being poor. It’s not a driver any more, and I realise (for me) money is only important when you don’t have any.
25+:
- Marketing – I stumbled into my lifelong Marketing career in 1968 and have loved the whole, constantly evolving, game/art/science ever since. Thank you Procter & Gamble who gave me my Marketing education and principles.
- Travel – I’ve hated lockdowns/isolation. I love the world – Morocco, Italy, The Caribbean, the American West, New Zealand, the North of England – and anywhere there’s an Aman!
35+:
- Creativity – Thank you Susan Baird – great Aussie artist – for opening my eyes to believing in my own creativity and to appreciating the role Creativity plays in the world. And thank you Saatchi & Saatchi people everywhere for showing me that Creativity is truly unreasonably powerful.
- Design – I’ve loved designing our homes in Carefree Arizona, Tribeca New York, Auckland New Zealand, Grasmere Cumbria, St Tropez, Kingston on Thames, and next year New Jersey.
- Food – I’ve known some great chefs, some marvellous maître d’s and some super sommeliers. Food and drink have lit up my life.
45+:
- Leadership and Coaching – I have transitioned from Player – to Player/Manager – to Player/Head Coach and have loved every step of the journey. Nothing beats inspiring people to be the best they can be.
Livin’ the Dream. Forever Young.
KR
October 20, 2021
